Qnews for April 19th 2026

Vernon Crabb VK4FVC - December 1939 - April 2026 It is sad to report that Vern Crabb VK4FVC has gone Silent Key in Townsville following a long battle with cancer. Despite doctors saying that he would not make Christmas 2025 Vern proved them wrong making it past that and able to celebrate his 52nd anniversary of marrying Nell before he was taken from us. Vern was a long time member of the Wireless Institute of Australia until illness forced him to cancel his membership. Vern was also a long time member of The Townsville Amateur Radio Club, using his morse skills to support the on-air Slow Morse training net for many years before it was disbanded. Vern was also a participant in the 3599kHz Gnarly Net Morse section right up to the final days of his life. Vern was a Morse Man! Vern grew up on the family farm near Woodstock North Queensland, with the family then moving to Rollingstone to farm pineapples. Vern attended and matriculated at St Teresa's College Abergowrie and eventually took over running the pineapple farm with Nell's help. Vern was always keen to learn how and why things work, which was a much needed skill in farming life where most repairs were done onsite. He also garnered an interest in Amateur Radio, wanting to experience diverse cultures world wide without having to leave the farm. Eventually erecting a tower and installing a steerable log periodic antenna, Vern chased DX from 20metres to 6 meters and made many friends on-air. The big tower and antenna soon became known as a local landmark to the locals, who still call the quick bend in Balgal Beach Road as 'Crabb's Corner'. Vern and Nell were deeply involved in the local community both serving on the local Progress Association and P&C committees. Vern became proficient in Italian and Spanish, enabling him to have an edge when snaring rare DX. Vern was a very proficient orator and vocalist, performing for years with choirs during the Ingham Italian Festival, plus the occasional private group performance. When eventually retiring and selling the farm, Vern and Nell traveled to Mexico, Italy and Spain staying with ham radio friends from years gone by. Vern and Nell also obtained a Rainbow Bus, converted it to a mobile home called 'The Crabbpot' which they used to tour Australia. It was during this time that Frank/VK4CAU (SK) enlisted Vern's help in mobile trials and development of new models of Barrett HF transceivers with the Crabbpot being an ideal testing vehicle for the new models of radio. A catastrophic failure in insulation on the lithium powered auxiliary power system caused complete destruction of Crabbpot Mk2 during a tour through the Sunshine Coast hinterland, with Vern and Nell escaping with just the clothes on their backs. Help from locals and nearby family members soon had them back home with the necessity to rebuild their finances and eventually Crabbpot Mk3 was acquired and more little trips to relatives transpired. Vern and Nell attended Amateur Radio communications support events when they were in the local area, supported local amateur radio clubs in the area with their attendance at social events and kept traveling as long as they could, until Vern's illness curtailed the travels. Vern was taken from us on the 11th April 2026, with his passing we lose someone who could really diagnose faults and provide easy fixits as he took the time to truly understand how things worked. We also lose a master in Morse Code operating. Sincere condolences to Nell and family in Vern's passing. Vale Vernon Crabb VK4FVC, Silent Key.