Flagstaff printer Lyn Whittington holds an example of brochures printed with braille. Photo: Supplied.
Wollongong’s Lyn Whittington has spent decades in print workshops as the only female among a male workforce and she remains mystified by the gender imbalance.
“When I started work in the 70s, traditional printing was all about ink and plates which left you covered in ink, so maybe women thought it was too messy or they were not keen to work in an all-male workforce,” she proffered.
None of that worried Lyn, who has now notched up half a century in the printing trade and is still in high demand.
She is account manager for print and mail at the disability facility Flagstaff, at Unanderra, and credits much of her professional success to her humble beginnings.
“I grew up in Westmead near Parramatta and left school in Year 10, at 16, when my parents sent me out to look for a job,” Lyn recalled.
“My first job was a real estate receptionist, but soon after that a printing job came up in a boiler-making factory in Rydalmere, and I decided that might be a better career choice.
“It had one senior printer who took great care in teaching me the basics of traditional litho printing, which was quite an involved process getting ink ratios right.
“I went home after the first day with my head spinning and thought, ‘Oh my God, what have I done’, but at the same time I found the work interesting.
“My boss was a knowledgeable and nurturing teacher, but for religious reasons he only worked three days a week, so there was nobody but me, who was still a teenager, to take over.”
That experience gave her the basic skills to move on to several industries, from hospitals to John Lysaght’s steel manufacturing at Port Kembla.
“I printed mainly forms or lists for workers, which required a complex manual chain of steps to achieve the required results, compared to today’s digital printing which is simply the press of a button.”
Lyn said the fact the industry was mainly male was not an issue.
“At one location, the boss who interviewed me for the job warned me I may have to put up with some swearing, but it didn’t bother me. I was there because I enjoyed the work and the men always treated me fairly.”
Lyn has been with Flagstaff for 35 years and thanks to that traditional training, she is now renowned throughout NSW for her skill at designing bespoke printing packages for government and commercial needs.
The printing workshop also provides part-time employment for about 21 workers with disabilities.
One of Lyn’s significant achievements at Flagstaff was helping to introduce braille into the Flagstaff print mix seven years ago.
“It’s a specialised skill and the main use is for business cards for people in government and the disability sector who need this type of card to give to people who are blind or sight-impaired, the ability to read the contact details,” said Lyn.
“We originally used a company in Victoria for that purpose but it involved a 10-day turnaround, so I thought why not do it ourselves.”
The team now involves a braille specialist and a braille proofreader.
“What makes it challenging is that braille takes up more room than print so we can only add the name and contact number at the bottom of the business card,” explained Lyn.
At 67, Lyn is at the top of her game with no desire to retire.
“I love what I do, and I have a fabulous team so retirement is just not on the radar for a good few years,” she said.
“I had a hip replacement last year and couldn’t even drive let alone come to work. I hated it so much; I couldn’t get back to work quick enough.”
