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IARU Calendar
Member-Societies Ratify Officer NominationsOn 10 February 2009 the IARU member-societies completed voting on proposals nominating Timothy S. Ellam, VE6SH/G4HUA and Ole Garpestad, LA2RR as IARU President and Vice President, respectively, for the five-year term beginning 9 May 2009. With 57 affirmative votes required for adoption, there were 72 affirmative votes for Mr. Ellam and 73 for Mr. Garpestad. Upon his election as the next IARU President, Mr. Ellam said: “I am very honoured to have been elected as President of IARU and look forward to working with all three Regions and the Member-Societies during my term in office. We no doubt will face many issues in the run up to the 2011 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-11), but I look forward to working as a team to meet the challenges ahead. “Congratulations to Ole Garpestad for his election as Vice President. I am very pleased to have Ole as part of the officer team and know he will do an excellent job in his new position. “Finally, I would like to thank Larry Price for his sterling work with IARU during his term as President. IARU is in a very strong position today as a result of Larry's leadership. His support and friendship to me has also been very helpful in fulfilling my former duties as Vice President.” Mr. Ellam has served as IARU Vice President since 2004. Mr. Garpestad served as Chairman and President of IARU Region 1 from 2002 until 2008. Their biographies are contained in Calendar No. 187 dated 10 September 2008. A report on the votes cast on these and other proposals in Calendar No. 187 will be found later in this issue. Emirates and Kazakhstan Admitted to IARU Membership The member-societies also approved the admission of the Emirates Amateur Radio Society (EARS) and the Kazakhstan Federation of Radiosports and Radioamateur (KFRR). It is a pleasure to welcome the representatives of the radio amateurs of these two important countries into the IARU. With their admission the membership of the IARU now stands at 161, including a few member-societies that are known to be inactive. Voting on Proposals 241-244 There were 73 vote sheets received from member-societies on Proposals 241-244. All member-societies voted in the affirmative on all four proposals except the Cayman Amateur Radio Society, which abstained on Proposals 241 and 243. The following member-societies participated in the voting: Region 1 Region 2 Region 3 The Constitution provides that a proposal is adopted “upon the casting of affirmative votes by a simple majority of the member-societies who have submitted, within the specified time, a vote or abstention, either on that proposal or in response to one of the three preceding issues of the Calendar which contained proposals for consideration by the member-societies.” There were 112 member-societies that had so voted. Therefore, the minimum number of affirmative required for the adoption of Proposals 241-244 was 57. Vote sheets were received after the deadline from SSTARS (Syria), MARS (Mauritius), RSGB (United Kingdom), and NZART (New Zealand). These late votes could not be counted. All were in the affirmative except SSTARS, which voted no on Proposal 242. Congo (Brazzaville) Proposed for IARU Admission Union des Radioamateurs du Congo (URAC) has applied for admission io the IARU, representing the Republic of the Congo (capital Brazzaville). Not to be confused with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (capital Kinshasa) which is already represented in the IARU by Association des Radio Amateurs du Congo (ARAC), the Republic of the Congo was formerly a part of French Equatorial Africa and became independent in 1960. Its ITU-allocated call sign prefix is TN. URAC was formed in Brazzaville on 8 October 2008. Its officers are Mao Monguimet, TN5MM, President; Ulysse Yinda, Secretary General; and Chynauldat Bangue, Treasurer. URAC lists 15 members on its roster, including three licensed radio amateurs. The official address is Union des Radioamateurs du Congo, Université Marien, NGOUABI Campus Numérique Francophone, Brazzaville, CONGO. Telephone: +242 636 7176 or 535 9489. URAC states that it has the ability to meet its financial obligations as a member of the IARU through fees from members; that it is legally able to act in the furtherance of IARU objectives within the Republic of the Congo; that it will adequately represent the interests of radio amateurs throughout the country; and that it will adhere to the Constitutions of the IARU and of IARU Region 1. The IARU Region 1 Executive Committee has examined the application of URAC and has found it to be in order. Therefore: Proposal No. 245 In accordance with Bylaw 3, it is proposed that Union des Radioamateurs du Congo be elected to membership. A vote sheet for Proposal No. 245 is enclosed. The closing date for receipt by the International Secretariat of votes on Proposal 245 is five months after the date of this Calendar, or 11 August 2009. Votes received after this date cannot be counted. The IARU Constitution requires that a member-society shall cast its vote in writing. Vote sheets must be signed by an authorized official of the member-society. Vote sheets may be returned by any of the following methods:
Votes cast by fax or email attachment should be followed up with the original returned by postal mail for confirmation. World Amateur Radio Day 2009 Each year on 18 April, radio amateurs celebrate World Amateur Radio Day. On that day in 1925 the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was founded. In 2009, the theme of the event is Amateur Radio: Your Resource in Disaster and Emergency Communication. It is not by coincidence that last year’s meeting of the IARU Administrative Council chose this subject at this time. While the Amateur Radio Service has traditionally made its contributions to emergency and disaster response ever since its very beginnings almost 100 years ago, this role has gained a lot of importance just in the recent past. It has done so mainly for two reasons:
The Amateur Radio Services puts two equally valuable assets at its disposal for emergency and disaster prevention, preparedness and response:
The tools at their disposal range from the most robust means such as battery-operated stations operating in Morse code to links through amateur radio satellites and interconnectivity with the Internet, in voice, text, image and data modes. They range from local VHF networks of fixed, mobile and portable stations to shortwave networks that span the globe. All these networks are operated on a daily basis by men and women who are thoroughly familiar with their technology and their intricacies. Telecommunications have become a commodity that society takes for granted, and the sudden loss of that service is often felt in a similar way to the loss of shelter, food and medical support. When disasters occur in regions that do not have good coverage by public networks, or when existing communications infrastructures have just been disrupted or destroyed by such events, the Amateur Radio Service comes to the rescue. Amateur Radio operators provide communications for the rescuers and relief workers and their organizations and they help to provide communications for those affected by a disaster. In fact, contributions to emergency and disaster relief are a major argument for the preservation and the extension of the privileges the Amateur Radio Service enjoys in international and national regulations. This is one of the reasons why more and more Amateur Radio operators, through their clubs and their national societies, prepare very seriously for their role in emergencies. However, their skills can be put to use only if they are known by other first responders. Effective response to emergencies can only occur with the work of volunteers in all the various fields; from search and rescue to medical assistance and those who can provide food and shelter. Communication skills are a new, but equally vital commodity. Activities on the occasion of World Amateur Radio Day 2009 can be a great opportunity to spread the word about what the “hams” are doing. Hans Zimmermann, F5VKP / HB9AQS, IARU International Coordinator Sincere 73, Enclosure: Vote Sheet, Proposal No. 245
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