Our second activation for Friday 17th November 2023 was the Cloughs Waterholes Wildlife Reserve VKFF-4259 and the Arkona silo VK-ARA3. This was the first time the park had been activated for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

The park is located at Arkona about 11 km north of the town of Dimboola in western Victoria.

Above:- Map showing the location of the park and silo in western Victoria. Map c/o Google Maps.

Arkona was previously known as Katyil West until 1913. It is believed that Katyil is an aboriginal word meaning waterhole, or kotyul meaning place of evil spirits. Lutheran settlers named the area Arkona after Pastor Stefan Lehner’s mission in Papua New Guinea, which in turn took its name from Cape Arkona on the island of Rügen in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. (Blake 1977)

The Cloughs Waterholes Wildlife Reserve is about 22 hectares in size and was established on the 2nd day of September 1987. (CAPAD 2022)

The Parks Victoria website has a page for the reserve, but it contains no information other than a park boundary image.

The reserve is located on the northern side of Klinge Road. The Datchak Creek flows through the reserve. It is a small tributary of the lower Wimmera River and is about 28 km long. (Hindmarsh Shire 2020)

Above:- An aerial view of the reserve. Image c/o Google Earth.

The Arkona silo art is the work of artist Sam Bates @ Smug and was completed in April 2022. The silo honours local Arkona legend and ‘unofficial Mayor’, Roland ‘Roley’ Klinge and also highlights the importance of tennis to small country communities. Smug never met Klinge who had passed away in 1991. (Australian Silo Art 2024)

Smug said:

“What I’m envisioning is a painting celebrating Roley Klinge. I’m thinking a tennis theme mural, as Roley was known for his tennis. I would paint it in a photorealistic manner, in soft tones complimentary to its location, but to put a twist on it and make the silo truly unique I’m picturing an invisible Roley Klinge…….The message would be ‘Although he’s not here anymore his memory and legacy remains, still inspiring future generations’.” (Australian Silo Art 2024)

Roland Klinge was born on the 17th day of September 1920 at Dimboola, Victoria. In 1945 he married Selma Bothe. He died on the 8th day of April 1991 at Dimboola. (Ancestry.com.au 2024) In 1990 he was awarded a Service Award from Tennis Victoria to recognise his long-term volunteer contribution to the sport of tennis in Victoria. (Tennis Victoria 2024)

Above:- the headstone of Roland and Selma Klinge. Image c/o findagrave.com

Below is a terrific video showing the Arkona silo art.

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK7EV/p (Silo VK-PPL7)
2. VK3PF
3. VK3KAI
4. VK3SG
5. VK3SO
6. VK2IO/p (Eurabbie Flora Reserve VKFF-3053)
7. VK3SQ
8. VK2BD
9. VK3BEL/p (Greater Bendigo National Park VKFF-0629)
10. VK3CLD/p (Kosciuszko National Park VKFF-0269)

Marija worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3KAI

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK7EV/p (Silo VK-PPL7)
2. VK3SG
3. VK3PF
4. VK3KAI
5. VK3SO
6. VK2IO/p (Eurabbie Flora Reserve VKFF-3053)
7. VK3SQ
8. VK2BD
9. VK2EXA
10. VK5FANA
11. VK3BEL/p (Greater Bendigo National Park VKFF-0629)
12. VK3VPM
13. VK3YV
14. VK3ANL
15. VK2IO/m
16. VK2UW/m
17. VK2HHA
18. VK3OF
19. VK1CHW
20. VK7XX
21. VK3CLD/p (Kosciuszko National Park VKFF-0269)
22. VK7AAE
23. VK3BWS
24. VK3MIJ
25. VK5HS
26. VK7EE
27. VK2KYO
28. VK3CEO
29. VK5AV
30. VK3BBB
31. VK2CCP
32. VK7HBR
33. VK3ZSC

I worked the following stations on 40m AM:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3KAI
3. VK3SQ
4. VK2BD
5. VK3ANL
6. VK2EXA
7. VK3CLD
8. VK5FANA
9. VK3YV
10. VK3OF

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK7XX
2. VK6XN
3. VK4NH
4. VK4DXA
5. VK1AO
6. VK2MET
7. VK4EMP
8. VK4TI
9. VK7HBR
10. VK6LMK
11. VK7AAE

I worked the following station on 20m AM:-

1. VK7XX

I worked the following stations on 20m FM:-

1. VK7XX
2. VK7HBR

References.

1. Australian Government, 2024, Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database, viewed 8th February 2024.
2. Australian Silo Art Trail, 2024, Arkona Silo Art, viewed 8th February 2024
3. Blake; L, 1977, Place Names of Victoria, Rigby Limited, Melbourne.
4. Hindmarsh Shire Local Council, 2020, Hindmarsh Shire Flood Emergency Plan
5. Tennis Victoria, 2024, Tennis Victoria Service Awards, viewed 8th February 2024.