Signs Publishing Company
Encyclopedia
Signs Publishing Company is a Seventh-day Adventist
publishing house in Warburton
, Victoria, Australia
.
on June 6, 1885.
The Signs Publishing Company first began as the Echo Publishing Company, in North Fitzroy
, a suburb of Melbourne
. By 1889, the Echo Publishing Company employed 83 people and was the third largest Seventh-day Adventist publishing house in the world.
The management were committed to the printing and distribution of Seventh-day Adventist literature but were also commercially successful — so successful, in fact, that they soon became the unofficial government printers for Victoria. The church decided this was moving in the wrong direction, so decided on a move to Warburton in 1906, where the operation could return to its religious roots.
However the move deprived the company of the considerable income created by the outsourced work, thus funding for religious material was at a premium. Cheap hydro-electricity and abundant land for both factory premises and staff housing were the predominant reasons for the choice of location, and in fact the “Wonwondah” property that was bought had been owned by the husband of a local Adventist. The Signs Publishing Company was formed and remained on the original premises until 1934, when the Yarra River
flooded the valley and ruined a large part of the machinery and building.
A new, brick factory was built on higher ground in 1935 for £23,000. Over the years the building has gone through a number of extensions, the last major extension in 1979 cost $625,000 — adding 21000 square feet (1,951 m²). The Signs building along with the Sanitarium
building next door are now heritage listed. The Signs Publishing Company currently employs around 50 staff in a variety of print/publishing/import-export positions.
In July 2006, Signs was amalgamated with the Adventist Media Centre and South Pacific Division
into a single body. From 2010, Signs and Record magazines will be published from the church's headquarters in Wahroonga
, New South Wales
(a northern Sydney
suburb), yet still printed and distributed from Warburton.
While the modern plant is far removed from the early publishing operation, the philosophy of the company remains the same — to produce and distribute Christian literature for the South Pacific
region.
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
publishing house in Warburton
Warburton, Victoria
Warburton is a town in Victoria, Australia, 72 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Warburton had a population of 2288....
, Victoria, 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...
.
History
Three Adventist preachers, Stephen Haskell, John Corliss and Mendel Israel, a printer, Henry Scott, and an experienced door-to-door literature salesperson, William Arnold, travelled from San Francisco to SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
on June 6, 1885.
The Signs Publishing Company first began as the Echo Publishing Company, in North Fitzroy
Fitzroy North, Victoria
Fitzroy North is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 4 km north-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Yarra and Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Fitzroy North had a population of 11,069....
, a suburb of Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. By 1889, the Echo Publishing Company employed 83 people and was the third largest Seventh-day Adventist publishing house in the world.
The management were committed to the printing and distribution of Seventh-day Adventist literature but were also commercially successful — so successful, in fact, that they soon became the unofficial government printers for Victoria. The church decided this was moving in the wrong direction, so decided on a move to Warburton in 1906, where the operation could return to its religious roots.
However the move deprived the company of the considerable income created by the outsourced work, thus funding for religious material was at a premium. Cheap hydro-electricity and abundant land for both factory premises and staff housing were the predominant reasons for the choice of location, and in fact the “Wonwondah” property that was bought had been owned by the husband of a local Adventist. The Signs Publishing Company was formed and remained on the original premises until 1934, when the Yarra River
Yarra River
The Yarra River, originally Birrarung, is a river in east-central Victoria, Australia. The lower stretches of the river is where the city of Melbourne was established in 1835 and today Greater Melbourne dominates and influences the landscape of its lower reaches...
flooded the valley and ruined a large part of the machinery and building.
A new, brick factory was built on higher ground in 1935 for £23,000. Over the years the building has gone through a number of extensions, the last major extension in 1979 cost $625,000 — adding 21000 square feet (1,951 m²). The Signs building along with the Sanitarium
Sanitarium Health Food Company
The Sanitarium Health & Wellbeing Company is the trading name of two sister food companies . Both are wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church....
building next door are now heritage listed. The Signs Publishing Company currently employs around 50 staff in a variety of print/publishing/import-export positions.
In July 2006, Signs was amalgamated with the Adventist Media Centre and South Pacific Division
South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists
The Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific, , is formally organised as the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists , also abbreviated as the South Pacific Division or simply "the Division". It is one of 13 world divisions of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in...
into a single body. From 2010, Signs and Record magazines will be published from the church's headquarters in Wahroonga
Wahroonga, New South Wales
Wahroonga is a suburb on the Upper North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Wahroonga is located 22 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of Ku-ring-gai Council and Hornsby Shire....
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
(a northern Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
suburb), yet still printed and distributed from Warburton.
While the modern plant is far removed from the early publishing operation, the philosophy of the company remains the same — to produce and distribute Christian literature for the South Pacific
Oceania
Oceania is a region centered on the islands of the tropical Pacific Ocean. Conceptions of what constitutes Oceania range from the coral atolls and volcanic islands of the South Pacific to the entire insular region between Asia and the Americas, including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago...
region.
Publications
The company publishes three major magazines:- Signs of the TimesSigns of the Times (Australia)Signs of the Times is a monthly subscription magazine published by Signs Publishing Company, a Seventh-day Adventist publishing house, for Australia and New Zealand...
, an easy-reading magazine in a format similar to Reader's DigestReader's DigestReader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
. It is the flagship publication of Signs Publishing Company, and is for distribution in the South Pacific. It has a circulation of 45,000 - RecordRecord (magazine)The Record is the fortnightly news magazine of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the South Pacific region of the church. It's office is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and connected with the Adventist Media Network...
is a weekly news magazine aimed at churchmembers, issued freely to churches. Circulation of 26,000 - Edge is targeted at young adults, and published bimonthly. It was founded in 1997 with Brenton Stacey as editor. Kellie Hancock is another former editor, and commented, "The Edges archival value for youth ministry is unprecedented. Nothing else provides the coverage of events and supportive resources on a broad range of issues for Adventist youth and those who minister to them." As of 2009, Adele Nash is the present and longest-serving editor. It was originally produced by Signs Publishing Company, but from 2010 is to be produced by the Australian Union ConferenceAustralian Union Conference of Seventh-day AdventistsThe Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia is formally organised as the Australian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists , a subentity of the South Pacific Division of Seventh-day Adventists. As of 31 December 2008, church membership stands at 54,173...
.