South Canterbury Amateur Radio Club: Timaru's Silent Guardians of the Airwaves

In a quiet corner of Timaru's Parkside, where model trains chug along miniature tracks, another kind of engineering marvel comes to life each month. The South Canterbury Amateur Radio Club (Branch 34) has been the region's communications backbone since 1952, proving that in the digital age, radio waves still carry the most reliable signals across the Canterbury Plains.

Monthly Meetups Among Model Engineers

The club's gatherings blend technical know-how with good old-fashioned Kiwi ingenuity:
🗓 Last Monday monthly (except December) at 7:30pm
📍 Model Engineers Clubrooms, Rose & Catherine Streets corner
🔧 Shared space where radio and rail enthusiasts swap troubleshooting tips

"During the 2017 snowstorms, our members kept emergency services connected when cell towers failed," says President James O'Hare ZL3JH, a local farmer.

On-Air Community Building

The club maintains vital networks:
📻 Sunday 7pm VHF net on 6625kHz - a must for local boaties and farmers
🏔️ Repeater systems maintained by Ken Osborne ZL3OZ and O'Hare
🚨 AREC emergency team led by Secretary David Hetherington ZL3UDH

Learning the Rural Way

With exam supervision from experienced members, the club offers:
✅ Agricultural-focused radio training for remote stations
✅ Maritime radio operation for South Canterbury's fishing fleet
✅ Youth STEM initiatives at local schools

Join the South Canterbury Network

Visit: Last Mondays at the Model Engineers Clubrooms
Contact: Secretary David Hetherington (zl3udh@xtra.co.nz)

In a region where weather dictates daily life, these radio operators keep South Canterbury connected - proving that sometimes the most advanced technology is that which works when all else fails.

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[Did You Know?]
The club's VHF net regularly reaches fishing boats 50km offshore. Their shared clubhouse with model engineers reflects Timaru's proud engineering heritage - where practical skills still matter most.