The year 2012 represents One Hundred Years of the Wireless Institute being established in the State of Queensland, Australia. To celebrate this wonderful milestone, the Queensland Advisory Committee of Wireless Institute of Australia has organized a special Centenary call sign, VK100WIQ.

The Centenary call sign will be on air from June 1 through July 31, 2012, on all the HF bands as well as VHF and UHF. It will be operated by the Radio Clubs of Queensland, in a series of three day blocks.

A special Centenary QSL Card has been developed for VK100WIQ, being a photo of Mr Andy Couper’s Spark Radio Station. Andy was one of only three Queensland Radio Pioneers to be operational with his spark station from the year 1910. He hailed from Mareeba, North Queensland, and was issued the call sign XQM when call signs were officially issued in Queensland in 1914.

There is also the VK100WIQ Centenary Award, which highlights QTC, the first Amateur Radio magazine published in Australia in July 1927. A website has been developed for the Centenary. 

I would encourage you all to drop in and have a look at the history pages that are presented there, as well as the links to the WIA website as regards the award and the VK100WIQ Roster, for which Radio Club will be on air and when. I invite you, one and all, to celebrate with us our Wireless Institute in Queensland Centenary. -- 73, Mike Charteris, VK4QS, Chairman, Queensland Centenary Committee