Connelly's - 1976- 2026 - 5th Decade
- Steve Connelly
- Feb 9
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 13
The 5th Decade
1. In September 2016 (our 40th Year) Connelly’s Office National was awarded Office National NSW & National Dealer of the YEAR, along with a Technology Innovation award. This was a big deal for us, as 1 of 150 stores, across metro, regional and rural Australia this was great recognition for us, and confirmation that we were doing the right things. Jannah was also a finalist in the Customer Servuice Team member of the year.
2. 2017 was the Time when NBN first started to rollout in our region, another advancement in technology that would allow us to do even more at faster speeds on the Internet. Streaming TV and Movies.
3. September 2017 – Office National NSW Dealer of the Year.
4. It was in 2017 we first partnered with another Technology provider and started selling, supporting and customising, Cloud Hosted Email and Backup Systems. That has continued to evolve into Microsoft 365 SharePoint setups, Cloud Backup and virtual machine creations.
5. In April of 2018 we needed a new Technician. We spoke to Chris, who had recently moved to Boorowa (out of the city life). I remember him telling in his interview with me he wanted to slow down a bit at work. Steve said, well this is a full time job – 38 Hours a week, Monday to Friday. He thought that was perfect as he had been working up to 90 hours per week and on call 24/7, as he was involved with the networking and signalling systems on the Motorways in Sydney. Chris brought with him a wealth of Computer and technical knowledge.
6. By February 2019 there was a bit of a hole in the local regional market with the closure of another store, so we expanded to become a Jaycar Authorised Reseller. The Jaycar range is a nice compliment to our Computer and technology products, providing additional technology accessories including Computer and DC Power supplies and other cabling and electronics parts & accessories. It also opened us up to new market of customers, with Solar panels and other Anderson plugs and adaptors, overseas power convertors, remote toys and now 3D Printers and more.
7. 2020 was Covid times – But we were considered an Essential Service business. It was a crazy unknown time. On March 31 2020 – we had a very open team meeting, with the plan to ensure our own personal health and safety but still our community. The plan was to rotate shifts – so everybody still had work to do but only about 15 hours per week. On the first day of the “shutdown” Steve sent the whole team home, and we would just have one of us work in shifts, between 9am – 3pm. That plan lasted until about Midday the first day. Steve was so busy he had the whole Customer service back in store helping customers with supplies and the tech team working remotely helping people setup their Work from Home technology. We had a bit of fun with it by dressing up sometimes..."Pajama Day"
8. March 2021 – Brenna joined the team – Now she is the Customer Service Team Leader and the voice that answers most of our incoming calls.
9. 2022 - Steve had been working with a Business Coaching group “The Game Changers” for a while and they had encouraged him deep dive into Why Connelly’s existed, What we Do and How we Do It. It has become our guiding principals for decision making in our business. Who we employ, who we work with, how we talk to clients and each other. You can see it on our website.
10. September 2023 – We were again named National Dealer of the Year for the Office National Group – we must still be doing good things.
11. May 2024 – Ben joins the team, looking after the warehouse, deliveries and furniture builds.
As an inaugural member - We mark 25 Years with Office National.
13. March 2025 – Noelle joins the customer service team and looks after store presentation and customer needs
14. Back to School Supplies for 2026 – finished for us in the last week of January. Steve remembers back to his earliest days as a young teenager helping out Dad & Mum. He would leave school and come straight to the shop, opening packs of books, helping find all the supplies and writing up invoices in a Duplicate Docket book. It is a little bit different now with Customised Website, for easy ordering and customisation for your school list, with orders able to be placed on your mobile phone while you’re enjoying your summer holidays.
15. January 2026 – Madi joins the team and jumps straight in the deep end, serving customers, picking orders and putting stock away.
16. The 9th February 2026 - marks the 50th Anniversary of the Connelly family business.
The journey continues.....
Did you miss our previous history posts
I value the work that went into writing this post. The emphasis on interactive digital services offers a helpful perspective for comprehending their function in entertainment. Further details are available on the website . Because of its impartial tone, the essay is a useful tool for readers.