About half a century ago, a legendary speed shorthand writer named Edna Spark established a court reporting enterprise in Western Australia. Edna was a perfectionist whose high-speed shorthand is legendary. Her legacy is reflected in the unique lengths to which our modern-day reporters will go to ensure the accuracy of our transcript.

In the early 1960s, Spark & Cannon pioneered private sector court reporting in Western Australia in partnership with the Crown Law Department (now the Department of Justice). The unique court reporting experience accumulated by Edna, her son Deane Cannon and his wife Peta was a critical factor in the development of an efficient, cost-effective audio recording and transcription system.

Having learnt the ropes in what grew into a large and successful Western Australian company, Deane Cannon moved east to begin his own venture and Spark & Cannon (SA) Pty Limited was born. The S&C group today comprises these two separate companies, each committed to high quality transcript production. Over the next 6 years, Deane and Peta established offices in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. Following the awarding of a contract in 2002 with the Family Court of Australia, the Hobart office was opened.

Spark & Cannon has a number of firsts in our proud history. We were the first company in the country to fully harness the potential of Windows™ based word processing. In 1989 we became the first company to use digital recording technologies in a cost-effective manner. Spark & Cannon remains one of very few companies in the region who can legitimately lay claim to a fully operational digital recording system that is used on a daily basis to produce running transcripts.

In June 1995, Spark & Cannon became the first privately owned court reporting firm with a quality management system that was certified to international standard AS/NZS ISO9002:1994 (now AS/NZS ISO9001:2000). Since then, Spark & Cannon has continued to develop and maintain its quality systems and standards in order to maintain the highest levels of customer service and efficiency in the industry.

In April 2004, Spark & Cannon became a subsidiary of VIQ Solutions, a technology company specialising in digital sound recording installations for court rooms and similar. This partnership has placed Spark & Cannon in a strengthened position, allowing us to harness and model digital technologies to suit our needs and those of our clients.