CDA-EX cda history

Jim McCahon, Alan Bell with Peter Dulmanis - CDA Account Manager
Photo taken just after the University of Melbourne decision to order a CYBER 73 in 1971.

INTRODUCTION

In 1962 E. L Heymanson & Co. Pty Ltd. established representation for Control Data Corporation Equipment in Australia effective January 1st. Previously Heymanson represented Ramo-Wooldridge and Philco Computer Systems. E. L Heymanson & Co. Pty Ltd main business was representing Lockheed Corporation. A 160A system shipped to Heymanson's office in Bank House, Bank Place and installed by John Barth from CDC.

The first sale in Australia was a CDC 160A for the PMG - Post Master General Research Laboratories located at 10 Lonsdale Street Melbourne. This later became Telecom Research Laboratories.

Then in 1963 Trevor Robinson established Control Data Australia Pty Ltd - incorporating the computer division of E. L. Heymanson & Co. Pty Ltd. The first CDA office was established at Suite 16, 474 St Kilda Road, Melbourne.

CDA was then awarded contracts for one CDC 3600 and seven CDC 3200 systems to be installed for the Australian Bureau of Census and Statistics and one CDC 3600 and three CDC 3200 systems for CSIRO. This was the largest order for Computer Equipment ever placed by the Australian Government.

From here CDA experienced enormous growth with large systems going to Bureau of Census and Statistics, CSIRO,Comonwealth Taxation Office, RMIT, Monash University ect. See CDA Historical Timeline for summary of systems installed.
In 1989 CDA was purchased by Miden Pacific

AUSTRALIAN SYSTEMS DIVISION By John O'Neil
In the first half of 1969, CDC decided to establish a systems division in Australia, with responsibility for all systems deliveries, installations and support within the Australasian and SE Asian area

CDA SPECIAL SYSTEMS By John O'Neil
In 1963/64 Trevor Robinson formed a special systems group initially consisting of John O'Neil, Bruce Bambrough, George Karoly, Peter Jones, Trevor himself, all of whom had scientific and engineering backgrounds with a view to

VICTAB - CARBINE   by Ron Bird

VICTAB - RIMFIRE    by Marcel Dayan

NEW ZEALAND TAB By Marcel Dayan

ROYAL THAI TURF CLUB By Ron Bird

SIAGON-VIETNAM RMK - BRJ    By Ron Bird

This link to a website produced by Brian Conlan and his son tells the story of the invention of the world's first automatic totalizator in 1913 in Australia and the inventor Sir George Julius.The company he founded - Automatic Totalisators - became a world leader in this field.
Odds computing was done by mechanical means!

EARLY ON COURSE TOTALIZATORS

Alan Bell - Melbourne University 1995
In 1995 Melbourne University was about to turn off its last 'mainframes' - the Cyber 990 and 840 - the last of a line which, had been the mainstay of computing in the University.

SOUTH EAST ASIA AND JAPAN
Control Data expanded from Australia in the 60s, with Control Data NZ being established and systems being installed and supported in India, Thailand and South Vietnam.

CDA personnel were also 'loaned' or contracted out to Control Data Far East for installations in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY

Copies of {Between Ourselves} can be accessed here

Copies of FLASH can be accessed here

CDA TOTALIZATOR SYSTEMS
These were some of the first digital real time data
collecting and collating systems in the world

More TAB and CDA history