Arthur William Stowar VK2AS 27 June, 1920- 17 July, 2009
Born in Sydney, the eldest child of English immigrant parents, Arthur sailed aged 10 with his family back to England to escape the Depression in Australia.

His father, a builder, was offered immediate work, the family remaining there for three years. Then, believing all was OK in Australia, they returned only to find that work was still unobtainable.

Times were very tough. Aged 16, Arthur became interested in ham radio, left school and became an indentured apprentice electrician.

In 1938 he obtained his Amateur Operator's Certificate and had his first radio contact - the start of his lifelong passion. Between 1938 and 1948 he kept an immaculate logbook and on 25 March, 1948 earned membership of the Wireless Institute of Australia's DX Century Club; he had 127 confirmed country contacts. On 10 November, 1948 he also earned membership of the American Radio Relay League DX Century Club and in 1949 received Award No 17 from the Radio Amateur Journal for having two-way radio contact in each of the 40 zones on the official CQDX zone map of the world.

World War 2 had intervened, with Arthur posted for three years as Signals Officer with the Papuan Infantry battalion. On 5 June, 1943 he became a Lieutenant with that battalion, receiving the nickname 'Captain Moonlight' for his skills in leading his troop at night out of the jungle back to camp. As Signals Officer he was the first to give the 'all clear' to advance at the start of the New Guinea campaign.

He suffered two bouts of malaria but on leave found his future wife Heather McLachlan, marrying at Grafton Presbyterian Church on 22 July, 1944. On discharge they settled in Sydney.

Always keenly pursuing his hobby, by 1962 he had 300 confirmed 'country' contacts. Later, space research fascinated him and he followed satellites, downloading reams of positioning data and in 1991 received recognition from NASA for his contribution to the SAREX project, the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment.

He was heartbroken selling his cherished Collins gear in 2004 when it became clear he would have to move to the RSL Retirement Village at Narrabeen.

There, for the very first time, he admitted to having, as a youth, skipped many technical college classes to make contact with other hams. Amateur radio was his lifelong obsession around which everything had to revolve. He was indeed fortunate to be able to do that. Arthur began ham life as VK2ACX, later becoming VK2AS. Submitted by his son John Stowar, with assistance from Chris Zvirblis VK2HX.