With regard Rick Stokes' grand vision, a perusal of the Helmsman...

With regard Rick Stokes' grand vision, a perusal of the Helmsman site yields some interesting stuff.

Helmsman invest in "Special Situations in the mid-market inluding financial restructerings, operational turnarounds and industry consolidation, or debt for subsequent ownership or control."

Helmsman currently have 5 investments in Australia, indluding QRS. Three are outside QRS sphere of activity. The fifth is directly in it, a company called Zone Advanced Protection Systems P/L.

Zone develops and distributes a range of perimeter protection software and hardware products designed for the counter-terrorism and critical infrastructure protection marketplace. Clients include BP, Mobil, ABN Amro and the Australian Federal Police.

Hardware products include Video Analytics, HD CCTV, Digital IP Cameras and Ddigital Video Recorders.

Helmsman own Zone 100%.

Among API Security's areas of expertise is perimeter security. They have a different but nonethless complimentary focus to Zone. Clients include government banks and petrol stations, as well as the Office of the Prime Minister, Governor General and the Australian Defebnce Forces.

With Helmsman's mission statement of financial restructering, operational turnarounds and industry consolidation, is Zone the next 'acquisition' in Rick Stokes' grand vision to create a A$100 million company?

Seems a neat fit, and I can't think what Helmsman would otherwise do with Zone?

Then from there a trade sale/Takeover?

Either way, lot's of potential with this one. Be interesting to see what transpires.

BTW, thanks for your post, beachman. I have an email into both Rick Stokes and Doug Potter at Helmsman about the discrepancy in the SS Notice. I suspect it's an error in the numbers - $282,082, not $182,082, which would give an average cost of 6 cents. Can't see how they would otherwise be buying on-market at 4 cents when the market has never been there. I'll post back when I get a reply.