What you should read about the owner of this company before you go to China

My wife went to a seminar some time ago and the question was asked by the presenter:

“What gets you out of bed in the morning in these tough economic times and why do you do what you do?”

I’ve got a sense of humour. My friends who have been on the receiving end of a practical joke will tell you I’m a bit of a ratbag and a Larrikin and a good Bloke. I’m interested in most Techo stuff and I love it when people tell me it can’t be done.

When I was 5 I nearly died when I lost my hearing in my left ear. I don’t remember the pain but I remember the day my ear drum exploded over my friend in music class in the 1st grade. After years of boring poor me episodes and countless operations by Ear Specialists, I had a really charming Doctor in 1987 tell me it can’t be fixed. I love a good challenge!

By the time I was 34, I could name most of the good ear doctors in Australia. I interviewed yet another one this one day in Brisbane. I sat in this waiting room for this Doctor early one morning, as he prepared himself for the day with his sleeves rolled up above the elbows. He had already done 2 operations before going into the office and it was 9AM.

He looked in my ear and said “so what outcome do you want from this?”
“I want to hear and I want to go swimming,” I said.
“Ok here’s what we need to do to enable you to do this” he replied.
I was stunned, literally.  He had the solution I had been looking for and he had devoted his life to helping people and applying his knowledge.

So after a couple of preparation operations I walk into his office again (by now we’re on a first name basis) and he pulls out this little specimen jar from his draw. You know the ones with the yellow lid, and rattles around this little hunk of metal in it.

“I’m going to stick this in your ear and you’re going to hear”, he said. Inside the jar was a Laser Sintered Titanium Hammer Anvil and Stirrup, the items missing from my ear.

I couldn’t get into that operating room fast enough I tell you. One week later I’m laying in that operating room at 5PM, getting knocked out and at 5:45 pm I woke up in recovery.
The first thing I did was rub the bandage over my ear and I could hear it.

Some weeks later, after all the bandages were off and things were back to normal, I was walking up to my shed at home and my neighbour 2 doors down let rip with his rattle gun.

I naturally turned in the direction of the noise and kept walking. Then I stopped and it hit me what had just happened. I was now 37 and for the first time since that day in music class I could hear the direction of sound because a smart bloke had dedicated his life to finding a solution to the impossible.

I started my apprenticeship as a toolmaker back in the 80’s. It didn’t really occur to me why I landed all the technically challenging jobs or why I was hauled over the coals more than the other apprentices when something went wrong. I couldn’t understand why the other students didn’t get the grain structure of steel or the flow of plastic when it entered a mould.

Indeed I’m the lucky one to have had such great mentors and experienced teachers and YES I am obsessed with perfection.

The best project I ever worked on was at CSIRO, developing a new closed Cycle Gas Turbine, with a team of others using a Rolls Royce Allison Helicopter engine.

I blew it up one day and I still keep the pieces next to my desk to remind me that not everything goes to plan and to learn from every failure!

I started this company many years ago because I love the technology and I love to hear the personal journeys of the people that have developed really cool stuff. I get to share experiences and help them by providing knowledge and finding a solution to the impossible.

And that is why I get out of bed in the morning and why I do what I do.

Jeff Condren
Director