Sadly George passed away in the early hours of this morning.

George was born on 31 January 1928 so he was 91 years of age when he passed.

George had a great impact upon OTC and many of us who worked for that very successful organisation.

George will have the honour of being the only CEO/Managing Director of a company for whom the staff went on strike when he was sacked. It hasn’t happened since and will never happen again, I am sure!

George will be greatly missed by many who he mentored and many more who knew him.

May He Rest In Peace.

Details of the funeral service for George are:

Friday 14 June 2019 at 12 noon

South Chapel, Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park

12 Military Road, Matraville

There will be light refreshments afterwards in the Condolence Room at the Memorial Centre.

Ray was born 24th November 1929.  He was 89 years and six months when he passed.

The stories that some of the OTC Vets have provided that were passed on to Fazeley, Ray’s partner, and Janelle, Fazeley’s nice, were apparently greatly enjoyed by Ray in his last days. The family thanks you for making his last hours so memorable for all concerned.

Ray’s funeral service will be held at 2:30pm on Wednesday 22nd May

Camelia Chapel

Macquarie Park Crematorium

(Cnr Plassey & Delhi Rds)

Macquarie Park NSW 2113

An afternoon tea will be held on site after the funeral service to celebrate Ray’s life. There will be an “open mic” at afternoon tea for anyone who wants to share a word or two.

The below was found in the August 1994 Transit on the occasion of Ray Hookway’s Retirement

After almost fifty year’s in the international telecommunications business, MS&RS Technical Services Manager,
Ray Hookway, decided it was time for a change. This month he starts a new, full-time career – fishing, cross-country skiing and bush walking!

Ray started his career in 1945 when, at the age of 17, he worked as a telegram  messenger for AWA (Amalgamated
Wireless Australasia). Two years later saw the beginning of OTC’s operations (through the merger of AWA, the Coastal Radio Service and the Australian arm of Cable & Wireless), and Ray became a Circulation Clerk in Sydney’s city district.

He subsequently went ‘semi-rural’, moving to the Pennant Hills radio station workshop to assist in the manufacture of transmitters and ancillary equipment for the new Doonside and Bringelly stations. The workshop was transferred to Marrickville in 1953, prior to the Pennant Hills radio station’s relocation to Doonside.

Ray stayed at”, the Marrickville Workshop until 1958, when he was promoted to Technical Assistant in the Operations Group. Since then he has held positions of Technical Officer and Manager Doonside, before taking up his Current role as Manager Technical Services for Mobile Satellite & Radio Services (fOlwerly ‘Maritime’).

Tremendous changes have taken place in the communications industry over the past 50 years, and Ray said there have been many memorable moments. ‘Helping to commission the Seacom cable to South-East Asia was interesting’, he recalled, ‘as was working on the modernisation of radio stations such as La Perouse (NSW) and Rockbank (Victoria) – and maintenance of the OTC Cable System.

‘When I look back over the year’s, I feel a great deal of satisfaction knowing that – in some small way – I have made a
contribution to modem-day communications.’

Daryll Smith, General Manager of Telstra Mobile Satellite & Radio Services, paid tribute to Ray’s career and said he came from an environment of submarine telegraph cables and Beam Wireless building blocks for today’s ‘information super highways’.

Like his peers, Ray was a pioneer for many of us’, said Daryll, ‘and we that follow him salute his efforts’.

Ray will continue to ‘dabble’ in communications during retirement; he plans to expand his amateur radio facilities and, in so doing, keep in touch with old friends. In the short-term, however, he intends to do a lot of leisurely travelling.

John Ebert, one of Mary’s sons, advised that Mary passed away last week.

A funeral service would be held for Mary this coming Wednesday (8 May) at 1:30pm at Holy Family Church 214, Maroubra Road, Maroubra NSW.

Mary’s husband, Tony Ebert, was a Shift Controller in SOR in his later years in OTC and he passed away in 2004.

Tony started his career in AWA as a Messenger Boy before joining OTC.

On Sunday 14 April 2019 John Lilley met Mick’s daughter who told him that Mick died last year after a series of strokes.

When John started as a boy technician at Rockbank in 1960, he had the good fortune to be partnered with Mick for a few weeks. Mick taught John the ropes before he began shifts there on his own.

Mick was not only knowledgeable about short-wave radio; he also had a strong interest in the arts, as his wife was a concert pianist. Mick brought an audio amp and turntable to work on night shifts and those on shift with him passed the hours listening to quality classical music.

Mick spent a year on Willis Island (probably 1957 or 1958) as the radio operator, with two other people, one of whom was a meteorologist. Willis is about 450km ENE of Cairns, and was a hurricane warning outpost. Mick had the amateur callsign VK4IC and was a highly sought-after contact on CW, as because of its distance from land , Willis Island was classified as a separate country for radio amateur purposes.

Mick left OTC in 1961 or so, for Collins Radio, who were opening an office in the outer Melbourne suburb of Croydon.

John last saw Mick in 1978 when he was the Supervising Technician in charge of radio installation, maintenance and repair for the Victorian Country Fire Authority.

Wallace Donald has advised that there was a Death Notice in the Sydney Morning Herald on Thursday 11th April 2019 for:

R E BRANSON of Maroubra, aged 90 years.

Roy Edwin BRANSON was the Chief Draftsman at OTC for many years and at Telstra (presumably) and all of his drawings carried his initials REB.

The Funeral Service was held at 12 noon Friday 12th April 2019 at St Jude’s Anglican Church located at 106 Avoca St., Randwick NSW.

If you have any tributes to Roy that you would like to share with his family please send to me and I will pass them on.

May He rest In Peace

Peter Bull, President OTVA

Denis Chambers – formerly of OTC Melbourne –  died peacefully in his nursing home bed in Rosebud, Victoria on 29^th January 2019. He had a blood disorder that worsened rapidly in the past few weeks, and he did not have to endure a prolonged passing. He was mentally alert and enjoyed visits from all of his family members over his last two days – a fine farewell. His story began in Yorkshire in the UK in 1926 and moved through service with the British Army in India and Palestine during (and just after) WW2, emigration to Australia in 1949, marriage to Alva in Melbourne in 1952, and a long career with OTC, before retirement to the Mornington Peninsula. He had two sons (Ian and Neil) and one grandson (Henry).

Service History:

Sept 1949 to December 1949  Traffic Assistant
January 1950 to January 1960  Telegraphist

February 1960 to September 1977 Phototelegram Officer /Senior International Telecommunications Officer

September 1977 to December 1986 Training Officer Melbourne.

Denis contributed in many roles over the years as:

1993 President OTVA (VIC)

30th May 1980 to 15th May 1987 Treasurer OTVA (VIC)

Several roles of the OTC(A) Staff Social and Sports Club Melbourne, Canteen, Wagga Cricket Club and OTC(A) Provident Fund Melbourne over a number of years.

Please pass the message on to the members of the OTVA

Thanks, Ian, Kath & Henry (Chambers)

The below photo was one taken on his 90^th birthday in 2016 featuring sons Neil & Henry and grandson, Henry, together (his favourite picture from recent years).

Robert James (Bob) Symes passed away peacefully at Deloraine Aged Care on 15/12/2018 aged 75 years. Loving husband of Cynthia who passed away 8 years ago, great friend of Steven, Amanda & family and the residents and staff of Deloraine.

Bob was Senior Clerk, Customer Accounts (Melbourne) and the Coordinator OTC Outreach Program in the mid-1980s as well as the developer of the Cryptic Crosswords that became a regular feature of the Transit magazines during the 1980s.

OTC OUTREACH was a self help program designed to provide support for current and retired staff members who were suffering from a life threatening illness, or who had family or close friends suffering from
such an illness.

Bob Symes from the Melbourne Office – a cancer patient and trained
OUTREACH counsellor with the Peter MacCallum Institute in Melbourne – introduced the program to Sydney-based staff and outstation managers at a series of seminars in August 1986.

Ned passed away late last night (Sunday 2 December 2018) at home surrounded by members of his family.

He had lost his fight with cancer that he had been waging since we first found out about it in May 2018.

The below photo is of Ned taken at our 2014 XMAS Social Function at the Bowlers Club in York St, Sydney.

A small funeral service will be held with close family and friends in attendance.

Ned’s wife, Carmen, has advised that if anyone would like to send flowers and/or letters of condolence they can be sent to:

610 Barranjoey Road, Avalon Beach NSW 2107

The family would be most grateful to receive tributes from any of Col’s ex-OTC friends and work colleagues.

Carmen, Ashley and Stephanie would like to invite you to join them from 3 pm Thursday 13^th December 2018 to celebrate and farewell Colin (Ned) Kelly.

The family will hold the celebration of Ned’s life at his favourite sailing spot, Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club located at 16 Mitala St, Newport NSW 2106.

The family asks those who will attend to avoid suits and dark colours to match Ned’s colourful personality.

The parking will be tight as it is a sailing day. Those who are driving can drop off at the club but will probably need to park in the car park in Crystal St and walk up to the club. See map attached below.

If you would like to send me a tribute to Col that you would like to share with the wider group please email me at president@otva.com and will circulate it via email. Also indicate if you would not like that tribute to be uploaded to the OTVA web site for sharing with Ned’s family.

Regards

Peter Bull

Below photo supplied by Kevan Bourke.

This photo was taken in Centennial Park in 2004 when we had a reunion  to celebrate 30^th year’s on from our first meeting.

Present were Ray Pow, Kevan Bourke, Colin Kelly, John Smith, Harley Vague and John Robinson at the rear, Mark Roberts and Bruce Mayberry at the front.

It is with sadness that I wish to advise that Doug Peter passed away at his Melbourne home on Sunday, 21st October after a short battle with esophageal cancer.

 Doug worked at OTC for more than 20 years & left on the day of the merger with Telecom. For a number of years he held the position of Manager Human Resource Planning & was responsible for providing data which helped OTC decide on the number of staff it would require into the future. 

 After leaving OTC Doug managed a lucerne  property at Mudgee. Doug was originally from regional Victoria & settled in Melbourne when he retired.

 Doug was a good athlete & ran in the first few City to Surf races. He was a member of the OTC Space Racers running group & mostly ran with his good mate Ray Baty. On occasions Ray would run from our city office to his home in St Ives & Doug would run home to Eastwood.

 I have always kept in touch with Doug & would see him every few months. I will miss him very much.

 Regards

Fred Kannard

Brian was well liked and respected by all of those who knew him.

We lose another of the great OTC characters.

Details of Brian’s Funeral Service:

WHERE:                       Simplicity Funeral Parlor in Woy Woy

WHEN:                        9.30am on Monday 29 October.

Brian retired from OTC on 13^th May 1988

This photo is  of Hazel Collister Brian & wife Pat -barbecue at Brian residence Forestville NSW in January 2000

This photo was extracted from Sep 1986 Transit on the occasion of Joe Collister’s retirement.

If you have any better photos that I can upload to the OTVA web site please email them to me.