Category: 30th Anniversary Landmark Edition

Here’s your opportunity to join us and be part of timber history.

Forty years to the day after Norm and Judy Tilling formed their original business partnership, a fire swept through the Tilling Timber head offices at Kilsyth (Vic).” This was the first paragraph of a story appearing in the January edition of TimberTrader News. The multi-million dollar blaze (December 30, 2003) could have been a lot worse if the wind hadn’t shifted a few hours in.

The year dawned with reports on the soaring price of steel and, as a result, nailplates were to rise by as much as 20 per cent. However, as steel represents under 10 per cent of the cost of a prefabricated house, the effects would be more pronounced on the steel framing industry.

We started this year with a fascinating double interview by our editor, Helen Hatty. Trevor Smith, national secretary of the CFMEU (Forests Division) and Richard Brooks, executive director of the TMA opened up to us about their working relationship. It was a behind-the-scenes look at co-operation and harmony between two organisations with more in common than in conflict.

We were off to a relatively slow start this year as all indications were the industry was very soft and the housing market was less than active. These were still the days when a lot of companies closed down for the full four weeks over the Christmas period. I’d suggest this might have been one of the last times this happened as in the years to come there was a rapid contraction as to the holiday close-down period.

The February edition launched the year of 1986, and we opened with a photo on our front cover featuring Bill Fahey constructing a stand at the TMA’s revamped Blackburn Timber Centre, expanding from 21 to 40 stands in March.

This was about the time I really started to notice the slow-down in industry events and functions. Hoo-Hoo has gone off the boil nationally with a few clubs closing and big VIP nights a thing of the past. Suppliers and wholesalers had also reduced the number of launches and even milestone celebrations became low key or non-existent.

We have just about finished our trip down memory lane as I re-visit 2014. One of the things that has been totally constant through the last 30 years is the continuation of the tradition of industry golf days. I can’t believe how many I have reported on. Conservatively I’d say there were at least five a year, making it possibly 150 plus golf days. Let’s say 35 faces at a minimum for each event and you have a total of in excess of 1000 industry golfers. Phew!

This is now really recent history, with a number of significant events covered during the year that are still fresh in the memory.

Let’s look at the TimberTrader News covers for 2012. There was Mike Daglish, the knock-about timber bloke who had turned his hand to a number of roles (Vic); Kevin Skauge, the CEO of the Australian Institute of Building Surveyers (NSW); brothers Peter and Phillip Alexander, of Peuker & Alexander (Vic); father and son John and Gary Walker, Belmont Timber (NSW); brothers Skene and Michael “Fin” Finlayson, Finlaysons Timber & Hardware (Qld); father and son Bill and Mark Twitchen, of Trueform Frames & Trusses (NSW); husband and wife Ken and Anne Otto, Otto & Co (SA); brothers John and Noel Paine, Danahers T&H (Vic); another couple in Caroline and David Aikins, Flooring Concepts (Vic); Jim Oliver, Woodlite Joinery (SA); Bruce Allen, Wren Timbers (Qld); and Rohan Treasure, of Beaconsfield Home T&H (Vic).

This year we got back to doing what we do best – profiling people on our front covers. After a period of time of having advertising on our covers, including the first six months of this year, I made a decision to go back to the roots of our magazine. The catalyst for this was our triple century issue in June. I believe we’re better attuned when we concentrate on the people who make TimberTrader News – our readers.

This was only five years ago and yet so much has changed in the industry. At this time TimberTrader News was well settled in its offering. We cover the manufacturing, marketing and merchandising (my 3Ms) of timber to readers in building materials centres; timber and hardware merchants; the fabrication sector; joiners, flooring retailers and reputable floor layers and sanders; furniture manufacturers and specifiers who love to design utilising the world’s most beautiful building material. This is anyone who considers themselves part of the timber industry.