Old Boy Thomas Bedgood (2009) is a third generation Churchie Old Boy. His family's tale is testament to the enduring impact of education, entrepreneurship, and innovation, seamlessly intertwining three generations of Churchie Old Boys. It all began with David Bedgood Snr, an Old Boy of the 1956 cohort. Beyond Churchie, David’s remarkable journey saw him play for the Wallabies and steer the family's bakery business, Bedgood Bakeries at Paddington, which lasted for generations.

After their Churchie education and following in their father's footsteps, David Jnr (1980) and Peter (1984) delved into the family bakery business as well as nightclubs and restaurants. This marked a new era in the Bedgood family's entrepreneurial journey as they expanded their interests.

The third generation, represented by Thomas Bedgood (2009), spent six years of his childhood on North Stradbroke Island, blending traditional education with unconventional experiences. During his years at Churchie, under the guidance of Mr Heath Chandler, Thomas nurtured a passion for engineering.

Upon leaving school, Thomas ventured into the world of cranes and lifting operations, working across diverse industries for 13 years. However, a unique vision emerged during this time. Thomas identified an opportunity where riggers (ground crew for cranes) could capitalise on the ability to visualise digital parameters that would enhance safety and efficiency in delicate lifting operations. This vision led to Sophor, a company set to revolutionise various industries with industrial-rated safety smart glasses.

As Sophor takes its first steps, it faces substantial challenges in electronic engineering, software development and manufacturing. The first part of this process resulted in two patents, one for Vertical Deviation within lifting operations (Sensing Device for Crane) and the other being a Holographic heads-up display unit (Data-Head). The second part being to generate interest from investors to develop early-stage prototypes. After pivoting many times to achieve the required trajectory, Thomas has completely rebuilt the operation with two trusted business partners: fellow Old Boy Casper Turner (2009), and Alex Kuiper (Software Engineer).

Now the journey is towards a technology-driven future, where cloud-based data seamlessly integrates into hands-free applications. Their vision has now broadened to their industrial rated safety smart-glasses being utilised within the mining, military, education, sport and medicine industries, to name a few.

Sophor is actively seeking to expand their market opportunity and grow their current partners. If you are interested in speaking with Thomas to find out more about this exciting venture, please email the OBA office.