On our way home (Monday 21st November 2022) we had planned on trying to activate as many silos as possible for the Silos On The Air (SiOTA) program. We had a 410 km drive ahead of us and it was already late in the morning, so each activation was going to be quick.

Our first silo was the Horsham silo VK-HRM3, in western Victoria.

Above:- Map showing the location of Horsham. Map c/o Google maps.

Horsham is a regional city in western Victoria about 300 km northwest of Melbourne. It has a population of about 20,429 people (2021 census). It is the 11th largest city in Victoria.

It was named Horsham by James Monckton Darlot (b. 1811. d. 1903), an early settler in the area, after his native town of Horsham in the United Kingdom.

Above:- Article from The Blayney Advocate and Carcoar Herald, Sat 20 Jul 1901. Image c/o Trove

The Horsham silo features silo art. The silo itself has a painting of Yanggendyiaanyuk, an aboriginal man whose tracking skills were used. On the old flour mill next to the silo is a painting of a Red-tailed Black Cockatoo.

The murals were painted by artist Sam Bates @ Smug and were completed in May 2022. The mural is titled The Yangga Dyata which means ‘Walking on Country’. 

Yanggendyinanyuk (b. c. 1834d. 1866), also known as ‘Dick-a-Dick’, Dicky Dick, King Richard, Richard Kennedy, and Richard Barney, was a tracker and cricketer. He was a member of the first Australian cricket team to tour England in 1868, composed of aboriginal Australians.

Above:- The aboriginal cricket team, c. 1867 at the Melbourne Cricket Team. Image c/o State Library NSW

The story of this cricket team is little known by many Australians I have found. There is a brilliant museum at Harrow, the Harrow Discovery Centre, which we have visited and tells the story of the team.

On Friday the 12th day of August 1864, in the mallee scrub near Natimuk, three white children, Isaac Cooper, Jane Cooper and Frank Duff, went missing. Their tracks were found the following day, however a thunderstorm developed and this resulted in the tracks being destroyed. The official search for the children was subsequently cancelled and the children were reported as being dead.

Six days later on the 18th day of August 1864, a neighbour of the Duff family suggested that Dick-a-Dick and other Wotjobaluk aboriginal trackers be used. The Duff family agreed and as a result, Dick-a-Dick took two other Wotjobaluk men, Jerry and Fred, with him and recommenced a search. Within hours they located the children.

As a result Dick-a-Dick became a hero and was called King Richard. He and the other two aboriginal trackers received a reward of £15 between them. They were permitted to spend £5 in whatever fashion they chose, while the remaining amount ws given to their white employer.

Above:- from an article in The Australian News for Home Readers, Sat 24 Sep 1864. Image c/o Trove.

We operated from the 4WD directly alongside of the silo on Wawunna Road, Horsham. We used the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 self tuning antenna for this activation.

Above:- The location of the silo and the activation zone. Image c/o SiOTA website.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK2MET
3. VK1AO
4. VK5FANA

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK2MET
3. VK1AO
4. VK5FANA
5. VK3GH
6. VK5ZK
7. VK3SQ
8. VK2IO

References.

1. Australian Dictionary of Biography, 2023, <https://ia.anu.edu.au/biography/yanggendyinanyuk-30059>, viewed 9th January 203.
2. Australian Silo Art Trail, 2023, <https://www.australiansiloarttrail.com/horsham>, viewed 9th January 2023.
3. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horsham,_Victoria>, viewed 9th January 2023.