From Kevin Mulcahy & Ted Miles:
SILENT KEY
As you know we seldom do ‘Silent Keys’ on the National News, instead leaving it to local club and state level news. However we have learnt of the passing recently of VK6BDB Sean Leahy. No, not the Cartoonist but his Father who was aged 86!
A tribute written by cartoonist Sean Leahy after the passing of his father, his story made me really think about the service that this man had given, it was posted the day before ANZAC day.
VK6BDB was born in Long Beach, California and moved to Ireland at the age of 11. He joined the Irish Army then the British Merchant navy as a radio officer and served on the famous salvage tug the “Turmoil” in the Atlantic only venturing out in terrible weather when ships were in distress. He stuck with that stoically for years despite a constant battle with seasickness.
He married in 1956 and brought his 2 young children to Australia in 1960.
He served as a land-based radio officer for OTC Coastal Radio and took postings with his family to Broome, Perth and Carnarvon in Western Australia before his retirement.
He was in retirement also a ham radio buff. His regular “skeds” with other former radio operator friends overseas and around Australia who only knew him by his voice were a daily ritual he kept for years.
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