Boans Ltd.
Wellington Street, Perth, Western Australia.

Brand: Airlord

There radios were advertised at times with different configurations of the name “Airlord”. "Air-Lord" and "Air Lord" are known.

Boans Ltd. was Perth's most prominent family-owned department store for nearly a century. The company operated from 1895 to 1986, and at one point was Perth's largest private employer, with over 40,000 staff. They operated a Radio Department from 1924 till the 1950’s.

The store was founded by Harry Boan (1860-1941) and his brother Benjamin (1859-1901) who both came to Perth in 1895 from Broken Hill in western New South Wales. Harry and another brother, Ernest, had previously established a successful drapery known as "Boan Bros. Ltd." in that town.[1]

The Perth store opened on 7 November 1895 and was a single-story structure that ran from Wellington Street through to Murray street. [2] In 1901 when Benjamin died, Harry assumed sole ownership and set about expanding the store by purchasing the adjoining land. In 1912 the business became a limited company, and the original one-storey buildings were demolished and rebuilt as a single multistorey department store that spanned the area between Murray and Wellington streets. Harry changed the company name to Boans Ltd., in 1918.[3]

Due to the unprecedented demand for furniture after WW1 the company opened a furniture manufacturing factory in East Perth.[4] It produced bedroom furniture, including mattresses, dining, and kitchen furniture. There was also a cane-ware and upholstery section. Imported furniture was also held there. They also manufactured cabinets made from Jarrah. the unique West Australian hard wood for gramophones and later Airlord radios.

In July 1924 Boans imported a large stock of radio components, speakers, transformers, etc. from overseas and opened a Radio Department with a local wireless enthusiast Mr. Caird as Manager.[5]
They advertised Lissen Crystal Sets, one, two and three valve radio sets. [6] It is not clear who manufactured these early valve sets, however the company employed local radio enthusiasts from 1924 starting with Mr. Caird, followed by Harry Simmons. From late 1933 the first Airlord radios were produced, designed by C. Ullman, and built by R. Henwood, Boans furniture factory manufactured cabinets for these radios. From 1934 these Airlord radios used chassis from various Australian manufactures. These Airlord radios were advertised from 1933 till the late 1950’s. [7]

The company was sold to Coles Myer Limited in 1986, which closed its Perth store and redeveloped the space into the Forrest Chase building

[1] Toby Manford. "Boan, Henry". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition, Australian National University. Retrieved 31 Jan 2021.
[2] The Daily News (WA) Nov 2, 1895, Page 5.
[3] Sunday Times (WA)  Aug 11, 1918,  Page 1.
[4] The West Australian (WA)  May 26, 1921,  Page 9.
[5] Radio Jul 9, 1924, Page 180.
[6] Sunday Times (WA)  Feb 22, 1925, Page 20.
[7] The Encyclopaedia of Western Australian Wirelesses and Gramophones.