West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Saturday 8 April 1933, page 9


SOME EARLY HISTORY.

THE ORIGINAL 6WF ---------------------------Opening Ceremony Described.

It is interesting to read the report in 'The West Australian' of 'the opening of the original 6WF (the fourth broad casting station to go on the air in Aus

tralia) on June 4, 1924. Evidently the journalists of nine years ago were not conversant with radio, as in one place Mr. P. Collier is described as speaking into a 'receiver,' instead of into a 'micro-phone.' The report is as follows:— 'No other Premier of the State ever spoke to such a wide audience of the people as did Mr Collier last night, when he opened the new broadcasting station of tne Westralian Farmers, Ltd. The occa-sion was a unique one in the history of the State, because of the simple reason that listeners in towns as far distant from Perth as Geraldton, Sandstone, Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Albany and Bunbury were waiting to hear what the Premier had to say. 'With the advance of the Science of wireless telegraphy the Westralian Far-mers, Ltd., decided to instal a broadcast ing station, and last night it was formally opened by the Premier, Mr. Collier. To celebrate the occasion, the company in vited a large number of guests to the ceremony. Prior to the actual opening ceremony, the guests, who numbered seve ral hundred, inspected the plant, which was so extensive that it extended over three floors .of the building. Mr. Basil Murray, on behalf of the company, welcomed the, guests. He ex plained that later in the evening the Pre mier, would declare the station open by speaking into a receiver on an upper floor, where the studio, was situated, From the studio, the speech and the subsequent concert would be transmitted to the aerials and reconveyed to the receivers in the main reception room, where the main party of the guests were gathered, also hroughout the State. The gathering filled the large room, and when Mr. Collier was introduced to the audience by medium of; the loud speaker by Mr. Murray, his voice was very clear. It was so clear that every word carried distinctly to each part of the large room. The various concert items were also very distinct. Subse-quently Mr. J. Thomson, who controlled; the operations, was complimented. The Premier, in his .address through the wireless receiving apparatus, said he greatly appreciated the privilege of open-ing the first broadcasting system of wire-less telephony and - telegraphy in West-ern Australia. It had been installed at a cost of approximately £12.000, and had a broadcasting capacity of 600 miles. Westra-ilian Farmers, Ltd., which had installed the 'service, deserved great credit for its en-terprise. It had 6,000 clients to Cater for,

and its service would also be for the edifi-cation of all those who possessed receiv-ing sets in any part of the' State. Such an installation would serve to overcome the isolation which was one of the dis-abilities of present day life in the country. ''The service would annihilate .distance, and bring the people of the outback into touch with everyday life, and enjoy-ment of the city, and of other countriies, whose messages came over the ether. A station of the kind he was opening had a very special significance to Western Aust-tralia, because of the great distances of the State. and the comparatively few people who lived here. In no other State did the same conditions apply. An innovation of the nature of the broadcasting service would be of immeasurably greater value to the people of the remotest areas of the State than the people who lived in the metropolitan area. " From Esperance Wyndham the owners of small receiving sets would be able to listen in and enjoy all that could be offered in the city in the way of music, song, lecture, and general vocal entertain-ment. Broadcasting was a-wonderful science. It had made great progress during the past ten years. A cable message in today's paper informed them of a suc-cessful experiment in wireless telephony between Great Britain and Australia, It could be truly said that the day marked an epoch in the history of Western Aus-tralia, because it established not only State-wide communication between the ether of the State, but world-wide. To him, as Premier of the State, it was very gratifying to know the station had been designed and manufactured in Australia, and, being the most powerful of its kind in the Commonwealth, it reflected great credit on those responsible for its instal-lation. . Conduding, Mr. Collie said: "While you are compelled to listen to me, you cannot talk back or interject, for if you attempt to do so I would be blissfully unconscious." He declared the broadcast-ing station open.' Subsequently a long programme of mu-sical items was rendered, those contri-buting being Mr. G. C. Haywood, Miss Lilian Pether, the Wendowie Quartette, Mr. H. Gibson, and Mr. R. Francis.