Trevor Thatcher has passed on the sad news that Deane passed away yesterday Tuesday 8 October 2019 after losing a long battle with cancer.
Deane started work for AWA/OTC around August/Sept of 1946 during the transition year of the changeover from AWA Beam Wireless to OTC. Commenced as a “Circulation Clerk”.
He worked in the Melbourne Operating Room (MOR), Fanning Island, Cottesloe Cable Station and back to MOR before resigning from OTC in 1963 to take up a teaching job at the PNG technical college in Port Moresby.
When he arrived in Port Moresby he was met by the two bosses of the Posts & Telegraph Dept at the Port Moresby airport and was asked to go to Kavieng for a while because they were having extreme problems in that district.
Deane accepted the opportunity and liked Kavieng so much he asked to stay. Deane spent the next 7 years as OIC New Ireland District and also New Britain District.
Schooling and 3 adolescent daughters made it obvious that he needed to come back to Australia so returned to Brisbane 1970 to join PMG as a Radio Inspector. He didn’t last long in PMG as he was poached almost immediately by Jim Fez to join AWA as a Marine Radio Officer. He stayed with AWA until his retirement.
If you would like to share a Tribute to Deane with the wider OTVA fraternity please email it to me together with any photos that you might want to share. I will also pass them on to Deane’s family.
4 Comments
Deane Laws has until recently been a very active member of the amateur fraternity.
He will long be remembered within our ranks, for his sense of humour and his continuing participation in the hobby.
Memories of him will remain in our hearts and minds forever”
Trevor Thatcher
Please extend to the family my personal sympathy of Ted’s passing.
I was involved with Ted during his time in the Training section in OTC, and he was always a gentleman, helpful and a pleasure to work with.
Very sad news and may he RIP.
Tony Farrugia
Sad to hear of the passing of Deane Laws.
Although I didn’t work with Deane, he and I participated in a re-enactment of the world’s first ship-shore W/T contact with the naval vessel “GAYUNDAH” which happened in 1903 off Brisbane. Deane was a first class operator and a great bloke. I spoke with him often via amateur radio. My deepest condolences to his family.
May they rest in peace.
Peter Hewitson
Wamuran, Queensland
I wondered about the funeral, but Mick Woods’ daughter wrote that there was no funeral, only scattering of his ashes at Tallabudgera where he lived.
Deane was a long time associate of my late husband, Gray, and they lunched together at the surf club on many occasions when we were visiting the Gold Coast to stay with our daughter. In the latter years, after I had come up to the Gold Coast to live, I saw Deane on many occasion as he was a good friend of Mick Wood – we always spent the AFL Grand Final day together, eating meat pies, and on one occasion, cheering on his team, the Sydney Swans. After lunch it was a serious business: no talking during play! But a lot of fun,
Bev MacDonald