Died: March 21, 2013

BILL Hornadge was by any measure an extraordinary man.

He was a journalist but is best known as the founder of Seven Seas Stamps, the company that advertised in every comic book in the country and sent millions of stamps across Australia.

Mr Hornadge, who grew up at Catherine Hill Bay but spent his later years in West Gosford, started his working life with a temporary job at the iconic Smith's Weekly when he was 16, and the following year had his first work published in the Australian Women's Weekly of March 10, 1934, a "clever verse" titled Whistling Wind.

He began selling stamps from the family home and, shortly after he turned 18, launched bi-monthly The Australian Stamp Collector, with his mother, Lily, as subeditor.

He charged threepence a copy and published it until 1939.

Mr Hornadge used his fledgling magazine to establish the South Seas Stamp Club, along with a wholesale stamp magazine, a wholesale approvals business and a small printing entity.

However, the lure of newspapers was strong and in 1942 he joined the Northern Star at Lismore as a junior journalist.

He met Jean Dunning and they married the following year.

Mr Hornadge rose through the ranks at the Star but was restless and wanted a paper of his own.

He established the North Coast Review at Murwillumbah with his father, Thomas, but when the Review didn't meet his expectations, joined The Sydney Morning Herald as a subeditor.

Mr Hornadge was 31 when he replied to an advertisement for a one-month position at the Dubbo Liberal and was instead appointed to the full-time position of editor of the then tri-weekly.

The Liberal's new proprietor, Leo Armati, had recently retired from a stellar career that had included more than seven years as editor of the Sydney Sun.

Mr Hornadge had gained valuable management experience while Mr Armati was away, which gave him confidence to make an unplanned career change, and immediately turned his energies to creating a philatelic business.

He named the new enterprise Seven Seas Stamps.

He and Jean worked from a spare bedroom, sorting and packaging stamps for sale.

Seven Seas Stamps grew rapidly and as extra staff was employed the business took over the house, forcing Mr Hornadge to move it to larger premises.

In April 1954, he published Volume 1, No. 1 edition of Stamp News with great success.

Following a trip to the US in 1957, Mr Hornadge decided to sell stamps "on approval" and for the next decade took a full-page advertisement in every comic book published in Australia.

Seven Seas Stamps became the largest mail order operation of its kind and was soon dispatching 5000 customer selections a week.

In 1971, Mr Hornadge sold the company to Sydney businessman Kevin Duffy to concentrate on developing Stamp News and a range of stamp catalogues.

Friends and family paid their respects at a moving service at Greenway Chapel in Green Point on April 9 this year.

Bill Hornadge is survived by daughters Kerrie and Lindy, sons-in-law Anthony and Ron, grandchildren Sharni, Kristy, Scott, Alexander, Triona and Joanna and great-grandchildren Sophie and Beau.