Australian Paintballer

Australian Paintballer, commonly styled as Paintballer or Paintballer Mag, was an Australian paintball magazine published by Point Publishing from Cronulla, New South Wales. First published in 1992, it covered paintball tournaments, teams, players, fields, equipment, businesses and industry developments in Australia and New Zealand.[1][2]

The magazine is a contemporary source for the development of Australasian paintball during the 1990s. Its reports documented national and regional tournaments, early Australian equipment manufacturing, the organisation of player associations and the emergence of paintball communication through the Internet.

History

Establishment

The first issue of Paintballer was published in 1992.[1] It followed the Queensland publication SplatMe, at least four issues of which had appeared during 1991.[3] No direct organisational relationship between the two publications has been established.

By June 1995, Paintballer had reached issue 10. An editorial stated that the magazine had been operating for more than three years and announced an intention to adopt a bi-monthly publication schedule.[2]

The magazine was published by Point Publishing, whose editorial office was located at 12 Laycock Avenue, Cronulla, New South Wales.[2][4]

Editorial staff

The magazine's editorial leadership changed during its publication.

The June–July 1995 issue listed:

Position	Person
Editor in chief	Mike Wallis
Editor	Ross Davis
Art director	Steve Hobden
New Zealand editor	Mike Sawyer

The accompanying editorial stated that Wallis had taken responsibility for wider Australian and New Zealand coverage, while Davis became coordinating editor in Sydney and Hobden concentrated on layout and design.[2]

By the December 1995–February 1996 issue, Ross Davis was listed as editor in chief and Mike Wallis as editor. Mike Sawyer remained New Zealand editor. Other staff included Chris Ballenden, Gerrie Cavanagh and Steve Hobden.[4]

Contributors during 1995 and 1996 included Gavin Costello, Neil Carpenter, Rod Lewis, Andrew Johnston, John Ryan, Peter Russell, Anthony Surie, Kez Svanberg, Mic Bradshaw, Mark Jeffrey and Andrew Murphy. American professional player Oh Pawlak contributed instructional material and handled marketing in the United States.[4][5]

Photographers credited by the magazine included Darren Clarke, Mike Wallis, Mike Sawyer, Steve Sullivan, Mark Cootes, Nigel Kelly, Andrew Johnston and Ross Davis.[2][4][5]

Coverage

Australian paintball

Paintballer reported on tournament and recreational paintball throughout Australia. Its contents included coverage from New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Australian Capital Territory.

Subjects documented by the magazine included:

the South Pacific Championships;
the Australian Paintball Championships and Australian Nationals;
the Australasian Paintball Players League;
the early Super Sevens Series;
the Victorian Paintball Players Association;
the Bushmasters Series;
the Rebel Tour;
state and regional five-player and three-player tournaments;
Australian team rankings;
scenario games and recreational fields.

The magazine also carried reports and profiles concerning teams including Sydney SWAT, Top Hat Jokers, Team Magnum, Black Reign, HEAT, the Delegates and the Regulators.[4][5]

New Zealand coverage

New Zealand formed a regular part of the magazine's editorial scope. Mike Sawyer served as New Zealand editor, while New Zealand players and writers contributed tournament reports and equipment reviews.[2][4]

The magazine reported on teams including The Saints, Katapo, Dragons Claw, X-Men, Flashpoint and the Whangarei Paint Contractors. A report on the 1995 Auckland tournament documented a six-team, seven-player competition held at Tactics, Bethells Beach, on 21–22 October.[6]

Coverage also included the South Pacific Championships, New Zealand tournament calendars, marker reviews and correspondence between New Zealand players, field operators and equipment businesses.

Subscription rates were advertised for both Australia and New Zealand, reflecting the magazine's intended trans-Tasman readership.[6]

Equipment and manufacturing

Equipment reviews and technical articles were a prominent part of the magazine. Reviews covered imported markers, air systems, barrels, goggles and accessories, as well as products manufactured or modified in Australia.

Australian equipment subjects documented by Paintballer included:

the Badger and Viper markers produced by Perentie Paintball;
equipment manufactured by Precision Elite;
the Fireball Paintball Spitfire conversion;
Oz Air compressed-air systems;
Fast Parts marker components and modifications;
locally developed products from Paintball Australia.

The magazine combined editorial reviews with advertising from Australian fields, retailers, importers and manufacturers. Its published disclaimer stated that Point Publishing was not responsible for claims made in advertisements or for losses arising from products discussed in the magazine.[4]

Instructional material

Regular instructional content covered tournament tactics, team organisation, sponsorship, marker maintenance, compressed-air systems and scenario-game design.

Contributors included Australian team captains and players as well as international professionals. Oh Pawlak contributed articles on joining teams and obtaining sponsorship, while Gavin Costello wrote tactical material based on his experience with Black Reign.[4][5]

Field directory and calendar

Issues carried an Australian field directory containing advertisements and contact information for paintball venues across multiple states. Tournament calendars recorded professional, amateur, recreational and association events in Australia and New Zealand.[4]

These directories preserve contemporary information about fields and operators for which few other records survive.

Internet coverage

The April–June 1996 issue included an article on the use of the Internet for paintball. It discussed online communication with overseas manufacturers and players, access to technical information and plans for Australian field, tournament and association pages.[5]

The issue also published electronic mail and website addresses for organisations including the Victorian Paintball Players Association and Adventure Quest Games. This material documents the movement of Australian paintball communication from printed magazines and newsletters towards the World Wide Web during the mid-1990s.[5]

Mike Wallis subsequently established the online paintball magazine Paint in 1996.[7]

Regional and international ambitions

During late 1995, Point Publishing announced plans to expand the magazine's distribution beyond Australia and New Zealand. Proposed markets included Indonesia, Thailand and China, with additional reports planned from the wider Asian and South Pacific paintball community.[4]

The magazine also sought greater exposure in the United States. Oh Pawlak joined the staff to contribute articles, attract advertising and represent the publication in the American market.[4]

The extent to which these distribution plans were achieved has not been independently established.

Surviving issues

Digitised or privately preserved material confirms issues from at least 1992 through 1999.[1][8] Among the surviving issues used as historical sources are:

Date	Documented contents
June–July 1995	Australian and New Zealand news, tournament reports, equipment coverage and issue 10 editorial.[2]
December 1995–February 1996	South Pacific Championships, Australian Nationals, Perentie Viper, Precision Elite, Australian equipment development and New Zealand tournament coverage.[4]
April–June 1996	Australasian Paintball Players League, Super Sevens proposal, Rebel Tour, equipment reviews, Internet coverage and Victorian competition.[5]

Surviving covers from 1993, 1994 and 1999 are also held in the Paint archive.[8] The available records do not establish the magazine's final issue or exact cessation date.

Historical value

Australian Paintballer recorded a period in which organised tournament paintball expanded beyond individual fields and locally organised events towards interstate series, player associations and national rankings.

Its reports, advertisements, correspondence, directories and calendars provide evidence about Australian and New Zealand teams, businesses, equipment manufacturers and venues that are otherwise poorly documented. Claims contained in advertisements, opinion columns and retrospective articles nevertheless require corroboration before being treated as established fact.

References

Paintballer issue 1 cover, 1992, Paint archive.
“Editorial” and publication masthead, Paintballer, issue 10, June–July 1995, p. 8.
1991 SplatMe No. 2, Paint archive.
Publication masthead, contents and editorial, Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, pp. 3–4.
Publication masthead and contents, Paintballer, April–June 1996, pp. 4–5.
Cameron McLeay, “1995 Auckland tournament”, Paintballer, December 1995–February 1996, p. 31.
Welcome to Paint, Paint.
Three Australian magazine covers, 1993, 1994 and 1999, Paint archive.

External links