Bill Breeze has provided the following extract from page 3 of the KU-RING-GAI HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC June 2018 Newsletter
CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS – “WALES TO WAHROONGA” – 22nd September 2018
In the Northern Welsh town of Waunfawr on an overcast, cool night, Australian Prime Minister William Morris Hughes outlined a message for Senatore Guglielmo Marconi to send to Australia by wireless. It was Sunday 22nd September 1918, the Prime Minister having just returned from the battlefields in Europe.
This was to be the first direct wireless message sent from the United Kingdom to Australia and the recipient was Mr Ernest Thomas Fisk who had an experimental wireless station in the attic of “Lucania”; his residence at the corner of Stuart and Cleveland Streets in Wahroonga. Since that historic day, a monument has been erected at the corner of the two streets, unveiled in December 1935, when the former Prime Minister, Mr. ‘Billy’ Hughes addressed the assembly and Marchese Marconi spoke by wireless from Paris.
On Saturday 22nd September 2018, there will be centenary celebrations at the monument. At 1pm ‘The Ku-ring-gai Male Choir’ will sing the Welsh and Australian anthems and at 1.15pm the original Morse code message will be heard by all present and a Morsecodian will decipher the message which will then be read to the gathering, including Fisk family members, Politicians, local Councillors, Ku-ring-gai residents, wireless enthusiasts and historians.
At 1.30pm the assembly will move to St Andrew’s church hall across Cleveland Street where further celebrations will take place. There will be many displays including old and new wireless equipment, radio stations operated by “Hornsby and District Amateur Radio Club” with a special callsign for the occasion and official stamps to commemorate the day as well as refreshments. These displays will be open from 11am to 4pm in the church hall and are free for everyone to attend.
To assist with the celebrations at the monument and the church hall there will be road closures in the area. Car parking will be available in nearby streets.
Neil Yakalis has provide the below photos which are of historical significance to this event
For more information courtesy of the WIRELESS HERITAGE SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP cut and paste the below link into your web browser:
Click to access marconi_fisk_heritage_article.pdf
To view the entire KU-RING-GAI HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC June 2018 Newsletter cut and paste the below link into your web browser:
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