After the 1939 bushfires, the Forests Commission Victoria 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. But by today’s standards, the technology was primitive and the reception poor unless the user was on a high point somewhere. The radio signal was "line-of-sight" and bounced between fire towers and relay transmitters across the mountains back to the District offices. The advent of solid-state electronics in the 1960s replaced the more delicate valve sets which enabled greater use of vehicle mounted radios. The Commission continued to research, develop and build new radios at its many workshops around Victoria. The network was supported by a large team of skilled radio technicians. The more secure and versatile State Mobile Radio (SMR) digital trunk system came into operation in about 1995. Upgraded Tait Radios were purchased in 2014 after recommendations of the 2009 Bushfires Royal Commission. But it was the convergence of separate technologies such as 5G mobile phones, high-capacity and light-weight lithium batteries, Wi-Fi, the ever-expanding internet, cloud data storage, digital cameras, GPS, personal organisers and hundreds of supporting Apps into powerful smartphones and tablets which revolutionised bushfire communications from the mid-2000s. Portable radio with handset Includes battery pack in vinyl carry case and carry strap With socket to attach external aerialModel Ebushfire, radios, forests commission victoria (fcv)

Four hand written pages and typed copy, titled The Victoria Hill - Special Features. Notes mention the Victoria Hill, the deepest workings on the field,the first mine on the field to 2,000 and 3,000 feet in depth, Ballerstedt's Open-Cut, Rae;s Open-Cut, Wittscheibe's Jeweller's Shop, the Adventure, the richest cross-section of the whole of the Bendigo Goldfield, the first mine to pay dividends from ore mined below 1,000 feet to 1,500 feet from the surface, the tallest poppet legs on the field, Lazarus Mine, Barnet Lazarus, Mt Alvernia Hospital, Central Red White & Blue. Notes prepared by Albert Richardson.document, gold, victoria hill, victoria hill, victoria hill - special features, john neill macartney, the argus, the australasian, bendigo goldfields registry, victoria reef quartz mine, the deepest workings on the field, the first mine on the field to reach 2, 000 and 3, 000 feet in depth, lansell's 'big 180' mine, hot water, george lansell, theodore ballerstedt, fortuna, ballerstedt's open-cut, rae's open-cut, wittscheibe's jeweller's shop, adventure, advance, cinderella, the private pioneer coy, new chum & victoria mine, a h q survey regiment, tallest poppet legs, lazarus mine, barnet lazarus, mt alvernia hospital, central redwhite and blue, hudson's, burrowes & sterry, b c v 8 television station, swan hill's channel 11