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My interest in radio and electronics
began during the latter years of my attendance at school. With
the help of my father I took up amateur radio as a hobby, joining
first the 'ISWL' (International Short Wave League), and then
both the 'RSGB' (Radio Society of Great Britain), and the 'ARRL"
(American Radio Relay League). I converted some old WW2 German
equipment that my father had brought home at the end of the war,
and made other units from circuits and multiple purchases from
Gov't surplus stores either via Gov't
surplus adverts in the 'Practical Wireless' magazine or many
visits to the shops in person. Later after leaving 'The London
College of Technology', I successfully applied and obtained employment
at 'A.J.Whittemore
(Aeradio) Ltd', at Croydon
Airport, as an aircraft radio repair and installation engineer.
During 1955 when the new TV channel came in to use on British
TV, I built a converter
first for our
own TV and then made and sold about a dozen further units.
I was called up for National Service in the British Army and
served as a Radio Technician in the 'Royal
Corps of Signals', after
passing my HNC certificate for 'Radio & Telecommunications',
at the 'Royal School of Signals', in Catterick. After release
from the army I worked for the 'Ministry of Defence', on
security
contracts. During this time
I undertook many projects and because of mutiple visits and purchases
from Lasky's Radio Surplus shop became friends with both Kenny
Lasky and Guy Duckham who I later used as contacts after moving
to New Zealand. It was in this period that I built my first
stereo
radiogram and branded it
as made by 'Colb Electronics', as well as several radio telescopes
for my own use. Whilst in the Army I married
Wendy but due to my contiunued absence the marriage failed and
we seperated. During this period I met and married Nanette a
ballerina from New Zealand who was on the stage in London, with
whom we later made the decision to move to new pastures and new
adventures, and relocated to New Zealand
in 1963. |
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I arrived in New Zealand in
April 1963 and lived with my inlaw's in Mt Roskill. I immediately
obtained employment at Autocrat Radio
Ltd in Carr Rd, Mt Roskill,
as an inspector of the Sanyo products being assembled under licence..
It was during my time at Autocrat that I met and became friends
with a senior technician Alf Maddock who had several apprentice
friends, one of whom was called Robin Wood. Whilst
employed by Autocrat I also started my part time business at
evenings and week-ends of 'Colin
Brookes Radio & TV Servicing'. During
this period I built several radio and electronic prototypes in
preparation of starting a business of production. This was especially
so of my 'Mantle
Radio', design which I had
again decided on the use of the brand name 'Colb Electronics'.
I built my business of radio & TV servicing
not only by advertising in the NZ Herald newspaper, but by offering
my services to shops and stores selling home electrical appliances.
One such business which I struck up a business arrangement with
was 'Easy
Vision Ltd', of Blockhouse
Bay. The director was an entrepreneur called Tom Hughes, he also
had another shop with another empty building behind on the same
lease in Th Ponsonby, Auckland. 'Easy Vision', was mainly engaged
in the rental business of home appliances with the accent on
televisions. I came to an arrangement with Tom Hughes that I
would prioritise the servicing of his rental radio's and televisions
and at lower charges in return for use of the empty building
which was once a bakery behind his shop in Ponsonby as a workshop.
And furthermore with help of one of his friends arranged the
cheap rental of a house in Grey Lynn for me and my family not
far from the workshop. |
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In March 1964 I moved in to
the old bakery building behind the 'Easy Vision' shop in Ponsonby
Road, set up a workshop and began business under the name of
'Colb
Electronics'. My group of
friends at this point mainly consisted of employees and apprentices
who worked at Autocrat Radio, three in particular .... two apprentices
Robin Wood
and Bill Patient, and
Alf Maddock.
Robin Wood worked with me part time in the evenings on the development
of a new television for possible production. The mantle radio
project that I had already completed went on the back burner
for a later date. The project was a difficult one as import restrictions
and availability of components were a big hurdle to say the least.
The four major component supply problems were ...... TV-tubes,
valves, EHT transformers and turret-tuners. A run of five TV's
was first undertaken after I managed to import five Brimar tubes
sent individually via the help of friends in the trade back in
England. My friend Kenny Lasky (later the man behind a chain
of radio & television stores called 'Laskey's throughout
the UK), was dealing in ex WW2 Gov't surplus radio equipment
and had a large quantity of EF80's in stock. We designed the
set around the use of as many EF91 valves (CV138 military designation),
as possible and Kenny sent out parcels of them to me The EF91
was later superceded by the EF80. The basic circuitry
of the television was drawn up by Robin whilst I procured
the components and began the construction of the units. I made the first wooden cabinets, metal stands and early chassis complete
(later we used Anglo Engineering to produce the blank chassis
and had the wooden cabinets made and polished by several different
cabinet manufacturers). With the help of our friend
Alf Maddock
who undertook the silk screening of the
faceplates. One of the shops I had already made contact with
was 'Redfern
Radio', initially near Ponsonby
and then later moved out to Waitakere. They were specialising
in the manufacture of transformers and agreed to make a run of
EHT transformers for us. With the help of other friends from
Autocrat's we were able to source some turret tuners. I made
a coil-winder
out of an old electric sewing machine,
and purchased a quantity of Osmor coil-formers and cans from
Gilbert's in Anzac Ave. All the remaining small components I
also purchased mainly through my account at Gilbert's. At a
party
of our friends (mainly from Autocrat's)
one evening in our house in Grey Lynn, we began the discussion
of a brand name for the television. The suitability of the name
'Colb' (all accounts were in the name of 'Colb Electronics')
didn't appeal and alienated Robin's name. The already very popular
name of 'La Gloria' was appealing to all and something similar
was discussed. 'La Brookes' sounded silly but all agreed that
'La Wood', sounded great, and as by now Robin was considering
leaving Autocrat's and joining me on a permanent basis as well
as injecting money in to the project ...... 'La Wood'
was agreed upon. It was also decided that
the first sets which were 19" were to be called the 'Bijou'
model, we also had plans to make a 21" model at a later
date. Three sets were completed in the first run. I handled all
the sales from the first produced set until the day I left the
company in 1965. The first set I sold to 'Greenwoods' at Greenwoods
Corner on the Manukau Rd, the second set I sold to 'Mountjoy
Radio', in Mt Roskill (the owners of both were friends of my
wife's family). The third set I sold in Takapuna on the North
Shore. It was then agreed that Tom Hughes would purchase an initial
five sets for his TV rental business to be followed after their
sales by another run of five sets. Then the first disaster struck
us (fortunately only a minor one). The three TV's already sold
all began having problems with slipping 'horizontal hold' etc
etc. After making several visits to re-tune them the problem
was discovered. The coils I had made on the Osmor formers I had
dipped in hot beeswax to seal them in place. The heat buildup
inside the TV cabinets was causing the beeswax to soften and
the coils were slowly slipping down the formers, thus de-tuning
from the tuning slug. I made a new batch of coils this time sealing
them with shellac and the situation was resolved. However the
next disaster really was a serious one. The first batch of sets
was delivered to the 'Easy Vision' shop in Ponsonby, and almost
immediately the company went in to liquidation. Robin and I could
see our TV's on display in both the closed and locked Ponsonby
and Blockhouse Bay shops but could not retrieve them. It was
a financial as well as a psychological blow to both of us, (we
never received any payout from the 'Official Receiver'). 'Easy
Vision Ltd', was of course limited liability and didn't affect
Tom Hughes personal assets, and we heard later that he had moved
to Australia. Robin and I came to an informal agreement to work
together under the name of 'La Wood
Television', and he left
Autocrat's. |
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In July 1964 we had to move from
the premises in Ponsonby. I came to an arrangement with the owner
of a Stationary shop at 137, Queen
Street, Onehunga which had a large empty area above it with
bioth it's own front and back entrances for an agreed rental,
operating under the name of 'La Wood
Television'. I was approached
on several occasions by a wealthy Chinese owner of Market Gardens
in Mangere and a toy factory in Hong Kong, who wanted to put
money in the business and act as a sleeping partner. I considered
the options and guided by my wife decided against it. On the
29th of August 1964, I formed a formal partnership with Robin
Wood and we registered ourselves on the 'NZ Company Register',
as 'La
Wood Television Ltd'. After
a considerable amount of effort I managed to get an import licence
for a further ten TV tubes. We fitted out the new premises for
production and took on Bill
Patient as our first employee
and then later several women
to help with chassis assembly. The operation
of selling the TV's, I began by driving around the country with
three at a time loaded in to my old Ford V8 car, while Robin
ran the factory. Later I hired a Ford Anglia from a local Onehunga
car rental company as a sales vehicle. Most early sales were
made to either country branches of the 'Farmers Trading Co',
"Dalgety's', or furniture sales shops, with few to individual
customers direct. The supply of TV-tubes became critical until
I was introduced to a very influential person (the wife of the
Postmaster General, Mrs Hackett) at a function in honour of NZ
Ballet and theatre dancers who were members of the 'Royal Academy
of Dancing'. I told her my tale of woe and described the blank
wall I had come up against with the DTI (Department of Trade
& Industry), to obtain further import licences. Unexpectedly
about a week later an import licence for another 20 TV-tubes
arrived, plus advice on acceptable procedures for the possible
application of more at a later date. It proved the point that
it was not what you knew but who you knew to be able to get anywhere
in industry. |
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During the first few months of 1965
relations between myself and Robin Wood became strained. We had
both drawn only minimal wages from the company since it's inception.
This caused greater problems for me as I was married with a family
to support, whereas Robin was a bachelor living in a flat shared
by several others at Mission Bay. We also had disagreements on
the way forward, Robin wanting to move in to the manufacture
and development of car radio's. This needed an input of more
finance which I was unable to raise. Robin had already been promised
backing by his father in Gisborne. My interest in radio and electronics
was waning, and I was beginning to spend more and more of any
leisure time I could get, in following my newer interests in
boating.
The final crunch came in May 1965 when
the 'Inland Revenue', called in to our workshop and produced
a huge demand for 'Provisional Tax' in advance, for the expected
tunover in the next 6 month period based on our current quick
successes. Robin could raise his half with the help of his father,
but I had no one I could call on as a guarantor (my wife's father
passed away in 1963). |
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In May 1965 I sold my half share
of the company and all outstanding responsibilities to
Alfred Maddock.
My departure from the company was on bad
terms with Robin causing him problems some quite severe, as not
only was I hands on for the manufacture of some of the components,
but I was resposible for all the sales up until that point, and
most important all the accounts with suppliers were still under
my name and Colb Electronics. The production manager Bill Patience
and the two women who worked assembling the TV's also left shortly
after. |
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Please note that for the whole period
of my involvement with the aforementioned business described,
all items that were manufactured used valves (tubes in American)
for their operation. During my time in the business we produced
two valve versions of TV's, a 19" and a 21". I produced
two mantle radio's, one complete which I kept for home use and
one without a cabinet which was left at the Queen St premises
as a sample. |
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The introduction of semiconductor
devices (transistors) and hybrids manufactured under the name
of 'La Wood Television Ltd', were made after I had left. I understand
that no further televisions were produced. |
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On the 18th of January 1985 'La
Wood Television Ltd', was removed from
the 'Company Register'. |
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Pictures
of the products manufactured after
my leaving 'La Wood Television Ltd' in 1965, and removal from
the 'Company Register' in 1985 |
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