Celebrating Excellence Across Australian Amateur Radio

The 2026 Annual General Meeting of the Wireless Institute of Australia was not only an opportunity to reflect on the year that has been, but also a chance to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary individuals who continue to strengthen, innovate, educate, and inspire within the Australian Amateur Radio community. In presenting the 2025 WIA Merit Awards, WIA President Scott Williams Vk3KJ acknowledged the remarkable contribution of volunteers, educators, technical leaders, contest organisers, communicators, and advocates whose efforts continue to shape the future of the Amateur Radio Service.

The Brenda Edmonds Education Award was presented to Paul Hoffman VK5PH in recognition of outstanding service to Amateur Radio education and licence advancement. During 2025 alone, Paul and his team assessed more than 100 licence holders in South Australia, making a significant contribution to growing and supporting the next generation of Australian amateurs.

The Chris Jones Award was awarded jointly to Dianne Main VK4DI and Bill Main VK4ZD for their exceptional contribution to amateur radio and the WIA through their management of the John Moyle Memorial Field Day and other WIA contests.

The WIA Technical Excellence Award was presented to Peter Cossins VK3BFG for his outstanding technical work relating to the 23cm band plan and his ongoing contribution to Amateur Radio Television.

The Ron Wilkinson Award for special achievement in amateur radio was awarded to Hayden Honeywood VK7HH in recognition of his outstanding promotion of Amateur Radio through the hugely successful Ham Radio DX YouTube channel (see the earlier post).

The WIA Foundation Licence Award was presented to Alan Cherry VK2COD for exceptional service to amateur radio as a Foundation Licence holder. Alan was recognised for supporting and promoting amateur radio to youth audiences and for bringing Youth on the Air (YOTA) news to listeners each week on the WIA Broadcast.

Two WIA President’s Commendations were also awarded in recognition of exceptional service and memorable achievement. Shane Lynd VK4KHZ was recognised for his work bringing live contacts and crosses from the International Space Station to audiences around Australia, along with his ongoing efforts promoting amateur radio to young people. Angelo Giuffre VK2NWT received a commendation for his tireless work as the WIA Affiliated Club Co-ordinator, supporting clubs across Australia and managing the countless requests and interactions that help keep the national amateur radio community connected and functioning.

The AGM also recognised outstanding contributions to Wireless Institute of Australia publication and technical writing through the annual WIA Publication Awards for articles featured in Amateur Radio magazine. Awards celebrated excellence across photography, technical analysis, opinion writing, and emerging authorship, highlighting the depth of knowledge and creativity within the Australian amateur radio community. Humans remain one of the few species capable of turning arguments about 5 MHz allocations and S-meter calibration into award-winning literature.

Best Image awards were presented to Greg Mew VK4GRM for his article on installing a CTCSS card into a Kenwood TR-7400A, and Jack Bramham VK3WWW for his feature on amateur radio sport and international competition. The Encouragement Award went to Peter Marks VK3TPM for his article exploring digital voice on the HF bands.

The Higginbotham award went to Bruce Kendall VK3WL, the Al Shawsmith award to Dale Hughes VK1DSH and Technical article awards went to George Galanis VK3EIP and Gary Gibson VK2DBN.

Congratulations to all award winners.

Page Last Updated: Thursday, 21 May 2026 at 12:35 hours by Justin Giles-clark

Click Here To Return To Previous Page