E-Learning and the National Broadband Network

A recent paper from February 2013 foreshadowing the dynamic changes in e-Learning from Australia’s roll-out of the National Broadband Network.

The Eucla Recorder (1898 –1900)

The rise of Eucla in the late nineteenth-century as a border telegraph station, located on Western Australia’s southern maritime border with South Australia, has been celebrated by Moyal (1984) for the cohesion and resilience of its skilled workforce. This article further explores the Eucla story, offering a vivid snapshot of the community’s preoccupations and challenges at the end of the 19th century through the pages of its monthly newspaper, the Eucla Recorder (1898 – 1900).

Historic Technical News Items

Two historic technical news items from 1970 covering the Australian Post Office’s involvement in the Apollo 13 emergency and a non-theoretical review of laser developments.

Impressions of an Overseas Visit

A fascinating paper from 1961 contrasting the technical and general differences in providing telecommunications services in Europe, North America and Australia.

Communications for the America’s Cup Challenge

Two historic papers from a special issue of the Journal in 1986 featuring the communication requirements for the America’s Cup 1986/87 challenge in Fremantle.

Black Mountain Tower Canberra

Two historic papers from a special issue of the Journal in 1981 featuring the new Black Mountain telecommunications tower in Canberra.

'And Now the Biography': 150 Years of 'Telegraph' Todd

'Telegraph' Todd was celebrated for his achievement in planning and organising the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to Darwin, linking Australia to the outside world. Yet Todd himself has remained a shadowy figure, eluding a series of biographers for more than a century after his death. This article identifies the increasing availability of biographical resources over time and reviews the challenges which biographers faced in bringing to life the career of a great...

A Historical Perspective on WRESAT

On 29 November 1967 at 2:19 pm (local time), a small scientific satellite named the Weapons Research Establishment SATellite (WRESAT) was launched from Woomera, South Australia. Australia was the third country in the world to launch a satellite into space from its own territory. This paper is the author's personal account of his part in the project.

The Weatherman from Greenwich

A new book, The Weatherman from Greenwich: Charles Todd  1826 to 1910, promises to be a biography of Charles Todd, telecommunications pioneer in Australia. The title is, however, misleading. Most of the book is devoted to social influences in England and South Australia that may have shaped Todds early life. Todds early technical experience in England and his first activities in Australia are briefly sketched. Readers seeking a fuller account of Todds life and achievements should look elsewhere...

Behind the Legend

In 2017 a new biography, Behind the Legend - The Many Worlds of Charles Todd, by Denis Cryle, was published. Cryle has written an engaging book that is thoroughly researched and referenced. It will appeal both to historians and to the general reader without expertise in any of the scientific or technical fields inhabited by Todd.