The Pres Says…..
I had already started this month’s article but of far greater importance is the sad news that our long serving member Peter Pavey VK3VB passed away in Kooweerup Hospital on the First of July. As everyone knows, Peter was a driving force in the Club for many, many years and his input was highly regarded due to his vast experience. Peter knew the importance of promoting our hobby and he did all in his power to do so. As well as being an examiner for many years, he was a mentor to many amateurs today. Peter’s prowess on the morse key was well known and I think he was disappointed when morse was dropped from the syllabus. Peter was Club President for several years during which time, the Club prospered. We all owe him a debt of gratitude for his persistence with the building of the Club Room which we all now enjoy. His name and callsign will not be forgotten; we will see to that. Our thoughts are with you Pat, Phil and your Family.

For those who don’t count the weeks and days (hello Helmut) if you haven’t noticed, half the year has gone already. I remember the Christmas break-up just like it was yesterday. So with the Annual Dinner on the 24th June now enjoyed and gone, we move on the events that regularly take over the second six months of out calendar year. Things such as the Hamfest, RD Contest, JOTA, Cup Weekend Trip, Fox Hunt and hopefully a few BBQs when the temperature stays above the signal strength of the strongest signal. Intermingled with these events, there may be several tower raisings by various members. I think this is as good an excuse as any for a BBQ. I have one to go up as well so I will join the queue. To get people in the mood, the Club antenna structure needs it annual work over and with the list of items to do, it would make light work if we had many hands. So there’s another good reason to have a BBQ.

Several members have requested another “Pub Night” so one is arranged for August 5th at the Village Green Hotel at 6pm in the Bistro. Its about time we had an event “up town” so I hope no one complains that is not in our usual stamping ground.

By this time, the tower winches have been purchased and delivered and there has been a comment about the handles being too long., There is no doubt we did well on price and maybe it is better to have a bigger unit which is capable of doing the job easier than chancing a smaller unit to do the job and not performing so well. Before destroying the packaging for your units though we can discuss changing them for the smaller ones. This will be put on the agenda for Friday night’s meeting. See you there.

Albert VK3BQO
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Editor’s Musings
Very sad to hear about the passing of Peter Pavey (VK3VB) who was a fine clubman for GGREC. He will be remembered for his great organisational skills and his passion for amateur radio. Peter was the first person I spoke to, on radio, when I received my license. He will be sadly missed and our sympathies go to Pat and Phil and their extended families.

Rest in peace , Peter
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UPCOMING EVENTS

Upcoming Events
Saturday, July 22nd	HAMFEST	Cranbourne Hall
Monday July 24th	Committee Meeting	Club HQ 8pm
Friday, August 4th	Prac Night	Club HQ
Saturday, August 5th	Pub Night	Fiddlers Green Hotel
Friday, August 18th	General Meeting Night	Guide Hall 8pm
October ?	JOTA	Guide Hall/Club Shack
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Silent Key.

Peter Pavey VK3VB. A eulogy to follow in next months issue.
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Hooray we have a JOTA rep!!!!!
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Why not listen to the WIA news each week on the VK3RML repeater. It is on Sunday nights at 8pm and Wednesday 11am
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Mid year success…..
Another great event, good food, good company

Apart from a little disagreement with some of the food served, and that we had to be spread over two tables, all turned out good in the end.

I took a few photos’, they are on my photo web site at www.paulstubbs.pozzie.net
When uploading them I realised that this was my first entry for 2006, scary

Either I have been slack, or the club has not been up to much.

Ok now let me see who is photographing who??? Or is that whom??

One glass of wine too many Sue??

Good to see some of the newer members along.

Paul VK3TGX
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It’s a sellout……..
Dianne Jackson, VK3JDI, the booking coordinator, reports that the GGREC annual Sale is now fully booked with stallholders. The event is on Saturday the 22nd of July at the Cranbourne Community Hall on the corner of Clarendon and High streets, Cranbourne. (High Street is part of the Sth Gippsland Highway). Melway 133 K4.

Regrettably, if you have not already reserved a table, then it is now too late. Club Members with only a few things to sell can place their items at the GGREC tables on the day at no cost.

Access to the Hall shall be from 8:30am for Stall Holders (not later than 9:30 am unless by arrangement) and 10:00am for buyers

Be early, it will be a busy day
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" Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet." Robin Williams
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Well there you go…...
Someone out there either has too much spare time or is deadly at Scrabble. (Wait till you see the last one)!

DORMITORY: When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM
PRESBYTERIAN: When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYER
ASTRONOMER: When you rearrange the letters: MOON STARER
DESPERATION:When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT
THE EYES:! When you rearrange the letters: THEY SEE
GEORGE BUSH: When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE
THE MORSE CODE: When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS
SLOT MACHINES: When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME
ANIMOSITY: When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY
ELECTION RESULTS: When you rearrange the letters: LIES - LET'S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS: When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S
A DECIMAL POINT: When you rearrange the letters: IM A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES: When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO: When you rearrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE
AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE:
MOTHER-IN-LAW: When you rearrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER
Yep! Someone with waaaaaaaaaaay too much time on their hands.
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Identity Cards now available
Laminated GGREC membership cards that contain your amateur license details are now available from Mike our treasurer for $4.

If you had your photograph taken last month, They are ready for collection now.

If you have yet to apply, then another photo opportunity will present itself at the next meeting. (see Ian VK3BUF) Member I.D. cards are useful proof that you are a licensed operator when purchasing Amateur transmitter equipment. It also entitles the holder to discounts at Altronics.
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World Famous GGREC Pub Night
Well a little bit famous anyway….

When : Saturday August 5th
Where : Fiddlers Green Hotel . Corner of Springvale and Ferntree Gully Rds opposite Brandon Park Shopping Centre.
Time : 6pm in the Bistro
Be there!!!!
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Happy Birthday to you……..

Only one birthday in the database this month . Our friend from Wonthaggi, Warren Mansfield VK3HGU.

I may have missed Bill Connelly VK3DOU last month, sorry Bill hope you had a great one.

If it’s your birthday in July we do not know about it, have a great day and how about letting the Treasurer know so we can include you next year?
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The Golden Days of Radio….
Maybe this story should be subtitled “What goes up must come down...somewhere”. With thanks to Jim Francis VK3UFO for the following entertaining story which will appear over a couple of issues. Ed.

Perfect, I thought, I like visiting remote bushland and I like camping so I'll buy a metal detector and combine them all into gold prospecting, it can't be that hard to find gold, can it? I think it was my old mum who was fond of the expression "Fools leap in where angels fear to tread".

My new, and rather expensive, purchase arrived. I had the four wheel drive packed before, my partner, Suzy had unwrapped the detector. A few hours later we arrive at my carefully researched location which, I had every confidence, was certain to contain gold nuggets in abundance. As it was late afternoon I decided to start prospecting in the morning and set up the camp and radio antenna first.

Antennas in the bush
Inverted vee of course! Only one high point needed, easy. As an ex. Pom it was clear to me that the old Robin Hood trick was the answer; an arrow with some string tied to it fired over high branches. I tie one end of an enormous roll of nylon string to the arrow pull back my trusty bow and... phut... the arrow, weighed down and pulled off course by the string lands about 10 feet away Suzy tries, but fails, to suppress her merriment - I'll deal with her later.

Plan B
String too heavy? No problem, out comes the fishing rod and I tie the end of the line to the arrow and instruct Suzy to hold the rod pointing in the direction I'm about to fire the arrow - phut... the arrow lands 12 feet away this time. OK it's true, I didn't tell her to take the brake off the fishing reel! Third time lucky: Suzy at the ready, brake off, bow drawn back to maximum tension, this time I know it will work, I release the bowstring... zoooooom... the arrow virtually goes into orbit (I fear phone calls from Air Traffic Control "Mr Francis? It's about Qantas flight 742...."). Twenty minutes later I find the arrow about 12 trees and 200m away, oh well at least I have a good high point for the antenna.

OK, let's get the gold
The following day, immediately after breakfast finds me striding into the bush detector at the ready. I'd given it a good talking to before I left: "Now look detector, you cost me a damn fortune so I don't expect any messing about, OK? All you have to do is show me where the gold is and I'll do the rest" Three hours later and it seems the detector has failed to heed my words however I am the proud new owner of five bullet heads, three pieces of rusty tin and a horseshoe. I may have to put a little more research into this prospecting thing than anticipated....

Day two
Deep gullies! That's the answer, it's obvious - gold, being so heavy, always falls to the bottom of the land so if I detect at the bottom of a deep gully I'm certain to find gold, can't imagine why I didn't think of it before.

Fearlessly I beat a path down the steep slope of Cemetery Gully, one of the deepest, darkest and dampest in the area; I can almost smell the gold... or is it mildew?

After three hours detecting in the dank and dark recesses of Cemetery Gully, finally, the detector emits a noise into my headphones so loud it would make a Heavy Metal rock band envious. This has got to be one and a big one at that I can feel it in my bones. I don't have to dig very far before seeing an odd shape poking through the soil. Excellent! Interestingly shaped nuggets fetch a much higher prince than the boring ones. I dig further and uncover more of the nugget’s flattish and curved shape. This could even be a "specimen" nugget perhaps a geological museum will want to buy it? Finally I'm able to pull the nugget from the ground in it's magnificent entirety - even better than I had imagined: a huge gold nugget in the exact shape of a horseshoe, most unusual. Disappointingly, tests with a magnet reveal the "nugget" is magnetic and is, in fact, a horseshoe. Oh well... all I need now is to find someone who owns a horse with two wooden legs and I can start making a profit from this gold prospecting thing.

(….to be continued)
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Free-range and Forage or How to Metamorphosis your Chooks.
Warning, some readers may find the following article “distasteful”. (I bet they all read it now!!! Ed)

At times as I reflect back over the years working for the Department of Agriculture, the 70’s, leaves some of the most indelible memories particularly back in the days when “dob in thy neighbour” was practically unknown. Working on inspections of abattoirs and knackeries would without a doubt have no equal – it was a totally different world out there.

The Bairnsdale and district knackery was located about 16 Km west of the town and the proprietor was on of the roughest characters I had ever met who absolutely distained authority. He was physically a very large man, even went so far as to tell the local town’s Senior Constable that “this town is not big enough for the two of us, and I’m not leaving!” Still, stay on the right side of him and he was very good hearted underneath.

The biggest problem for his establishment was that there was no pick-up for what was left after the carcases had been boned out for pet food. To overcome this he systematically had trenches about three meters deep, two wide and fifteen long dug in the black sand (not unlike Frankston soil) in the sand hills at the back of the property. Into these pits all the leftovers off the work’s floor would be tipped and eventually or theoretically would be, or should be, covered over with soil backfill. But he was never in any hurry as “it costs money” to do this.

Now complications will always arise at a meat works when there is another industry run in conjunction with it. So it was that our friend free-ranged about twenty White Leghorn (well I think they were) hens which laid prolifically, beautiful golden yoked eggs. There were no needs for fencing to keep the hens in – they just headed straight for the pits each morning where they spent their day picking at the meat remnants or anything else that hatched as a result.

Now all this poking around in the pits and jumping down and in and out of the carcases covered their wings and body feathers with fat to which the black sand stuck. The extra weight of all this caused their wings to droop to the point where the flight feathers touched the ground whilst their heads covered in blood, where red from the comb to the bottom of the hackle feathers. These birds no longer ran or walked, they now looked exactly like vultures as they loped along the ground.

Graeme
VK3BXG
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" Seven out of ten people suffer from haemmorhoids."
Does this mean that the other three enjoy it?
Sal Davino
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Missing Licenses…….
The issuing of certificates of proficiency and apparatus licences by the ACMA in Canberra is currently experiencing a delay.
This is due to the relocation of the ACMA section involved in that activity, and a temporary shortage of staff. It appears that no new licence for VK3 has been issued since 16 June. The processing of certificates and licences will hopefully be back on track very soon and any backlog cleared quickly.
- Amateur Radio Victoria.
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This Months Challenge
Last months challenge turned out to be a dud. I guess once you’re ugly you are always…….ooops sorry Mr. President.

Let’s see how you go with this months moosh!!!!!

Now that is one serious hairstyle!!! And yes you all know him!!! (but I would not own up to that if I was you!)
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The Joke is on Us….
A London policeman was taking evidence from a witness to a jewellery shop smash-and-grab.
Bobby:  “ So sir, please tell me in detail everything you saw.”
Witness:  “Well guv, these geezers drives up in a big truck like and they stops and gets a elephant out of the back, takes it across to the window, he smashes it in wiv ‘is ‘ed and they grabs the sparklers and legs it.”

Bobby:  “I see. Can you describe the elephant?”
Witness:  “Blimey. It was big and grey an’ elephanty.”
Bobby: “was it an Indian elephant or an African elephant?”
Witness: “ Wot’s the difference?”
Bobby: “ Well, an Indian elephant has small, thin ears and an African elephant has big thicker ears.”
Witness: “Ow the ‘ell would I know. ‘E ‘ad a stockin over ‘is ‘ed.”

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" Those are my principles. If you don't like them I have others." Groucho Marx
" You tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is 'never try'." Homer Simpson
" How long was I in the army? Five foot eleven." Spike Milligan
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Now for the good news from the Australian Government
As of July 1 2006 there is no longer GST on Apparatus Licenses and therefore the Amateur licence issue fee is now $57.00, a reduction of $2.00. If you have paid the additional amount your licence period will be extended to suit.
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From the WIA Website
How long before I hear from the WIA after an assessment?
Unfortunately, some candidates have unrealistic expectations about how long it can take before they should get their "new" license. The WIA has been working very hard to ensure a fast turnaround, and indeed we think that one reason why some candidates expect a very fast response is because they have heard of some people getting their results in a week or so!

How long should I wait?

"I have been told by the WIA Assessor that I have qualified, how long should I expect to wait before I get my new callsign?"

After the assessment, the WIA Assessor must send the papers into the WIA office at Caulfield, and the Exam Service must process the papers.

Then, if you have asked the WIA Exam service to process your application for a certificate of proficiency and to lodge your application for a licence or a variation of an existing licence, and the correct fees have been forwarded, then you should get a letter from the WIA telling you that your results and the applications have been sent to ACMA on a particular date.

If you haven't asked the WIA to do that, then you will get a letter from the WIA forwarding the official notification of your results, and telling you that when you have all the official results you need, you should apply for a certificate of proficiency and a license or variation of a license, from ACMA.

How long should you wait before chasing the results from the WIA?

You must allow time for your Assessor to post the papers to the WIA, and time for them to get there, and sometimes the post can be very slow. You must allow time for the results to be processed, and then you must allow time for the letter to get to you.

While we always try to achieve a fast turnaround, delays with the Assessors, slow mail, public holidays, sickness of staff, annual holidays, just too many exam matters all at once, can all contribute to delay.

So, please allow 3 weeks before chasing the WIA to ask why you haven't heard! If you haven't heard from us by then, please contact the office, preferably by email to nationaloffice@wia.org.au.

If you have asked the WIA to send your results direct to ACMA the you can expect it will take between one and two weeks for ACMA to issue your licence from the time you receive a letter from us saying that they have been sent to ACMA. If you include an e-mail address on your licence application ACMA will let you know by e-mail when your licence has been issued. Alternatively, keep checking the ACMA register of communications licence site at http://web.acma.gov.au/pls/radcom/register_search.main_page

If you haven't heard from ACMA 3 weeks after sending the forms to them, or after you have a letter from us saying we have sent them to ACMA, contact ACMA by email to nlec@acma.gov.au or by phone to 1300 805 115.
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General Meeting Minutes
Date: 16th June 2006
Start time: 08:00 PM.
Location: Guide Hall Cranbourne.
Chairperson: Albert Hubbard VK3BQO
Minute Taker: Bruno Tonizzo VK3BFT

Present: As per attendance sheet.
Visitors and Guests: Nil
Apologies: Phil Pavey VK3YB, Peter Pavey VK3VB, Pat Pavey VK3OZ, Dorothy & Helmut Inhoven VK3DHI, Dave Game VK3BJB, Andrew Brown, Geoff VK3HGG, Adam VK3MOC, Russ White VK3MWR

Correspondence Received:
Letter from B. Tautor listing items for sale.
Correspondence Sent: Nil tabled.
Treasurer’s Report:
As tabled
Read by: Mike Ide, VK3KTO Moved by: Mike Ide, VK3KTO Seconded by: Reg Goddard VK3UK Carried: Yes
New Call signs - Nil
Previous Minutes: As printed in the March 2006 GATEWAY magazine.
Read by: Albert Hubbard VK3BQO Moved by: Naree Ide Seconded by: Jenny Goddard
Carried: Yes

Business Arising from Previous Minutes:
Mid Year Dinner – Next Saturday Night we have booked for 30.

JOTA – Graeme Brown has volunteered to be the JOTA co-ordinator for 2006.

70cm Repeater – A lot of work has been put into testing the new 70cm repeater. Coverage is very good for members. Jan pointed out that the original antenna at the water tower was the best one but had noticed that the current antenna performance is affected by rain. Ian brought along a commercial 70cm power amplifier that we can use if required. General discussion continued about sites and antennas to use. A suggestion to link it to our 6m repeater VK3RDD.

Hamfest – 23 tables have been sold so far. We need to advertise for more sellers.

Albert will be purchasing the tower winches for the members that have paid. All monies to be paid tonight.

Albert asked the members to provide some suggestions for a venue to hold the GGREC 30th Anniversary celebrations next year.

GGREC Membership ID card. Ian Jackson will be taking photos tonight for the Club ID card. Cards will be available at the next GM at a cost of $4.00 each. Please have your money ready.

Phil Pavey was to be our Guest Speaker tonight but is not able to be here tonight.
Mike Ide spoke about the preparations for holding Foundation Licence courses at GGREC, and also gave a report about the ARV Annual General Meeting.

New Business:
Albert suggested that all members familiarise themselves with the Band Plans and Operating frequencies for each license type. This will avoid any on-air misunderstandings and we can also assist those who are new to the hobby.

Russ White sent an article about the "Centenary of first transmission from
the Australian mainland.  Some people are celebrating the event. What do the members want to do if anything?

Auction Night – Albert thanked Graeme Brown for being the auctioneer on the night.

Albert is fitting an exterior fluorescent light to the Guide Hall to illuminate the side pathway to the Club shack. Albert thanked Max & Bruno for helping him to install the underground power and above ground conduit last Friday.

Maryborough trip, Melbourne Cup long weekend – Dianne Jackson spoke about our proposed trip to Maryborough and the many activities to see and places to visit. Contact Dianne for more details or call the Caravan Park on 0354604848 to book a site / cabin. GGREC Life members, Kerry and Lynne Clayton are locals who can guide us to some good venues on the weekend as well as us visiting them.

RD Contest – To be held again in August 2006. GGREC will field a team.

Ian Jackson mentioned that ex member Chris Chapman can be heard / contacted on 80m 3.680 MHz while he tours Northern Australia.

Meeting Closed at around 09:30 PM.
Next Committee Meeting: Monday 26th June 2006, at the Club Rooms starting at 8:00pm. Next Prac Night: Friday 7th July 2006. Next General Meeting : 21st July 2006 at 8:00pm
Meeting Minutes
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