After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission invested heavily in a radically new communications network. After suffering some inevitable delays due to the War, radio VL3AA switched into full operation in October 1945 proudly beaming out 200 watts across the State. The communication systems were regarded at the time to be more technically advanced than the police and the military. These pioneering efforts were directed by Geoff Weste, and later technical experts like Rex Philpot, John Whitehead, Charlie Reisinger and many others who designed, built and repaired most of the radio equipment. There was a dedicated radio laboratory at Surrey Hills in Melbourne.Radio setManufactured by McLeod Electric - Derrinallumradios, forests commission victoria (fcv)