The Board of Trustees of the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame are pleased to appoint Roland C. Peddle, VE6RL (VO1BD) of Lethbridge, Alberta to the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame for the year 2017.
The Constitution for the Hall of Fame specifies that the appointment is made “for outstanding achievement and excellence of the highest
degree, for serious and sustained service to Amateur Radio in Canada, or to Amateur Radio at large”. Roly Peddle is most worthy of this honour.
Roly was born in 1931 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and was a shortwave listener before obtaining his Amateur Radio licence in 1952, going on to contact well over 300 countries. He was a high school teacher at Bishops College in St. John’s for 27 years, teaching Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science and other subjects. He was also Department Head of Science for many years until he retired in 1986.
Roly was first licensed in January 1952 as VO1D. In 1957, Newfoundland and Labrador call signs were reorganized and he was given the call sign VO1BD. He has contributed to Amateur Radio with many organizations and in many capacities including: President of the Newfoundland Radio Club (1956); Editor of the Newfoundland Radio Club’s newsletter (1955 to 1959); Emergency Coordinator for the Amateur Radio Emergency Corps (1956); Editor of the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs’ (SONRA) newsletter (1959 to 1961); VO Incoming QSL Bureau Manager (1984 to 1996); and Official Bulletin Station (VO1QST: 1987 to 1994) for the Canadian Radio Relay League (CRRL). He was also the Assistant Atlantic Director for the CRRL (1987 to 1992) and then for Radio Amateurs of Canada when it was formed in 1993.
Roly was presented with three CRRL Service Awards in 1992 in recognition of his service as: Assistant Director for the Atlantic Region; Official Bulletin Station VO1QST; and VO1/VO2 QSL Bureau Manager. In 1995, the Society of Newfoundland Radio Amateurs (SONRA) presented him with the Bob Lewis Service Award in recognition of “outstanding contributions to the development and furtherance of Amateur Radio in Newfoundland and Labrador”. In 1996 he was designated as a SONRA Honorary Life Member.
In 1997, he and his loving wife Barbara moved to Lethbridge, Alberta where they celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2009. In 2012, Roly was recognized by the Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization Amateur Radio Club for 60 years on the air. He is the author of the book “Marconi to the Mobile Age: A History of Amateur Radio in Newfoundland and Labrador” which is due for publication in 2018. Stay tuned to the RAC website for more information.
Roly Peddle will be formally inducted to the Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame at an event in the coming weeks. A detailed account of his achievements will be presented in a future edition of The Canadian Amateur magazine.
Prepared by Frank Davis, VO1HP
Chair, Board of Trustees
Canadian Amateur Radio Hall of Fame