Our History - Platypus Print Packaging

Platypus from humble beginnings to almost 100 years of printing in Australia with the Lusch family.

1858

John William Ernest Lusch is born in Upsala Sweden. He immigrates to Australia. He serves in the Victorian Naval Contingent and was deployed in the Boxer Uprising from 1900 to 1901. He has one child with Thurza Louisa Walker name Claude Thomas Lusch born in 1893.

1920

Claude Lusch marries Hilda Florence Wilson. They have one son Ronald Claude Lusch.

1928

William Prail and immigrant from Brentwood in the UK, purchases a small printing press and sets it up on the kitchen table at home he calls this business Brentwood Press.

1951

Ronald Lusch son of Claude Lusch and his wife Kathlyn Prail daughter of William Praill take over Brentwood Press. They specialise in pop-up packaging for supermarkets, chain stores and exhibitions. All their printing – stationery, bags, merchandisers and packaging, were printed on a single colour hand-fed Royal Octavo Letterpress and the bags were all hand finished with string.

1958

Kathlyn and Ronald and their two children, Nettie and Tom with the Brentwood Press Holden delivery van that was also the family car.

1976

Ron and Kaths son Tom complete his apprenticeship and receives his trade certificate in Letterpress Printing.

1979

Tom relocates to Queensland to take on an estimating position at Inprint.

1982

In Brisbane, Tom registers Platypus Graphics Pty Ltd as a company. Named after the unique, egg laying marsupial, this resonated with Tom who wanted his business to be different from the rest and proudly Australian. Initially set up as a fun home hobby business, it was mostly foil stamping on a small hand platen at the time.

1984

Platypus acquires a Heidelberg Platen, that is set up underneath the Lusch family home at 5 Willcott Street, Geebung and a short time later Tom resigns from his full-time job.

1985

Tom moves Platypus from the family home to a business premises at 36 Costin Street, Fortitude Valley.

1988

Platypus relocates from Fortitude Valley to Webster Road, Stafford.

1999

Platypus acquires McNiven’s packaging

2002

Aaron Lusch, Tom’s eldest son of six, joins Platypus. While working full-time, Aaron graduates with a bachelor’s in business management.

2011

Tim Lusch, toms fifth child joins Platypus. Tim enters the business with a bachelors in Business economics.

2013

Aaron Lusch is appointed General Manager of the business.

2015

Platypus relocates from 7 factories in Stafford to a single 10,000m2 site at 62 Brickyard Road, Geebung.

2021

Aaron and Tim acquire shares in Platypus and become company directors alongside their father Tom. Company revenue exceeds $22M.

2023

Platypus Print Packaging acquires Ovatos packaging division out of administration. Ovato was a succession of the Inprint business where Tom completed his apprenticeship in the 1980s.