The origins of the club are somewhat shrouded in the mists of time but the roots seem to have been nourished by local hams having previous experience as members of the Winnipeg amateur radio community and involvement with the establishment of VHF repeater sites there. Drawing on this experience several local clubs formed and disbanded over the years in the Selkirk general area. The Eastman Amateur Radio Club (EARC) was formed in 1986 and installation of the first repeater with the call sign VE4SLK followed shortly thereafter.
Active club members who were instrumental in the formation of the EARC in its present form and construction of the first repeater were Bill Crowe VE4CRO, Phil Kor VE4KOR, Dave Place VE4PN and John Gowron VE4ADS. In late 1998 a decision was made to install a third repeater when the repeater then in service began to fail continuously due to an influx of coal dust into the enclosure.
It was agreed to install both a VHF 2 metre and a UHF 70 centimetre machine with linking capability. Albert VE4AJB worked hard and long to research and find quality equipment meeting the technical and operational requirements of the group. The active members at that time contributed towards the purchase of the equipment with a nominal contribution of $200 each. After months of hard work, most of it by Albert VE4AJB and Phil VE4KOR, the repeaters were transported to a new clean room at the East Selkirk generating plant. They first went on the air in late February 1999 and have worked nearly flawlessly ever since.