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the sub-editors what all the technical jargon meant.
“It all came together; after a few issues we had a beaut little
magazine,” he says.
“There was no other publication in the country that was
doing anything vaguely like independent editorial. And I’m
talking about editorial that hung together and genuinely told
a story. And I believe that still continues today.
“In our competitor’s magazines, it was always difficult to
navigate your way through all of the advertorial puff. They
were too hard to read. Personally, I wanted to blow those
guys out of the water because it annoyed me that they were
claiming to present technical information to the electrical
industry but were falling so short.
“We did it so much better. We had beefy, interesting books
of the same calibre as what was available in the UK and US.”
Allan says he would often sit down with his electrician
mates and ask them if he was on the right path.
“High quality print magazines are still revered. Even young
people will sit down and read a good quality magazine. For
contemporary audiences, sitting in front of a computer feels
like work, so having a hard copy print magazine of something
that’s premium quality is more like relaxation.
“That’s why
Electrical Connection
has lasted so long, and I
don’t think it will disappear anytime soon.”
There’s no denying the long and storied history of
Electrical
Connection
(pun intended). I began writing for the magazine
in 2006 and took over as editor in 2009. From day dot, it was
always clear that our readers’ interests always came first – an
ethos that I make sure every new contributor understands
before they put pen to paper.
Over the past eight-and-a-half years I have gotten to know
many members of the industry and have always found it
interesting just how much they consider
Electrical Connection
to be ‘their’ magazine. It puts great pressure on everyone
involved in the production of the magazine to ensure that
what we send to the printer is relevant, interesting and
maintains the same integrity upon which it was founded.
But, as they say, from great pressure comes diamonds.
For me, my experience with
Electrical Connection
has been
particularly educational because I didn’t come from an electrical
background. Fresh out of uni, I wrote about music and rugby
league on the Gold Coast. A lot of people have helped me
along the way, in particular my stable of contributors, who
have produced some amazing content over the years. I would
be remiss not to mention Phil Kreveld and Brian Seymour, who
have both written for this magazine far longer than I have been
a journalist.
Most importantly to me,
Electrical Connection
wouldn’t
PHIL KREVELD
I left the electrical instrumentation
industry in 1994 and commenced my own
show, writing newsletters, press releases
and occasional ad copy for electrical and
electronic product companies.
This is how
Electrical Connection
found
me. They contacted me to write an article
on clamp-on meters and the rest is history.
It was as good a publication then as
it is now and, aside fromhaving had the
pleasure of working for a really nice crew,
some 60-plus articles later it has been a continuing education for me as
a writer, and hopefully for the readership.
The remarkable thing about the publication is not only its longevity
but also the quality of information and breadth of subjects. I’ve seen
so many of Australia’s electrical trade magazines disappear or reduced
to a shade of their former selves. But
Electrical Connection
marches on.
I have the strong sense that good editorial control, keeping a
tight grip on the difference between editorial and ‘advertorial’, is
really serving the readers well. I wish the publication well over the
years to come.
BRIAN SEYMOUR
I have spent most of my life in the
electrical industry, training the electrical
contracting, air conditioning and
manufacturing sectors in the skills of
estimating, marketing and tendering.
Twenty years ago, I attended a
function where I met Connection
Magazines publisher Jeff Patchell. We
spoke at length about the excessive
number of failed industry businesses in
the recent past.
I was sounding off about the great number of highly skilled
tradesmen in the industry with a lack of estimating skills, which had
attributed to this dilemma. Jeff pounced on me and said if I was so
passionate about the subject, why don’t I write a column in
Electrical
Connection?
This stopped me in my tracks. I discussed it with family and industry
associates and decided it could be of some value, accepted Jeff’s offer
and my
Seminars in Print/Estimating
column was born.
I have been writing this column for almost 20 years now and have
derived a great deal of personal satisfaction from it, especially when I
receive emails from readers telling me that my article was a help and
assistance to their business or project.
I am not a literary genius and I write in the same manner that I
deliver training seminars to tradies. To his credit, editor Paul Skelton
has never made any soul-destroying editing cuts or changes.
I’m always surprised at the number of people I come across at
industry functions who tell me they enjoy reading the column.
be where it is today without the efforts of our staff writers, who
have been instrumental in making sure we have content to fill the
magazine; Gail Splatt, who works tirelessly behind the scenes; and
Kylie Mibus, who makes my words look good.
Here’s to 20 more.