It used to be that newspaper presses were built like battleships and lasted forever. They were reminders of an age gone by when they were huge mechanical monsters, served by ink- and oil-smeared men in overalls.
I know all things change, as is the nature of time, and so I understand the Gisborne Herald’s Goss press is now being dismantled, ready to be shipped to a buyer — overseas, I gather.
It wasn’t that old as presses go — maybe not the very latest thing — but it will be a sad loss for Gisborne, and the end of an era.
Another sign of the digital times, as many smaller centres have lost their newspapers totally in the face of competition from overseas-owned giants like Google and the social media.
I feel for those in industries that are disrupted by “progress” — inevitably people lose their jobs; others have the stress of adapting to big changes.
