In 1924 , The Dunlop Rubber Factories at Abbotsford and Montague in Melbourne decided to make SANDSHOES [also called Tennis shoes and Runners ]. This was to compliment their Rubber Boots [ Gum Boots] which were first manufactured in 1915. By 1932 Dunlop were manufacturing in Australia, 2 million pairs of Footwear a year. In 1939, the now Icon Product, the Famous Volley Sport Shoe was introduced – Adrian Quist , who worked for the Dunlop Sports Division, saw the sole pattern on a boat shoe when he was in America for a tennis tournament. He convinced Dunlop to make a Tennis Shoe with the same sole pattern. The shoe went from strength to strength and never looked back becoming the favourite of all top tennis players for the next 40 years. Players who wore the shoe included Ken Rosewall, Lew Hoad , Frank Sedgman, Neil Fraser, John Bromich , Eyvonne Cawlay and Margaret Court and many others. In 1950 as the Dunlop Footwear Business expanded a huge new factory at Bankstown NSW was opened and by 1954 was making more shoes than any other factory in Australia, and employed over 1000 people. In 1959 – Dunlop Footwear brought in their first imports – 300,000 pairs of Thongs and 16,000 pairs of shoes. In 1965 Dunlop Rubber Co. diversified into separate divisions – The Dunlop Footwear Division in its own right became a stronger force in the Aust. Footwear Industry. In 1977 Kinetic technology was introduced and the now Icon product KT26 was born. 1978 - 1985 was a big era for Dunlop Footwear establishing the Brand as the leading Sports Brand in the Australian Market – with big volume sellers eg. Volley International , KT26 , Supershoe , Levi’s for feet , Boards , Jogaire , Jaws and many others. In 1980 Olympic was purchased and the parent company became Dunlop Olympic. 1986 In 1986 the parent company changed to Pacific Dunlop In 1994 – Dunlop Footwear amalgamated with Winestock Pro-Sport Brand and became “Dunlop Pro-Sport’’ operating out of Port Melbourne . The Bankstown Factory was closed a year later as all future Dunlop Footwear would be imported. In 1997 – Dunlop Sport Footwear Brand continues to have strong consumer recognition as best value for money. A New Division was formed, Dunlop Sport which was under the banner of Pacific Brands a division of Pacific Dunlop. 2001 In 2001 the Pacific Brands Division of Pacific Dunlop was sold to form a separate entity “Pacific Brands Holdings Pty, Ltd.” . As part of the Holdings Portfolio Dunlop Sport Footwear continues to be a thriving business. Today the Dunlop footwear brand continues to thrive and is seen by consumers as a brand that offers excellent value and quality on a range of sporting footwear for the family. 2004 “Legends Begin Playing in the Backyard” – encouraging Aussie kids to get involved in sport. Starring tennis hero Pat Rafter, Olympic basketballer Andrew Gaze, and AFL legend Paul Kelly as newly appointed brand ambassadors. Dunlop Sport is actively promoting the importance of sport and exercise for all young Australians. 2007 Dunlop sport introduces a range of Aerogel technology raquets. Aerogel is the worlds lightest solid and has a strength of up to 4,000 times its own weight. The three dimensional nanometer sized molecular network delivers an unmatched strength to weight ratio for enhanced stiffness and increased power.