Historic 1924 Pacific radio link celebrated in Gisborne and Argentina

Mayor Rehette Stoltz and Gisborne Amateur Radio Club members (from left) Aidan Kirk (president), Scott Casley, Rusty Barker, Laura Jackson and Steve Main (vice-president) with members of the Radio Club of Argentina (on the screen) commemorate the historic event of a century whem radio hams from Gisborne and Buenos Aires made contact with each other across the Pacific -10,000 kilometres from each other. Photo /Paul Rickard

Argentine radio operators have asked Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz to name a local street after Gisborne radio ham Ivan O’Meara to honour his historic achievement of 100 years ago.

It was May 22, 1924, when O’Meara made the first radio contact across the Pacific Ocean to fellow “ham” Carlos Braggio 10,000km away in Buenos Aires.

The feat was believed to be impossible at the time and the success of O’Meara and Braggio was reported across the world.

Radio Club Argentina members and their Gisborne counterparts contacted each other by Zoom on Saturday morning (NZ time) to honour their predecessors.

Gisborne Amateur Radio Club co-ordinator Scott Casley said Saturday’s function, with Stoltz as an invited guest, was the formal commemoration of the events of 1924.

It was Friday night in Argentina and many of the local radio operators were shortly departing to wine, dine and party.

But before the Argentines left, they told Stoltz there was a street in Buenos Aires named after Braggio and they would like O’Meara to be honoured in a similar way in his hometown.

Stoltz said it was great to be part of recreating history on Saturday, and speaking with Argentina as they did 100 years ago.

“I can imagine the excitement in 1924 when Ivan O’Meara first made contact with Bernal, near Buenos Aires, 10,000km away,” she said.

“It was a huge achievement for our region and those in Argentina.”

Casley said the Argentines had Braggio’s original radio receiver he had used in 1924.

It was a taonga for Radio Club Argentina while members of Gisborne Amateur Radio Club now have their own 1924 taonga.

Casley said a member of the public who had read of Saturday’s event took in the Morse code key used by O’Meara.

“It had been passed down to different people over the years and he [the current owner] brought it down to the club on Saturday morning.

About 20 people attended Saturday’s event at the club’s rooms at EIT Tairāwhiti Te Pūkenga, including club members and “silent keys”.

Casley said “silent keys” were relatives of deceased club members

Some of them donated old gear to the club

“It was great to meet them. It’s all about the people and the connection. That is what is so great about the connection with Argentina - it will be ongoing.”

Among the silent keys who attended was Gail Pattie, granddaughter of another legendary Gisborne ham operator, Bob Pattie.

Pattie, O’Meara and Percey Steen got one of the first radio station licences in New Zealand and began to operate as 2YM in 1923.

Gail Pattie had many stories to tell about her grandfather and presented old newspaper clippings about him to the club.

“He built the first ship-to-shore radio telephone in the world - in Gisborne,” Casley said.

“It’s amazing what we’ve done here.”

Today, the actual centenary of the day Braggio and O’Meara made history, Gisborne Amateur Radio Club members will get together to contact their new Argentinian friends.