Proud and excited as I am to accept this offer, I am sad to be leaving an industry, products and group of people I’ve enjoyed being involved with for over 25 years.

Spanning Rank Electronics and Hi-Phon Distributors before founding and building Audioworks, integrating Architectural Audio Design into Audioworks and finally becoming a valuable business division of Amber Technology, I’ve been fortunate to enjoy the support and friendship of many people, be they local or international manufacturers, other distributor’s, retail dealers, custom installers, organisations such as the industry trade press and associations like CEDIA, consumers or a terrific team of staff.

I am grateful for the support and friendship given. Because of its show business roots, Variety is often referred to as “the heart of show business”. I’ll hopefully be adding “the heart of the home entertainment and custom install business”.

My decision is a Victor Kiam moment. Victor Kiam liked his Remington razor so much, he bought the company. Since 1992 as a Variety Bash entrant, volunteer and more recently, Variety board member, I’ve drawn deep satisfaction and been astounded by the work Variety achieves in helping a wide range of Australian children in need and their support organisations. Unlike many charities which focus on one specific need, Variety covers a full spectrum of children’s needs, even acting as an umbrella support to other children’s charities.

For almost 35 years, Variety in Australia has been the front line in filling many children’s needs covered by no other organisation. Prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, walking frames, intensive care hospital equipment and neonatal intensive care ambulances, Sunshine Coaches, educational equipment for schools, Liberty swings for wheelchair bound children and contributions to wheelchair car conversions are just some examples of equipment Variety provides to enable ALL children to survive, gain independence and experience life.

Distilled down to the core, through its programs, Variety provides children means for survival, health, independence, mobility, education, life experiences, the ability to achieve a child’s personal best and most importantly, happiness and smiles. The effect this has on a family is, as Mastercard says, priceless!

Variety operates with ethics, transparency, minimal overheads and no government support. I am looking forward to being part of the Variety team and making a robust contribution to the well being of Australian children and their support organisations.

I’d like to thank the Home Entertainment and Custom Install industry and the manufacturers I have worked with, some for over, and several for almost, 20 years. It has been a great ride! I doubt I’ll ever be weaned off our products or industry totally and intend to stay in touch.

Lastly, I’d like to thank the Audioworks/Architectural Audio Design/Amber Ci team. They work hard to provide customers with the best products and service and although mistakes sometimes occur, their intention is always to make customers happy.

All the best,
David