Page 85 - Demo

83A simple plastic torch like the Dolphin can remind us of games of spotto, or traipsing to the caravan-park toilet in the middle of the night, desperately trying not to get tinea from the concrete floors.Paul Cockburn had recently returned from art school in London, where he was classmates with Freddie Mercury (before he joined a little rock band called Queen), when he landed a design gig that would change his life. Tasked with updating an American-designed torch, he set to work on a prototype and was ready to present it to Eveready when he realised the large battery wouldn%u2019t fit. Needing a quick fix, he cut open the prototype to make a%u00a0bigger hole for the battery, then patched it up at the bottom with a large cardboard square.The folks at Eveready were so impressed by his design that they took the prototype and put it into production. For the next fourteen years, Paul%u2019s all-Aussie design was the highest-selling torch in the world. An incredible achievement by any standard, made even more remarkable because every one of those torches sold included that patch on the bottom that was never supposed to be there.One of the reasons we are drawn to these objects that are designed and made in Australia is because they tell our own stories. A simple plastic torch like the Dolphin can remind us of games of spotto with our brothers and sisters, or traipsing to the caravan-park toilet in the middle of the night, desperately trying not to get tinea from the concrete floors.Just looking at the image here might conjure the feeling of the torch in your hand, or the sound of it rolling around in the back of a dinghy or ute. Or maybe it%u2019s the feeling of unscrewing the lens to replace those large, cumbersome batteries.Paul Cockburn%u2019s rugged design was showcased in years of television commercials featuring a dolphin pushing its namesake torch around in a pool, the torch rolling with every nudge of its nose. Tough, waterproof and able to withstand anything we throw at it %u2013 which is what we%u2019ve traditionally demanded of our locally made products %u2013 this torch was designed and made in Australia for Australian conditions. It might not be the most revolutionary design the world has seen, but it%u2019s ours and that%u2019s what matters. This little plastic torch that can float and take a bit of a beating is a solid reflection of how we innovate and of the lifestyle we live.YEAR 1972DESIGNER Paul CockburnMANUFACTURER Eveready