You know what I mean, don’t you? From the births, deaths and marriages, to the noteworthy industry events. From the good blokes and the not-so-good blokes, to the welcome growth of female influencers within our industry. There’s even been the decline of independent businesses and the ascent of the “˜big boxes’ and “˜majors’ in our industry.

All of this and much, much more – sounds like one of those television commercials!

And why have I been doing all this? You may well ask. Because we are preparing to celebrate our upcoming 30th birthday with a very special, stand-alone publication, to be mailed to all readers alongside our October edition.

This is a publication with almost everything. We’re calling it our “˜30th Birthday Landmark Edition’, and we expect it will be a 100 page-plus, “˜coffee table’ quality production celebrating 30 years of TimberTrader News.

I’ve been asked to write my recollections of every year, and each will be featured on its own page. There’ll also be dozens of photos and images scattered throughout the book, and 1000 extra copies will be printed for giveaways and promotions over the coming years.

Let me give you a few examples to “˜whet your appetite’ for what’s coming up in October.

The first five years of TimberTrader News were produced as a tabloid-format newspaper and, unfortunatetly, technology didn’t allow for huge amounts of colour.

We were very excited to have a three-colour front and back page in issue one, October 1985, with the biggest story being the launch of Scrimber, “One of the biggest technological advances in timber history.”

In 1992 our regular columnist on marketing matters, the late Robertson J. Lamb, had the headline “˜Warehouse Retailing: A proven success in the USA, but why can’t it cross the Pacific?’.

Bob loved his long (very long!) headings, but it really said it all, didn’t it?

And in June 2004 there was the 150 year celebrations for Geelong’s Fagg Bros, who operated three Mitre 10 stores in the area. Faggs celebrated by renovating a “˜Miracle Makeover’ property in Geelong and donating the proceeds to local charities.

There are many stories that will bring back memories, smiles, and the occasional bout of sadness, so you can look forward to October and this special extra edition in your letterboxes.

Many companies have already lined up to partner with us on this fabulous project. When your opportunity arises, I hope you’ll consider being involved in the party that is our 30th birthday.

Oh – by the way – we’re now on Facebook! Like our page and, while
you’re at it make sure you check out our new-look website and sign up for the fortnightly TimberTrader News e-newsletter, launched in late June, featuring snippets about our industry including news, events and much more.

What’s next? Twitter?