The one-room Longlea School No. 1921 once educated up to 60 students at a time but has sat mostly empty since the mid-1990s.

The Bendigo Amateur Radio and Electronics Club has moved in and begun filling blackboards with diagrams and mathematical equations.

Club president Kevin Crockett said the new headquarters would be perfect for the club.

“Overall it marks the end of a good 14-year period of trying to get good club rooms for us,” he said.

Mr Crockett said the new headquarters had opened at a time when the club was working to get more people hooked on hobbies like electronics and amateur radio.

The group had introduced a number of new programs.

“(For example,) I started what in the club we call the Pedal Radio Group a few years ago,” he said.

There’s a few of us who have two-way radios on our bikes and we go out riding, talking to each other and to those around the world

“It gave us a form of communication that then allowed us to provide assistance for the O’Keefe Marathon last year.”

The group plan to provide the same communication service along the event route at this year’s event.

The group was also hoping to inspire a new generation to get involved.

“Everyone gets older. The membership of this club is getting older. Unless we have younger people coming along the club will eventually disappear,” he said.

That realisation led to displays at community events across the region, often targeting children.

Mr Crockett encouraged those interested in electronics and amateur radio to come along when the clubhouse opened on Wednesdays or for amateur radio training on Saturday afternoons.

For more information phone Kevin Crockett on 5439 7434, or go to www.barec.net.au and Facebook.

To see more pictures and a video of the new clubhouse visit the Bendigo Advertiser’s website.