Ian McLean took up an early interest in radio, TV and electronics and in 1974 took up an apprenticeship with AWA (Amalgamated Wireless Australasia).
AWA was an important company (part Government-owned) that setup many side industries such as Valve manufacturing, white goods, radio & TV manufacturing and everything else in-between. Having formed from AWL in 1913, its CEO Ernest Fisk quickly established several key divisions including AWA Coastal Radio Service, a Marine Division, an Aviation Department, They even opened a fabrication plant in Sydney to manufacture IC’s under the name AWA MicroElectronics Pty Ltd (now Silanna Semiconductor). AWA set up an avionics business that built and maintained the Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) for aircraft - a safety system designed in Australia and exported to the world.

Ian talks about his apprenticeship at AWA and how the company held key contracts to service avionics with TAA and Ansett. At the time of this interview on the 17th of Jan 2011, Ian was working at Rockwell Collins in Melbourne.

Many thanks to Ian McLean for his interview but also the many images he provided.