A longtime general manager of the Newcastle Herald, Brian Noack, was farewelled by family on Thursday at a private funeral, after his passing on Tuesday, September 27, at the age of 92.
Mr Noack was in charge of the Newcastle Newspapers business at a time when print was still king, with a near monopoly on classified advertising.
Friends and former colleagues this week remembered Mr Noack with genuine fondness as a manager who knew what needed to be done to make the businesses he managed operate well, but who cared for all of his employees.
He spent 18 years in charge of the Herald, arriving from Melbourne in 1975 and retiring in 1993 at the age of 63.
Julie Ainsworth, who managed the business from 2002 to 2012, said: "The best description I could give is to say Brian Noack was one of nature's gentlemen.
"He commanded a great deal of respect from all of those who worked with him. They were different times to now. I always called him Mr Noack, never Brian!
"He was firm, but he was fair, and he was very simply the best boss I ever had."
That sentiment was shared by Jenny Laybutt, who was Mr Noack's secretary throughout his time at the paper.
"He was a really wonderful person who was interested in every staff member," Mrs Laybutt said this week.
Former journalist and advertising manager Vic Levi said Mr Noack helped staff through the unavoidable closure of the afternoon Sun in 1980 and brought the Post and other smaller papers into the business.
Thursday's funeral heard that Robert Brian Alexander Noack was born in Melbourne on August 12, 1930.
The son of a Presbyterian minister, his early childhood was spent in Rockhampton, before the family moved to Victoria. Educated at Scotch College, he undertook a cadetship at the Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria and studied for a Bachelor of Science, majoring in chemistry.
Mr Noack met his wife, Gladys Joan Tomkinson, at work, and the couple married on August 31, 1955.
After rising through the ranks at Australian Synthetic Rubber and then gas company CIG, Mr Noack accepted his role with the Newcastle Morning Herald (as it was then), and brought the family - by now with three children, Jane, John and Kate to Newcastle.
"He had originally thought the job was in Sydney," daughter Jane Dawes said yesterday. "He would say with a smile that he was rather surprised when they offered him the position."
Former colleagues said Mr Noack's lack of newspaper experience was a talking point when he arrived, but his skill as a manager quickly overcame initial unfamiliarity with the product.
He maintained a keen interest in the Herald long after it ceased to be his daily responsibility. Outside of work, Mr Noack sailed, played tennis and golf, and took an active part with Newcastle Rotary.
He is survived by his wife Joan, the children, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
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