Amateur radio supporting the community shows up in many forms, and one of the longest-running examples in Tasmania is the safety communications provided for the Sir Ernest Clark Trophy. This Scouting event has been running for over ninety years and continues to rely on radio to help keep everyone safe.

The Clark Trophy is a 24-hour challenge that brings Scout Patrols from across the state together to tackle a wide range of activities including navigation, radio procedure, first aid, construction, hygiene, camping skills and more. In 2025 the event was held at the Rockton property west of Oatlands, owned by the Fish family, long-time supporters of Tasmanian Scouting. The site’s central high hill provides an excellent vantage point for the radio headquarters, with handheld UHFCB coverage across the entire property.

Amateur radio plays a critical role in enabling the weekend to run smoothly, providing the communications backbone that ensures Scouts and Leaders remain safe throughout the event. Held over 15 and 16 November 2025, this year’s Clark Trophy involved around sixty Scouts and Leaders, with seven self-managing Patrols of five to seven Scouts each.

Safety communications for the event operated across three channels: two UHFCB channels for Activity-to-HQ and Patrol-to-HQ traffic, and one amateur 2-metre frequency for HQ-to-Base coordination. The Base station managed scoring and broader oversight, with information relayed from activity points and HQ. Patrols used low-cost handheld UHFCB radios and followed standard radio procedure to report movements, provide situation updates and relay easting/northing coordinates as they navigated between activity points and campsites.

Each activity point was equipped with radios scanned across both UHFCB channels, while Headquarters and Base maintained 24-hour monitoring and logging of all traffic. Throughout the event, HQ and Base were frequently called upon to identify Patrol locations, request updates or provide information for inspections and scoring. Thanks to steady communication and detailed logging, the event ran without any significant incidents, and all Patrols successfully completed the majority of activities.

After the 24 hours wrapped up, everyone gathered for a BBQ, debrief and presentations, with the State Commissioner in attendance. Congratulations go to the Lindisfarne Scout Group, winners of the Clark Trophy and Flag for 2025.

And in true Scouting fashion, everyone who completes the event earns a badge… including the radio operators!