Albany 2026: Son of former Albany Advertiser compositor, sports journo and columnist Bob Selby reflects

Before news was digital, Albany’s stories were formed by molten lead and Bob Selby was one of the men who built the Albany Advertiser papers by hand.

Now aged 91, his son, lifelong Albany resident Ken Selby, has shared memories of his father’s career at the Albany Advertiser, offering a glimpse into a time when newspapers were physically composed, printed and delivered through long hours of skilled labour.

Mr Selby, born in 1934, said his father Bob, arrived in Albany as a two-year-old in 1909, with his mother moving to Albany in 1924.

Bob Selby became a familiar name in Albany through his decades of work at the Advertiser where he was the sport journalist, a columnist who wrote a piece titled Out Among the People, and compositor.

Mr Selby remembers living near the York Street office.

“We actually lived in Collie Street directly behind the Advertiser,” he said.

“There was a vacant block and there were four little cottages that actually faced Collie Street.”

The family home made it a convenient location for Bob, with Mr Selby saying he remembers his dad working late nights and early mornings in the office.

“Dad would have to get up at five o’clock in the morning and he would have to light the furnaces to melt the lead right to print the paper,” he said.

“He would sit up every Sunday night till midnight writing up the sport that went on over the weekend and then go to work at eight o’clock in the morning to compose the paper.”

Bob Selby was a journalist with many talents, not only composing and designing the paper but also serving as the main sport reporter.

“He did all the sport journalism,” Mr Selby said.

“He became the sole sports reporter — he also worked as a compositor but he would report all the sport in the Advertiser (for years).”

Mr Selby said back then, print journalism looked very different to the digital journalism produced now.

“They had what they call linotype operators and they (operated) a machine and they produced out lead slugs and a series of those made a column in the paper,” he said.

“In other words, he composed the paper and he got the lead slugs from the linotype operator and he composed the paper and put it in blocks and then they printed it off with rollers.

“They had two linotype operators (in the office) that actually type up (typeset) the paper and dad composed it with metal so that was the old-fashioned way the paper was printed.”

Mr Selby said his dad would be amazed if he could see what Albany is like now during the bicentenary year.

“Dad would be staggered,” he said.

“It’s evolved so much.

“He would be staggered at the development now.”