Making the most of every opportunity

For Pamela Wall – known by most as Pammie – and her late husband Ian, opportunity and generosity are the common threads woven throughout their lives.

Ian was one of the founders of the highly successful communications technology company Codan, and Pammie and Ian’s philanthropic contributions have enriched the South Australian arts community, supported cutting-edge research, and provided opportunities for students as well as patients in need of specialist medical care.

Their legacy will also ensure continued excellence in electrical and electronic engineering for future generations. Earlier this year, Pamela Wall donated $5 million to the University to establish an endowed academic chair, to be called the Ian and Pamela Wall Chair in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. The University will also invest an additional $1.5 million to fund research fellowships or scholarships in the areas of electrical or electronic engineering at the University.

This generous gift kickstarts the University’s 150th anniversary fundraising campaign and represents how our history makers are paying it forward to support our future staff and students to make their own history.

As a child, Ian was interested in how things worked and was set on becoming an engineer by his early teens. A resident student at St Mark’s College in North Adelaide in the early 1950s while studying electrical engineering at the University of Adelaide, he was an eager participant in college life. He became a well-regarded college identity with the affectionate nickname “Prof ” and was on the College Club Committee. Pammie was living in the nurses’ quarters while training at the nearby Women’s and Children’s Hospital, attending her nursing classes on the University of Adelaide campus. They married in 1954.

Supported by Pammie, Ian founded EILCO – the Electronics, Instrument and Lighting Company Ltd, with University friends Alastair Wood and Jim Bettison in 1959, with a vision to tackle a range of challenges in electronics engineering. At the time he also had a “day job” at electronics company Philips, where he helped design televisions.

“The opportunity for Ian to study Electrical Engineering at the University of Adelaide in the 1950s led to key friendships, and a further opportunity to make scientific equipment for some of the University departments,” Pammie remembers.

“I trained as a nurse but left nursing to marry and support our family and the establishment of EILCO. For me, this was also an opportunity to help build the company and learn about business.

“The early days of the business were tough. I well remember Ian putting in very long hours, and sharing the bathroom of our first premises with a stray cat and her kittens. But we made the most of the opportunities that came our way.”

EILCO became Codan in the 1970s and the opportunity to export products and work with humanitarian organisations led to expansion overseas. A move into satellite communications technology resulted in real impacts for regional telecommunications across Pacific communities.

Codan won its first Australian Export Award for Outstanding Export Achievement in 1975. Since its early days, Codan has developed and supplied high- frequency radio equipment for the School- of-the-Air network and the Royal Flying Doctor Service across Australia. The United Nations adopted Codan radio equipment for relief efforts in Uganda in 1980 helping establish Codan as the leading global supplier of high frequency communications to humanitarian organisations.

Ian Wall’s influence extended to broader communications with a legacy reaching deep into today’s society.

Codan pioneered equipment that supported the launch of Australia’s first domestic satellite system in the 1980s and launched the world’s first commercial modem for fast and fully automatic high frequency fax and data transmission in the 1990s.

Pammie was also closely involved in the business and served on the board for several decades.

“I was on the board of EILCO, and then Codan, for 20 years – and was often the only female board member.The opportunity to join the board was amazing for me. It taught me a lot about people, about business, respect, fairness, progress, and about overcoming adversity.”

Codan Ltd is now a global company with manufacturing and corporate offices in Australia and internationally.The company supports the design and manufacture of a range of electronic communications, mining and defence technology and associated software used by governments, businesses, humanitarian aid and customer markets. The company was listed on the ASX in 2003 and Ian Wall retired from his executive position at Codan in 2004, remaining on the board until 2009.

Together Ian and Pammie have been long- term benefactors to a range of charitable organisations including the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation, the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), Novita Children’s Services, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Adelaide Botanic Gardens, National Trust of South Australia, and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

“Ian and I have worked hard, but at the same time have always been aware of helping others. In the early days, our focus was on the business, but once that was on track we could spread our wings and put time, effort and energy into other things,” says Pammie.

“I have served on many committees and charitable organisations and have greatly appreciated the opportunity to give back and contribute to the community in a meaningful way.”

Their significant contributions to St Mark’s College have funded the construction of two buildings – the Ian and Pamela Wall Academic Centre and the Wall Flats.

Generous donations to the Adelaide Festival Centre Foundation significantly contributed to the refurbishment of Her Majesty’s Theatre. The new Ian and Pamela Wall Gallery on the rooftop level will host exhibitions and house the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Performing Arts Collection.

They have supported the restoration of Carrick Hill, which opened the Wall Gallery in their honour in 2020.

Pammie has also generously supported the Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation ‘Laklinyeri’ Beach House project, located at Victor Harbor. Officially opened in 2019, the Beach House is South Australia’s first purpose-built holiday home for families with children with complex medical needs or in palliative care.

In recognition of their exceptional service and significant impact to the South Australian community and the University of Adelaide over many decades, both through business and significant philanthropic initiatives, Ian and Pammie were both awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University (honoris causa) in 2022. Ian passed away in October 2022 and is greatly missed.

“Together with Ian, we have shared our lives meeting new people and making the most of the many opportunities presented to us. It has been immensely fulfilling for both Ian and me to be able to make things happen, do it well, and help others.

“Opportunity can find you at all stages of your career and life – even in retirement! It is the ability to recognise opportunity and seize it with both hands that will open doors, take you in new directions and lead to a rewarding life.”

Story by Keryn Lapidge, University of Adelaide’s Manager of Corporate Communications.