Memories flood back at the end of an era

DECADES of memories came flooding back as former staff from Archant Suffolk got together to mark the end of newspaper printing in Ipswich.

Earlier this year printing of The Evening Star switched to Archant's multi-million print centre on the edge of Norwich, enabling us to use more colour and produce a higher-quality newspaper.

But the start of the new era meant an end to printing in Ipswich, and at the weekend about 200 former - and a few current - production staff got together for a reunion to mark the milestone.

Eric Chisnall worked for the company - then called Eastern Counties Newspapers - for 51 years before he retired in 1995.

“It was a wonderful evening - the chance to catch up with old friends and remember old times. Those of us in the maintenance department meet up just before Christmas every year for lunch - but this was the first time all the pressroom people had got together,” he said.

“I was there for 51 years and there was one chap, Bill Bonney, who came along to the reunion who had been there when I started - we went back a long, long way.

“It was also great to see my old friends Ted Salter and Noel Bowyer.”

Eric and many of his colleagues had memories that went back to when the Star was printed and published from offices in Carr Street - where the Eastgate Centre is now - before moving to Lower Brook Street in 1967.

“There were a lot of faces there that I remembered. It was a good evening,” he said.

Current maintenance chief Jim Edwards said the evening went very quickly as people met old friends they had lost touch with over the years.

“It was one of those things where you suddenly realise the evening has gone - it was very enjoyable and everyone found old friends that were there.

“We had a buffet so people could move around and there were some old pictures on display - including some pictures of old friends who are no longer with us.

“This was to mark the end of printing in Ipswich which is a big moment - but it was a very enjoyable evening.”

The event at the Elizabeth Hotel in Copdock was organised by pressroom staff who said goodbye when printing stopped in Ipswich in February.