Happy Birthday, Paddy Pallin!

Happy Birthday, Frank Austin (Paddy) Pallin! Today, we celebrate our founder and the history that makes our organisation what it is. As a pioneer of bushwalking in Australia, Paddy Pallin dedicated himself to enabling those around him to take advantage of hiking, camping and other outdoor adventure opportunities.

“The only trips I regret are the ones I didn’t do” -Paddy Pallin

Frank Austin Pallin, well known as Paddy Pallin, has been an avid outdoor enthusiast since day one. His early adventures in the Australian bush highlighted the shortage of quality lightweight bush walking equipment. In 1930, unemployed due to the great depression, he grasped the opportunity to start making his own gear. Using a treadle sewing machine in a spare bedroom, Paddy initially made gear for his many friends. Before long, word spread, and Paddy’s lightweight functional designs were soon in demand among fellow bushwalkers, and the Paddy Pallin business was born.

Pallin opened a store on George Street during the depression and as his business grew moved to other premises throughout the city. In 1933 Pallin wrote and published the classic Australian bushwalking text Bushwalking and Camping which he sold in his stores (the book is still being published today and is in its 14th edition). In 1939 he co-founded The Bush Club, a walking club with a different philosophy to the Sydney Bushwalking Club (both clubs are still active today). He also became a founding member of the Bushwalkers Search and Rescue unit known today as the Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad. His support of bushwalking and adventure clubs in NSW is legendary and it is that tradition of shared experiences that is the heartbeat of our business.

“If you’re familiar with trees and plants, the bush is friendly. You can relate to it.” – Paddy Pallin

Paddy was a gear maker and innovator. Through each generation of business, Paddy Pallin’s products have kept people comfortable and safe so you have the confidence to head out and explore the world. Since 1930, Paddy Pallin has been enabling and inspiring Australian adventure seekers to get outside and explore both nationally and worldwide. With a firm grasp of company history rooted in Paddy’s own sense of adventure, we continuously look to seek out and supply outdoor enthusiasts with the lightest and most advanced gear from the world’s leading brands.

Paddy’s inherent desire to explore natural landscapes fostered a passion to conserve the places we enjoy, and the species we share it with. In 1975 he established the Paddy Pallin Foundation to assist conservation projects and in the same year was awarded an Order of Australia. Paddy was involved in numerous community organisations including: the Youth Hostels Association, the Scout Association and the National Parks Association of NSW.

Since its inception in 1975, The Paddy Pallin Foundation has supported a myriad of environmental campaigns including the Tasmanian Franklin River Fight, the conservation of the Glossy Black Cockatoo, and the Great Koala National Park. Over the years, Paddy Pallin (in conjunction with the Paddy Pallin Foundation) has partnered with various environmental conservation groups to help develop initiatives to promote and conserve our natural Australian environments and protect our native animal and plant species.

Thanks to Paddy Pallin’s pursuit of a career in the outdoor industry – we get to stand up what we believe in, get behind the gear we sell, and truly love what we do.