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nl r' 'W& iu: HISTORY-ONICS VOL. 19 NO. 2 APRIL 2001 THE NEWSLETTER OF THE^WEST VANCOUVER HISTORICAL SOCIETY SEE THE "SPARCS" FLY! What is a "Sparc"? Come and join us at our Aprii meeting and find out more about the enthusiasts who are members of this wonderfui organisation. SPARC stands for the Society for the Preservation of Antique Radio in Canada. Our speaker for April, Fred G.Carey, AScT, will refresh old memories of early radio in Canada and what it meant to so many people, especially those in isolated places. Surely it is not too much to say that radio was the cement which held much of the country together in the 20’s, 30's, 40's and 50's - before the advent of television! Our April speaker, Fred G. Carey, works for Telus Mobility in Radio Engineering, and has been a keen amateur radio operator for over 30 years. (Call sign VE7EJ). Fred is also an avid scuba diver, and was involved as a volunteer with the Underwater Archaeological Society of British Columbia as the Director of Education in the mid 1980's. During this time, Fred was involved with the preservation and education of many historical shipwreck sites along the BC Coast. In this capacity Fred was working in conjunction with the Vancouver Maritime Museum and discovered many artifacts in storage that were remnants of tlie West Coast Radio service which began as early as 1903. Over the next 15 years Fred studied the operation and design of the early spark gap equipment, and met and interviewed many retired people involved with the early service. Fred helped encourage Larry Reid (Department of Communications Canada, Chief Inspector, Retd.) to write a book on the History of the West Coast Radio Service and had it published. During the research of the early Marconi equipment (similar to the type used on the Titanic) Fred met many talented people, who were very interested in the history and preservation of Canadian radio history. It became clear that the early equipment should no longer exist unnoticed in the bowels of a Museum, but should be on display for all to The Next General Meeting Will be held on Wednesday April 25th, 2001, at 7:00 pm in the Activity Room of the West Vancouver Seniors' Activity Centre 685-21st Street (parking off Fulton Avenue between 21st and 22nd Streets). All Visitors are Welcome enjoy, this was the beginning of a major project that ended up larger than anyone had ever imagined. Fred is also a licensed pilot and travels the province dm ing his real work, iii search of more of our fascinating Canadian radio history. (See page 2 for more on the Museum) Original Equipment from 1996 film ’Titanic" Photo: SPARC Museum What's Inside: News of the Society V ..r â- â€¢X' - . .v2^ Special HeEjt$|e Aw^ds ...;. ^^,.. A Note From tlpari Skipper . v .... An Interesting IhfprmatiOii Museum In a Suitcase -^l^Childrfeii........8