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AUSTRALIAN PHOTO INDUSTRY - Chapter 1
A look at personalities in the retail and wholesale arena over the past three decades

by Les Brener

I arrived in Australia in December 1978 and found myself immediately back in the photo industry. My photographic experience came from my pharmacy (which had a large photographic department) in what was then Rhodesia and is now Zimbabwe.

Within a few months after my arrival it was suggested that I apply for and was selected to head up the position of Director of the Australian Photographic Industries Association, a body operating under the secretariat of the then Sydney Chamber of Commerce – now the State Chamber of Commerce. The association was formed to coordinate the activities of the retail and wholesale bodies supporting the industry.

These were the PDA (Photographic Dealers Association) and PIC (Photographic Industry Council).The Chamber also supplied secretarial services to the professional photographer’s association, the AIP (Australian Institute of Photography now the AIPC – Australian Institute of Professional Photography.) as well as PIMA (the Photographic Industrial Marketing Association), a body formed for the industrial equipment importers and retailers. The similarity oft the name to PMA eventually led to it being changed to PICA (Photographic Imaging Council of Australia)

I was interviewed by officers of the photographic associations and David Abba, the Chambers Executive Director. Names on that interviewing committee will still be well known to many of today’s industry personnel. From memory they included John Bleakley, James Coleman, Bill Cutbush, Joe Mitchell, Paul Curtis and Jack Wagner (Melbourne).

On joining the chamber I was thrown into the photographic industry’s involvement in the PIC sponsored Festival of Sydney from November 1978 to January 1979 and where a small trade show was held by the PIC at Centrepoint. Paul Curtis (for PIC) had organised a “Click with a Camera” holiday photo contest and “Pictures in the Park” exhibition, where photographs by top Australian photographers were displayed on boards erected around Hyde Park – these could be bought and I can recall being called out in the middle of the night when police observed some of them being stolen. Photographic exhibitions were also held in two of the main banking halls in the city.

The major activity, which had to be attended to immediately, was the SPPC 79 (the third South Pacific Photographic Convention) to be held in Sydney at the Hilton Hotel and if ever there was a way of getting to learn all about the industry quickly, this was it. Support came from chairman John Bleakley (of ???Rank, Canon, Bleakley) and Keith Laker of Polaroid Australia.

A look back to 1977 (before my arrival) saw the second SPPC (South Pacific Photographic Convention) held in Surfer’s Paradise. I mention this because it really is the key to my future in Australia as that convention was the platform for the foundation of the PDA (Photographic Dealers’ Association). The initiative was sparked by Rob Tolmie and Garrick Smith with the support of John Paxton and Joe Mitchell. The organiser of the meeting however was Paul Curtis and for his efforts he was made a Life Member, an honour which has been recognised to this day by PMA International. The PDA was officially initiated in January 1978.

It is intended to write about industry personalities and their recollections as well as individual articles, and for this to be shown on a website. After having sufficient material we will then consider editing the material into an overall industry history. We also intend sending a questionnaire to all members of PMA and PICA asking them to give their own recollections and to use these in conjunction with the main themes.

Initially the material used will be from PMA’s Newsline Australia, which I have edited since February 1984. There are also minutes from the original PDC (Photographic Dealers’ Association) and forerunner of PMA Australia, the PIC (Photo Imaging Council) and PIMA (Photo Industrial Marketing Association - at that stage the association for industrial suppliers).

PIC eventually merged into an enlarged PIMA which later became today’s PICA (Photo Imaging Council of Australia) and , of course Photo and Imaging Retailer, which at that time was the only trade publication but soon after joined by Photo Forum.

THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRESS
Australia certainly had an inordinately large number of photographic magazines including a couple produced with only industry news.

James Coleman was regarded as the doyen of publishers having established his Photo Publishing Company in 1950 and produced the US based Popular Photography under license for a few years before establishing Australian Photography, which still exists today under the Yaffa Publishing banner.

He also produced Photo Trade News which is today published as Photo and Imaging News and purchased the rights for Industrial and Commercial Photography, which after a couple of name changes is now called Capture..

Paul Curtis, an established photo retailer sold his business and entered the publishing field by being the founding editor of Photoworld initially named Australian HiFi Photographic Magazine published by Australian HiFi publications. This magazine ceased production under editor Neil Sudbury about ten years ago.

Curtis had been writing for Photo Trade News as a retailer for over three years. He was also editor of Photographic, then published by Gary Cutler and David Paul. He then established his own company, Iris Publishing which introduced Australian CameraCraft (1979), Photo Forum (a successful) trade magazine in 1980. In 1982 he purchased Professional Photography magazine (then edited by Neil Murray) which is today know as ProPhoto. He later he sold the magazines to Horwitz Publications in 1989. Camera Craft is now known as Camera Australia. His editors included John Back, Paul Burrows, and Peter Eastway who since 1994 has his own magazines Better Photography and Better Digital as well as a Professional photographers’ newsletter which started as Profitable Photography and is now called The Working Pro.

Curtis today, as most readers will know is still extremely involved in the industry, initially as president of the PIC (Photo Imaging Council) and then as the Executive Director of PICA (Photo Imaging Council of Australia), a position he holds to date and has been and is responsible for the Annual Photo Trade exhibitions and promoting the industry.

Back to PMA
At the South Pacific Photographic Convention in 1979, Roy Pung, Executive Director of Photo Marketing Association International was invited by the then PDA President Ken Peters as a keynote speaker, and to hold discussions with the PDA executive committee. This resulted in the PDA affiliating with PMA and later establishing its own office away from the Chamber of Commerce.

Officers of the PDA at the time were Ken Peters (Queensland - President), Mark Alderson (NSW Chairperson), the late Rex Alexander (National Chairperson).

I then left the Chamber of Commerce after a year and spent close to four years as a professional photographer and then back into the retail and wholesale industry before being invited back to take over the Australian Division of the PMA by the then President John Paxton in consultation with Paul Curtis and Roy Pung. We then established an office in my home unit. The break away from the Chamber was also partially caused by the then PMA Director (an employee of the Chamber) being involved in the embezzlement of industry funds.

The first priority as Director of Australian Activities was to recruit new members and to make contact with the original PDA members who had not been receiving any material (or even renewal notices) from PMA during this period. Of the one hundred members still on the lists, only half had paid their dues.

Recruiting involved calling by telephone or spending a week at a time in each capital city and visiting and recruiting potential members. This turned out to be a great exercise in public relations as well.

Newsline Australia became a monthly publication and was sent to all members. It must be stated that many of the first to sign up as members at this stage were the major distributors even though they were classed as ‘cooperative’ or associate (non-voting) members. The organisation grew rapidly thanks to the assistance of key retailers (and wholesalers) in each state.

Of the first 22 new PMA members listed in the first issue of the new Newsline Australia (bearing in mind that there were already 50 PDA members) Foxy’s Fast Foto Finish, G&V Photographics, Mainline Photographics and Maxwell Optical Industries are still in existence. By the end of the year PMA had enlisted its' 250^th member

Relationships with the PIC and PIMA were extremely cordial and together with the professional photographers, bi-annual Conventions and Trade Exhibitions were held in either Melbourne or Sydney. Annual events and the inclusion of Brisbane came at a later stage.

APIA (Australian Photographic Industry Association)
An attempt was made during 1979 to create an overall industry body in order to coordinate industry activities such as approaches to government and industry promotion. This started off with a high profile conference in Canberra organised by its appointed director Jens Carsten-Petersen but the organisation eventually seemed to run out of steam with the associations being comfortable to meet together and hold discussions whenever they needed to do so. One unifying event occurred when the Grey Market reared its head and the APIA prepared a case for submission to Canberra.

The Department of Industry and Commerce started an inquiry on passenger Concessions due to 17 per cent of all 35mm cameras by Australians being purchased overseas – little seems to have changed! To be fair however, PICA with Paul Curtis has, after constant and persistent efforts, recently succeeded in obtaining an increase in the duty free and tax free allowances for passengers travelling overseas.

A PMA Trade-In Guide was produced and printed in Photo Forum. This was welcomed by the retail industry but proved to be too time consuming to produce by an office staff of only two.

A few events of the year 1979 (prior to my arrival) not mentioned above that come to mind included Des Franklin becoming MD of Hanimex, Harold Hald (founder of Haldex) passed away, and Neil Fletcher was advertising for stores to buy. Kis Australia, a subsidiary of the French parents arrived with great new ideas and inexpensive minilabs but the company did not last for long!

PIC (Photographic Industry Council) had as its' chairman Keith Laker of Polaroid with the executive committee including Don Hogarth of Kodak, John Swainston of Maxwell Optical Industries, Rolf Barmé of R.Gunz Photographics, James Coleman (Photo Publishing), Paul Curtis (Iris Publishing) and Peter Rose (Merit Imports).

PIMA was chaired by John Koens (Kayell) and his committee members were Roger Smith (Ilford) vice-chairman, Peter Rattray (Kodak), Brian D’Arcy (Adeal), Ken Visca (Hanimex) and Peter Michael (Peter Michael Plastics).

At the end of 1979 I resigned from the Chamber of Commerce and joined R.Gunz Photographics as National Sales Manager.