FRED
THOMAS – PREVIOUS PRESIDENT OF RPP
It is with regret that we announce the death of one
of the stalwarts of the foundation of RPP-FM.
Fred wore many hats during his time with RPP – the
last position he held was that of President, a period of office that he held
for several years.
During his time with us Fred was involved with many
aspects of the station from technical to administration. In the early days in his technical capacity
he was heavily committed to making sure that we had a “proper” mast for
broadcasting and it was because of his knowledge, together with other
volunteers, that the tower was erected at Arthur’s Seat.
Complete with wellies, boots, umbrellas, every
conceivable type of weather clothing he could be found scrambling over rocks and
mud to ensure that the building of the tower went forth. He also liaised with the authorities to
ensure that the signal was legal and actually worked. Next big project was
another tower that could be erected so that the radio signal could be heard in Frankston,
which had always been a blackspot for reception. Again, up and down ladders and scaffolding on
rooftops – all in the name of devotion to RPP.
A further love that Fred had was that of outside
broadcasting and he was always there with the football broadcasts and other
outside events. In fact, he built one of
our first – if not the first OB van – it was a huge construction – but needs
must when the devil rides – which proved in the long run to be far too heavy
for any towing vehicle to cope. The body
was so demanding that it caused the axle to give up the ghost. However, it served our purpose for a long
time.
For his contribution to RPP Fred was named a Life
Member.
Before to coming to RPP Fred had been involved with
3MBS for a considerable time and also was skilled at stage lighting for various
big events in Melbourne.
Vale, Fred, and many thanks for all your hard work
in making RPP a reality.
Ellice Viggers
Elida Radig on 02/07/2019
Sorry to learn of Fred death. We were together at the very beginning of RPP. The community radio was started by Catherine John a teacher at Frankston TAFE and Fred developed in the old house in the car park in Mornington. Years of community work!