Hi Peter,

Geof Hipwell sent me your application form. Geof and I worked together at Fiskville and he later became my brother-in-law. Small world.

I would have joined the OTC Veterans many years ago but my work took me to Sydney (initially with OTC) and since I retired I have been living in Brisbane. So the opportunity to join any activities in Melbourne was severely limited.

I have fond memories of my time with OTC. It was probably one of the happiest and most fulfilling times of my working life. We were at the forefront of technological development and yet, in retrospect, we were really pioneers as wireless communication was only beginning in the early 1900’s  and less than 50 years later I was privileged to be working on the premier transmitting station in Australia (Fiskville) and also had a close contact with the Melbourne Operating Room and Rockbank Receiving Station.

In later years I transferred as one of the first Technical Officers to Sydney Head Office. One day after I left OTC I chanced to be driving along a road in Paddington (Sydney) and went past the new OTC building which housed the new international cable terminal. I noticed a sign which said “OTC Museum” (or something similar). I decided to have a look. There – to my “horror” was displayed the high speed morse transmitters, Kleinschmidt tape punches, ink writers etc. which I used to operate. And around the corner were exhibits of the Coastal Radio Service (which was part of my domain in Sydney) and a “new” operating console which I had designed. It made me feel as though I must have been getting old when what had seemed so up to date was consigned to a museum!

Anyway, enough rambling.

My best regards to anyone who still happens to remember me.

– Denis

OVERSEAS TELECOMMUNICATIONS VETERANS ASSOCIATION 

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MINUTES

Meeting held at NSW Bowler’s Club on Friday, 13 June 2014

 Meeting Opened:             11:32am by the president

Members present:           Peter Bull, Will Whyte, Kevin O’Brien, Bernie White, Allan Hennessy, David Richardson, Peter Allan, Bob Dean, Neil Yakalis, John Phillips, Jim Simpson, Bill Jolly, Bob Lions, Robin Tuckfield, Ted Miles, Ray Hookway, Tony Lowther, Mick Callaghan, Ross Beaumont, Ted Bastow, John Hodgson, Les Ayers.

Apologies:                         Tony Stuart, Geoff Oldman, Bill Newman, Brian Collath, Jeff Bultitude , Colin Kelly, Peter Tuckwell, Mick Quinlan, Tony Bradney, Garry Hausfeld, Jim Hulme, Chris McMahon, Peter Burgess, Brian Hoschke, Trevor Pike, Jeff Hinwood, Roger Boyden, Guntis Berzins, Paul Black, M O’Connor, Fred Kannard, Dennis Grant, John Eades, Ben McGee, Greg Waller, Paul McCann, Michael Peck, Dean Veverka, Graham Hanigan, Gary Beaton, John Bennett, Kevan Bourke, Peter Lloyd, John McDermott, Brian Travis, Peter McInness, Tom Barker.

Welcome:                          The president welcomed those present thanking members for their attendance.

One minutes silence         was observed to remember those members who had passed away in the last year.

Minutes:                             The minutes from the 57^th Annual General Meeting held on Friday 14^th June 2013 were adopted.  

Presidents Address:        Peter Bull addressed the meeting highlighting the achievements and developments over the past year.  See below for the full text.                                          

Treasurer’s report:        Bernie White tabled a written report dated 30 April 2014 together with audited Balance Sheet and Statement of Income and Expenditure.  For the year ending 30 April 2014, we have an excess of income over expenditure of $3,746.56.  Our assets remain at a good level of $25,138.23

Life member nominations:           None received

Election of Office Bearers:

Mick Callaghan acted as Returning Officer. 

After declaring all positions vacant, the Returning Officer called for nominations and the Meeting resolved unanimously to make the following appointments:

President                             Peter Bull

Vice-President                   Kevin O’Brien

Secretary                            Will Whyte

Treasurer                            Bob Dean

Auditors:                            Ken Theaker and Tony Farrugia

Newsletter Editor            Peter Allan

Committee Members:    The above office bearers and

                                               Henry Cranfield

                                              Ray Hookway    

                                              Colin Kelly

                                               Allan Hennessy

                                              David Richardson

                                              Bernie White

Incoming President’s Address:   Peter Bull thanked the members for their support and invited them to provide suggestions to improve the association.

Contact & Transit Digitization:  Kevin O’Brien reported on the progress to digitize all Contact & Transit magazines.  To date, 296 Transits and 40 Contacts have been scanned and been processed with OCR software.  The plan is to distribute copies for free at our Christmas function at a cost to the association of about $2.10 each.  Mick Callaghan generously offered to donate $500 to cover the cost of production.

General Business:            Nil.

Meeting closed:                The meeting closed at 12:02 pm

I have just received the sad news of the passing of “Bill” Blemings who passed away peacefully on 6th July 2014. I was advised, tonight, by his wife, Wendy.

Bill will be remembered by those of us who worked at Central Operating Room, 47 York St., and at Sydney Operating Room, Spring St. during the 1947-Mid 50’s era as a telegraphist.

Bill, who became a very successful businessman after departing the “old Salt Mines” in the 50’s, would have been 89 years of age on 29th July. There will be, no doubt, some of us still around who knew Bill  and his dad before him, Jim.

Sorry to be the bearer of this sad news.

Trevor Thatcher

John Eades has just returned from Central Australia. While there he visited the Overland Telegraph Station at Alice Springs and was fascinated with the principle used for creating the battery power.

Some of the old hands might be able to answer how they maintained the battery voltage of 2.5 volts per cell. There were no generators avail on these many repeater stations that were required all the way up the line. John could only assume that they kept adding  to the chemical makeup of each cell.

I look forward to your comments.

Peter Bull

Graham Watts posted in ex-OTC Facebook web site

I think I took this shot sometime in 1963 at Bringelly while on field training. A helicopter was being used to assist in the erection of some 200 foot masts.

I seem to remember later that there was an accident when a rigger was killed and the helicopter crashed but have been unable to find any record of the event.

Can anyone help with info?

Graham Watts

grahamw@arach.net.au

 The photo here shows the the testing in progress L>R Roy Hunt, Roger Pugsley and Charlie Rudd.

 The Northern Rivers sub branch would like to welcome any OTVA members travelling up this way the opportunity to have lunch and of course and a few beers with us. We meet every Wednesday in the restaurant from  1200pm until about 4pm at the Riverview Hotel 267 Tweed Valley Way Murwillumbah.

 Those present this week [25th June] were [from left to right]  John Bennett, Gary Samuels, Bill Newman, Steve Marshall, John Toland, Bob Collins, Dave Kidd,     Alan West [not present].

Should  you need to stay over, a double room will cost $60 at the hotel.

From Rob McAulay:

It is my sad duty to advise that Darrel Savage passed away last night, 16th June 2014.

Darrel was a Professional Engineer with OTC before moving on to chase sheep around on a small farm near Mudgee. When that got too difficult for him, he returned to the Central Coast of NSW where a number of his family had moved. Only a few years ago I learned that he had been moved from his lovely home to a Nursing Home as he was not well. It was there that he passed away. Robyn and I spent many lovely mornings having “naughty” cakes and coffee in the garden adjoining his humble abode. We are deeply saddened at losing him as, we are sure, will be his scattered family.

It is very saddening that such a lovely man left us so lonely.

The Funeral Service will be this Friday 19th June in the Rose Room at Palmdale Crematorium (near Ourimbah) at 9AM. Afterwards arrangements are not finalised but most likely at Ourimbah RSL.

There will be a formal advice of the Funeral in Daily Telegraph dated 18 June 2014.

This is a photo of Darrel Savage taken on 3rd July 2013 – almost 12 month before his death.

I think the OTC info regarding his service and its conclusion in 1987 is valuable. We were always uncertain about his age as he had given another age a little while ago but 82 is consistent with more recent discussions. I hope at least a small few of his former colleagues are able to attend his service.

Rob.

From Bob Emanuel:

Few would remember Jane Hodson, former OTC tech and TO who spent her two-three years with OTC mainly in Perth.

Her passing was noted in a large but warm obituary in today’s Sydney Morning Herald print edition and online.

http://www.smh.com.au/comment/obituaries/jane-hodson-helped-guide-the-voice-of-central-australian-aborigines-20140516-zreqw.html

The SMH obit mentioned her time in Telecom, where she did her training but not that she joined OTC with another 24 qualified techs in a large batch of recruitment into OTC in the late 1980s when expansion was the name of the game. Wally Sakaluk was in the same intake.

Hoddy and I got on like a house on fire. I’d just been dumped after a long term relationship and wasn’t into another one quickly so we had a ball together. Both of us moved to Perth for the first DMS300 installation in Australia and didn’t we have a ball. She came from Perth, had two girlfriends living there and family and so I got to see a side of WA that few OTC folks would have – some of the best music I’ve ever heard, great bushwalks and picnic spots and a great array of people. I was the only straight guy in that group.

Jane, ever the restless soul, quit and went to Europe and came back after 6 months – we offered her old  job back but she wanted to work in television and moved to Darwin, which led to her joining the CLC as described in the obituary. I wrote her only reference for the Darwin job, was contacted by them and helped kick off her media career. I moved back to Paddo and that’s when we lost contact.

I am so glad to see she did so well.

Cheers,

Bob E

From Peter Grove:

Helen Mirzoian (ex-OTC Public Relations and Transit editor) passed away peacefully on Sunday 27^th April after losing a long battle against brain cancer. 

She was a good lady who passed away far too young.

Now there’s one more angel in heaven.  May she rest in peace.