The beginnings of amateur radio in our district were before the First World War
in about 1912 with experiments made by Ernie Strachan who was Science Master at
the Gore High School. Ernie, who originally came from Lawrence in Central Otago,
set up a spark transmitter in the science room and made transmissions in the low
frequencies with wavelengths in the region of 600 metres. In 1924 the "Gore
Amateur Radio Club" was formed and this club became part of the Otago Radio
Association. Eventually, on the 7th of January 1937 the present Eastern
Southland Branch 08 was formed as a part of the New Zealand Association of Radio
Transmitters (NZART).
Some of the names of early members of Branch 08 were Arnold Grubb (ZL4AL) Gordon Brown,
Jim Strachan, Jack Burnby, Les Burnby, Harry Thompson, Gordon Kitto, Harry Calander,
Ossie Wilkinson, Gavin Gerkin, Ivan Whyte, Fred Birch, Campbell Steele, Jack
Howard, Jack Austin, Percy Hunt and Jim Bevan.
More to follow - please contribute!
