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HISTORY of the CLUB |
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Introduction by the PresidentSignificant Events from the Past Office Bearers & Management Committee Photo Gallery through the decades
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Introduction by John (Rusty) McGrath VK4JM Little did those twelve people, made up of WIA members, Associate WIA members and interested people who met at the Bundaberg Red Cross rooms on Thursday night, 21st of September in 1961 realise that forty seven years later their dream would turn out to be one of the more active clubs in Queensland. In fact, these twelve interested people had approached the WIAQ for permission to form either a Bundaberg Branch of the WIAQ or a Radio Club. The answer from WIAQ was to form a club and for that club to be associated with the Wide Bay Branch of WIAQ. On that night the club was born, named The Bundaberg Amateur Radio Club and the aims of the club were identical to the WIA constitution Section 2, Paras. A to E.. Committee was formed and fees were set at one pound per annum [$2] The difficulties and triumphs of the next forty nine years are a Jacob’s ladder of events with the over riding premise being the advancement of Amateur Radio in Bundaberg. History is not a topic which appeals to radio enthusiasts and tomorrow’s circuits and today’s contacts too often take precedence over last years events but the club has lived through many phases of technical change in its time until the present day. We saw CW and AM give way to SSB and FM. Digital communications was a dream, the early class students were given a little information on transistors to supplement the valve theory. Several members did the Z–call licence and got going on vhf, building valve receivers on 2 metres was a feat and the HF advocates gradually saw there was room in their life for VHF. Members came to grips with computers and found they were a way in to Packet Radio. We sat around the club rooms all night for couple of weeks waiting for Oscar 1 to show over the horizon so we could track his 'HI' in morse with a beam more like a bofors gun requiring two members to train it. We built repeaters, VHF, UHF and Packet housed in a concrete block building on top of Mount Goonaneman and on a water tower in Bundaberg. We lost our beloved Club Rooms to the march of the monied sports wanting more room but we were promised the top floor of the East End Water tower for club rooms until someone on Council realized there was no way out if we set alight to “all that valve radio gear”. But the thought of feeding a 80 metre vertical from the top end was relished for a time. Our WIA Youth Radio Classes saw many Bundaberg youth get good jobs in both Commonwealth and State Government Departments and industry; and so the list goes on. One has only to take a good look at this Website to see that the objective of promoting Amateur Radio remains just as focused today as all the preceding years. With our club even more closely aligned with WIA through Associate Membership, Club Insurance, Club members as WIA Assessors and EmComm trainers etc. Education, training, and supporting the community and SES with WICEN, maintaining repeaters and all the other technical aspects of club life remain a high priority for the Club. Today however, not for profit groups must also deal deal with Government Departments and bodies that look after Rents, Rates, Child Protection, Power bills, Risk Management, Insurance etc, and this has necessitated an expanded committee with the appropriate skills. But even after all that, we still have time to enjoy a club social life and have fun. Which is what its all about isn’t it? Rusty McGrath President 2010
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1961 President:
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1962 President: |
1963 President:
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1964 President: |
1965 President:
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1966 President: |
1967 President:
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1968 President: Joscelyn McGrath VK4JJ
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1969 AGM 5th Feb 1969 President: Don Sparks VK4NK |
1970 AGM 5th February 1970 President: Geoff Bonney AX4GI
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1971 AGM 10th February 1971 President: Dave J. McGrory VK4DJ |
1972 AGM 2nd February 1972 President: Dave J. McGrory VK4DJ |
1973 AGM 7th February 1973 President: Clem Steggink VK4FD |
1974 AGM 6th February 1974 President: Clem Steggink VK4FD |
1975 AGM 5th February 1975 President: Bob Elkin VK4ZZE |
1976 AGM held 4th February 1976 President: Graham Scott VK4SR |
1977 AGM held 2nd February 1977 President: |
1978 President: |
1979 President:
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1980 President: |
1981 President:
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1982 [no date in book other than June?] President: John Lemura VK4LP (re-elected ) |
1983 AGM 22nd June 1983 [AGM now mid year] President: John Lemura VK4LP |
1984 President: |
1985 AGM 24th July 1985 President: Keith Haverfield VK4APQ Notation: John Lemura VK4LP as Past President automatically on the committee |
1986 AGM 23rd July 1986 President: Keith Haverfield VK4APQ **17th March 1987 Robert Millgate VK4ADZ elected Secretary & John Lemura VK4LP elected to Management Committee |
1987 AGM 24th September 1987 President: Keith Haverfield VK4APQ |
1988 AGM 28th September 1988 President: Keith Haverfield VK4APQ |
1989 AGM 25th October 1989 President: Keith Haverfield VK4APQ |
1990 AGM 24th Oct 1990 President: Keith Haverfield VK4APQ |
1991 AGM 24th July 1991 President: Bob Millgate VK4ADZ |
1992 AGM 23rd August 1992 President: Robert Millgate VK4ADZ / Ken Blatchford VK4BKB** ** 14Dec1992 Bob Millgate VK4ADZ retired due to Ill health |
1993 President: Ross Orpin VK4JRO |
1994 President: |
1995 President:
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1996 President: |
1997 President:
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1998 President: |
1999 President:
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2000 President: |
2001 President:
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2002 President: |
2003 President:
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2004 President: |
2005 President:
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2006 President: |
2007 AGM August 2007 President:Robert Wright VK4UD
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2008 AGM August 2008 President: John (Rusty) McGrath VK4JM |
2009 AGM 29th August 2009 President: John (Rusty) McGrath VK4JM |
2010 AGM 28th August 2010 President: John (Rusty) McGrath VK4JM |
**The names and callsigns recorded here have been found in the historical records/minute books etc. The task of researching the records is ongoing and some dates - currently missing will be updated when research is finalized
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There are a substantial number of club photographs spanning the decades from 1960's to 2010's. You will find the photo gallery at this ARCHIVE link It is a large photo display and may take some time to download **Club members requiring a hard copy of these images should contact the Webmaster |
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