Robert’s funeral service was held on Tue 20th Jan at Woy Woy on the Central Coast as he lived at Umina.

Steve Clark believes that Robert (Bob) had been ill for the last 18 months or so unfortunately.

Steve Clark first met Bob around 1989 when assigned to a trainee stint at OTC’s recently opened Oxford Falls Satellite Earth Station. Bob had previously worked at the Moree (NSW) satellite earth station and even possibly Ceduna (SA) before that but returned to NSW to be a part of the Oxford Falls staff.

After completing his traineeship Steve successfully applied to be stationed at Oxford Falls full time and worked closely with Bob as part of the shift environment for many years. At one point he took on the admin role of the DAMA satellite platform hub that serviced many of the tiny Pacific Island nations.

In the early 2000’s Bob took a redundancy and went to Vanuatu to work at a satellite station over there. 

Then in 2008 Bob made a return to Oxford Falls when the site went back to 24/7 shift coverage and needed experienced satellite techs quickly.

By that stage though Bob found the nightshifts a little more challenging and after a couple of years decided he’d had enough and left to pursue some private enterprise opportunities. It is at that time that Steve lost touch.

Steve was saddened to recently learn of Bob’s passing.

He was a very easy going guy, always had a story of his experiences somewhere and held the local crown at OXF as the man who could handle the hottest of spicy sauces!! He also had a brief cameo appearance alongside Steve and a few others from Steve’s trainee group in the “You and Me and OTC” promotional video that can be found on YouTube. 

May He Rest In Peace

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Len Dooley has advised me this morning (22/01/2026) that he had just heard from the son of John Hampton, Lachlan, that John passed away last August in Florida after complications following breaking a leg in a fall.

Len reminds us that John worked at OTC for many years before moving to Intelsat.

Some of you may have already been made aware of John’s passing but others may not hence this notice on the OTVA website.

May He Rest In Peace

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Kevin O’Brien, Doug Tasovski and others have passed on the sad news of the passing of BobE.

Bob’s passing was expected for some time & although his wife, Jennie, is upset about him going she said he just gave up on life.

Bob E passed away on Sunday after a long illness of over 4 years caused by a stroke.

Jenny has asked for BobE’s friends and colleagues from OTC to be informed about his passing.

EMANUEL, Robert John

April 14th, 1953 – December 21st, 2025

Aged 72 years.

Loved by Jennie and by so many others in Blackheath, around Australia and across the world. He revelled in friendships everywhere.

Go well, dear Robbie.

Please join us to celebrate Rob’s life at Leura Memorial Gardens, on Monday, December 29th 2025, at 2pm, and afterwards at the Gardners Inn, Blackheath.

For funeral details please view:

trbrownjohnmemorialhome.com.au/funeral-notices/

(02) 4782 2613

Published by The Sydney Morning Herald on Dec. 24, 2025.

Fred Kannard has passed on the sad news that Ken Theaker passed away yesterday at his home in Wahroonga.

Margaret Noonan has supplied the details of Ken’s funeral service:

WHEN:               29th Dec at 10.30am

WHERE:             Camella Chapel,

Macquarie Park Cemetery & Crematorium

Plassey Rd, North Ryde.

After the service there will be light refreshments in the associated Wallumatta Function Centre.

Margaret Noonan worked with Ken Theaker, Morrie O’Connor, John Hibbard and others at OTC/Telstra

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Vaughan Kippers has responded to the item on the OTVA website article in January 2016 on Bribie Island Radio.

“I know I’m almost ten years late, but I have a photo of my father, Derk Kippers, “signing off” (using Morse code) from VIB at Radio Street, Pinkenba, in June, 1966. VIB was later situated at 881 Bribie Island Road, Ningi, which is very obvious on Google Earth. OTC built five or six homes for the radio operators, on the western side of Caboolture in the vicinity of the intersection of King Street with Bellmere Road.”

I can’t provide any information about the “event” to which the photo relates. I do know that selection of the site at Ningi involved a long process. On a couple of occasions, I accompanied my father on a yacht that sailed around Moreton Bay, exchanging signals with shore sites that had been short-listed for the proposed site of the new radio station. I was 13-14 years old at the time.

A work colleague from NBNCo, Dave Standring, passed on the sad news of Ian’s passing yesterday. They think that he may have suffered a fatal heart attack.

David and his partner attended Ian’s 62^nd birthday last Saturday where he showed no signs of a health condition.

May He Rest In Peace

Mick Callaghan relayed to me the sad news of Ed’s passing over the weekend.

Ed’s wife, Anne Marie, phoned Mick to advise that Ed has passed after a collision of his ultra-light aircraft that he has built. Ed had been flying ultra-lights for many years. The accident is covered on page 4 of today’s Daily Telegraph.

I worked with Ed in the early 1980s in the ITMC and INMC sections at the Paddington Terminal building. After leaving those sections he worked with Anthony Kalcina and Mick Callaghan in a software development area to support the operation of the telecommunications network operated by OTC.

Ed was a happy go lucky and likeable chap who had a lot to offer to OTC and its staff from a technical and talent perspective.

I have asked Mick to pass on the sincere condolences of the members of the OTVA.

Fred Kannard has advised yesterday that Paul Mulcahy passed away. He died in July with a funeral service held on 6th August.

Paul’s sister, Annette, delivered a eulogy. If you would like to receive a copy of the eulogy please email me at president@otva.com

I first met Paul when I was on Field Training in the Paddington ISCC (Quality of Service Section) located adjacent to the International Transmission & Maintenance Centre (ITMC) on Level 1 of the old Paddington Terminal Building at 363 Oxford Street Paddington.

Paul work with Patricia Anderson and Eddie Tammes to perform test calls to determine line quality of telephone circuits to all international destinations to which OTC had established direct connectivity. The quality checks along with those performed during ITMC routine maintenance were undertaken under the watchful eye of Ernie Wan who was in charge of the Quality of Service Section located on Level 10 of Head Office that was located on the corner of Pitt St & Martin Place in Sydney.

Paul was a real gentlemen who was liked and respected by all of those who knew him and worked with him. Paul was very good friends with Robert Lee (Engineer) who passed away a few years ago.

When the new Paddington Terminal works were completed in 1980/81 Paul moved to Level 7 of Paddington and worked as an integral part of the International Network Management Centre (INMC) where he and others continued to perform line quality testing. By that stage Mike Elkin and David McCredie had joined their ranks.

I am sure that Paul will be missed by his many friends in the Sawtell area of NSW to which he retired in the early 1990s.

May He Rest In Peace

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Gary Kelly has passed on the sad news that Tim Playfair has passed away. There was a notice in the paper advising that Timothy Browne PLAYFAIR passed away on 27^th June 2025

Tim worked in both OTC Melbourne and Sydney.

He was our Video Conferencing Product Manager and then an Account Manager in Melbourne.

Great guy helped me open the Adelaide office.

Partner to Laraine, father to Tom and Sam, he was aged 72.

Memorial Service is at the MCG Long Room, July 18^th from 3 pm to 6 pm.

May He Rest In Peace

Joe Collister’s son, Darryl, has advised that Joe passed away on 18 June 2025 aged 99 years.

Joe’s family is holding a memorial service on Monday 30th June at 12:15pm. No flowers please

WHERE:                      Rose Chapel, Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium, Cnr Plessey Rd and Entrance Dr North Ryde NSW 2113

The below photo is from a celebration at Bringelly and features Joe third from the left – he was only a little fella! It may have been Harry Stone’s farewell.

Those in the photo are (from left to right): Trevor Thatcher, Keith Vincent, Joe Collister, Harry Stone, Orm Cooper, John Walker

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