Posted 10-12-17
The father that changed the world of packaging...
By
Jean Cann
( Daughter of Bill Maddison, Founder of Auto-Wrappers )
I
would
like
to
thank
Karl
and
Paul
of
Bradman-Lake
for
their
kind
hospitality
and
for
allowing
me
and
my
family
to
spend
some
time
with
the
machines
that
my
father
initiated
with
Auto
Wrappers
in
1947/
8.
It
was
a
complete
surprise
to
both
Russell
and
me
when
we
discovered
your
website
because
I
had
long
since
thought
Autowrappers
had
disappeared.
I
am
computer
illiterate
but
I
asked
Russell
to
see
what
he
could
find
out
whether
Autowrappers
still
existed
and,
if
so,
where
they
were.
I
really
did
not
hold
out
much
hope, but I am grateful to him also for coming up with the answers.
I
came
to
work
at
Autowrappers
when
I
was
18,
having
first
spent
three
months
in
France
and
then
a
year
with
Heatrae
learning
office
procedure
as
a
trainee
comptometer
operator.
I
was
always
going
to
work
for
Autowrappers
but
I
had
to
earn
a
stripe
or
two
first,
even
though
I
had
had
some
experience
from
the
age
of
12
putting
dirty
blueprints
back
in
order
on
a
Saturday
morning
for
two shillings and sixpence for the whole morning.
Uncle Reg taught me to use a lathe - something that wouldn't be allowed today with Health & Safety inspectors around.
During
the
five
years
I
worked
at
Autowrappers
I
learned
to
run
the
machines
and
I
later
went
to
the
packaging
exhibitions
in
Olympia
and,
when
I
was
21
I
sailed
to
America
with
my
parents
to
appear
with
Dad
at
the
"Exposition"
in
Chicago.
I
was
allowed
to
wear
a
white
coat
on
the
stand
like
Dad,
Uncle
Reg,
and
Ken
Mirams.
We
started
an
unusual
trend
in
the
50s;
there
were
very
few
women
in
those
days
who
were
involved
in
engineering,
let
alone
knowing
anything
about
the
machinery
that
was
being
displayed
on the stand!
My
father
was
considered
a
genius
in
wrapping
machine
circles,
yet
he
had
little
or
no
interest
in
how
his
car
worked.
Once
I
had
passed
my
driving
test
(first
time!)
Dad
bought
an
Austin
A30
for
me
to
drive
him
to
work,
and
if
it
didn't
go
first
time
he
would
sit
in
it
to
let
in
the
clutch
at
the
right
time
once
I
had
pushed
it
up
to
speed!
He
also
expected
me
to
collect
prospective
customers
from Thorpe Station and take their wives on a conducted tour of historic Norwich.
Dad enjoyed traveling abroad to visit prospective customers. My one regret was that I never went with him.
Our
Dutch
agent
at
the
time,
Bob
DeJongste,
traveled
with
him
on
one
occasion
from
Holland
to
Barcelona.
Unfortunately
the
flight
to
Barcelona
was
full
until
Dad
said
he
was
the
UK
champion
bullfighter!
Bob
said
they
got
on
the
flight
but
he
was
very
worried
when he saw the red carpet on the runway as they landed.
As far as day to day work was concerned, I got most satisfaction from drawing up apprenticeship schemes and signing up young
men who aspired to become engineers and who were keen to move around the factory in Edward Street learning all aspects of
their trades.
Thank you again for your hospitality and for giving me a few minutes to reminisce!
Jean Cann