The inspirational story of Katie Gajdacs and Aussie Graphics
To say she comes from a printing background would be an understatement.
“My mother, grandmother and godmother were ‘feeders’ to letterpress, and my godfather was a pressman,” she recalls. “My sister was a hand-setter for letterpress, and my cousin set the lead type. I learned to be a press feeder when I was 14, then I became a typographer.”
Katie married Tibi in 1974, and their daughter, Hajni, was born in 1977.
“We wanted to give Hajni a better future, so we decided to leave communist Hungary,” says Katie. “Hajni and I both got a passport and went to Frankfurt, Germany. The problem was, Tibi didn’t. He tried to cross the border from Yugoslavia to Italy, but the Italians wouldn’t let him enter. Eventually, a Yugoslavian soldier put handcuffs on my husband and walked him through a forest for an hour with a gun pointed at his back. After that, he was jailed for 10 days. He was eventually released, made it to Salzburg, Austria on July 11, 1980, but was jailed there for seven days and taken to a refugee camp where he was locked up for 13 more days.”
“Meanwhile, my daughter and I went from one church to another in Germany because no one wanted to give us shelter. Finally, we got a kitchen and a room in Darmstadt. After six weeks of not knowing where my husband was, I got a letter from my mother-in-law with Tibi’s address in Austria. So after two months, Hajni (who was three at the time) and I went to Austria, and our reunited family registered to emigrate to Australia,” she continues.
“Within 10 weeks, we arrived in Perth. We couldn’t find work, however, a Hungarian newspaper editor helped us to move to Sydney where we found work within 10 days. Tibi worked in a meat factory and I worked in a Hungarian printing shop as a typesetter. I still couldn’t speak English, but I typed just about all languages.”
“In 1988 we had an opportunity to come to Canada. Mr. Vorosvary, owner of Weller Publishing on Bloor St. in Etobicoke fought for us for four years, spending his time and money in an effort to help us get here. On April 11, 1991, we got a phone call informing us that MP Barbara MacDougal was helping fast-track our request. Finally, in January of 1992, we arrived in Canada.”
“I worked at Blue Line Printing and Bowne of Toronto and eventually got my degree in Graphic Communications Management at Ryerson University. After that, I worked at Commerce Press, then at Rewco Printing Group. When Rewco went under, I started Aussie Graphics Typesetting Studio and later changed the company name to Aussie Graphics Printing Group Inc., a digital printing shop. The rest, as they say, is history.”
Q. What equipment do you have?
A. Xerox 260 Docucolour with Light Finisher and a Ricoh 1100 B&W printer.
Q. When you started your business, was it difficult because you were a woman?
A. It’s hard to break into an industry that’s male dominated. I run all the machines and do all the selling, paperwork, etc. Sometimes, it can be overwhelming.
Q. How is business and are you happy in your shop?
A. Since we came to Gordon Baker Rd., I’ve gotten many new clients. I’ve also decorated my workplace like my home. It’s very warm and friendly. I love to produce quality work. Coming to work is a joy every day, even when I’m tired.
Q. What does your shop specialize in?
A. Books and booklets with special finishing that we do in-house, trade show materials and variable data. I broker offset printing and posters.
More information: 416-491-2794 or email
katie@aussiegraphics.ca.
Topknotch wedding for a Topknotch couple
At last report, their honeymoon was going splendidly. Both had been working at the shop until 10 pm for several days in a row following their wedding. Sounds like a typical printer couple, doesn’t it?