I was getting towards the end of my trip and it was now ANZAC Day, the 25th day of April 2024.ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It is one of Australia’s most important national occasions. It is Australia’s national Day of Remembrance.
After breakfast, I headed out towards Cleve. I had planned on activating several parks and silos during the day.
My first stop was the site of the old Mindrow Creek School on Birdeye Highway. The school opened in 1913 and closed in 1938.
During its life, the school had a total of 13 teachers.
Above:- The Mindorw Creek school, c. 1916. Image c/o State Library SA.
I continued on to the May Gibbs monument.
Cecilia May Gibbs MBE (b. 1877. d. 1969) was an Australian children’s author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best known for her Gumnut babies and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. Her first Australian home was near the site in 1881. (Wikipedia 2024)
Above:- May Gibbs. IMage c/o Wikipedia.
My next brief stop was at Crossville Corner. about 11 km east of Cleve. A school was opened here in 1909 and closed in 1947. It was named after a local homestead. The former St Pauls Lutheran church was built in 1927 and closed in 1960. (Flickr 2024) (Place Names 2012)
I continued on to the town of Cleve. European occupation of the Cleve district commenced in about 1855 with Dr James McKechnie (b. 1810. d. 1869) and his two brothers Donald and Peter, holding pastoral lease no. 401. In 1877 much of the land in the district had been resumed by the government.
The town of Cleve was proclaimed on the 6th day of March 1879. It was named by Governor William Jervois after a property in Devonshire, England, held by the Snow family who were related to the Governor.
Above:- Governor WIlliam Jervois. Image c/o Wikipedia.
Today Cleve is located in sheep and wheat growing country and services the surrounding farmers. I stopped off at a local cafe to get a bite to eat and a coffee.
Below is a short video on Cleve and its surroundings.
An interesting attraction in Cleve is the brilliant mural painted on the side of the Cleve Institute building. It is the work of artist Patrycja Hannagan, @ Mural Nomad. The mural was part of Hannigan’s mission to paint 100 murals around Australia, with $100.00 from each commission committed to the Black Dog Institute. (5cc 2024)
Another interesting attraction is Redgie the Wedgie, a sculpture of a Wedge Tailed Eagle. It is the work of Peter Crosby.
And there is Bonnie the Clydesdale.
The Cleve silo is located on the northern side of Birdseye Highway on the western side of Cleve.
I parked on the side of Birdseye Highway and operated from the 4WD. I ran the Icom IC-7000, 100 watts, and the Codan 9350 antenna with the 1.5-metre stainless steel whip. As this was ANZA Day, I was permitted to use the special AX prefix.
Above:- Map showing the activation zone at the Cleve silo. Image c/o SiOTA website.
I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-
- AX5AAF/p (Pike River Conservation Park VKFF-0831)
- AX5HS/p (Chowilla Regional Reserve VKFF-1698)
- VK5LA
- VK5KAW
- VK3PF
- VK5AYL
- VK5MAZ
- AX5MAZ
- AX5QA
- AX3CLD
- AX5AV
- VK5KVA
- AX3SPG
I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-
- VK7XX
- VK1AO
- VK2MET
- AX1AO
- AX2MET
- VK3PF
- VK3DCQ
- VK5MAZ
- VK4NH
- VK4DXA
- VK2IO
- AX5QA
- AX3CLD
- AX3SPG
- AX7MAD
- AX3IFR/am
- VK3MCK
- VK3APT
- AX3VIN
- VK2ZRD
- VK2VW
- VK2HFI
- AX4MWL
- VK5LRB
- ZL1XS
- AX3UCD
- AX1AD
References.
- Flickr. (2024). Crossville Corner South Australia. The former St Pauls Lutheran Church built 1927. Closed 1960 Now a private residence. [online] Available at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/82134796@N03/31899908188 [Accessed 15 Aug. 2024].
- Hall, A. (2024). Pop of colour in the heart of Cleve – 5CC. [online] 5CC. Available at: https://www.5cc.com.au/local-news/pop-of-colour-in-the-heart-of-cleve/ [Accessed 15 Aug. 2024].
- published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au. (n.d.). A Compendium of the Place Names of South Australia. [online] Available at: https://published.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/placenamesofsouthaustralia/. [Accessed 15 Aug. 2024]
- Wikipedia Contributors (2019). May Gibbs. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Gibbs.[Accessed 15 Aug. 2024]
VK5PAS 