Noel Gray
Encyclopedia
Noel Desmond Gray was an Australian technician, co-founder and initial financier of the medical electronics company Telectronics Pty Ltd.
1920 in Crookwell, New South Wales
, Australia
. He was the great grandson of George H. Hedger who may have been the inspiration for the Banjo Patterson poem "The Man from Snowy River". Gray grew up for a time on his grandfather's farm "Middle View" named for its view of the Snowy River
near Dalgety
.
He attended Sydney Technical School and after passing the Intermediate Certificate
he was employed as a wirer for radio manufacturers AWA Australia
and then Kreisler Australasia.
he was trained at the Army School of Radio Physics, whereupon he became a radar
technician and Senior Radar Artificer. He also attended No. 6 OCTU (Officer Cadet Training Unit) but was denied a commission after failing an associated engineering course.
Gray returned to LHQ where he was placed in charge of the Drawing Office and maintenance section. He helped to install the radar defenses on Rottnest Island
for Western Australia
and was the Senior Radar Artificer at Exmouth Gulf
. He worked on the first US-designed RADAR
unit in Australia, which was subsequently used to direct bombers during the Battle of the Coral Sea
.
Gray was discharged from the army on 10 May 1946 with the rank of Staff Sergeant posted to 2 SPECIAL RADAR DET RAA.
at the University of Sydney
but withdrew from his studies in 1950 to work for the Department of Civil Aviation on RADAR installation at Sydney Airport
, and on engineering projects for the Metropolitan Water, Sewerage & Drainage Board.
In 1952 he returned to work for the Philips' subsidiary Kreisler. He designed and developed printed circuit board
s that were used in a production run of Kriesler Duplex radios. A number of patent
s were taken out on his work.
Gray resigned from Kreisler in 1959 to start a medical electronics business, an ambition he had developed while studying medicine in 1948. To finance this venture he started a specialist TV repair business and was a founder of ESA (later called TESA).
Telectronics Pty Limited was incorporated in Sydney, Australia, in 1963 by Gray and engineer Geoffrey Wickham
initially designing and manufacturing industrial and scientific instruments but diversifying into medical electronics and commencing cardiac pacemaker research in 1964. The corporate name was derived from "Television and Electronic Services", operated by Noel Gray as a sole trader from 1959-1964.
The company made significant contributions to pacemaker technology including the first definition of the relationship between surface area of the heart electrodes & pacing pulse characteristics, the first use of integrated circuits and the first hermetic
titanium
encapsulation.
The private company Nucleus became a 50% shareholder of Telectronics in January 1968 following the informal participation by Paul M Trainor of Nucleus in management of Telectronics in 1967[requires reference] when the company was facing bankruptcy.[requires reference] In 1975 the holding by Nucleus was reduced by sale of shares to a French multinational leaving a 33.33% holding by Nucleus Corporation Pty Ltd which became the publicly listed company Nucleus Limited 1980. In turn Nucleus Limited was acquired by Pacific Dunlop in 1988.
Legal action over the sale of faulty "J Lead" electrodes, inherited by Telectronics in acquisition of pacemaker manufacturer Cordis
corporation of Miama led to the company having to settle extensive worldwide compensation claims. This led to the sale of Telectronics assets to, eventually, St Jude Medical of Minneapolis and Pacific Dunlop restructuring itself into Ansell
.
Early life
Gray was born to Hilda Alice Gray and Joseph Albert Gray on Boxing DayBoxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
1920 in Crookwell, New South Wales
Crookwell, New South Wales
Crookwell is a small town located in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, in the Upper Lachlan Shire. At the 2006 census, Crookwell had a population of 1,993 people. The town is at a relatively high altitude in Australian terms , and there are occasional snowfalls during the...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He was the great grandson of George H. Hedger who may have been the inspiration for the Banjo Patterson poem "The Man from Snowy River". Gray grew up for a time on his grandfather's farm "Middle View" named for its view of the Snowy River
Snowy River
The Snowy River is a major river in south-eastern Australia. It originates on the slopes of Mount Kosciuszko, Australia's highest mainland peak, draining the eastern slopes of the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales, before flowing through the Snowy River National Park in Victoria and emptying into...
near Dalgety
Dalgety, New South Wales
Dalgety is a small town in New South Wales Australia, on the banks of the Snowy River between Melbourne and Sydney.The town is located at what was once an important river crossing along the Travelling Stock route from Gippsland to the Snowy Mountains High Country dating from the 1840s.- History...
.
He attended Sydney Technical School and after passing the Intermediate Certificate
Intermediate Certificate
The Intermediate Certificate was a certificate awarded in Australia for the successful completion of three years of high school. This was at around age 14 — what is called Year 9 today. Currently students in New South Wales can leave school at age 15. Apparently this has been the case since...
he was employed as a wirer for radio manufacturers AWA Australia
Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited
Amalgamated Wireless Ltd . Throughout most of the 20th century AWA was Australia's largest and most prominent electronics organisation, undertaking development, manufacture and distribution of radio, telecommunications, television and audio equipment as well as broadcasting services.After the...
and then Kreisler Australasia.
World War II
Gray enlisted in the army in August 1942. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was trained at the Army School of Radio Physics, whereupon he became a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
technician and Senior Radar Artificer. He also attended No. 6 OCTU (Officer Cadet Training Unit) but was denied a commission after failing an associated engineering course.
Gray returned to LHQ where he was placed in charge of the Drawing Office and maintenance section. He helped to install the radar defenses on Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is long, and at its widest point with a total land area of . It is classified as an A Class Reserve and is managed by the...
for Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
and was the Senior Radar Artificer at Exmouth Gulf
Exmouth Gulf
Exmouth Gulf is a gulf in the north west of Western Australia. It lies between North West Cape and the main coastline of Western Australia. It is considered to be part of the region of the North West Shelf and in the Canning Basin area.-Environment:...
. He worked on the first US-designed RADAR
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
unit in Australia, which was subsequently used to direct bombers during the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
.
Gray was discharged from the army on 10 May 1946 with the rank of Staff Sergeant posted to 2 SPECIAL RADAR DET RAA.
Post war
In 1948 Gray was accepted to study medicineMedicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at the University of Sydney
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
but withdrew from his studies in 1950 to work for the Department of Civil Aviation on RADAR installation at Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport
Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada...
, and on engineering projects for the Metropolitan Water, Sewerage & Drainage Board.
In 1952 he returned to work for the Philips' subsidiary Kreisler. He designed and developed printed circuit board
Printed circuit board
A printed circuit board, or PCB, is used to mechanically support and electrically connect electronic components using conductive pathways, tracks or signal traces etched from copper sheets laminated onto a non-conductive substrate. It is also referred to as printed wiring board or etched wiring...
s that were used in a production run of Kriesler Duplex radios. A number of patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s were taken out on his work.
Gray resigned from Kreisler in 1959 to start a medical electronics business, an ambition he had developed while studying medicine in 1948. To finance this venture he started a specialist TV repair business and was a founder of ESA (later called TESA).
Telectronics
Geoffrey Wickham
Geoffrey Gordon Wickham AO MIIE was one of the pioneers of cardiac pacemaking, born at Camperdown, Victoria, Australia to dairy farmer parents on 28 October 1933.In 1963 he co-founded the medical instruments company Telectronics Pty Ltd in Sydney, and served as the company's Technical Director from...
initially designing and manufacturing industrial and scientific instruments but diversifying into medical electronics and commencing cardiac pacemaker research in 1964. The corporate name was derived from "Television and Electronic Services", operated by Noel Gray as a sole trader from 1959-1964.
The company made significant contributions to pacemaker technology including the first definition of the relationship between surface area of the heart electrodes & pacing pulse characteristics, the first use of integrated circuits and the first hermetic
Hermetic seal
A hermetic seal is the quality of being airtight. In common usage, the term often implies being impervious to air or gas. When used technically, it is stated in conjunction with a specific test method and conditions of usage.-Etymology :...
titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
encapsulation.
The private company Nucleus became a 50% shareholder of Telectronics in January 1968 following the informal participation by Paul M Trainor of Nucleus in management of Telectronics in 1967[requires reference] when the company was facing bankruptcy.[requires reference] In 1975 the holding by Nucleus was reduced by sale of shares to a French multinational leaving a 33.33% holding by Nucleus Corporation Pty Ltd which became the publicly listed company Nucleus Limited 1980. In turn Nucleus Limited was acquired by Pacific Dunlop in 1988.
Legal action over the sale of faulty "J Lead" electrodes, inherited by Telectronics in acquisition of pacemaker manufacturer Cordis
Cordis
Cordis may refer to:* Cordis , a medical device company owned by Johnson & Johnson* Community Research & Development Information Service...
corporation of Miama led to the company having to settle extensive worldwide compensation claims. This led to the sale of Telectronics assets to, eventually, St Jude Medical of Minneapolis and Pacific Dunlop restructuring itself into Ansell
Ansell
-Other:*Ansell's Shrew*Ansell's Mole Rat - rodent*Ansell's Epauletted Fruit Bat - megabat*Ansell Limited - medical gloves and condom manufacturer...
.