More parties using mountain radios

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32678, 6 August 1971, Page 10

More parties using mountain radios

Facilities offered by the Canterbury Mountain Radio Service had “really clicked” In the last year, and the use of radios had expanded rapidly, the organisation’s base station operator, Mr C. H. Turner, told the annual meeting last evening. It was interesting that some headmasters would not now allow school parties to go into the mountains unless they had one of the mountain radios with them, said one of the radio hire and maintenance officers, Mr P. White. “If there is no set available, they don’t go. People really want these sets now—they are coming to us,” he

It was "staggering” how much the sets were used, Mr White said. There had hardly been a day during the year when sets had nbt been out The chairman (Mr G. Harrow) said there had been occasions during the year when the service could have helped with searches but had not been contacted by the police. The organisation often had several sets in an area and could give assistance. However, he thought that thepolice now realised the

help that the Mountain Radio Service could give, and that the service would now be more often informed of searches or emergencies.

Mr Turner said experience had shown that the greatest risk in the mountains seemed to be with big parties of untrained persons, and it was in such cases that the radios were important.

Officers elected were: chairman, Mr R. Vickers; treasurer, Mr P. Napier; secretary, Mr A. Gourlay.