WIA Announces Club Grants for 2006

The President of the WIA, Michael Owen announced today the grants to be made to WIA Affiliated Clubs under the Club Grants Scheme for 2006.

Ken Fuller VK4KF as Chair, Deane Blackman VK3TX and Wally Howse VK6KZ had accepted the WIA Board�s invitation to constitute the Grant Committee for 2006.

18 proposals for were submitted to the Committee, which has evaluated the proposals and, in accordance with the Club Grants Scheme Rules, reported to the Board. The Board has now made a final determination accepting in full the recommendations of the Committee.

5 grants will be made, some subject to certain conditions, as follows, in no particular order.

The Scout Radio Activities Group, with approximately 50% WIA membership, a grant of $770 to support the building and operating of 3 APRS Tracking Units as a demonstration project for scouts and like groups, subject to the Group agreeing to providing a report on the project�s achievements in 6 months.

The Orana Region ARC, with approximately 50% WIA membership, $930 toward a project to link 5 repeaters to improve 2 meter and 70 centimetre coverage over an extensive area in the Condobolin and Dubbo areas of New South Wales.

The Northern Tasmania ARC, with a 58% WIA membership, $1,900 toward the purchase of a commercial diplexer to allow mounting of the transmitter and receiver antennas at single point on its Mt Barrow site, covering a wide area of Tasmania, subject to the condition that the club can, within 6 months, satisfy the WIA that it can either access the funds to complete the purchase or find another source for the diplexer with the grant.

The East Gippsland ARC, with an 86% WIA membership, $500 to replace solar panels stolen from the club�s repeater site at Mt Cann.

Ballarat Amateur Radio Club, with an 80% WIA membership, $900 to fund phase 3 of stage 1 of a project to establish a modern HF and 2 metre and 70 centimetre club station providing facilities for remote access in times of emergency and for members from their homes and elsewhere, described by the Committee as the most innovative of all the proposals submitted, and also commended as being very well presented.

The full report of the Grant Committee can be found on the WIA website.

The Board will be giving effect to the other recommendations made by the Committee.

The Board thanks all who offered proposals for consideration, and particularly thanks the members of the Grant Committee for a detailed, carefully considered and well presented report.

17 August 2006

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