Compiled by Ron Bird & Trevor Robinson
Revision C
Control Data Australia - Historical Timeline
1962
E. L Heymanson & Co. Pty Ltd. established representation for Control Data Corporation Equipment in Australia effective January 1 1962. Previously Heymanson represented Ramo-Wooldridge and Philco Computer Systems. E. L Heymanson & Co. Pty Ltd main business was representing Lockheed Corporation. Lockheed aircraft and engines were in demand from Australian airlines and the RAAF at this time.
160A shipped to Heymanson's office in Bank House, Bank Place and installed by John Barth from CDC.
First sale in Australia (160A) to PMG (Post Master General) Research Laboratories located at 10 Lonsdale Street Melbourne (later became Telecom Research Laboratories).
1963
Control Data Australia Pty Ltd established 17 May 1963 incorporating computer division of E. L. Heymanson & Co. Pty Ltd.
First Office established at Suite 16, 474 St Kilda Road, Melbourne.
Control Data awarded contracts for one 3600 and seven 3200 systems to be installed for Australian Bureau of Census and Statistics and one 3600 and three 3200 for CSIRO. This was the largest order for Computer Equipment ever placed by the Australian Government.
R. M. (Bob) Price appointed to manage CDC International Operations which included Australia. Bob Price arranged for Robert. S Barton, John Stockman and Al Collins to take up residence in Canberra to consult to the Commonwealth Government. Other responsibilities were for detailed planning, recruitment and training.
1964
First 3600 and 3200 installed at Bureau of Census and Statistics temporary site at Government Printing Office in Kingston ACT.
3600 installed at CSIRIO Black Mountain ACT.
3200's installed at Census Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
3200's installed at CSIRO Sydney, Melbourne & Adelaide.
3200 installed at Monash University (first University order and used for Control Data Australia's first Data Centre operation.
First Sydney office opened at 77 Pacific Highway North Sydney, NSW.
First Canberra office opened at 122 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla, ACT.
1965
CDA moves to new five story Australian Head Office building at 598 St Kilda Road Melbourne from 16/474 St Kilda Road.
1966
3200's installed for Census Perth and Brisbane.
First 6000 series installed at University of Adelaide (6400).
3100 installed at DZK (Dilingham Zackry Kaiser) Constructions Silom Road, Bangkok Thailand.
1966 ACS Computer Conference Canberra. Control Data demonstrates Computer to Computer (160A at Telecom Melbourne and 160A at Canberra ACS exhibition) communication via satellite at 4800bps using Rixon vestigial sideband modems.
First CDC (Rabinow) Optical Character Recognition 915 demonstrated.
3100s installed at RMK-BRJ (Raymond International, Morrison-Knudsen, Brown & Root, and J.A. Jones Constructions) AKA Vietnam Builders, Saigon Southern Vietnam.
2 x 3100 " CARBINE " Systems installed for TAB Victoria.
1967
First 1700 for Australia installed at University of Sydney.
1968
3200 Data Centre established at CDA Head Office 598 St Kilda Road Melbourne.
3200 installed at Census Hobart completing Bureau of Census Network.
1969
First 3300s installed for BHP at Australian Iron & Steel Works Port Kembla, NSW.
Control Data Institute officially opened October 29 1969 with 3200 installed at 283 Alfred Street, North Sydney, NSW.
3300s installed at BHP Steel Works Newcastle, NSW.
Sydney Data Centre established with 6600 installed at Sabemo House Miller Street North Sydney, NSW.
Sydney office relocated to Sabemo House Miller Street North Sydney, NSW.
Australian Systems Division established.
1970
Dual 1700 Message Switching system installed at Darwin for RAAF including first Solid State UPS built in Australia.
CDA Manufacturing facility established at Wangarra Road Cheltenham, Vic.
Adelaide office opened by SA Premier Don Dunstan at 210 Greenhill Road Eastwood
First 25 students graduate from Control Data Institute October 1970.
1971
3100 & 3300 COLT (Computerized On Line Totalisator) system installed at Royal Turf Club Thailand.
Move of Canberra office from Yaralumla to 131 Alinga Street Canberra City, ACT.
1972
First Control Data Equipment in NZ. Dual 1700 Message Switching system installed at NZMOD (New Zealand Ministry of Defence) Wellington New Zealand.
Control Data New Zealand established - Office opened in Featherston Street, Wellington NZ.
First Cyber in Australia installed at Melbourne University
Cyber 73 Installed at South Australian Public Service Board Adelaide.
Brisbane Office opened in SGIO building.
Demonstration of Marc II user terminal, 713 interactive terminals and experimental keyboard Plasma display at the 5th Australian Computer Society Conference exhibition.
1973
Tenth Anniversary of Control Data Australia
Cyber 76 Installed at CSIRO Canberra ACT
2 x 3100 and 1700 installed at TAB New Zealand
TAB Queensland orders off course systems.
Melbourne Data Centre Cyber 74 installed at BHP House, Bourke Street, Melbourne.
First Plug Compatible Sales delivered in Australia and New Zealand.
Perth office opened in Prudential Building, Bagot Road, Subiaco.
1974
959 OCR (Optical Character Recognition) system installed in New Zealand for Department of Social Welfare.
Wellington Office moves to 175 The Terrace Wellington.
1975
Cyber 73 Installed in Melbourne for Data Centre Operation.
1976
Plato demonstrated at ACS 7 in Perth.
1977
University of Adelaide orders Cyber 170.
Control Data Institute opens in Melbourne.
1978
Cybernet Services extended to Brisbane Qld.
1979
First Cyber 700 series in Australia delivered to CSIRO Canberra ACT
Call 370 Established.
1980
Australian Computer Centre established at Knoxfiled Vic.
Third Party Maintenance Services introduced by Engineering Services.
1981
Australian Tax Office places A$7.5M order
Cybernet Services extended to Adelaide, Perth and New Zealand
1982
New offices in Melbourne and Perth
First Cyber 800 for CSIRO
Control Data Business Advisors established
Commencement of OEM product direct marketing
1983
CSIRO orders Cyber 205.
Control Data Institute opens in Brisbane Qld.
1984
Control Data Initiates and takes 40% capital of a Management Investment Company formed to promote high technology venture capital in Australia.
1985
New directions for CDC and CDA. Plans prepared and implemented to return to core computer business.
Cybernet Services sold - priority given to equipment sales.
Initial planning to enter Defence market.
1986
Sharon Noble is 5000th graduate from Control Data Institute in December 1986
1987
Continued concentration on improving sales of computer equipment.
Control Data Institute opened in Adelaide
First ETA -10 Supercomputer for Australia installed at Bureau of Meteorology, Melbourne, Vic.
1988
Control Data Institute opened in Adelaide
Initiative taken to set up Australian controlled Integrated Military Technologies as a consortium (CDC 20%) to facilitate Control Data doing business with Australian Department of Defence.
Third Party Maintenance operations adds first IBM component to existing DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation) capability and buys a business in Queensland to add to capability.
1989
Control Data Institute sold to Computer Power in January 1989 with 20% retained by Control Data.
????? Michod (Managing Director) and Doug Dent (Engineering Services Manager) purchase Control Data Australia in a $A32M management buy out. A new company Miden Pacific is formed.
1994
Miden Pacific bankrupt and closed down. The profitable Engineering Service business sold to Wang Australia.
