On Wednesday, 24th September 2025, I activated The Knoll Conservation Park VKFF-0937, using the special event call of VI8POL.

The Knoll is located at Crafers West, about 12 km southeast of the city of Adelaide.

Above: Map showing the location of The Knoll Conservation Park. Map c/o Google Maps

My main objective for the day was to operate near the Police Heritage site at Crafers West. It was a bonus that the park was located virtually alongside the memorial, so I decided to activate the park for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) program.

The Knoll Conservation Park is about 2 hectares (4.9 acres) in size. It is located on the corner of Waverley Ridge Road, Sheaok Road, and Upper Sturt Road.

The park was formerly known as The Knoll National Park Reserve and The Knoll National Pleasure Resort. It commenced as a National Pleasure Resort in 1917. On the 9th day of November 1967, it was proclaimed as The Knoll National Parks Reserve. On the 27th day of April 1972, it was reconstituted as The Knoll Conservation Park.

Above: An aerial view of The Knoll Conservation Park. Image c/o Google Maps.

In an October 1911 issue of The Register newspaper, the following was reported about The Knoll:

“The Knoll is a beautifully situated block of land – on the very top of the Waverly Ridge – about 2,100 ft above sea level, situated right alongside a perfect road, easily accessible from Adelaide and the main roads. It commands one of the finest views in the State to all points of the compass.”

Above: Part of an article from The Register, Sat 7 Oct 1911. Image c/o Trove.

The Police Heritage site is located just to the north of the park on Waverly Ridge Road. Sergeant Cecil William Sparkes, 46, Special Constable Mervyn George Casey, 23 and Special Constable Colin Roy Kroemer, 33, lost their lives while fighting a bushfire in the vicinity of Fosters Gully in January 1951.

On the evening of Thursday, the 18th day of January 1951, a fire commenced at Brownhill Creek. It crossed part of the Belair National Park and travelled towards Crafers on Friday, the 19th day of January. It was reported that by 11.00 a.m., ‘the situation was alarming and calls for help were broadcast.’ (Trove 2025)

By midday, the fire was centred in Fosters Gully, Upper Sturt Estate. Stirling Fire Controlling Officer Mr Stan Hampton and Mr Harry Norris, a team of 20 men, went to the bottom of a gully with knapsack sprays. The men split into two groups, and shortly afterwards, the wind changed, and this caused the smoke and flames to isolate the group of men led by Norris. This included Sparkes, Casey, and Kroemer. (Trove 2025)

In The Advertiser, Saturday 20th January 1951, Norris stated:

“They were trapped in a pall of fire and smoke….the only thing those with me could do was to run through the flames.‘ (Trove 2025)

Three other police officers and several civilians were treated at the Stirling Hospital. The injured police officers were Sergeant Instructor Geoffrey Hearnes, Special Constable Thomas John Sears, and Special Constable Neil Lionel Wauchope.

Above: Sergeant Instructor Hearnes in hospital. Image c/o The Advertiser, Sat 20 Jan 19151.

On Friday, the 26th day of January 195, the SA Police Association launched an appeal for the dependants of the three deceased police officers. It was known as The Police Bushfire Appeal. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Ivor Green, the State Secretary of the RSL, Mr F.U. Hall, and the Mayor of Glenelg, Mr. C.H. Fidock were appointed as trustees to the fund. The Governor, His Excellency Sir Willoughby Norrie, and Lady Norrie, were among the first to donate to the appeal. (Trove 2025)

Above: Police Commissioner Ivor Green. Image c/o North Road Cemetery Facebook page

An inquest into the deaths commenced on Friday, the 16th day of February 1951. It was conducted by the City Coroner, Mr T. E. Cleland.

Above: part of an article from The Advertiser, Sat 17 Feb 1951. Image c/o Trove

During the inquest, it was revealed that Sparkes, Casey, and Kroemer, were ‘engulfed in flames’. The investigation conducted by Detective A.R. Calvesbert and the inquest failed to ascertain who was responsible for the lighting of the fire. It was believed that the fire was not intentional, but was likely lit through carelessness.

Above: Funeral notices for the 3 police officers. The Mail, Sat 20 Jan 1951. Image c/o newspapers.com

Cecil William ‘Bill’ Sparkes was born on the 24th day of August 1904, in Karachi, Sindh, India. His parents were William Sparkes and Elizabeth Ethel Sparkes nee Paul. His mother died in 1918, when Cecil was just 14 years old. In 1928, Cecil emigrated to Adelaide. Cecil married Gwyneth. They had one child, Christine. He lived at Brougham Avenue, Kurralta Park (Nla.gov.au, 2025) (Trove 2025)

Above:- Image c/o Police Assoc SA Facebook page.

His funeral was held at Alfred James & Son, Unley Road, on Monday ,22nd January 1951. He is buried at Centennial Park Cemetery (formerly known as Springbank General Cemetery). (Trove 2025)

Above: In Memoriam entries in The Advertiser, Tues 19 Jan 1954. Image c/o Trove

Mervyn George Casey was born on the 27th day of October 1928 at Rose Park, South Australia. His parents were David Patrick Casey and Margaret Casey nee McDonald. During his life, he was known as George. He did not marry. He resided at Koonga Avenue, Prospect. (Trove 2025)

Above: Mervyn George Casey. Image c/o ancestry.com.au

Above: In Memoriam entries in The Advertiser, Tues, 19 Jan 1954. Image c/o Trove

Mervyn is buried at the Dudley Park cemetery, South Australia.

Above: Headstone of Mervyn George Casey. Image c/o ancestry.com.au

Colin Roy Kroemer was born on the 4th day of January 1918 at Unley, South Australia. His parents were Albert Kroemer and Elizabeth Maria Kroemer nee Karutz. Colin’s father was also a former police officer, who served at Glenelg for several years. In 1943, he married Margaret Sheath. Colin resided at Elizabeth Street, Glenelg. (genealogysa.org.au) (Trove 2025)

Above: Colin Roy Kroemer. Image c/o findagrave.com

Colin was the first of the three police officers to be buried. His funeral was held at Glenelg on Monday 22nd January 1951. (Trove 2025)

Above: In Memoriam entries in The Advertiser, Tues 19 Jan 1954. Image c/o Trove

Colin is buried at the North Brighton Cemetery, South Australia. (Trove 2025)

Above: Headstone of Colin Roy Kroemer. Image c/o findagrave.com

My operating spot was on the walking trail leading up to the communications equipment. I ran the Yaesu FT857, 40 watts, and the 20/40/80m linked dipole supported by a 7 metre telescopic squid pole.

When I first set up, the 40m band was very quiet with no noise, despite me being surrounded by houses. However, on my second round on 40m, the noise floor had increased to strength five. I also had to endure the noise of the traffic on the busy Waverly Ridge Road and someone operating a chainsaw on a property near the park. Despite this, it was a good activation and a great way to honour the 3 police officers who lost their lives.

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK2HRX/p (SOTA K2/ SM-052)
2. VK3TUX
3. VK3PF
4. VK3KAI
5. VK2IO
6. VK2GEZ
7. VK5FIVE
8. VK3GV
9. VK2VW
10. VK2HFI
11. VK2AKA
12. VK2BIG
13. VK2EXA
14. VK3ZSC
15. VK3CEO
16. VK3CLD
17. VK3APJ
18. VK3BWS
19. VK2MOE
20. VK1MO
21. VK3FTOM
22. VK3TDK
23. VK3NYC
24. VK3SQ
25. VK3JT
26. VK2BD
27. VK1AD/p (SOTA VK1/ AC-042 & VKFF-0834)
28. VK1NAM/p (SOTA VK1/ AC-042 & VKFF-0834)
29. VK1DA/p (SOTA VK1/ AC-042 & VKFF-0834)
30. VK2DA/p (SOTA VK1/ AC-042 & VKFF-0834)
31. VK5KVA
32. VK2UAJ
33. VK3UAJ
34. VK1AJ
35. VK5EDY
36. VK1MA
37. VK3YE
38. VK5CZ
39. VK5XE
40. VK5WE
41. VK5GY
42. VK5FANA
43. VK5NHG
44. VK5IS
45. VK5UV
46. VK5HS
47. VK5ABE
48. VK

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK2BED
2. VK5HS
3. VK4NH
4. VK4DXA
5. VK2USH

I worked the following stations on 20m FT8:-

1. VK6IQ
2. VK3PF
3. VK1AO
4. VK3KAI
5. VK3UH

I worked the following stations on 40m FT8:-

1. VK3PF
2. VK3KAI

References.

1. Nla.gov.au. (2025). Welcome To Zscaler Directory Authentication. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/3181834?searchTerm=cecil%20sparkes%20bushfire [Accessed 4 Oct. 2025].
2. ‌Trove. (2025). The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 – 1954) – 20 Jan 1951 – p1. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/3193282? [Accessed 4 Oct. 2025].
3. ‌Trove. (2025). DRAMATIC STORY OF HOW 3 POLICE DIED – Hills bushfire inquest – News (Adelaide, SA : 1923 – 1954) – 16 Feb 1951. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/130366560/11124385 [Accessed 4 Oct. 2025].
4. Trove. (2025). Fund Started For Hills Fire Victims – The Advertiser (Adelaide, SA : 1931 – 1954) – 27 Jan 1951. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/45695455?searchTerm=cecil%20sparkes%20bushfire [Accessed 4 Oct. 2025].
5. ‌www.genealogysa.org.au. (n.d.). Genealogy SA | Leading resource for SA family history – Genealogy SA. [online] Available at: https://www.genealogysa.org.au/.‌

Between Saturday, 13th September 2025, and Monday, 29th September 2025, I operated with the special event call of VI8POL to celebrate the 8th annual National Police Week in Australia.

Police Week is a celebration of Australia’s police. It includes National Police Remembrance Day, where we honour the 832 Australian police officers who have been killed on duty. It is also a time to remember police officers who have lost their lives through illness or other circumstances.

I made a total of 6,934 QSOs on 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, & 80m SSB, AM, FT4, and FT8.

Below is a map showing my QSOs around the world.

• yellow – 80m
• green – 40m
• purple – 20m
• light blue – 15m
• purple – 10m
• dark blue – 6m
• red – 2m

I worked a total of 152 DXCC entities, and have qualified for DXCC.

• Alaska
• Angola
• Antarctica
• Antigua & Barbuda
• Argentina
• Aruba
• Asiatic Russia
• Australia
• Austria
• Azores
• Bahrain
• Balearic Islands
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Belize
• Benin
• Bosnia
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Cameroon
• Canada
• Canary Islands
• Chile
• China
• Christmas Island
• Colombia
• Corsica
• Costa Rica
• Crete
• Croatia
• Cuba
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dodecanese
• Dominican Republic
• East Kiribati
• East Malaysia
• Ecuador
• England
• Estonia
• European Russia
• Faroe Islands
• Fed Republic of Germany
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• French Guiana
• French Polynesia
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Greece
• Guam
• Guernsey
• Hawaii
• Honduras
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• Iceland
• India
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Jamaica
• Japan
• Jersey
• Kaliningrad
• Kazakhstan
• Kenya
• Kyrgyzstan
• Latvia
• Lebanon
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Madeira Islands
• Maldives
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Micronesia
• Mongolia
• Montserrat
• Morocco
• Namibia
• Nauru
• Netherlands
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Norfolk Island
• North Macedonia
• Northern Ireland
• Norway
• Oman
• Pakistan
• Palestine
• Panama
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Puerto Rico
• Qatar Rep of Korea
• Reunion Island
• Rodriquez Island
• Romania
• Rwanda
• Saint Pierre & Miquelon
• Saint Vincent
• Samoa
• San Marino
• Sardinia
• Saudi Arabia
• Scotland
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Sint Maarten
• Slovak Republic
• Slovenia
• Solomon Islands
• South Africa
• Spain
• Svalbard
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan
• Tajikistan
• Thailand
• Trinidad & Tobago
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United Arab Emirates
• United States
• Uruguay
• Uzberkistan
• Vanuatu
• Venezuela
• Wales
• West Kiribati
• West Malaysia

I worked all 50 States in the USA. The last 2 States I logged were North Dakota and Montana. I have qualified for the Worked All States Award.

I worked 38 of the 40 Zones. Just Zones 2 and 34 eluded me, which are quite rare.

I worked all the Continents, and have qualified for the Worked All Continents Award.

The majority of my QSOs were on the 20m band, followed by 15m, and then 10m. There were some excellent openings on 15m on the long path into Europe and the United Kingdom.

The majority of my QSOs were on FT8. However, SSB was very close behind. I had some rather large pileups on 20m SSB & 15m SSB at times, having to resort to operating split frequency.

Below is a map showing my contacts into Europe.

Below is a map showing my QSOs into the USA.

Below is a map showing my QSOs into Japan.

Below is a map showing my contacts around Australia and in to New Zealand.

THANK YOU to everyone who called.

It was an honour to work dozens of serving and retired police officers around the world.

I am still awaiting the arrival of the VI8POL QSL cards. Once they are received, I will start sending out cards to those who have already sent me theirs.

On Sunday, 7th September 2025, the VKFF program offered a special certificate for anyone who activated a VKFF reference on National Threatened Species Day.

Marija and I were very busy that day on grandparent duties, so we did not get out into a park until very late in the afternoon. We activated the Totness Recreation Park VKFF-1754, which is located near Mount Barker in the Adelaide Hills, about 25 km southeast of Adelaide.

Above: Map showing the location of the Totness Recreation Park. Map c/o Google Maps.

The Totness Recreation Park was formerly known as the Totness National Parks Reserve. It was declared as a reserve in 1970, and then in 1972 it was re-declared as a recreation park. (Wikipedia 2024)

The reserve is divided into two distinct sections. One on the northern side of the South Eastern Freeway, and one on the southern side of the South Eastern Freeway. The area to the north comprises 9 hectares (22 acres), while the southern section is 32 hectares (79 acres) in size. The total area of the park is 41 hectares (101 acres). The southern section was completely burnt out during the Ash Wednesday bushfires of February 1983. (Wikipedia 2024)

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

The park contains a large dam in the northern section. The dam was constructed in 1884 and was used by the South Australian Railways to refill steam locomotives. Water was pumped from the dam to the Mount Barker Railway Station, about 2.5 km away. This continued until about 1944. The dam in the reserve also served as a water source for the people of Mount Barker. (Wikipedia 2024)

The area which is now the southern section of Totness was originally granted to John Dunn in 1853. Dunn was born in 1802 in Devon, England, and emigrated to South Australia in 1840. He became a flour miller, parliamentarian and a prominent citizen of Mount Barker. (Wikipedia 2025)

Above: John Dunn. Image c/o Wikipedia

The area was named Totness by William Hannaford, who was born in Totness, Devon, England, in 1825. He arrived in South Australia aboard the Emma in 1845. The surrounding area was known as Little Totness. (slsa.sa.gov.au)

Above: William Hannaford. Image c/o MyHeritage.

The area around the dam was leased by the Mount Barker Council and was used for wood and bark harvesting. The bark from Golden Wattle was used in the Mount Barker tannery, while Messmate Stringybark was cut for firewood. (Wikipedia 2024)

The park’s vegetation includes Messmate Stringybark woodland, South Australian Blue Gum/Manna Gum woodland, and River Red Gum woodland. More than 180 native plant species have been recorded in the park. A total of 36 bird species have been recorded in the park, including Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo, White-throated Treecreeper, Adelaide Rosella, and Laughing Kookaburra. Native mammals located in the park include Western Grey Kangaroos, Common Ringtail Possums, and Echidnas. (Dept. Env & Heritage 2007)

Marija worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5KPR
2. VK5VK
3. VK5WU
4. VK5LA
5. VK5KAW
6. VK2EXA
7. VK3TDX
8. VK2YL
9. VK7PJM
10. VK3ACZ

I worked the following stations on 40m SSB:-

1. VK5KPR
2. VK5VK
3. VK5WU
4. VK5LA
5. VK5KAW
6. VK2EXA
7. VK3TDX
8. VK2YL
9. VK7PJM
10. VK3ACZ
11. VK4SMA
12. VK3KRL

I worked the following stations on 20m SSB:-

1. VK3ALF
2. VK4XO

This was just a quick activation for us, as we had endured a long day and were keen to get home.

References.

1. Department for Environment and Heritage, 2007, Totness Recreation Park Management Plan
2. 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/.
3. ‌Wikipedia Contributors (2024). Totness Recreation Park. Wikipedia.‌
4. Wikipedia Contributors (2025). John Dunn (miller). Wikipedia.‌

Unfortunately, August was a busy month for me, and I did not activate any VKFF parks, nor did I undertake a lot of hunting.

However, I did manage the two certificates below for the World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) August Activity Month.

Thanks to the organisers and those who headed out to activate.

Yesterday, I received via email the Certificate of Appreciation below from the Voice of Indonesia.