KELVIN Ruge has promoted the city’s attractions to tourists since 1992, producing an extensive range of merchandise including postcards, key rings, large prints, fridge magnets and stubby holders.
While the range of souvenirs at Blue Lake Printworks has expanded to include Australian-made plush toys, kangaroo skins and boomerangs, the products designed and produced in-house feature Mr Ruge’s own landscape photographs.
An award-winning photographer, Mr Ruge’s Commercial Street West premises doubles as a gallery, with awards and certificates displayed among framed landscapes of iconic local features.
His photographs capture the natural beauty of regions beyond the Limestone Coast and he produces tourism merchandise for regions from the Great Ocean Road to Victor Harbour, the Otway Ranges, the Grampians, Riverland, Mid North and Flinders Ranges.
Celebrating 25 years as the sole proprietor of Blue Lake Printworks, Mr Ruge said the business had evolved from humble beginnings.
When Mr Ruge lost his wife to illness in 1990, he left his former occupation as a sheet metal worker so he could work from home and care for his three young children.
He completed a computing course at the South East College of TAFE and decided to establish a desktop publishing business.
“I registered the business as KR Computing and worked out of home creating resumes, business cards, newsletters and posters,” Mr Ruge said.
“Our small office soon became too small and we moved into a shop front.”
KR Computing became Blue Lake Printworks in 1996 and the business has relocated to three different premises, each bigger than the last, as his clientele and services continued to expand.
“We have always had two mottos – ‘the small job specialists’ and ‘no job is too big or small’,” Mr Ruge said.
“Our willingness to provide a quick print service to the public has given us a competitive edge and I have always monitored new technology and continued to offer new services.
“With so many of our products designed and produced in-house, we are always on the grind.”
Blue Lake Printworks offers corporate printing options, digital printing and laminating, and services a number of regions as a wholesaler of his products.
Mr Ruge is passionate about sports photography and his weekends are often spent behind the lens at local football games.
Perhaps his best-known service is the delivery of premiership memorabilia to Mid South East and Western Border Football League clubs on grand final night.
“I’m often back in here straight after the game printing the stubby holders and drive out to deliver them to the winning club later the same night,” Mr Ruge said.
He said it was very encouraging when people complimented him on his photographs and work.
“A customer came in the other day because they were renovating their house and they purchased four large prints – that is very satisfying,” he said.
“I’m completely self-taught and I love when people walk in and are impressed with the gallery.”
Mr Ruge is chairman of the Mount Gambier and District Tourist Operators Group and delivers promotional brochures produced by the group on local attractions to tourist centres far and wide.
On his success over 25 years in business, Mr Ruge remained characteristically modest.
“I’m quite happy with what I have achieved – it’s a unique business, I cover a big area and there is really nowhere else doing everything in-house and offering such a wide range of products that we do,” he said.
“It is very satisfying to have built up such a large customer base in the souvenir trade that are always happy to place orders throughout the year, especially as the souvenir trade is very cut throat and I am up against some very large companies that have far more resources than I do.”
