This postcard has been difficult to research for the “records of radio operations in the 1920s are very poorly documented.” It was posted in March 1927 from Sydney to a Narara, N.S.W. address with the 1d green KGV head and the top centre shows a radio microphone, with the letters ‘2FC’ denoting the radio station It clearly shows the purpose of the card: ‘2 F.C. Sydney has pleasure in sending you a souvenir photograph of the Royal Visit and appreciates your very kind letter commenting on this historic transmission'(Figure 1).
I sent a copy of the card to Guy Tranter, ABC Document Archives, and they do not have a copy of it. The quote above is his, and he follows: ” It was an era in which the A-class stations (those supported by licence, not advertising revenue) were eventually taken over by the Australian Broadcasting Company, which in 1932 became the ABC as the Australian Broadcasting Commission i.e. under public ownership. We have hardly any written records from before 1932. The press cutting scrapbooks which also provide records of activities do not begin until the 30s either.”
“The Wireless Weekly which was published from Sydney and was going from at least 1924….. however our holdings do not start until the 30s.” He was pleased to have a copy of the card for their archives. Radio came to Australia in 1923, shortly after its introduction in the United States (1920) and Great Britain (1922). Demonstration radio broadcasts were conducted in Australia in August 1920, and in January 1921. The first licenced radio stations were 2 SB (later 2 BL) and 2 FC, which began broadcasting in Sydney on 13 November and 5 December 1923, respectively.
The postcard’s reverse has considerable detail with ‘Souvenir of an Historic Event’, pictures of 5 broadcasters around a central picture of the H.M.S. RENOWN and ‘From 2 F.C. First to Welcome the Renown 26/3/27’, along the bottom of the card. The ABC could not supply names to the blurred faces (Figure 2).
So who was on board the Renown and why were they coming to Australia? It was the future King George VI (born 14 December 1895, and who ascended to the throne on 10 December 1936 until his death on 6 February 1952)) and his wife Elizabeth. He visited Australia as the Duke of York, the royal representative at the opening of the Parliament House in Canberra on 9 May 1927, when Canberra replaced Melbourne as the capital of Australia.. The couple had arrived in Australia on 26 March and departed the country on 23 May 1927, after an official tour of all States except Tasmania, in addition to New Zealand (Figure 3).
Radio 2 FC Sydney were very pleased with their radio”scoop”, but the records of the historic event unfortunately were not still available.