Vanuit ons Verlede
QUA, Januarie 1981

Wie ken die geskiedenis van tak Bloemfontein? Tydens die spesiale dag ter viering van Bloemfontein se verjaardag, het Koos ZS1AW en Annie, ZS1AZ die stasie by Loch Logan besoek. Daar is onder ander gesels oor tak Bloemfontein in die jare toet, en Annie is gevra of sy nie dalk lus het om so ‘n bietjie van die vroeer jare se geskiedenis vir ons op skrif te stel nie. As gevolg daarvan het one ‘n baie interessante brief van haar ontvang en ons plaas hier uittreksels daaruit wat so ’n bietjie lig werp op die tak in daardie jare.
 
Die eerste radio amateur in die Vrystaat was W.E. Dixon Bennett met die roepsein A3V, later ZS4P. Nog 'n eertydse amateur was C.H. Hill, ZS4M. Ongelukkig weet ons nie in watter jaar die OKs aktief was nie.
 
Voor die tweede wêreldoorlog was daar reeds ‘n hele paar aktiewe amateurs in Afdeling 4, wat toe seker al dieselfde grense gehad het soos nou. C.P. Tennant, ZS4A, Mike van der Walt, ZS4N, Hennie Britz, ZS4AG, H. van der Merwe, ZS4BA, almal in Bloemfontein, D. Malan, ZS4H en R.O. Davidson, ZS4D in Kimberley, Dirk Human, ZS4T in Bothaville, Basil Unwin, ZS4AA in Kroonstad, R. Lawrence, ZS4AF in Harrismith en J. Gertenbach in Koffiefontein.

Gedurende die oorlog is alle amateur aktiwiteite gestaak en in 1945 het daar weer belangstelling in amateur radio begin opvlam.  Met die hoop dat amateur radio weer binnekort toegelaat sal word het nuwelinge begin Morse-kode leer en vooroorlogse amateurs opgesoek vir hulp en raad met die oog op die bou van uitrusting.

In 1946 is amateur radio weer toegelaat en die getal amateurs het vinnig toegeneem. In daardie jare was twee bekwame seiners in diens by 64 Lugskool wat toevallig ook amateurs was.  Die amateurs het hul roepseine teruggekry en Eric Lowe, ZS6DY en Arthur Coetzee, ZS6EU bet klasse gereël vir aspirant amateurs.

In dieselfde jaar is ‘n vergadering gereël deur vroeër lede van die SARRL waarna alle belangstellendes uitgenooi is. In die saal van die Spoorwegontspanningsklub is sake bespreek en ‘n komitee is gekies met Hennie Britz, ZS4AG voorsitter, Mike van der Walt, ZS4H ondervoorsitter en Annie van der Merwe, ZS4AZ, die eerste dame wat lid geword het, sekretaresse/tesouriere. En so het die tak met ay werksaamhede voortgegaan en intussen is die SARRL na die SARL verander.

In 1968 op die AJV te Stellenbosch is deur die afgevaardigde vir tak Bloemfontein versoek dat die naam verander word na tak Vrystaat en die versoek is goedgekeur. Twaalf jaar later, in 1980 sou daar eers weer ‘n tak Bloemfontein ontstaan.

Is daar miskien van ons lesers wat nog feite uit die verlede kan onthou? Laat weet gerus, dit kan net interessant wees.

Nog ‘n brokkie uit die verlede, wat vir party ou nuus is maar vir ander iets waarvan hulle glad nie bewus was nie, is die felt dat die eerste kontak op 10 meter tussen Suid-Afrika en die Verenigde State van Amerika op 1 Januarie 1930 tussen ZS4N in Bloemfontein en W2JM in New Jersey plaasgevind het.  

From Our Past

QUA, January 1981
Translated by Dennis, ZS4BS 

Who knows the history of the Bloemfontein Branch? During the special day of celebration of Bloemfontein’s birthday, Koos, ZS1AW and Annie, ZS1AZ visited the station at Loch Logan. One of the matters discussed wat the Bloemfontein Branch of many years ago, and Annie was asked if she would not put some of the early history on to paper. Because of this, we received a very interesting letter from her, and are placing excerpts from it to enlighten readers about the branch of those years.
 
The first radio amateur in the Free State was W.E. Dixon Bennett with the call sign A3V, later ZS4P. Another erstwhile amateur was C.H. Hill, ZS4M. Unfortunately, we do not know in which years these gentlemen were active.
 
Before the Second World War, there were a number of active amateurs in Division 4, which probably had the same borders as now. C.P. Tennant, ZS4A, Mike van der Walt, ZS4N, Hennie Britz, ZS4AG, H. van der Merwe, ZS4BA, all from Bloemfontein, D. Malan, ZS4H and R.O. Davidson, ZS4D in Kimberley, Dirk Human, ZS4T in Bothaville, Basil Unwin, ZS4AA in Kroonstad, R. Lawrence, ZS4AF in Harrismith and J. Gertenbach in Koffiefontein.
 
During the war, all amateur activities wee stopped and in 1945, the interest in amateur radio started to pick up again. With the hope that amateur radio activities would soon be allowed again, newcomers started learning Morse code and visiting pre-war amateurs looking for help and advice to build equipment.
 
In 1946, amateur radio became available again and the number of amateurs increased rapidly. In these years, there were two competent signallers working at 64 Air School who happened to be radio amateurs. The amateurs received their call signs again and Eric Lowe, ZS6DY and Arthur Coetzee, ZS6EU arranged classes for the aspiring amateurs.
 
In the same year, former members of the SARRL arranged a meeting and to which all interested members were invited. In the hall of the Railway Recreation Club matters were discussed and a committee was elected with Hennie Britz, ZS4AG chairman, Mike van der Walt, ZS4H vice chairman and Annie van der Merwe, ZS4AZ, the first lady to become a member, as secretary/treasurer. And so the branch continued with its activities and the SARRL changed to the SARL.
 
In 1968 at the AGM in Stellenbosch, the delegate from the Bloemfontein branch requested that the name be changed to ‘tak Vrystaat’ and the request was approved. Twelve years later, in 1980 would a Bloemfontein branch again be established.
 
Are there maybe some of our readers who can remember more facts from the past? Let us now, it could be interesting.
 
Another snippet from the past, for some old news but for others something they are not aware of, is the fact that the first contact made on 10 metres between South Africa and the United States of America on 1 January 1930 was between ZS4N in Bloemfontein and W2JM in New Jersey.

Die Ontstaan Van Ons Tak

QUA, Januarie 1986

 
Aan die begin van 1979 het OK Willem, ZS4HD, die bul "by die horings gepak en die besluit wat hy en OK David, ZS4Z, geneem het uitgevoer. Hy het 'n lokaal by die Tegniese Kollege verkry (een van die klaskamers) en 'n aantal uitnodigings uitgestuur aan diegene wat moontlik geïnteresseerd sou wees om 'n radio klub te stig.
 
Bogenoemde was die gevolg van 'n groot aantal opinies wat aan OK Willem en OK David, uitgespreek is, dat dit tyd geword het dat eerstens 'n radioklub en tweedens, 'n tak van die SARL in Bloemfontein gestig word. Die feit dat Burgerband aktiwiteit kort vantevore deur die wet toegelaat is, het baie hiertoe bygedra, en het entoesiasme en belangstelling in radiokommunikasie laat opvlam.
 
Die gevolg was dat in Junie, 1979, 'n vergadering in die Vrystaatse Tegniese Kollege gehou is onder die voorsitterskap van OK Willem, ZS4HD, en met groot entoesiasme is ‘n radioklub gestig.  Hierdie klub het ook daartoe gelei dat 'n kursus van lesings by die Tegniese Kollege, met OK Willem as lektor, met die oog op die Amateur Radio Eksamen van die Poskantoor, ingestel is. Dit het die gevolg gehad dat 'n hele aantal nuwe amateurs op die lug is.
 
Teen die einde van 1979 is daar gevoel dat die Klub omskep moet word in 'n volwaardige tak van die SARL, en die sekretaris is gevra om aan die SARL in hierdie verband te skryf.
 
Vroeg in 1980 is die antwoord ontvang, en 'n vereiste was dat 25 lede van die SARL moet gewillig wees om lede van die tak te word. Hierdie vereiste is maklik bereik en daar is besluit op lede van die radioklub wat nie lede van die SARL wou word nie, as 'n klub aanhangsel van die Tak te konstitueer.
 
Die SARL het sy goedkeuring gegee en voorgestel dat die stigting van die nuwe tak by hul AJV gedurende die Paasnaweek aangekondig word, met die verstandhouding dat die Bloemfontein Tak formeel vanaf 1 Julie 1980 sou fungeer.  Nietemin het die aktiwiteite onoffisieel voortgegaan en het die organisasie gegroei.
 
Die jaar 1980 is afgesluit met die volgende ledetal:
SARL Lede ................ 50
Klublede .................... 11
 
Voorwaar 'n pragtige prestasie! Dit bewys die entoesiasme 'wat daar bestaan. 

The Establishment Of Our Branch

QUA, January 1986
Translated by Dennis, ZS4BS 

At the beginning of 1979, Willem, ZS4HD, “took the bull by the horns” and executed the decision he and David, ZS4Z had taken. He arranged a venue at the Technical College (one of the classrooms) and sent out a number of invitations to those persons who would possibly be interested in forming a radio club.
 
The abovementioned resulted from a large number of opinions expressed to Willem and David, that it is time to firstly establish a radio club and secondly a branch of the SARL in Bloemfontein. The fact that Citizen Band activity had just been allowed by the Telecommunications Act, had contributed to this and the enthusiasm and interest in radio communication started to pick up.
 
Because of this, a meeting was held at the Free State Technical College June 1979, with Willem, ZS4HD in the chair, and with a lot of enthusiasm, a radio club was established. The establishment of the club led to a course of lectures at the Technical College, aimed at the Radio Amateur exam of the Post Office, with Willem as lecturer. This resulted in a whole lot of new amateurs on the air.
 
At the end of 1979, it was felt that the Club must be converted to the status of a branch of the SARL, and the secretary was tasked to write a letter to the SARL in this connection.
 
Early in 1980 the answer was received and one of the criteria was that 25 members of the SARL had to be willing to be members of the branch. This requirement was easily met and it was decided that members of the radio club who were not SARL members would be constituted as social member of the branch.
 
The SARL gave its approval and proposed that the establishment of the new branch be announced at the AGM during the Easter weekend with the understanding that the Bloemfontein Branch would formally begin functioning from 1 July 1980. Notwithstanding this, the activities continued unofficially and the organisation grew.
 
The year 1980 closed with the following membership:
SARL members ................ 50
Club members................... 11
 
Indeed a fine achievement! It proves the enthusiasm that exists.
 

Dennis ZS4BS
Copyright © 2012 [BARC].

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Revised: 11/09/16.