Shea, E. H. (Ernest H.)

Ernest Shea (1884-1959) born in Melbourne and educated at Subiaco, W.A. By 1905 he was working as a printer. In 1913 Shea was living in Darlinghurst, Sydney where he became active in the Letterpress Machinists' Union. From 1922-1923 he was President of the Amalgamated Printing Trades Employees' Union and a delegate to the Labor Council N.S.W. In 1922 Shea was appointed a teacher of letterpress machining at Sydney Technical College. He became the head-teacher in 1928. Shea and his students produced two year-books (1929 and 1931). In 1931 he set up Sunnybrook Press in his Mosman home. Here he produced a series of limited editions (usually of 75 or 100 copies) on an 1874 Albion hand press. He was an organizing member of the Australian Limited Editions Society in 1936.