Tony Hobbs, G30JX, 30th December 2020

Tony Hobbs, G30JX (SK)

I write to you with sad news regarding Tony Hobbs, G30JX. Tony sadly passed away on the 30th of December 2020 at the age of 101. He had been resident at Thameside Care Home, West Molesey since August 2020 where he received the utmost of care and attention from a most professional team of carers. Tony was born of 20th May 1919, so was about 5 or so months short of his 102nd Birthday.

His remains will in due course travel to North Belconnen Uniting Church, Melba, Canberra, Australia, where he will rest with his beloved wife Hester.

Tony started work as an Apprentice for the Post Office Telephone Service when he was 18 years old. He graduated through the ranks, becoming a Post Office Engineer and ultimately to an Executive Engineer before retiring in 1979. His Office was at Camelford House in London. While he was an Executive Engineer was a Regional Engineer Liaison Officer with a responsibility for building planning, and had an overall responsibility for the Baynard House development and the Staines Sector Switching Centre.

Tony described himself as a listener more than a transmitter, though he used to take part in QRP contests – including once with a single-transistor design of only one watt. He said that he last listened some 15 years ago until his radio, as he described it, “gave up the ghost”. This coincided with what he called “The Tree Incident”: Tony’s aerial was supported by a tree in his back garden, which was blown down in a gale, damaging a neighbours fence and effectively ending Tony’s days of listening.

Tony maintained a collection of pre-war QSL Cards. He also held an Australian Amateur Radio Licence from 1977 with the callsign VK2DMS. He was a member of the Acton, Brentford and Chiswick Radio Club, which was wound up in 1995 on account that “there were too many oldies to keep it going”. He remained, however, an avid reader of RadCom.

Category: Silent Keys