Section’s 50th Anniversary: Our Anniversary Dinner – 9th Dec 2024 - Audio Engineering Society

This month we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the formation of the AES Melbourne Section with a dinner at Club Ringwood.

Sixteen members and guests attended, with two last-minute dropouts, and several apologies from long-time members. It was a convivial evening with lots of friendly chat and reminiscences, along with some very fine food indeed.

A photo of Chair Graeme Huon standing at the microphone welcoming the members and guests — Chair Graeme Huon welcomes the members and guests

Section Chair, Graeme Huon welcomed everybody, thanking the Committee, our sponsor Amphenol Australia, and Paolo Menolotto for facilitating the sponsorship. He also thanked Secretary Peter Smerdon for all his work in organising the event. In remarking on the formation of the Section in December 1974 he remarked how the original Committee included luminaries of the audio industry at the time such as Wulf Gray (Simon Gray Pty Ltd) Graham Thirkell (Optronics), Brian Horman (Klarion), Roger Savage (Armstrong Studios & Soundfirm), and John Ryan (ABC).

A photo of the group of five men present who had served as Chair of the Section or Convention Chair — Current Chair (Graeme Huon) welcomes several previous Chairs – (L-R) Graeme Huon, Jim Barbour, Graham Haynes, Rod Brown and Mark Edwards.

He then mentioned some notable attendees, including former Committee and Convention Committee members Rod Brown and John Smyth, noting that Rod had also been a Convention Chair. He noted Mark Edwards’ presence, Mark having been the driving force behind the 2009 Section reboot, and then long-serving Chairman after that. He also called attention to Jim Barbour who had served as Interim Chair, then Vice-Chair for some time. Graeme also commented on Graham Haynes’ presence, informing the room that Graham was the longest-serving Committee Member, having served continuously since the early eighties, variously as Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary; and was still serving as Treasurer. Finally, Graeme noted the presence of Jason Torrens, of Collarts, who has been helpful to the Section in recent years by providing a venue for meetings as well as video streaming facilities.

Graeme also announced the posting on our website of a series of articles on the history of the Section as a way to commemorate the 50th anniversary. He thanked Secretary, Peter Smerdon for his work in preparing this history, as well as everyone else who contributed to it.

Image of the AES Melbourne 50-years lapel pin

Each attendee was presented with a commemorative 50-year AES Melbourne lapel pin.

Our sponsor Amphenol also provided merchandise for all attendees, comprising a 6.5mm phone jack instrument cable with a switching jack for silent plug-in, an Amphenol pen, and a sticker.

The evening included much catching up with old friends, and making new ones.