When Mark Jones bought into the business that would become Edmiston Jones, his parents put their house on the line to help him.
Forty years later, the architectural practice’s anniversary gathering at Wollongong’s Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC) on Tuesday, November 10, offered a chance to reflect on that gamble.
From its beginnings in Nowra, the practice has grown to operate across Wollongong, Nowra and Batemans Bay.
Guests didn’t have to look far to see the firm’s work. Edmiston Jones was behind the recent upgrade of the IPAC’s bar and foyer areas.
Other prominent Illawarra projects include the IRT development in Culburra, Thirroul Library, the Illawarra Women’s Trauma Recovery Centre in Shellharbour, The Headlands Hotel in Austinmer and Headspace Warilla.
But the evening’s theme was that its contribution went beyond buildings.
Wollongong Lord Mayor Tania Brown recalled getting to know Mr Jones while working at the University of Wollongong, including through the Sustainable Buildings Research Centre and their involvement with the Property Council.
“It wasn’t just about designing buildings; it really was about places, spaces and people,” she said.
She praised the team’s commitment to putting its values into practice and its contribution to conversations about the region’s future.
“It is no small thing to have an organisation last for 40 years,” she said.
Steven Bayer, now owner of Alchemy Consulting, joined in 1986, became a director, and worked with the practice until 2020.
He recalled a team that grew from six people to around 30, describing its longevity and ability to retain professionals in a regional setting as a testament to its resilience.
He said the practice had also encouraged clients to think more deeply about what they needed. Sometimes, the answer was something other than a new building.
Mr Jones recalled learning the trade at a drawing board, listening to his employer’s telephone conversations with clients, and working through successive waves of technology: typewriters, fax machines, early Macintosh computers and a car phone.
Now, with artificial intelligence bringing another period of rapid change, he said the practice’s future would depend on qualities technology could not replace.
“I think we’ve got to hang on to our human values,” he said.
Those values had evolved into three guiding principles: respect, curiosity and leadership.
Mr Jones also flagged a change in his own role, with fellow directors helping carry the practice forward.
After recently holding his eight-week-old great-grandson, he had found himself wondering what the next 40 years might bring.
“I really don’t know where this will go,” he said. “But what I do want to hang on to is what hasn’t changed in that time.”