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Coastal radio station VIN Geraldton

For a more comprehensive treatment with full quotes of newspaper articles refer Wikibooks chapter on VIN Geraldton

The Coastal radio station VIN was a wireless telegraphy coast radio station at Geraldton, Western Australia, which commenced operation on 12 May 1913.

It was the first station in Western Australia constructed by the Commonwealth of Australia. The station VIP Perth / Fremantle / Applecross had commenced previously, but that station had been constructed by the Australasian Wireless Company under contract to the Commonwealth.

The station provided a vital link between VIP and VIZ Roebourne during the daytime (then to VIO Broome and VIW Wyndham and stations further north) and particularly when land telegraph systems failed.

Operationally the station's duties remained relatively constant for several decades, being essentially a communications link between the huge numbers of ships that worked on the Western Australian coastline as well as the mail liners that connected Australia to Europe.

Organisational changes edit

Organisational control was constantly changing:

  • initially a possibly unwanted part of the Postmaster-General's_Department, but with officers professionally classed
  • following the commencement of WW1, informally within the scope of the Defence Department
  • late in WW1, a reluctant transferee to the Department of the Navy as the Royal Australian Naval Radio Service (RANRS)
  • after the conclusion of WW1 transferred back to the Postmaster-General's Department
  • in 1922 bought under the control of Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd as it increased its grasp of Australian wireless
  • in 1928 the hard assets of the coastal radio network formally sold to AWA
  • Upon commencement of WW2, again the coastal radio network control vested in the Defence Department
  • in 1946 briefly under the control of the PMG
  • in 1948 transferred to the newly created Overseas Telecommunications (OTC)

Precursors edit

In the early 1900s, Geraldton was essentially a port town and saw many vessels both docking at the port and passing nearby on their way to northern Australia and to Europe. But the coastline was not yet well charted and was littered with many small rocky islands and reefs, all of which presented significant danger to the shipping trade. The proprietors of the Geraldton Guardian were well versed in the problem, its pages regularly reporting lost or damaged ships. Equally, with great forethought, they saw the solution to the problem. Following the sad loss of the SS Windsor, in February 1908 they proposed both additional lighthouses and provision of wireless telegraphy stations along the coastline.[1] Still in July 1909, at the time of the arrival at Fremantle of the first wireless-equipped merchant ship (RMS Mantua), the Geraldton Guardian was advocating for a wireless station for Geraldton.[2] In July 1912 the Commonwealth Meteorologist visited Geraldton investigating a number of weather phenomenon unique to the Northwest coast of Western Australia and noted the benefits arising from a wireless station at Geraldton and foreshadowed the establishment of a continent-circling network of wireless stations.[3] The following month, August 1912, John Graeme Balsille, the Commonwealth Wireless Expert formally announced that the Government was proceeding with the establishment of a network of coastal wireless stations and that Geraldton would be one of the initial locations.[4] The Geraldton Guardian waxed lyrical in its announcement later in the month of August 1912 of the proposed establishment of the Geraldton station.[5] In September 1912, Balsillie was comprehensively interviewed by a journalist from "The West Australian" and was advised that, following the completion of the capital city stations, priority was now being given to establishment of the WA coastal stations, indeed that the Geraldton station might be commenced as early as three weeks hence.[6] A few days later, the Sunday Times also interviewed Balsillie who reiterated the short timetable proposed for the Geraldton station. The interview demonstrated Balsillie's straightforward and matter-of-fact manner which is precisely how he proceeded with the establishment of the stations.[7]

Construction edit

As foreshadowed by Balsillie, initial work soon commenced and the project supervisor W. M. Sweeney arrived in Geraldton at the end of September 1912 and quickly identified the Residency site on Francis street as being the most suitable.[8] Evidently local council was so keen to see the station established that no opposition was raised to the use of the prime site, and materials were already being delivered on site in the first week of December 1912.[9] Construction of the station was proceeding apace towards the end of December 1912 with a team of eight carpenters constructing the 180 foot mast, 21 inches square consisting of Oregon planks steel bolted together.[10] A further interview with Sweeney was published in the Geraldton Express a few days later which provided further detail of the overall construction and layout of the station. It noted that Sweeney was being assisted on site in wireless matters by Mr. Cox and that the mechanical aspects of the construction were being oversighted by Mr. R. D. Munson of the Public Works Department.[11] Early in January 1913, the Geraldton Express noted that work by the Public Works Department was proceeding satisfactorily and estimated that the buildings would be complete in about three weeks' time.[12] Mid January 1913, the new Peak Hill-Nullagine telegraph line was announced as being in service, which led to consideration of the unreliability of the old line & potential risks remaining with the new line. But it was noted that the coastal radio chain being established provided a key alternative route in case of emergencies.[13] When the coastal chain of wireless stations was first announced, the necessary total number of stations was thought to be about 30, being almost every major port in the nation. But as commissioning proceeded, it became clear that the reliable range for the lower power stations was greater than expected. Carnarvon, about 450km North of Geraldton had been nominated as a likely site, but on 11 January 1913 it was announced that Carnarvon would not be established since Geraldton would be able to service Carnarvon's requirements (in conjunction with the land telegraph system).[14] In February 1913, a few months after the fact, the Commonwealth Gazette announced the purchase of Bullivant's Patent Flexible Steel Wire and Bullivant's Galvanized Wire Rigging Rope for VIN as necessary for antenna and mast rigging.[15] In March 1913, further rigging wire was announced as having been purchased for Station VIN.[16] By mid-January 1913, the jury mast essential to raising the transmitting mast had arrived at Geraldton on the Minderoo and that task was set to commence in a matter of days.[17]

The main mast was raised to the perpendicular on 18 January 1913. The activity in the heart of the town was a visual spectacle that was not equalled for many years and a number of townsfolk turned out to observe (as reported by the Geraldton Guardian).[18] The report of the activity by the Guardian Express emphasised the nautical flavour added by the eight man sailor gang doing the hard lifting with a liberal spread of maritime dialect as the work progressed: "Brace up the top guy"; Ay! Ay! Sir!; "Ho! Ho! Boy!"; "Make fast"; and finally the mast was "Four square to all the winds that blow."[19] The demands on Sweeney's time and resources did not abate but rather increased as the Government relented to local representations and prioritised the Wyndham station for completion also. Sweeney had to juggle available staff and problems with availability of the necessary oregon timbers began to emerge.[20] By mid-February 1913 the mast and buildings were complete. While the transmitting apparatus was not operational, the receivers were installed and reception was obtained from the Perth coastal station and two ships in Fremantle port.[21] In March 1913, the PMG's Department called for tenders for the supply of 2,500 gallons of petroleum for station VIN. This would be a continuing requirement for many years until Geraldton had its own electricity supply and the station could be serviced.[22] The transmitter and all equipment for the station was provided by a 15-h.p. "Gardner" Oil Engine, direct coupled to a "Westinghouse" D.C. Generator. The unit was purchased from Noyes Bros. (Melbourne) Propty. Ltd., 499-501 Bourke-street, Melbourne for an amount of £285, as announced in the Commonwealth Gazette of 14 June 1913.[23] There was some competition between the various crews erecting the masts and stations. The record set by the Geraldton crew for mast erection did not last long, being announced on 30 March 1913 as broken by the Esperance team with a time of 5½ hours, though the latter mast was only 160 ft. high, compared to 180 ft. for the Geraldton mast.[24] There had been little progress when two months later in mid-April 1913 it was advised that the promised transmitter still had not been despatched from the Shaw Wireless Works and was still "undergoing testing" in Sydney.[25] With little more to do pending the arrival of the transmitting apparatus, Sweeney returned to Perth on 4 April 1913.[26] Finally in early May 1913 the transmitter and ancillaries arrived on the Aeon and completion commenced in earnest.[27] On 10 May 1913 it was reported that the transmitter had tested successfully on site and official commencement was imminent.[28] On 12 May 1913, a brief report in the Geraldton Express stated simply that "Wireless.— The wireless station is now ready for public work."[29] The following day the rate of progress in the coastal radio network was well illustrated. When announcing the commencement of the Geraldton station it was also stated that VIR Rockhampton would commence in three days' time, while VIC Cooktown and VIE Esperance would commence the following week.[30]

Initial operation edit

Two days after commencement of the station, it was operating commercially, with an underwhelming volume of traffic. Local A. H. du Boulay had the honour of lodging the first commercial radiogram and was rewarded two hours later with a reply from the RMS Malwa. An increase in business volume was foreshadowed following enactment of the Navigation Act. It was noted that VIN appeared to be able to receive ships south of VIP somewhat better than VIP itself.[31] The Commonwealth Gazette of 19 July 1913 advertised vacancies for Officers-in-charge for 12 coastal stations outside the major metropolitan centres. The positions were in the Professional Division following advice by Balsillie and generally reflected superior pay and conditions compared to other telegraphists in the Department.[32] Following the exciting times of station construction and initial operation, ordinary life soon set in and in October 1913 a local resident was complaining about the fire risk of long grass in the station paddock.[33] Towards the end of January, Mr. Lamb, officer in charge of the Geraldton Wireless Station was reported returning from his holiday.[34] In May 1914, Mr. Lamb concluded his period as officer-in-charge of the Geraldton station and was transferred to VIP Perth. He was replaced by Mr. Mortimer.[35]

World War I edit

On 3 August 1914 the Minister for Defence notified the imposition of censorship on all radiotelegraphic traffic within the Commonwealth.[36] Following the commencement of World War One in August 1914, the local authorities were quick to point out that the wireless station was both a key target and quite defenceless.[37] A few days later the Geraldton Mayor advised that the WA Premier had communicated to him that the matter of protection of the wireless station had been referred to the military authorities.[38] On 18 August 1914 Lieut. Gibbings received instructions to mount a guard at the wireless station consisting of one officer and 20 men.[39] Unfortunately the military reserve utilised for guard duty were mostly youthful and not fully convinced of the seriousness of their task. Within a week of commencement their shenanigans drew comment in the Geraldton Express.[40] Within a few weeks the station guard had cause to draw bayonets and an intruder was apprehended at the station. Under questioning at the local court it became clear that the culprit was having a psychotic break and he was remanded for medical assessment.[41] Generators supplied power to the station, but these were typically used primarily to charge a bank of batteries for actual equipment operation. Maintaining battery charge was an ongoing issue and significant supplies of sulphuric acid were required to achieve this. A single tender in September 1914 called for 2,490 lbs of sulphuric acid across 10 stations.[42] By November 1914 it became clear that the number of persons at the station was causing a sanitary problem and the matter was brought to the attention of council.[43] Lieut. Everett, the commanding officer of the station guard, sought to keep his men engaged and participation in local sports events were regularly reported.[44] In February 1915, Commander of the guard (Lieut. E. S. Everett) departed for the Osborne School of Instruction and was replaced by Second Lieut. Hutton.[45] On 27 January 1915 Arthur McDonald of the wireless station staff married local girl Rose Ethell at St. John's Church, Geraldton.[46] In March 1915, Mark Mortimer was appointed as Officer-in-Charge at the Geraldton wireless station.[47] Again in April 1915, the tom-foolery of the young guards was cause for comment in the Geraldton Express.[48] The staff of the wireless station recognized their community responsibilities and in April 1915 donated £2 9s. to the Moore Benefit.[49] The brief return to Geraldton in April 1915 of local boy Lieut. Gibbings on leave from the war was cause for joy and direct news of the war in several arenas in the town.[50]

Application of the War Precautions Act resulted in minimal news of the wireless stations themselves, but Broome's "Nor' West Echo" took a broad interpretation and reported on how a merchant ship was able to evade the Emden thanks to news of its movements broadcast by the Broome station.[51] With the sinking of the Emden, the German threat to the Northwest coast was greatly diminished and early in May 1915 it was announced that the wireless guard to the Geraldton wireless station would be demobilised.[52] Two of the wireless station staff, Pell and Hooker, volunteered for war service in June 1915 and were expected to depart the station shortly.[53] A few weeks later it was reported that A. E. Pell would be departing on 9 July for training at the Blackboy Hill camp and thence to the Wireless Troop in Melbourne. Hooker was to follow as soon as a relieving officer was available.[54] A. E. Pell was replaced early in July 1915 by Mr. Broomhill.[55] In September 1915 both A. E. Pell and B. Hooker, having joined the service were still at the signallers camp at Broadmeadows, Victoria training new recruits in the art of wireless telegraphy.[56] The Commonwealth Gazette of 31 August 1916 noted that Clement George Benger Meredith was now the Wireless station Officer-in-Charge.[57]

Royal Australian Naval Radio Service edit

The transfer of officers and staff from the Wireless Branch of the Postmaster-General's Department to the Department of Navy was not supported by the personnel. Issues were a loss of professional status, modest loss of pay, loss of general terms and conditions of service and being subject to military discipline. In June 1916 a large deputation of staff met with the Minister for the Navy to air their grievances.[58] In September 1916 A. E. Pell recounted his war experiences by letter to a local friend, noting that after 6 months in Melbourne as a wireless instructor he had been sent to Persia and was presently in a Bombay hospital recovering from fever.[59] A sad and brief report in March 1917 was to effect that Corporal W. Pass, formerly of the wireless station guard had made the ultimate sacrifice in France.[60] The Commonwealth Gazette of 6 September 1917 announced the abolition of the position of Officer-in-Charge, Geraldton wireless station, Postmaster-General's Department (together with all other positions associated with the coastal radio network), associated with the transfer of control to the Royal Australian Naval Radio Service.[61] After much debate and prevarication, the Royal Australian Naval Radio Service was finally created in March 1917 as part of an overall restructure of the Navy, following on from the review by the Naval Board. As a result all pertinent staff of the PMG were transferred to Department of the Navy's RANRS.[62] In August 1917 the impact of the war on the Western Australia coast was diminishing and domestic matters assumed greater attention. Odd noises emanating from the vicinity of the wireless station were variously attributed to secret activities therein.[63] Further enquiry revealed that the offending noise from the wireless station was simply a nearby failing windmill.[64] Another former member of the wireless station guard, Private George Compton, gave the ultimate sacrifice in July 1918.[65]

Post World War I edit

Mr H. Selfe, was reported as being on the Wireless Station Staff.[66] The Royal Australian Navy Radio Service was formally disbanded on 28 October 1920. The appointments of all the officers were terminated.[67]

PMG control resumes edit

The Commonwealth Gazette of 21 April 1921 announced a partial restructure of the Radiotelegraph Branch including the abolition of the position of Radio Station Master, Geraldton.[68]

AWA control edit

Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) was never reticent in claiming records and exceptional performance, and a December 1922 report advised of a record daytime reception by the Geraldton station of the SS Katoomba at sea of over 1100 miles.[69] In June 1923 the Geraldton station was the first to receive messages concerning the loss and subsequent search for the Trevassa.[70] In fact, those first reports from the Geraldton station about the loss of the Trevassa were initially doubted in Perth. But the arrival of the SS Moreton Bay at Fremantle, the ultimate source of the initial reports, quickly dispelled those doubts.[71] Mr. Reginald Charles Goodland was on the staff of the station in 1924 and 1925, then returned to the Perth station. He passed in an accident near VIP and this news was received with sadness by his many friends Geraldton.[72] By the 1920s Australia's capacity for weather forecasting and reporting had greatly improved. The northwest coast of Western Australia regularly saw intense cyclone activity during the summer months of the southern hemisphere and the coastal radio network played a vital role in distributing weather information to coastal shipping. In the April 1926 cyclone, the Geraldton station served both to broadcast weather information from the Weather Bureau to coastal shipping and to collect weather reports from shipping in the region to assist the Bureau in their forecasting and reporting.[73] A secondary role for the coastal radio network was as an emergency alternative telegraphic route when the land telegraph system sustained damage. This occurred in July 1926 when land telegraph lines along coastal Western Australia were severely damaged by storms and the Geraldton wireless station became a vital link in the telegraphic network.[74] The Geraldton station operated with power from its own diesel generator for more than 13 years. Finally the local electricity supply had expanded to the point where it could support the station and it was connected to the town grid in November 1926.[75]

Sale of Station to AWA edit

On 2 November 1928 the prospect of agreement by the Commonwealth government to the sale of the coastal radio network to Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd. was cause for the firm to postpone its annual general meeting by one month.[76] The Commonwealth Gazette of 8 November 1928 formally detailed the sale of the coastal radio network to Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) and listed 17 Australian and 9 Pacific stations.[77] The following week it was formally announced that all of the Australian and Pacific Island stations of the coastal radio network including the cornerstone Applecross station had been sold to AWA for an amount of £39,574. It was confirmed that this was in accordance with the original 1922 agreement between the Commonwealth and AWA.[78] A further statement again detailed the specific list of stations with 17 services in Australia (including the Geraldton station) and a further 9 in the Pacific Islands. The stated reason for the sale was that the stations are no longer required by the Federal Government for any public purpose, but that where necessary, army reservations set out in the Crown grants were withheld.[79] George Franklin Cook had spent some years at the Geraldton wireless station circa 1927, but returned to Fremantle circa 1928. In February 1929 he was gathering firewood with his brother and fell from a tree, sustaining serious injuries. He died at the Fremantle hospital some weeks later.[80] The Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Geraldton displayed both extreme natural beauty and horrific risk to coastal navigation. To explore the possibilities for tourism, Geraldton council despatched a party to visit the islands for ten days in June 1929. Harold Cox was the senior wireless officer at the Geraldton wireless station and accompanied the group, providing wireless communication facilities.[81] AWA dominated the market in Australia for wireless fitout on ships in the late 1920s, and in June 1929 at the time of the maiden voyage of the "Westralia," provided a comprehensive summary of its work undertaken which included coastal radio equipment, lifeboat equipment and broadcast band repeaters. Daylight communication with the Geraldton station was established at distance ranging from 800 to 1000 miles.[82]

Station modernised edit

By late 1930 the work of the wireless station had expanded to the point where building additions were required and these were approved by council in September 1930.[83] The original 180 ft. timber mast which had served the station faithfully for more than 17 years was by the end of 1930 no longer economically maintainable. It was finally lowered on 6 November 1930. Operation at the station was maintained using a temporary mast for several days until a replacement steel mast was installed the following week.[84] The new mast was of tubular steel and a telescopic design. Despite the improvements in technology over the years, the process of raising the mast using a jury mast and winch was closely similar to the task undertaken in 1913. The work was undertaken by supervising project engineer Sydney Trim and mechanic S. Broomehall.[85] The Marconi School of Wireless was a significant part of the AWA wireless combine and played a major role in training interested individuals for future roles in the Navy and military, as well as wireless operators for shipping and coastal stations, also broadcasting. In more remote areas such as Geraldton, the local coastal station participated in the recruitment and tuition of its students.[86] In February 1931, the wireless station was added to the Council's rate book, no doubt as a result of the change of ownership of the property.[87] In March 1931 there was a change in senior staffing at the wireless station. Mr. H. E. Cox, the officer in charge for some years departed for Sydney. His duties were assumed by Mr. E. H. Smellie who had been at Geraldton for about one year, while Mr. H. B. Wolfe was to assume Smellie's former duties in short order.[88] Sydney Trim, the AWA engineer charged with renovating and upgrading the coastal radio network, returned to Sydney in July 1931 after a two year journey circumnavigating Australia visiting most of the coastal stations. Trim had oversighted the replacement of the VIN mast in November 1930 during that tour. Other projects included VIO Broome (replacement mast, replacement 5kW main transmitter & new emergency transmitter), Cockatoo Island (new wireless telephony system), VIN Geraldton (replacement mast, replacement 2kW main transmitter and new emergency transmitter), VIE Esperance (replacement mast and replacement 2kW main transmitter), VID Darwin (replacement mast, replacement 5kW main transmitter and new emergency transmitter), VIA Adelaide (replacement masts, complete station refurbishment) and VIP Fremantle / Perth (new police communications system).[89] Wolfe's recent arrival was confirmed in July 1931, noting he had previously been at VID Darwin for 3½ years and was much appreciating the change in climate.[90]

AWA had rather recently expanded its sphere of operations beyond solely manufacture and retail of broadcast transmitters into ownership and control of individual broadcast stations. 4TO Townsville was to be the newest addition to the group, commencing in October 1931. Harold Cox, recently senior wireless officer at the Geraldton station had been successful in being appointed chief engineer at 4TO.[91] Newman Pusey had been on staff at the wireless station for several years, but in July 1933 received notice of his transfer to VII the Thursday Island station. He was to marry in August 1933 and depart for the north shortly afterwards.[92] It was announced in October 1933 that E. H. Smellie, after some 3½ years at the Geraldton station, had been transferred to VIO Broome and would depart the station in the following month.[93] The coastal radio stations provided generally excellent alternative communication lines during outages of the land telegraph system. But Murphy's law could come to bear and during an outage near Coolgardie in April 1935, when Geraldton wireless was called to assist, it was found that that station itself was unavailable due to a battery recharge being underway.[94] The Geraldton wireless station was fully integrated into the post office telegraphy network which in September 1935 included some 160 stations and 800 substations linked by over 13,000 miles of landlines. The ability to communicate directly with VIP Perth, 24 hours a day, provided invaluable redundancy with the landline network and this capacity was only matched by one other coastal radio station being VIE Esperance.[95] The location of the wireless transmitter within the body of the town was certain to cause blanketing interference to local broadcast receivers due to high levels of radiofrequency signals. But the people of the town seemed to accept the interference as a necessary consequence of this vital service. The residents were less tolerant however of the electrical interference resulting from unsuppressed electrical motors in the town and the matter was raised at a Council meeting in March 1936.[96] In July 1938 it was announced that VIO Broome and VIN Geraldton had been fitted with higher power main transmitters. Stated reason was to improve communication between Broome and Perth at times of land telegraph outages, however better communication in the event of war would also have been a factor.[97]

World War II edit

Even prior to the declaration of World War 2 in September 1939, the Geraldton militia mounted a guard at the wireless station, emphasising its strategic importance.[98] Security at VIN Geraldton was further enhanced in January 1940 by the passing of the National Security Act which imposed severe penalties for, inter alia, photographing or sketching wireless installations.[99] In August 1940 Mr. R. C. Anderson, wireless officer at VIN Geraldton for the previous four years, received advice of promotion to officer-in-charge of VIO Broome and was to leave Geraldton the following month.[100] December 1940 saw the arrival of C. Lemmon at VIN, having transferred from VIO Broome and he quickly became involved in community activities in Geraldton.[101] The years 1941 through 1944 saw a dearth of information in contemporary publications due to the application of the National Security Act, but increased in mid-1945 as Japanese forces were finally pushed back. Prime Minister Chifley was particularly proud of the part Western Australia played in its defence and again developments in coastal radio were singled out for praise. It was noted that the Geraldton station maintained communications with coastal shipping as well as broader monitoring duties.[102]


OTC edit

In February 1947 the Overseas Telecommunications Commission (Australia) assumed control of all external telecommunications services previously operated by Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd. This included the entire Australian coastal radio network.[103] From June 1948, the Geraldton station was the key station in a radiocommunications network with 4 smaller stations located at different islands in the Abrolhos Islands. The network was to assist exchange of messages of both a commercial and personal nature with the mainland.[104] The Mangrove Island station of the Abrolhos Island network proved invaluable when the Starling ran aground in Whales Bay in October 1950. Enabling communication with the mainland and rendering of emergency assistance upon his return to Geraldton.[105]

Participants and staff edit

Design, construction, maintenance edit

  • John Graeme Balsillie, 1913, Commonwealth Wireless Expert who designed the wireless system deployed and oversighted the network establishment
  • Walter Moss Sweeney, 1913, construction project supervising engineer for the Postmaster-General's Department
  • R. C. Cox, 1913, assistant project engineer for the Postmaster-General's Department
  • R. D. Munson, 1913, project foreman-rigger for the Public Works Department's portion of the construction project
  • Sydney Trim, 1930, mast replacement project supervising engineer for Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd.
  • S. Broomehall, 1930, mast replacement project mechanic for Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd.

Station staff edit

  • James Joseph Wiseman Lamb, senior wireless officer, March? 1913 to May 1914
  • Mark Mortimer, senior wireless officer, May 1914 to ??
  • Arthur McDonald, wireless officer, circa January 1915
  • A. E. Pell, wireless officer, ?? to July 1915 (leave for war service)
  • B. Hooker, wireless officer, ?? to August 1915 (leave for war service)
  • Broomhill, wireless officer, July 1915 to ??
  • H. Selfe, wireless officer, circa May 1920
  • Louis Alfred Fontaine, wireless officer, circa Jun 1923
  • E. W. Tymms, wireless officer, circa April 1925
  • Reginald Charles Goodland, wireless officer, January 1924 to December 1925
  • George Franklin Cook, wireless officer, circa 1928
  • Harold E. Cox, senior wireless officer, circa 1929 to March 1931
  • Newman Dobson Pusey, ??, 1926 to August 1933
  • E. H. Smellie, wireless operator, 1930 to March 1931; senior wireless operator, March 1931 to November 1933
  • H. B. Wolfe, wireless operator, March 1931 to ??
  • F. H. Chrismas, senior wireless officer, circa November 1935 to May 1949+
  • R. C. Anderson, wireless officer, circa September 1936 to September 1940; relief January 1949 to May 1949
  • C. Lemmon, ??, December 1940 to ??

Station guard WW1 edit

  • Second Lieut Gibbings, guard commander August 1914 to ??
  • Second Lieut E. S. Everett, guard commander ?? to February 1915
  • Second Lieut Hutton, guard commander February 1915 to ??
  • Corporal W. Pass, guard troop, died France February 1917 "no greater love"
  • Private George Compton, guard troop August 1914 to January 1915, died France July 1918 "no greater love"
  • H. H. Opie, guard commander ?? to ??

Further reading edit

  • Bastock, John. Ships on the Australia Station, (Child & Associates Publishing Pty Ltd, Frenchs Forest, 1988) ISBN 0-86777-348-0
  • Burger, David. Callsign History Australia - Australian Amateur Radio Callsigns, (IEEE, 2014) online
  • Carty, Bruce. Australian Radio History (4th ed. Sydney, 2013) [1]
  • Curnow, Geoffrey Ross. "The history of the development of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia to 1942, with especial reference to the Australian Broadcasting Commission: a political and administrative study". online
  • Durrant, Lawrence. The seawatchers : the story of Australia's Coast Radio Service (angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1986) Trove NLA
  • Geeves, P. "The Dawn of Australia's Radio Broadcasting". online
  • Given, Donald Jock. "Transit of Empires: Ernest Fisk and the World Wide Wireless". (Melbourne, 2007) [2]
  • Griffen-Foley, Bridget, Changing Stations the story of Australian commercial radio [3]
  • Hadlow, Martin Lindsay. "Wireless and Empire ambition: wireless telegraphy/telephony and radio broadcasting in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, South-West Pacific (1914-1947): political, social and developmental perspectives". (Martin Hadlow, Brisbane, 2016) [4] [5]
  • Harte, Bernard. When Radio Was The Cat's Whiskers (Rosenberg Publishing, 2002) [6]
  • Hewitson, Peter. Australian MCS; A brief history of the Australian Coastal Radio Service (Website) [7]
  • Johnstone, James. Coastal Radio Stations (Webpages)
  • Jolly, Rhonda. Media ownership and regulation: a chronology (Canberra, 2016) [9]
  • Jones, Colin. Something in the air : a history of radio in Australia (Kenthurst, 1995) [10]
  • Jose, Arthur W. The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918; Volume IX, The Royal Australian Navy (Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 9th Ed, 1941) Online (especially Chapter XIV: Sundry services: Radio-Telegraphy, Censorship, Coaling, etc.)
  • MacKinnon, Colin. Australian Radio Publications and Magazines (Ian O'Toole, 2004) online
  • Martin, Fiona (2002). "Beyond public service broadcasting? ABC online and the user/citizen". Southern Review: Communication, Politics & Culture. 35 (1): 42.
  • Muscio, Winston T. Australian Radio, The Technical Story 1923–1983 (Kangaroo Press, 1984) [11]
  • Ross, John F. A History of Radio in South Australia 1897–1977 (J. F. Ross, 1978) [12]
  • Ross, John F. Handbook for Radio Engineering Managers (Butterworths, 1980) [13]
  • Ross, John F. Radio Broadcasting Technology, 75 Years of Development in Australia 1923–1998 (J. F. Ross, 1998) [14]
  • Shawsmith, Alan. Halcyon Days, The Story of Amateur Radio in VK4, Queensland (Boolarong Publications, 1987) [15]
  • Umback, Rick. Constituting Australia's International Wireless Service: 1901-1922 (Rick Umback, 1916, Canberra) Online (PhD. thesis, focus on Beam Wireless and its origins with emphasis on wireless telegraphy era, detailed analysis)
  • United States, Navy Department, Bureau of Steam Engineering. List of wireless telegraph stations of the world, 1912 (Government Printing Office, 1912) Online
  • Walker, R. R. The Magic Spark: 50 Years of Radio in Australia (Hawthorn Press, 1973) [16]
  • White, Thomas H. Early Radio Station Lists Issued by the U.S. Government (Website) Online (includes HTMLs of all known copies of Wireless Telegraph Stations of the World 1906 to 1912 with, inter alia, lists of merchant ship and shore station callsigns)
  • Wireless Institute of Australia (editor Wolfenden, Peter). Wireless Men & Women at War (Wireless Institute of Australia, Melbourne, 2017) [17]

In-line citations edit

  1. ^ "The Geraldton Guardian. For Country, Faith, and Justice. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY, 15 1908". Geraldton Guardian. Vol. II, no. 159. Western Australia. 15 February 1908. p. 2. Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  2. ^ "Our Perth Letter". Geraldton Guardian. Vol. III, no. 376. Western Australia. 10 July 1909. p. 4. Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ "NOR WEST WEATHER". Geraldton Express. Vol. XXXIV. Western Australia. 19 July 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. ^ "Girdling Australia with Wireless". Geraldton Express. Vol. XXXIV. Western Australia. 7 August 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ "WIRELESS FOR THE NORTH". Geraldton Express. Vol. XXXIV. Western Australia. 19 August 1912. p. 2. Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "BY WIRELESS". w:The West Australian. Vol. XXVIII, no. 8, 264. Western Australia. 26 September 1912. p. 7. Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "A Wireless Wizard—Five Stations for Western Australia". Sunday Times (Perth). No. 767. Western Australia. 29 September 1912. p. 6 (Second Section). Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "Wireless Stations". Geraldton Guardian. Vol. VI, no. 868. Western Australia. 1 October 1912. p. 3. Retrieved 11 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
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coastal, radio, station, geraldton, more, comprehensive, treatment, with, full, quotes, newspaper, articles, refer, wikibooks, chapter, geraldtonthe, coastal, radio, station, wireless, telegraphy, coast, radio, station, geraldton, western, australia, which, co. For a more comprehensive treatment with full quotes of newspaper articles refer Wikibooks chapter on VIN GeraldtonThe Coastal radio station VIN was a wireless telegraphy coast radio station at Geraldton Western Australia which commenced operation on 12 May 1913 It was the first station in Western Australia constructed by the Commonwealth of Australia The station VIP Perth Fremantle Applecross had commenced previously but that station had been constructed by the Australasian Wireless Company under contract to the Commonwealth The station provided a vital link between VIP and VIZ Roebourne during the daytime then to VIO Broome and VIW Wyndham and stations further north and particularly when land telegraph systems failed Operationally the station s duties remained relatively constant for several decades being essentially a communications link between the huge numbers of ships that worked on the Western Australian coastline as well as the mail liners that connected Australia to Europe Contents 1 Organisational changes 2 Precursors 3 Construction 4 Initial operation 5 World War I 6 Royal Australian Naval Radio Service 7 Post World War I 8 PMG control resumes 9 AWA control 10 Sale of Station to AWA 11 Station modernised 12 World War II 13 OTC 14 Participants and staff 14 1 Design construction maintenance 14 2 Station staff 14 3 Station guard WW1 15 Further reading 16 In line citationsOrganisational changes editOrganisational control was constantly changing initially a possibly unwanted part of the Postmaster General s Department but with officers professionally classed following the commencement of WW1 informally within the scope of the Defence Department late in WW1 a reluctant transferee to the Department of the Navy as the Royal Australian Naval Radio Service RANRS after the conclusion of WW1 transferred back to the Postmaster General s Department in 1922 bought under the control of Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Ltd as it increased its grasp of Australian wireless in 1928 the hard assets of the coastal radio network formally sold to AWA Upon commencement of WW2 again the coastal radio network control vested in the Defence Department in 1946 briefly under the control of the PMG in 1948 transferred to the newly created Overseas Telecommunications OTC Precursors editIn the early 1900s Geraldton was essentially a port town and saw many vessels both docking at the port and passing nearby on their way to northern Australia and to Europe But the coastline was not yet well charted and was littered with many small rocky islands and reefs all of which presented significant danger to the shipping trade The proprietors of the Geraldton Guardian were well versed in the problem its pages regularly reporting lost or damaged ships Equally with great forethought they saw the solution to the problem Following the sad loss of the SS Windsor in February 1908 they proposed both additional lighthouses and provision of wireless telegraphy stations along the coastline 1 Still in July 1909 at the time of the arrival at Fremantle of the first wireless equipped merchant ship RMS Mantua the Geraldton Guardian was advocating for a wireless station for Geraldton 2 In July 1912 the Commonwealth Meteorologist visited Geraldton investigating a number of weather phenomenon unique to the Northwest coast of Western Australia and noted the benefits arising from a wireless station at Geraldton and foreshadowed the establishment of a continent circling network of wireless stations 3 The following month August 1912 John Graeme Balsille the Commonwealth Wireless Expert formally announced that the Government was proceeding with the establishment of a network of coastal wireless stations and that Geraldton would be one of the initial locations 4 The Geraldton Guardian waxed lyrical in its announcement later in the month of August 1912 of the proposed establishment of the Geraldton station 5 In September 1912 Balsillie was comprehensively interviewed by a journalist from The West Australian and was advised that following the completion of the capital city stations priority was now being given to establishment of the WA coastal stations indeed that the Geraldton station might be commenced as early as three weeks hence 6 A few days later the Sunday Times also interviewed Balsillie who reiterated the short timetable proposed for the Geraldton station The interview demonstrated Balsillie s straightforward and matter of fact manner which is precisely how he proceeded with the establishment of the stations 7 Construction editAs foreshadowed by Balsillie initial work soon commenced and the project supervisor W M Sweeney arrived in Geraldton at the end of September 1912 and quickly identified the Residency site on Francis street as being the most suitable 8 Evidently local council was so keen to see the station established that no opposition was raised to the use of the prime site and materials were already being delivered on site in the first week of December 1912 9 Construction of the station was proceeding apace towards the end of December 1912 with a team of eight carpenters constructing the 180 foot mast 21 inches square consisting of Oregon planks steel bolted together 10 A further interview with Sweeney was published in the Geraldton Express a few days later which provided further detail of the overall construction and layout of the station It noted that Sweeney was being assisted on site in wireless matters by Mr Cox and that the mechanical aspects of the construction were being oversighted by Mr R D Munson of the Public Works Department 11 Early in January 1913 the Geraldton Express noted that work by the Public Works Department was proceeding satisfactorily and estimated that the buildings would be complete in about three weeks time 12 Mid January 1913 the new Peak Hill Nullagine telegraph line was announced as being in service which led to consideration of the unreliability of the old line amp potential risks remaining with the new line But it was noted that the coastal radio chain being established provided a key alternative route in case of emergencies 13 When the coastal chain of wireless stations was first announced the necessary total number of stations was thought to be about 30 being almost every major port in the nation But as commissioning proceeded it became clear that the reliable range for the lower power stations was greater than expected Carnarvon about 450km North of Geraldton had been nominated as a likely site but on 11 January 1913 it was announced that Carnarvon would not be established since Geraldton would be able to service Carnarvon s requirements in conjunction with the land telegraph system 14 In February 1913 a few months after the fact the Commonwealth Gazette announced the purchase of Bullivant s Patent Flexible Steel Wire and Bullivant s Galvanized Wire Rigging Rope for VIN as necessary for antenna and mast rigging 15 In March 1913 further rigging wire was announced as having been purchased for Station VIN 16 By mid January 1913 the jury mast essential to raising the transmitting mast had arrived at Geraldton on the Minderoo and that task was set to commence in a matter of days 17 The main mast was raised to the perpendicular on 18 January 1913 The activity in the heart of the town was a visual spectacle that was not equalled for many years and a number of townsfolk turned out to observe as reported by the Geraldton Guardian 18 The report of the activity by the Guardian Express emphasised the nautical flavour added by the eight man sailor gang doing the hard lifting with a liberal spread of maritime dialect as the work progressed Brace up the top guy Ay Ay Sir Ho Ho Boy Make fast and finally the mast was Four square to all the winds that blow 19 The demands on Sweeney s time and resources did not abate but rather increased as the Government relented to local representations and prioritised the Wyndham station for completion also Sweeney had to juggle available staff and problems with availability of the necessary oregon timbers began to emerge 20 By mid February 1913 the mast and buildings were complete While the transmitting apparatus was not operational the receivers were installed and reception was obtained from the Perth coastal station and two ships in Fremantle port 21 In March 1913 the PMG s Department called for tenders for the supply of 2 500 gallons of petroleum for station VIN This would be a continuing requirement for many years until Geraldton had its own electricity supply and the station could be serviced 22 The transmitter and all equipment for the station was provided by a 15 h p Gardner Oil Engine direct coupled to a Westinghouse D C Generator The unit was purchased from Noyes Bros Melbourne Propty Ltd 499 501 Bourke street Melbourne for an amount of 285 as announced in the Commonwealth Gazette of 14 June 1913 23 There was some competition between the various crews erecting the masts and stations The record set by the Geraldton crew for mast erection did not last long being announced on 30 March 1913 as broken by the Esperance team with a time of 5 hours though the latter mast was only 160 ft high compared to 180 ft for the Geraldton mast 24 There had been little progress when two months later in mid April 1913 it was advised that the promised transmitter still had not been despatched from the Shaw Wireless Works and was still undergoing testing in Sydney 25 With little more to do pending the arrival of the transmitting apparatus Sweeney returned to Perth on 4 April 1913 26 Finally in early May 1913 the transmitter and ancillaries arrived on the Aeon and completion commenced in earnest 27 On 10 May 1913 it was reported that the transmitter had tested successfully on site and official commencement was imminent 28 On 12 May 1913 a brief report in the Geraldton Express stated simply that Wireless The wireless station is now ready for public work 29 The following day the rate of progress in the coastal radio network was well illustrated When announcing the commencement of the Geraldton station it was also stated that VIR Rockhampton would commence in three days time while VIC Cooktown and VIE Esperance would commence the following week 30 Initial operation editTwo days after commencement of the station it was operating commercially with an underwhelming volume of traffic Local A H du Boulay had the honour of lodging the first commercial radiogram and was rewarded two hours later with a reply from the RMS Malwa An increase in business volume was foreshadowed following enactment of the Navigation Act It was noted that VIN appeared to be able to receive ships south of VIP somewhat better than VIP itself 31 The Commonwealth Gazette of 19 July 1913 advertised vacancies for Officers in charge for 12 coastal stations outside the major metropolitan centres The positions were in the Professional Division following advice by Balsillie and generally reflected superior pay and conditions compared to other telegraphists in the Department 32 Following the exciting times of station construction and initial operation ordinary life soon set in and in October 1913 a local resident was complaining about the fire risk of long grass in the station paddock 33 Towards the end of January Mr Lamb officer in charge of the Geraldton Wireless Station was reported returning from his holiday 34 In May 1914 Mr Lamb concluded his period as officer in charge of the Geraldton station and was transferred to VIP Perth He was replaced by Mr Mortimer 35 World War I editOn 3 August 1914 the Minister for Defence notified the imposition of censorship on all radiotelegraphic traffic within the Commonwealth 36 Following the commencement of World War One in August 1914 the local authorities were quick to point out that the wireless station was both a key target and quite defenceless 37 A few days later the Geraldton Mayor advised that the WA Premier had communicated to him that the matter of protection of the wireless station had been referred to the military authorities 38 On 18 August 1914 Lieut Gibbings received instructions to mount a guard at the wireless station consisting of one officer and 20 men 39 Unfortunately the military reserve utilised for guard duty were mostly youthful and not fully convinced of the seriousness of their task Within a week of commencement their shenanigans drew comment in the Geraldton Express 40 Within a few weeks the station guard had cause to draw bayonets and an intruder was apprehended at the station Under questioning at the local court it became clear that the culprit was having a psychotic break and he was remanded for medical assessment 41 Generators supplied power to the station but these were typically used primarily to charge a bank of batteries for actual equipment operation Maintaining battery charge was an ongoing issue and significant supplies of sulphuric acid were required to achieve this A single tender in September 1914 called for 2 490 lbs of sulphuric acid across 10 stations 42 By November 1914 it became clear that the number of persons at the station was causing a sanitary problem and the matter was brought to the attention of council 43 Lieut Everett the commanding officer of the station guard sought to keep his men engaged and participation in local sports events were regularly reported 44 In February 1915 Commander of the guard Lieut E S Everett departed for the Osborne School of Instruction and was replaced by Second Lieut Hutton 45 On 27 January 1915 Arthur McDonald of the wireless station staff married local girl Rose Ethell at St John s Church Geraldton 46 In March 1915 Mark Mortimer was appointed as Officer in Charge at the Geraldton wireless station 47 Again in April 1915 the tom foolery of the young guards was cause for comment in the Geraldton Express 48 The staff of the wireless station recognized their community responsibilities and in April 1915 donated 2 9s to the Moore Benefit 49 The brief return to Geraldton in April 1915 of local boy Lieut Gibbings on leave from the war was cause for joy and direct news of the war in several arenas in the town 50 Application of the War Precautions Act resulted in minimal news of the wireless stations themselves but Broome s Nor West Echo took a broad interpretation and reported on how a merchant ship was able to evade the Emden thanks to news of its movements broadcast by the Broome station 51 With the sinking of the Emden the German threat to the Northwest coast was greatly diminished and early in May 1915 it was announced that the wireless guard to the Geraldton wireless station would be demobilised 52 Two of the wireless station staff Pell and Hooker volunteered for war service in June 1915 and were expected to depart the station shortly 53 A few weeks later it was reported that A E Pell would be departing on 9 July for training at the Blackboy Hill camp and thence to the Wireless Troop in Melbourne Hooker was to follow as soon as a relieving officer was available 54 A E Pell was replaced early in July 1915 by Mr Broomhill 55 In September 1915 both A E Pell and B Hooker having joined the service were still at the signallers camp at Broadmeadows Victoria training new recruits in the art of wireless telegraphy 56 The Commonwealth Gazette of 31 August 1916 noted that Clement George Benger Meredith was now the Wireless station Officer in Charge 57 Royal Australian Naval Radio Service editThe transfer of officers and staff from the Wireless Branch of the Postmaster General s Department to the Department of Navy was not supported by the personnel Issues were a loss of professional status modest loss of pay loss of general terms and conditions of service and being subject to military discipline In June 1916 a large deputation of staff met with the Minister for the Navy to air their grievances 58 In September 1916 A E Pell recounted his war experiences by letter to a local friend noting that after 6 months in Melbourne as a wireless instructor he had been sent to Persia and was presently in a Bombay hospital recovering from fever 59 A sad and brief report in March 1917 was to effect that Corporal W Pass formerly of the wireless station guard had made the ultimate sacrifice in France 60 The Commonwealth Gazette of 6 September 1917 announced the abolition of the position of Officer in Charge Geraldton wireless station Postmaster General s Department together with all other positions associated with the coastal radio network associated with the transfer of control to the Royal Australian Naval Radio Service 61 After much debate and prevarication the Royal Australian Naval Radio Service was finally created in March 1917 as part of an overall restructure of the Navy following on from the review by the Naval Board As a result all pertinent staff of the PMG were transferred to Department of the Navy s RANRS 62 In August 1917 the impact of the war on the Western Australia coast was diminishing and domestic matters assumed greater attention Odd noises emanating from the vicinity of the wireless station were variously attributed to secret activities therein 63 Further enquiry revealed that the offending noise from the wireless station was simply a nearby failing windmill 64 Another former member of the wireless station guard Private George Compton gave the ultimate sacrifice in July 1918 65 Post World War I editMr H Selfe was reported as being on the Wireless Station Staff 66 The Royal Australian Navy Radio Service was formally disbanded on 28 October 1920 The appointments of all the officers were terminated 67 PMG control resumes editThe Commonwealth Gazette of 21 April 1921 announced a partial restructure of the Radiotelegraph Branch including the abolition of the position of Radio Station Master Geraldton 68 AWA control editAmalgamated Wireless Australasia was never reticent in claiming records and exceptional performance and a December 1922 report advised of a record daytime reception by the Geraldton station of the SS Katoomba at sea of over 1100 miles 69 In June 1923 the Geraldton station was the first to receive messages concerning the loss and subsequent search for the Trevassa 70 In fact those first reports from the Geraldton station about the loss of the Trevassa were initially doubted in Perth But the arrival of the SS Moreton Bay at Fremantle the ultimate source of the initial reports quickly dispelled those doubts 71 Mr Reginald Charles Goodland was on the staff of the station in 1924 and 1925 then returned to the Perth station He passed in an accident near VIP and this news was received with sadness by his many friends Geraldton 72 By the 1920s Australia s capacity for weather forecasting and reporting had greatly improved The northwest coast of Western Australia regularly saw intense cyclone activity during the summer months of the southern hemisphere and the coastal radio network played a vital role in distributing weather information to coastal shipping In the April 1926 cyclone the Geraldton station served both to broadcast weather information from the Weather Bureau to coastal shipping and to collect weather reports from shipping in the region to assist the Bureau in their forecasting and reporting 73 A secondary role for the coastal radio network was as an emergency alternative telegraphic route when the land telegraph system sustained damage This occurred in July 1926 when land telegraph lines along coastal Western Australia were severely damaged by storms and the Geraldton wireless station became a vital link in the telegraphic network 74 The Geraldton station operated with power from its own diesel generator for more than 13 years Finally the local electricity supply had expanded to the point where it could support the station and it was connected to the town grid in November 1926 75 Sale of Station to AWA editOn 2 November 1928 the prospect of agreement by the Commonwealth government to the sale of the coastal radio network to Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Ltd was cause for the firm to postpone its annual general meeting by one month 76 The Commonwealth Gazette of 8 November 1928 formally detailed the sale of the coastal radio network to Amalgamated Wireless Australasia and listed 17 Australian and 9 Pacific stations 77 The following week it was formally announced that all of the Australian and Pacific Island stations of the coastal radio network including the cornerstone Applecross station had been sold to AWA for an amount of 39 574 It was confirmed that this was in accordance with the original 1922 agreement between the Commonwealth and AWA 78 A further statement again detailed the specific list of stations with 17 services in Australia including the Geraldton station and a further 9 in the Pacific Islands The stated reason for the sale was that the stations are no longer required by the Federal Government for any public purpose but that where necessary army reservations set out in the Crown grants were withheld 79 George Franklin Cook had spent some years at the Geraldton wireless station circa 1927 but returned to Fremantle circa 1928 In February 1929 he was gathering firewood with his brother and fell from a tree sustaining serious injuries He died at the Fremantle hospital some weeks later 80 The Abrolhos Islands off the coast of Geraldton displayed both extreme natural beauty and horrific risk to coastal navigation To explore the possibilities for tourism Geraldton council despatched a party to visit the islands for ten days in June 1929 Harold Cox was the senior wireless officer at the Geraldton wireless station and accompanied the group providing wireless communication facilities 81 AWA dominated the market in Australia for wireless fitout on ships in the late 1920s and in June 1929 at the time of the maiden voyage of the Westralia provided a comprehensive summary of its work undertaken which included coastal radio equipment lifeboat equipment and broadcast band repeaters Daylight communication with the Geraldton station was established at distance ranging from 800 to 1000 miles 82 Station modernised editBy late 1930 the work of the wireless station had expanded to the point where building additions were required and these were approved by council in September 1930 83 The original 180 ft timber mast which had served the station faithfully for more than 17 years was by the end of 1930 no longer economically maintainable It was finally lowered on 6 November 1930 Operation at the station was maintained using a temporary mast for several days until a replacement steel mast was installed the following week 84 The new mast was of tubular steel and a telescopic design Despite the improvements in technology over the years the process of raising the mast using a jury mast and winch was closely similar to the task undertaken in 1913 The work was undertaken by supervising project engineer Sydney Trim and mechanic S Broomehall 85 The Marconi School of Wireless was a significant part of the AWA wireless combine and played a major role in training interested individuals for future roles in the Navy and military as well as wireless operators for shipping and coastal stations also broadcasting In more remote areas such as Geraldton the local coastal station participated in the recruitment and tuition of its students 86 In February 1931 the wireless station was added to the Council s rate book no doubt as a result of the change of ownership of the property 87 In March 1931 there was a change in senior staffing at the wireless station Mr H E Cox the officer in charge for some years departed for Sydney His duties were assumed by Mr E H Smellie who had been at Geraldton for about one year while Mr H B Wolfe was to assume Smellie s former duties in short order 88 Sydney Trim the AWA engineer charged with renovating and upgrading the coastal radio network returned to Sydney in July 1931 after a two year journey circumnavigating Australia visiting most of the coastal stations Trim had oversighted the replacement of the VIN mast in November 1930 during that tour Other projects included VIO Broome replacement mast replacement 5kW main transmitter amp new emergency transmitter Cockatoo Island new wireless telephony system VIN Geraldton replacement mast replacement 2kW main transmitter and new emergency transmitter VIE Esperance replacement mast and replacement 2kW main transmitter VID Darwin replacement mast replacement 5kW main transmitter and new emergency transmitter VIA Adelaide replacement masts complete station refurbishment and VIP Fremantle Perth new police communications system 89 Wolfe s recent arrival was confirmed in July 1931 noting he had previously been at VID Darwin for 3 years and was much appreciating the change in climate 90 AWA had rather recently expanded its sphere of operations beyond solely manufacture and retail of broadcast transmitters into ownership and control of individual broadcast stations 4TO Townsville was to be the newest addition to the group commencing in October 1931 Harold Cox recently senior wireless officer at the Geraldton station had been successful in being appointed chief engineer at 4TO 91 Newman Pusey had been on staff at the wireless station for several years but in July 1933 received notice of his transfer to VII the Thursday Island station He was to marry in August 1933 and depart for the north shortly afterwards 92 It was announced in October 1933 that E H Smellie after some 3 years at the Geraldton station had been transferred to VIO Broome and would depart the station in the following month 93 The coastal radio stations provided generally excellent alternative communication lines during outages of the land telegraph system But Murphy s law could come to bear and during an outage near Coolgardie in April 1935 when Geraldton wireless was called to assist it was found that that station itself was unavailable due to a battery recharge being underway 94 The Geraldton wireless station was fully integrated into the post office telegraphy network which in September 1935 included some 160 stations and 800 substations linked by over 13 000 miles of landlines The ability to communicate directly with VIP Perth 24 hours a day provided invaluable redundancy with the landline network and this capacity was only matched by one other coastal radio station being VIE Esperance 95 The location of the wireless transmitter within the body of the town was certain to cause blanketing interference to local broadcast receivers due to high levels of radiofrequency signals But the people of the town seemed to accept the interference as a necessary consequence of this vital service The residents were less tolerant however of the electrical interference resulting from unsuppressed electrical motors in the town and the matter was raised at a Council meeting in March 1936 96 In July 1938 it was announced that VIO Broome and VIN Geraldton had been fitted with higher power main transmitters Stated reason was to improve communication between Broome and Perth at times of land telegraph outages however better communication in the event of war would also have been a factor 97 World War II editEven prior to the declaration of World War 2 in September 1939 the Geraldton militia mounted a guard at the wireless station emphasising its strategic importance 98 Security at VIN Geraldton was further enhanced in January 1940 by the passing of the National Security Act which imposed severe penalties for inter alia photographing or sketching wireless installations 99 In August 1940 Mr R C Anderson wireless officer at VIN Geraldton for the previous four years received advice of promotion to officer in charge of VIO Broome and was to leave Geraldton the following month 100 December 1940 saw the arrival of C Lemmon at VIN having transferred from VIO Broome and he quickly became involved in community activities in Geraldton 101 The years 1941 through 1944 saw a dearth of information in contemporary publications due to the application of the National Security Act but increased in mid 1945 as Japanese forces were finally pushed back Prime Minister Chifley was particularly proud of the part Western Australia played in its defence and again developments in coastal radio were singled out for praise It was noted that the Geraldton station maintained communications with coastal shipping as well as broader monitoring duties 102 OTC editIn February 1947 the Overseas Telecommunications Commission Australia assumed control of all external telecommunications services previously operated by Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Ltd This included the entire Australian coastal radio network 103 From June 1948 the Geraldton station was the key station in a radiocommunications network with 4 smaller stations located at different islands in the Abrolhos Islands The network was to assist exchange of messages of both a commercial and personal nature with the mainland 104 The Mangrove Island station of the Abrolhos Island network proved invaluable when the Starling ran aground in Whales Bay in October 1950 Enabling communication with the mainland and rendering of emergency assistance upon his return to Geraldton 105 Participants and staff editDesign construction maintenance edit John Graeme Balsillie 1913 Commonwealth Wireless Expert who designed the wireless system deployed and oversighted the network establishment Walter Moss Sweeney 1913 construction project supervising engineer for the Postmaster General s Department R C Cox 1913 assistant project engineer for the Postmaster General s Department R D Munson 1913 project foreman rigger for the Public Works Department s portion of the construction project Sydney Trim 1930 mast replacement project supervising engineer for Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Ltd S Broomehall 1930 mast replacement project mechanic for Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Ltd Station staff edit James Joseph Wiseman Lamb senior wireless officer March 1913 to May 1914 Mark Mortimer senior wireless officer May 1914 to Arthur McDonald wireless officer circa January 1915 A E Pell wireless officer to July 1915 leave for war service B Hooker wireless officer to August 1915 leave for war service Broomhill wireless officer July 1915 to H Selfe wireless officer circa May 1920 Louis Alfred Fontaine wireless officer circa Jun 1923 E W Tymms wireless officer circa April 1925 Reginald Charles Goodland wireless officer January 1924 to December 1925 George Franklin Cook wireless officer circa 1928 Harold E Cox senior wireless officer circa 1929 to March 1931 Newman Dobson Pusey 1926 to August 1933 E H Smellie wireless operator 1930 to March 1931 senior wireless operator March 1931 to November 1933 H B Wolfe wireless operator March 1931 to F H Chrismas senior wireless officer circa November 1935 to May 1949 R C Anderson wireless officer circa September 1936 to September 1940 relief January 1949 to May 1949 C Lemmon December 1940 to Station guard WW1 edit Second Lieut Gibbings guard commander August 1914 to Second Lieut E S Everett guard commander to February 1915 Second Lieut Hutton guard commander February 1915 to Corporal W Pass guard troop died France February 1917 no greater love Private George Compton guard troop August 1914 to January 1915 died France July 1918 no greater love H H Opie guard commander to Further reading editBastock John Ships on the Australia Station Child amp Associates Publishing Pty Ltd Frenchs Forest 1988 ISBN 0 86777 348 0 Burger David Callsign History Australia Australian Amateur Radio Callsigns IEEE 2014 online Carty Bruce Australian Radio History 4th ed Sydney 2013 1 Curnow Geoffrey Ross The history of the development of wireless telegraphy and broadcasting in Australia to 1942 with especial reference to the Australian Broadcasting Commission a political and administrative study online Durrant Lawrence The seawatchers the story of Australia s Coast Radio Service angus amp Robertson Sydney 1986 Trove NLA Geeves P The Dawn of Australia s Radio Broadcasting online Given Donald Jock Transit of Empires Ernest Fisk and the World Wide Wireless Melbourne 2007 2 Griffen Foley Bridget Changing Stations the story of Australian commercial radio 3 Hadlow Martin Lindsay Wireless and Empire ambition wireless telegraphy telephony and radio broadcasting in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate South West Pacific 1914 1947 political social and developmental perspectives Martin Hadlow Brisbane 2016 4 5 Harte Bernard When Radio Was The Cat s Whiskers Rosenberg Publishing 2002 6 Hewitson Peter Australian MCS A brief history of the Australian Coastal Radio Service Website 7 Johnstone James Coastal Radio Stations Webpages 8 Jolly Rhonda Media ownership and regulation a chronology Canberra 2016 9 Jones Colin Something in the air a history of radio in Australia Kenthurst 1995 10 Jose Arthur W The Official History of Australia in the War of 1914 1918 Volume IX The Royal Australian Navy Angus amp Robertson Sydney 9th Ed 1941 Online especially Chapter XIV Sundry services Radio Telegraphy Censorship Coaling etc MacKinnon Colin Australian Radio Publications and Magazines Ian O Toole 2004 online Martin Fiona 2002 Beyond public service broadcasting ABC online and the user citizen Southern Review Communication Politics amp Culture 35 1 42 Muscio Winston T Australian Radio The Technical Story 1923 1983 Kangaroo Press 1984 11 Ross John F A History of Radio in South Australia 1897 1977 J F Ross 1978 12 Ross John F Handbook for Radio Engineering Managers Butterworths 1980 13 Ross John F Radio Broadcasting Technology 75 Years of Development in Australia 1923 1998 J F Ross 1998 14 Shawsmith Alan Halcyon Days The Story of Amateur Radio in VK4 Queensland Boolarong Publications 1987 15 Umback Rick Constituting Australia s International Wireless Service 1901 1922 Rick Umback 1916 Canberra Online PhD thesis focus on Beam Wireless and its origins with emphasis on wireless telegraphy era detailed analysis United States Navy Department Bureau of Steam Engineering List of wireless telegraph stations of the world 1912 Government Printing Office 1912 Online Walker R R The Magic Spark 50 Years of Radio in Australia Hawthorn Press 1973 16 White Thomas H Early Radio Station Lists Issued by the U S Government Website Online includes HTMLs of all known copies of Wireless Telegraph Stations of the World 1906 to 1912 with inter alia lists of merchant ship and shore station callsigns Wireless Institute of Australia editor Wolfenden Peter Wireless Men amp Women at War Wireless Institute of Australia Melbourne 2017 17 In line citations edit The Geraldton Guardian For Country Faith and Justice SATURDAY FEBRUARY 15 1908 Geraldton Guardian Vol II no 159 Western Australia 15 February 1908 p 2 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Our Perth Letter Geraldton Guardian Vol III no 376 Western Australia 10 July 1909 p 4 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia NOR WEST WEATHER Geraldton Express Vol XXXIV Western Australia 19 July 1912 p 2 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Girdling Australia with Wireless Geraldton Express Vol XXXIV Western Australia 7 August 1912 p 3 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia WIRELESS FOR THE NORTH Geraldton Express Vol XXXIV Western Australia 19 August 1912 p 2 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia BY WIRELESS w The West Australian Vol XXVIII no 8 264 Western Australia 26 September 1912 p 7 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia A Wireless Wizard Five Stations for Western Australia Sunday Times Perth No 767 Western Australia 29 September 1912 p 6 Second Section Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Wireless Stations Geraldton Guardian Vol VI no 868 Western Australia 1 October 1912 p 3 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia The Geraldton Guardian For Country Faith and Justice SATURDAY DECEMBER 7 1912 Geraldton Guardian Vol VII no 897 Western Australia 7 December 1912 p 2 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Geraldton s Wireless Station Geraldton Guardian Vol VII no 903 Western Australia 21 December 1912 p 4 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia The Geraldton Wireless Station Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 23 December 1912 p 1 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Local and General Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 8 January 1913 p 3 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Notes and Comments Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 10 January 1913 p 2 Retrieved 11 June 2018 via National Library of Australia THE ROEBOURNE STATION Northern Times Vol VIII no 385 Western Australia 11 January 1913 p 7 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Government Gazette Notices Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 17 Australia 8 March 1913 p 553 Retrieved 25 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Government Gazette Notices Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 23 Australia 12 April 1913 p 937 Retrieved 25 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Local and General Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 15 January 1913 p 2 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Erected Geraldton Guardian Vol VII no 915 Western Australia 18 January 1913 p 2 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia The Wireless Station Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 20 January 1913 p 3 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia The Geraldton Guardian For Country Faith and Justice SATURDAY JANUARY 18 1913 Geraldton Guardian Vol VII no 915 Western Australia 18 January 1913 p 2 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Geraldton Wireless Station Geraldton Guardian Vol VII no 928 Western Australia 18 February 1913 p 2 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia TENDERS FOR SUPPLY OF PETROLEUM Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 21 Australia 29 March 1913 p 854 Retrieved 25 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Government Gazette Notices Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 44 Australia 14 June 1913 p 1532 Retrieved 25 June 2018 via National Library of Australia The Countryman s Column Sunday Times Perth No 795 Western Australia 30 March 1913 p 7 Second Section Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Local and General Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 4 April 1913 p 2 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Personal Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 4 April 1913 p 3 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia The Geraldton Guardian For Country Faith and Justice SATURDAY MAY 3 1913 Geraldton Guardian Vol VII no 956 Western Australia 3 May 1913 p 2 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia The Geraldton Guardian For Country Faith and Justice SATURDAY MAY 10 1913 Geraldton Guardian Vol VII no 959 Western Australia 10 May 1913 p 2 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia JUNIOR ASSOCIATION Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 12 May 1913 p 3 Retrieved 12 June 2018 via National Library of Australia New Wireless Stations The Herald No 11 706 Victoria Australia 13 May 1913 p 5 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Geraldton s wireless Station Geraldton Guardian Vol VII no 961 Western Australia 15 May 1913 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia NOTIFICATION OF VACANCIES Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 52 Australia 19 July 1913 p 1723 Retrieved 25 June 2018 via National Library of Australia CORRESPONDENCE Geraldton Guardian Vol VIII no 1023 Western Australia 7 October 1913 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Personal Items Geraldton Guardian Vol VIII no 1068 Western Australia 24 January 1914 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Personal Items Geraldton Guardian Vol VIII no 1114 Western Australia 9 May 1914 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia ESTABLISHMENT OF CENSORSHIP OF CABLE COMMUNICATIONS Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 50 Australia 3 August 1914 p 1335 Retrieved 24 June 2018 via National Library of Australia GERALDTON S DEFENCE Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 12 August 1914 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Municipal Council Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 14 August 1914 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia WIRELESS STATION TO BE GUARDED Geraldton Guardian Vol VIII no 1157 Western Australia 18 August 1914 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Local and General Geraldton Express Vol XXXV Western Australia 24 August 1914 p 2 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia At the Wireless Station Geraldton Guardian Vol VIII no 1168 Western Australia 17 September 1914 p 2 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia VICTORIA Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 71 Australia 12 September 1914 p 2208 Retrieved 25 June 2018 via National Library of Australia MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Geraldton Guardian Vol IX no 1198 Western Australia 26 November 1914 p 2 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia LOCAL AND GENERAL Geraldton Guardian Vol IX no 1201 Western Australia 24 December 1914 p 2 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia LOCAL AND GENERAL Geraldton Guardian Vol IX no 1219 Western Australia 6 February 1915 p 2 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia A Geraldton Wedding Geraldton Guardian Vol IX no 1221 Western Australia 11 February 1915 p 1 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia POSTMASTER GENERAL S DEPARTMENT Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 17 Australia 6 March 1915 p 364 Retrieved 26 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Guarding the Wireless Geraldton Express Vol XXXVI Western Australia 7 April 1915 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Local and General Geraldton Express Vol XXXVI Western Australia 7 April 1915 p 2 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Back from Egypt Geraldton Guardian Vol IX no 1243 Western Australia 8 April 1915 p 3 Retrieved 13 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Wireless Worth Nor west Echo Vol 3 no 150 Western Australia 1 May 1915 p 6 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia WAR ITEMS Geraldton Guardian Vol IX no 1255 Western Australia 6 May 1915 p 3 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Personal Items Geraldton Guardian Vol IX no 1276 Western Australia 24 June 1915 p 2 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Personal Geraldton Express Vol XXXVI Western Australia 30 June 1915 p 2 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Local and General Geraldton Express Vol XXXVI Western Australia 2 July 1915 p 2 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Personal Items Geraldton Guardian Vol IX no 1306 Western Australia 2 September 1915 p 2 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia POSTMASTER GENERAL S DEPARTMENT CENTRAL STAFF Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 116 Australia 31 August 1916 p 2082 Retrieved 26 June 2018 via National Library of Australia NAVAL WIRELESS SERVICE The Age No 19 113 Victoria Australia 24 June 1916 p 15 Retrieved 16 June 2018 via National Library of Australia WITH THE WIRELESS OPERATORS Geraldton Guardian Vol X no 1468 Western Australia 19 September 1916 p 2 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia PERSONAL ITEMS Geraldton Guardian Vol XI no 1537 Western Australia 3 March 1917 p 2 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia COMMONWEALTH PUBLIC SERVICE Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 146 Australia 6 September 1917 p 1874 Retrieved 26 June 2018 via National Library of Australia NAVAL FORCES The Daily Telegraph No 11812 New South Wales Australia 20 March 1917 p 4 Retrieved 22 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Capricious Carpings Geraldton Express Vol XXXVIII Western Australia 20 August 1917 p 3 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Local and General Geraldton Express Vol XXXIX Western Australia 15 February 1918 p 2 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia PERSONAL ITEMS Geraldton Guardian Vol XII no 1738 Western Australia 25 July 1918 p 3 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia PERSONAL ITEMS Geraldton Guardian Vol XIV no 2014 Western Australia 18 May 1920 p 3 Retrieved 14 June 2018 via National Library of Australia DISBANDMENT OF R A N RADIO SERVICE Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 96 Australia 11 November 1920 p 2066 Retrieved 16 June 2018 via National Library of Australia COMMONWEALTH PUBLIC SERVICE Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 35 Australia 21 April 1921 p 675 Retrieved 26 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Radio Records Geraldton Guardian Vol XVI no 4103 Western Australia 12 December 1922 p 1 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia THE LOST TREVASSA Geraldton Guardian Vol XVI no 4180 Western Australia 9 June 1923 p 3 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia METROPOLITAN MEMS Geraldton Guardian Vol XVI no 4183 Western Australia 16 June 1923 p 1 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia LOCAL amp GENERAL Geraldton Guardian Vol XIX no 4516 Western Australia 31 December 1925 p 2 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia WEATHER REPORT Geraldton Guardian Vol XX no 4549 Western Australia 1 April 1926 p 1 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia BUSY TIME AT WIRELESS STATION Geraldton Guardian Vol XX no 4593 Western Australia 24 July 1926 p 2 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Geraldton Guardian For Country Faith and Justice THURSDAY NOVEMBER 25 1926 Geraldton Guardian Vol XX no 4639 Western Australia 25 November 1926 p 2 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia AMALGAMATED WIRELESS The Brisbane Courier No 22 081 Queensland Australia 2 November 1928 p 12 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia SALE OF WIRELESS STATIONS TO AMALGAMATED WIRELESS AUSTRALASIA LIMITED Commonwealth of Australia Gazette No 121 Australia 8 November 1928 p 3084 Retrieved 26 June 2018 via National Library of Australia VALUATION COMPLETED Daily News Vol XLVII no 16 701 Western Australia 9 November 1928 p 1 HOME FINAL EDITION Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia WIRELESS STATIONS The Age No 22962 Victoria Australia 9 November 1928 p 10 Retrieved 19 June 2018 via National Library of Australia WIRELESS OPERATOR S DEATH Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol I no 79 Western Australia 16 April 1929 p 1 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia THE ABROLHOS ISLANDS Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol I no 124 Western Australia 14 June 1929 p 2 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia THE BROADCASTER Daily News Vol XLVIII no 16 976 Western Australia 30 September 1929 p 6 HOME FINAL EDITION Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia MUNICIPAL WORKS Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol II no 485 Western Australia 27 September 1930 p 4 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia LOCAL AND GENERAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol II no 502 Western Australia 6 November 1930 p 2 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia GERALDTON RADIO STATION Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol II no 509 Western Australia 22 November 1930 p 3 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia LOCAL AND GENERAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol IV no 682 Western Australia 12 January 1931 p 2 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia LOCAL AND GENERAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol II no 543 Western Australia 17 February 1931 p 2 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia PERSONAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol II no 552 Western Australia 10 March 1931 p 2 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia COASTAL RADIO SERVICE The West Australian Vol XLVII no 9 073 Western Australia 24 July 1931 p 12 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia PERSONAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol III no 610 Western Australia 25 July 1931 p 2 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia LOCAL AND GENERAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol III no 639 Western Australia 1 October 1931 p 2 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia PERSONAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol V no 920 Western Australia 25 July 1933 p 2 Retrieved 20 June 2018 via National Library of Australia PERSONAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol V no 961 Western Australia 28 October 1933 p 2 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia TELEGRAPHIC INTERRUPTION The West Australian Vol 51 no 15 222 Western Australia 5 April 1935 p 25 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia PERTH S NERVE CENTRE The West Australian Vol 51 no 15 352 Western Australia 6 September 1935 p 19 Retrieved 14 July 2018 via National Library of Australia MUNICIPAL COUNCIL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol VIII no 1 317 Western Australia 3 March 1936 p 2 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia COMMUNICATION WITH BROOME The West Australian Vol 54 no 16 233 Western Australia 11 July 1938 p 14 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia NEWS IN GERALDTON Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol XI no 1 859 Western Australia 4 September 1939 p 2 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia DEFENCE WORKS Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol XII no 1 914 Western Australia 11 January 1940 p 3 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia SOCIAL AND PERSONAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol XII no 2 004 Western Australia 8 August 1940 p 2 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia SOCIAL AND PERSONAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol XII no 2 055 Western Australia 5 December 1940 p 1 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia DEFENCE OF W A The West Australian Vol 61 no 18 432 Western Australia 9 August 1945 p 4 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia LOCAL AND GENERAL Geraldton Guardian And Express Vol XIX no 3204 Western Australia 30 January 1947 p 2 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Abrolhos Islands Geraldton Guardian Vol XX no 3415 Western Australia 15 June 1948 p 5 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Fisherman s Experience Geraldton Guardian Vol XXII no 3758 Western Australia 10 October 1950 p 2 Retrieved 21 June 2018 via National Library of Australia Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Coastal radio station VIN Geraldton amp oldid 1180601060, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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