Also published on: https://policeveteransvic.org.au/innovation/
It’s long been said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Tony Nance certainly thinks so.
When Anthony Nance learned Victoria Police was closing its High Frequency (HF) radio network and adopting newer technology, he had a lightbulb moment.
What if he were to sanitise the old equipment, re-programme, upgrade it, and sell it as a form of fundraising?
Nance, who worked for both Victoria Police and the Australian Federal Police throughout his career, came to the idea in 2019 and set his sights on giving police radios a new lease of life.
Since then, he’s raised roughly $50,000, all of which has gone towards fundraising for Police Veterans Victoria.
“While it no longer serves a purpose for police, it would be a shame to see the equipment completely wasted,” Nance said.
“The cost to destroy the radios would have been significant, so it made sense to try and create some profit from the equipment and put it towards a good cause.”
The HF radio network, which used Codan Australia radio equipment, operated in a system of base stations and radios in selected police vehicles and used by Victoria Police for more than 20 years.
The network helped to connect police over long distances and in areas without mobile coverage.
Nance was quick to discover a wide market that would benefit from the equipment. “There’s a lot of amateurs, travelling communities, grey nomads and people who regularly get out and about in outback Australia,” Tony said.
Nance has sold 40 radios to date, raising approximately $50,000. The funds have since gone towards supporting PVV and its network of trained Veteran Peer Support Officers (VPSO’s) across Victoria.
A fingerprint expert, Nance started his career at Russell Street in the early 1980’s. After joining the Australian Federal Police, Nance assisted with international disasters including the Bali bombings, Thailand Tsunami and in East Timor in joint operations with the ADF.
Many would recall Tony, who for many years gave lectures on Australian Number Plates at the TOG Advanced Studies Course at Dawson Street and the old Melbourne District Traffic & Patrol Division (MDT&PD) Traffic School.
CEO of PVV David McGowan affectionately refers to Tony as “radio guy” – and a “great ambassador for our cause”.
“He’s an example of a true volunteer, who gives up his own time and money to help others in need of support,” McGowan said.
Nance hopes to find other opportunities to repurpose other equipment to further raise funds for PVV, which he says he’s proud to give back to.
“Victoria Police gave me years of great memories and career opportunities that I couldn’t have found elsewhere,” Tony said.
“Being a retired veteran myself, and knowing many others, I’m well aware of the issues facing police officers and first responders.
“I have a lot of close friends who have had serious issues. Whilst the money we raise here is not that much, I believe every dollar that we can pass onto PVV will go towards helping the police family.”