A short note to let you know that I am also retiring at the end of July having commenced with Uncle OTC at DCA Waverton in 1970 then various locations around Sydney with Eng Branch then Radio Services at OTC house then Doonside, Laperouse, Townsville and finally at Brisbane Radio. I then left and joined the Queensland Police as a Comms Tech. and then Calibration Tech. calibrating Speed Detection and Breath Alcohol equipment for the police and ended up as Manager of the NATA accredited Calibration Laboratory at the Police Complex at Alderley in Brisbane.

I recall many of those that you mentioned in Dave Solomon’s farewell testimonial.

Mick Callaghan was at the Hasler Gateway Telex exchange install at Broadway where I worked for about a year or so in 73-74, and I think  Lindsay Harradine, Bob Murray, Jeff Hatchman and Reg Spray were all Paddington boys.

I also would like to thank all the people in OTC who have helped me throughout my career, especially in the early days with Ray Baty, Dave Collister, Des Kinnersley and all the mates I have worked with over my 29 years in OTC.

I remember telling Raoul Velchic after he first started work at Doonside and there was a small altercation between Neil Yakalis and Keith Boyd and Raoul asked “Who the heck (it was a similar bit stronger word used) are these guys I have to work with” and I told him “The best bunch of bast……s you’ll ever work with” and I am sure he would agree with me now, as I am sure all the OTVA members would agree, We were the best Bs to ever work with.

Cheers,

John Burdinat (JPB to my close mates)

After many years of working at various satellite facilities, tomorrow, 1st July will be his last day with Optus.

Following his technician training in Sydney, he commenced at Carnarvon, Western Australia in May 1970, where he remained until he joined Aussat in 1983.

After working with the Hughes and Aussat teams at the Hughes facility in Torrance, California for 10 months, he returned to Belrose as Aussat prepared for its first satellite launch in 1985.

The TT&C work took him to four other TT&C sites in Australia, three sites in Singapore, and sites in Belgium, Britain, Turkey and Luxembourg.

His experiences over the years have been greatly enhanced by the working relationships that he shared with his Aussat and OTC colleagues.

He thanks all of those people for the positive impacts that it has on his life.

On page 16 of the Transit Magazine from July/Sept 1966:

TRAINEE TECHNICIANS

Transit extends a belated but nonetheless warm welcome to first year Technicians-in-Training Michael Callaghan, Ernest Chalker, Neil Emerson, Ross Gibson, Michael Game, Lindsay Harradine,

Jeffery Hatchman, Owen Lewis, Bill Perryman, Pat Ryan, David Solomon, Reg Spray, Gregory Taylor, Peter Watson, Peter Rexstraw, Robert Murray and John Schofield who are attending the

D.C.A. Regional Training School Marrickville.

Congratulations to Dave on a long and stellar career that all started through the opportunities that he was given when working with OTC.

From Daughter Christine:

My father is Alexander Griffiths, he started to work in AWA in 1942 as a telegraphist. His work took the family to Western Australia, Suva, and Fanning Island and he worked on the Apollo missions as well. He and I share many memories, although mine are as a child. Unfortunately Mum passed away in 2002.

Dad is now in a Nursing Home at Greystanes, just around the corner from me so I can also help care for him.

When he receives the OTVA Newsletter, I read the old memory stories that many people have supplied and although Dad’s short term memory is not so good, he remembers all the men, equipment and technical jargon etc that is mentioned.

I am hoping that your readers can supply more stories from the past, especially from where he has worked so I can continue to read to him.

Thanking you

Christine Murdoch (Mrs)

Neil Yakalis and Wendy Volpatti organised an event at the FM Radio Station to which Ray devoted a lot of his time. The visit on Friday (Friday 8th April 2016) to their tiny Gladesville radio station went really well.

The 12 who visited were Ian Thomas, Robert Askew, Ian McDonald, Neil Yakalis, Wendy Volpatti, John Eades, Laurie McIllree, Greg Martyn, Ray Dowsett, Ray Alford, Ross Beaumont & Robert Brand. There are only 11 in the group photo as Robert Brand needed to leave early. After the visit the group had lunch at the nearby Gladesville RSL club.

Ray Volpatti’s contribution to 2RRR, both from the technical to the operator side, was appreciated by all who came in contact with him. Tributes recorded to be aired are from Robert Brand, Greg Martin, Ray Alford, John Eades & Wendy Volpatti.

The below photo is courtesy of John Eades.

On Friday 15th April 2016 Sabina’s 2RRR show, Jazz and Beyond, which happens on 88.5 FM Fridays, midday till 2pm, celebrated Ray’s involvement in 2RRR and included recordings of some of Ray’s shows as well as Tributes from Robert Brand, Greg Martin, Ray Alford, John Eades & Wendy Volpatti.

The main component of the Tribute to Ray was aired from 1:30pm to 2:00pm.

2RRR can be heard anywhere using an Android or Apple App.  http://2rrr.org.au/listen-online/

My Uncle, John Bede Lennon (1920-1981), joined the PMG as 14 year old in the Depression.

He had along history with OTC and associated organisations in Cocos Keeling & New Guinea including Port Moresby, Wewak,  Rabaul,Fanning Is.

He was occasionally at Paddington.

I am interesting in knowing what sort of person he was at work and the things that he did when at work.

Thanks Greg O’Sullivan

Neil Yakalis organised this tour and the pictures prove it. The group ended the day by heading off to Gladesville RSL for lunch and a few drinks that lasted another 2 hours.

Attendees were: L to R: Ian Thomas, Bob Askew, Ian MacDonald, Neil Yakalis, Wendy Volpatti, John Eades, Laurie McIlree, Greg Martyn, Ray Dowsett (friend of Neil), Ray Alford, Ross Beaumont

Ray Alford and Laurie McIlree get the feel for what Ray might have experienced sitting in front of his radio panel.

Ray Alford and Laurie McIlree check out the electronics associated with Ray’s equipment

Laurie McIlree checks out the radio station transmitting equipment

Laurie McIlree listens intently as Ray Alford comments about Ray Volpatti

Ray Alford and Laurie McIlree deep in thought

It has taken 10 years and many meetings to put forward the idea of having a plaque to commemorate the landing of the Compac Cable at Bondi in 1962 and the first telephone call on 3^rd December 1963 between the Prime Ministers of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The Committee of the OTVA made representations to the following organisations and sent them a presentation fully explaining the magnitude of the event (Compac Cable Landing) and the subsequent significant impact upon telecommunications between Australia and the rest of the world that resulted in significant social and commercial benefits to Australians and Australia businesses:

• Waverley Council to get the plaque installed in the vicinity of the cable entry hut on the beach side of the promenade at Bondi Beach. Your committee also engaged the support of the Waverley Historical Society when negotiations with council stalled.
• Malcolm Turnbull when he was the Communications Minister and then again when he became Prime Minster of Australia.
• Channel 7

These efforts were unsuccessful.  The landing of the Compac Cable was not considered a significant event in the history of telecommunications in Australia worthy of celebration.

Telstra was approached through the manager of the Paddington Terminal, Geoff Parr. Largely through the support and effort of Geoff the concept of a plaque to recognise the laying of Compac was agreed by Telstra but the Paddington Terminal building was undergoing removal and the plaque could not be installed until last week.

Telstra installed the plaque on the Oxford Street side of its building at Paddington in Sydney NSW beside the building’s foundation stone late last week. Please have a look at the photos. We extend our thanks to Telstra for the support and recognition that it has provided through the installation of this plaque.

Many thanks to Charlie Rudd for supplying the plaque and greatly assisting your committee on the design to accommodate the words that were acceptable to both Telstra and the OTVA.

It is a real shame that Henry Cranfield was not still with us to celebrate this successful joint venture.

Well done to all involved. Below is a recent photo of the Paddington terminal that has been supplied by Geoff Parr.

Denis Pickwell wrote:

I was just going through some of last years Blogs and came across a short video (May 2015) entitled Memories – the OTC Story 1946-92. This is a complete misnomer as it obviously only covers a few years back from 1992. All the shots have computers in them! During my 10+ years with OTC (1950-1961) I never handled a computer as they didn’t exist. There is a story to be told about the early days of beam wireless and cable. I don’t know much about the history of AWA in the early years but I’m sure others do. I was stationed at Fiskville Beam Wireless Station for 7 years before transferring to Spring St. H.O. Doonside and Bringelly were new stations still “settling in”. I can recall Pennant Hills transmitters and the cable station at Southport and being amazed at what they did with an extremely weak, single channel signal. Compare that with the latest cable and associated systems!

In those days we were at the cutting edge of communications technology but in retrospect we were pioneers working with primitive equipment. I remember the visit of the Queen to Melbourne in 1956. At Fiskville we built a complete new high powered transmitter and installed about 3 others to cater for the expected traffic. I could ramble on, but I am sure there are those that remember what really happened in the early days from, say, 1946.

Regards,
Denis