General News
4 May, 2025
Mr Ian Ward
A funeral service in celebration of the life of Ian Ward was recently held at St Andrew’s Church, Horsham.
Mr Ian George Ward
His funeral had a strong focus on happy memories of Ian’s family life, his adventures, and the life-long career he was so dedicated to as a photographer for the Wimmera Mail-Times newspaper.
Ian was the third child of John Vyvian Snaith (JVS) Ward and Dorothy Ward. Younger brother to Joan Brown and Frank Ward (both deceased).
Ian fitted so much active life into his 89 years. He was always the adventurous spirit, whether it be in conversation, on land, in the air, or water. He was very keen to give anything and everything a go.
Over the years Ian enjoyed all things flying related, whether it be model or full-sized aircraft: Tethered line and radio-controlled model aeroplanes, slope soaring models, myriads of gliders, ultralights and gyrocopters, hot air ballooning and skydiving. Even indoor skydiving when he was 81.
He enjoyed the water too: Model boats, swimming, canoeing, windsurfing, scuba diving. He and his friends built a wooden inboard V8 ski boat. He took to water-skiing easily, progressed to barefoot water-skiing.
He embraced snow-skiing, competed in Victorian State Championships for land yachting. Go-karting was fun too. Then later camping, caravanning and travel all over Australia and internationally. So much to do!
A passionate family man, Ian and Wilma had celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary and together they raised 4 children: Jennifer, Helen, Annette and Jonathan. He was Grandpa to 8 grandchildren and Great Grandpa to 2.
The newspaper industry was in Ian’s blood from generations earlier.
His grandfather George W Ward started in the Horsham newspaper business in 1883 and was followed by his father JVS Ward.
Ian started his career folding newspapers and delivering them around Horsham. He joined The Horsham Times newspaper’s full-time staff in 1952, learning the ropes in several areas of the newspaper business.
In 1954, using an imported German-made Klischograph, Ian became the Southern Hemisphere’s first operator in electronic photograph engraving. It was a huge technological advance for the newspaper.
Prior to this revelation, Victorian country newspapers sent their pictures to Ballarat or Melbourne for the lengthy process of chemical plate etching, which with time included for transport there and back meant long delays in providing photos to accompany news articles.
Moving to cutting-edge on-site electronic photo engraving allowed a photo from an event on the night of publication to appear in the newspaper the next day. It heralded a new era for newspapers, bringing up-to-the-minute publishing of news photos, and Ian was excited to be part of it.
Ian became a photographer in 1955 when photography on country newspapers was still new and in its infancy.
He had an innate ability when it came to composition of photos and he built his technical skills with practice. He started with a camera that could take a mere 6 frames.
He embraced cameras with 36 image reels of black and white negative film. Ian retired in 1996 with digital cameras that could take thousands of images, and since that time photography and technologies have advanced ever more quickly.
He was always an early adopter of new technologies throughout and in all facets of his life. ‘Nothing is more certain than change’ was Ian’s often sage remark.
Ian had a remarkable talent for being inquisitive, which frequently led to news stories.
He loved talking with people and asking questions, all the while learning new things and could converse on a wide and varied range of topics.
From Farmers to Prime Ministers and even Astronauts, he could engage in conversation with anyone!
He established rapport quickly, gaining trust and putting people at ease, enabling photos that were genuine and interesting to newspaper readers.
He strove for his photos to be intriguing, not merely a simple boring capture of an event.
People he met through his work also became part of his life.
Like Eileen and Paul who were riding their bikes around the world. Ian met them for a news story and photo, and they ended up staying with the family for a week or so and years later Ian and Wilma attended their wedding in Ireland.
If you can find a job that you love, it’s not really a job, and Ian managed to turn his hobby and one of his passions into a career.
Newspaper photography is nevertheless a demanding career; evening events, weekend sport, phone calls at night for fires or accidents, and particularly in pre-digital days, there were late nights developing photos in time for publication.
For 24 years Ian was also a TV Stringer, fulfilling the role of photographer, videographer and reporter for various TV news channels including BTV6 (now WIN), Channels 7, 9, 10 and ABC.
Ian Ward was among the most highly decorated photographers in Australian provincial journalism.
Over his career he won 11 major prizes for press photography including the Victorian state Gollin and Co Award for the Best Feature Photograph in 1962, 1964, 1970 and 1971.
Other achievements included the Victorian Rural Press Award in 1991 and Victorian Country Press Association Annual Award for news photography in 1990.
A number of Ian’s photos toured Victoria as part of a photographic exhibition showcasing ‘The Best Of The Press’.
As recently as 2024 one of his photos was re-published in the Herald Sun newspaper, recognising it as an amazing photo from their archives.
Several of Ian’s photos are now part of collections at Horsham Historical Society and the Horsham Regional Art Gallery.
His legacy of a lifetime of capturing images, snapshots of a moment in time of life around Horsham and the Wimmera is one that will be able to be appreciated by many generations to come.
Ian’s legacy also proudly involved fostering talent and passing on his craft to 6 photography cadets, arming them with skills and a strong work ethic that has seen them excel as photographers in their own right.
Ian retired in 1995 after 43 years, ending 112 years of Ward family involvement in the Horsham newspaper business.
He was excited in 2020 when nephew David Ward and his son Andrew re-established publication of The Horsham Times.
In February 2025, when the Wimmera Mail Times was purchased, Ian was very pleased to see the newspapers returning to the Ward family fold.
Ian had strong values, living and breathing his personal mantras of “We all have the power to make a difference”, and “We must never be complacent”.
He had a desire to make a difference. To help people, his community and care for the environment.
He completed National Service and was a member of the RSL and many community clubs including Jaycees, City of Horsham Lions Club, Horsham Model Aeroplane Club.
He was a foundation member of both the Wimmera Soaring Club and Horsham Combined Probus Club.
He lived a full life and will be sadly missed.