Wally and Arisaka san
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Kunbare KunbareOn July 15-20, 1996 The Townsville Amateur Radio Club or TARC on behalf of WIA hosted the 2nd IARU region 3 - ARDF Amateur Radio Direction Finding Championships. I was very interested in this activities and had tried to understand the rules but with my limited English and the technical terms made it difficult for me. I decided to go there to observe. I tried to contact Wally Watkins, VK4DO to get the detail of how to attend and the cost I had to pay in order to observe. Wally was very kind. He told me to come, no fee. He let me be in every process to closely observe. The event was in the James Cook University, Townsville, Australia. It was vacation period so we all stayed in the dormitory and eat at the students' cafeteria. The facilities were very good. The food also very good. I was very happy with the large salad bare, with various kinds of fresh vegetable and mushroom. There were big steak, stew etc.. Everyone enjoy it.. [That was how I was sure that the food was very good . because I happily took only salad on my every meal.. hi] Almost 200 people were there, from about 9 countries, both in young age and young at heart, men and women. Chen Ping, BA1HAM, the IARU R3 ARDF Chairman was the leader of the referee team. I had learned a lot from him too. There was one day for a rest. We went to see a large aquarium which had a large movie dome that showed on the ceiling and the chairs’ back could bend to almost flat position. It was cool and comfortable that, if the movies were not that interesting, I would have soundly slept. The afternoon program was to an open zoo. We were exciting to see cute koalas, quiet snake, sleepy dingoes, angry crocodiles, jumping kangaroos, talkative Cockatoo that was running around tried to chase other birds away from his food. The Emus were very interesting. They did not seem to be afraid of human being, but rather be interested to look at us as if we were there to show them. If we had bird food bag in our hands he would come to us right away and command us to feed him. I ran my fingers under his neck and to my surprise, he stopped all his activities and slowly stretched his neck and close his eyes… in a few minutes he dropped down, sleeping on the road.. On the competition day, a bus took us to the area. Everyone had to put their equipments together until the competition time. so many interesting equipments. There were a few accidents. One Japanese man reached us without shirt and the number.. After touching the finishing line he then lied down, took the bloody bandage from his forehead. He use his t-shirt and the number cloth to stop the blood, but never stop running.. Anderson, the competitor from New Zealand had his ankle twisted. He would be in trouble if Kumiko, JA4KER, the beautiful Japanese young lady did not decided to go off the competition and ran back to get help for him. At the finishing point Yoshio Arisaka san, JA1HQG Japanese team leader always stood there and cheered.. Kanbare, Kanbare.. whenever a Japanese ran close by. So I went there to help him cheer when anyone was running to the finishing point.. soon the Kanbaree was very famous, every one cheered without even knew the meaning.. Kanbare, Kanbare was cheering with laughter in the hall when each winner got their medals.. Don’t ask me. I still don’t know what is the meaning.. |
The mare and the lady councillor of Townvilles
invited us for a thanks dinner. All the ladies
would like to take picture with him so he became