The 20 Year Reunion of the OTC Technical Training School was held on Saturday. It was a great day!

Final attendees –

Roman R M Targonski

Gwen Schofield

John C O’Shannassy ( Sick as a dog, from food poisoning. Get well soon.! )

John Merino

Bob Emanuel

Brad Albeck ( Still celebrating the NRL Rabbitos historic win )

Maureen E Lees

John S J Barker

Peter Pukk

Phil G M Psaila

Vince R Donoghue and Gail

Dave Stimson

Bernie Generoso

Peter Chevchek

By the time we got our act together, for the group photo, many folk’s had unfortunately departed.!

Attached photo – Phil Psaila, John Merino ( NBN ), Bernie Generoso, Maureen, Roman Targonski and John Barker.

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

The 39^th Annual Meeting and Reunion of the WA Veterans will be held at mid-day on Tuesday the 19^th of November at PITC.

I need to know the numbers attending for catering purposes so please let me know by phone or e-mail no later than Friday the 15^th of November if you wish to attend. The cost will be $ 10 per head for lunch and drinks.

Any person with 15 or more years’ experience of working in overseas telecommunications ( not specifically OTC ) is eligible to join the WA Veterans so let me know if you fit the bill and want to be involved.

If you have any issues or submissions that you would like addressed as part of the AGM please let me know and I’ll see they are included in the agenda.

I’ll look forward to seeing all those who can make it. If you know someone who would like to attend and hasn’t received this email can you please pass it on or provide me with their email address. The more the merrier.

The committee is as follows –

President:                               Des Kinnersley

Secretary / Treasurer:           Kevan Bourke

Committee Members:           Jim Congdon, Kevin Hills

Some related sites of interest –

http://www.otva.com

http://exotc.org

http://coastradio.info

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Perth-International-Telecommunication-Centre/249132091810119

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perth_International_Telecommunications_Centre

Regards,

Kevan.

Email:  kevan.bourke@iinet.net

Phone ( H ):    08 9361 9379

The following RSVPs have been received indicating that they will attend this coming Friday’s social event.

The attendees are:

Peter Bull

Ray Hookway

Bill Jolly

Colin Kelly

Allan Hennessy

Jim Simpson

Keith McCredden

If you would like to attend there is plenty of room. The cost will be about $25 to partake in the bistro plus the cost of any beverages that you might consume.

For those whom live and/or work in Sydney I hope to see you there.

To those who cannot attend because you reside outside Sydney or NSW and the travel is not possible I hope to catch up with you in the near future.

Regards

Peter Bull

Dear All

With Perth (Gnangara) closing its HF station and no new business on the horizon, the time has come for me to hang up my earthing stick on 10^th April and move on after a 43 year career in electronics and radio, 22 years with OTC/Telstra and 21 years with Air Services Australia. I have enjoyed my time in the industry immensely, have made a great many friends in this organisation and will very much miss the camaraderie, your help, jokes, etc that made working with you all such a pleasure over the years. Watching the NASA space shuttle dock with Intelsat 603 spacecraft in space, with a video camera on the robot arm relaying to a large TV screen in our Ops room while sending commands to the spacecraft was possibly the most memorable experience. There have been many other amazing things that have happened in my career that I would not have missed for anything.

Although it looks like retirement at this stage, I suspect that I may be climbing the walls within weeks, if so will look for work of some sort after a break.

I take this opportunity to wish you all the very best for the future, feel free to drop me an email or call anytime for a chat.  I hope that all your wishes for your future come true and that you enjoy your remaining time with Telstra.

All The Best, 73, 30, QRT, Over and Out

Home: 08 9276 2514

Mob: 0438 822 514

Email: tbelts@beltsrus.org

The editions of the Contact magasines that are missing from the list of magasines that have been found and scanned for loading onto DVD are listed below. If you have a copy of any of these magasines could you please either scan it/them and email to Peter Bull (president@otva.com) or post the magasines to Peter Bull, Level 11, 100 Arthur Street, North Sydney 2059.

The editions of the Transit magasines that are missing from the list of magasines that have been found and scanned for loading onto DVD are listed below. If you have a copy of any of these magasines could you please either scan it/them and email to Peter Bull (president@otva.com) or post the magasines to Peter Bull, Level 11, 100 Arthur Street, North Sydney 2059.

From Laurie McIlree:

Hi Peter,

I took these photos when I worked in SOR Spring St Sydney before we moved to Paddington in about 1963, I particularly like the photograph of the control room with the open book sitting on the telephones and the empty chair.

Number 1 photo shows  4 little black motors in the middle of racks which had flywheels filled with mercury  and I remember we used to calibrate them with a piece of plank wood at a calibrated height one end and a stop watch to time how long it took for the wheels to go down the board a certain distance, calibration was done by adding or removing mercury from with in the wheel.

How things have changed.

Best regards

Laurie

1. SOR TED Equipment for telegraph on cable.

<img src=”https://www.otva.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SOR-TED-Equipment-for-telegraph-on-cable.jpg” alt=”SOR TED Equipment for telegraph on cable” />

2. Siemens mux Telegraph on Radio.

<img src=”https://www.otva.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Siemens-mux-Telegraph-on-Radio.jpg” alt=”Siemens MUX Telegraph on Radio” />

3. SOR TED control room rear.

<img src=”https://www.otva.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/SOR-TED-control-room-rear.jpg” alt=”SOR TED Control Room Rear” />

4. Hasler mux TOR equipment.

<img src=”https://www.otva.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Hasler-mux-TOR-equipment1.jpg” alt=”Hasler MUX TOR Equipment” />

Hi Peter/Neil…

Attached is the catalogue of events, anniversary day, which I neglected to enclose with material already posted….Probably one of the most important items, but ah well, it happens…..

https://www.otva.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/APX-Programme-001.jpg

Can’t add much except to say it was a bright sunshiney day and all present enjoyed themselves…Got nowhere with the speeches as couldn’t really hear what was being said as PA equip not up to the job…(Couldn’t get close enough for a better listen and for that matter, couldn’t really see the speakers…)

In my case, the speechmaking, or possibility of, reminded me of one of the late Ray Baty classics, “I brought my violin, but nobody asked me to play” Ha……The mayor had to skip off early as his daughter was being married that very afternoon however did manage hear him mention that Eastern States people were in attendance.

Caught up with Kevan Bourke, Ron Cocker, Des Kinnersley and wife, Ronni Keane (age 90, but looks 70!) and Doreen Hanson.

The event coincided with the Perth Show and School holidays so everything in Perth tuned for maximum…2.3Km Taxi ride just under $15 however perhaps we pay that sort of money here, these days…

Re the DVD and Pix…..Pix of Cottage 4 overdone but lived in that one from 1951 to 1959 so got a little carried away…

Cheers……………Brian….