It is with great sadness that the Queensland Bookbinders’ Guild marks the death of Founder Member and Life Member, Fay Dean, on Tuesday 18th February. Fay was 88 and had been in aged care for seven years so may not have been known to more recent Guild members, but was one of the two most significant figures in the birth and success of the QBG having been there from before the beginning, the other most significant member being June McNicol. The McNicol-Dean award was instituted in 2012 to encourage members to produce bindings of a good standard, suitable for judging, and to build good bookbinding skills. June and Fay remained best friends and one another’s greatest advocates for the rest of their lives.
In 1977 a course in introductory bookbinding was held, taught by Frank Lynam, Superintendent of the State Library. Fay and June were two of the students. At the course she and June talked and, with the other students agreed to found the Guild so that they could continue to learn and develop this new craft. This was the genesis of the Guild, the first in Australia and the first meeting was in December 1977.
Fay was a long-time book collector but had no bookbinding experience; a few in the class had a small amount of knowledge. From that first class she was hooked and bookbinding became a lifelong passion for her, complementing her collecting, with husband George, of books, coins and antiques. It was bookbinding however, which gave her the opportunity to develop her own substantial creative and technical skills.
Fay was intimately involved at all levels of the Guild taking many different but essential roles from Purchasing Officer to Treasurer. She was generous with her time demonstrating many skills, particularly unusual but striking cover decoration methods.
Her own bindings were outstanding using beautiful leather and tooling and making wonderful boxes and slipcases. Her tour de force was “The Piano” a book in black and white decorated with piano keys. But it was the box which was black and folded open with “legs” and the keyboard cover opened to reveal the keys, inlaid in white and black leather on the book cover. It was even made with a genuine piano hinge.
Fay was always immaculately dressed and presented. Her work was similarly immaculate but inventive. Amongst her great loves was dancing and it was at a dance that she met George. She was also a skilled photographer, photographing may of the bindings produced by QBG members and creating an archive. It is thanks to her that we have good records of Guild Events (the annual Christmas Party photo was an institution) and bindings.
The Committee and members of the Queensland Bookbinders’ Guild have sent our sympathy to Fay’s family. There will not be a funeral as Fay had donated her body to the University of Queensland, so we hope to mark her contribution to the Guild through the judging of the 2025 McNicol-Dean Award later this year.