Good evening Steve:

I knew your father Jim Cullen quite well. He was on the selection board in Halifax when I was interviewed for a Department of Communications Radio Inspector position in November 1972. I won the competition and left the Navy to join the DOC. I met your father on a few occasions when visiting the DOC office in Moncton. He also visited the DOC office in Sydney where I worked as as Radio Inspector between 1973 and 1979. During a visit to Sydney in 1973, I wanted to change my ham radio call sign from VE1AKM to a two-letter suffix and he helped me in obtaining call sign VE1WP.

Your Dad was a gentleman and I looked up to him for guidance.

I would love to create a page for him in Roll Call. If you could send me a summary of his career, anecdotes and photos, it would be greatly appreciated.

Take care

Donald Courcy

3 June 2014

Hello again, Donald

It certainly is a small world and I sure appreciate your kind words about Dad. I know he enjoyed the work as well as the people he worked with and I've had the chance through the years to chat with a few of his old co-workers, who likewise had good things to say. I recall when Dad was recovering from a heart episode in the early 80's, George Richard and (I think) Numa Bellefleur, set up an amateur radio antenna in the backyard, so that Dad could spend some time back on the airwaves, with call sign VE1RJ.

Dad started out by enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force at age 17, stationed in the far North in places like Resolute Bay. I believe this was on the DEW line, but am unsure as to what he actually did. I have a couple photos that I will scan and send along, that were taken while he was there.

He then worked for a brief period as a clerk for Canadian National Railways in Halifax, before attending radio school in St. John, NB. I believe it may have been at the same time as Lyle Bates, John Palmer and Fred Grezel, who we got to know as kids growing up.  After radio school, Dad served aboard the Coast Guard ship Saurel, as a radio operator, working out of Charlottetown, where the Saurel was based. He then joined the Dept of Transport, I think in Marine radio, working I believe in Camperdown.  I remember my sisters and I as kids picking blueberries in the area, with the huge antennas in the distance.

in 1970, Dad took a transfer to Moncton with the DoC, and remained there until his retirement. I know he spent time in both the Regional and District offices and I believe he was manager of Licensing and Authorization, when he finished. I had the chance to meet quite a few of the folks in the Moncton office, as for a time I worked next door for CN Rail and would stop in to see Dad or meet him for lunch.  Dad was quite active in the community of Riverview where we grew up and received a volunteer of the year award, for his time in minor baseball and the like. Matter of fact, one year Paul LeBlanc was an assistant on a team Dad coached. He also served as president of the Moncton West Riverview Rotary club and was very active with them.  

Through the years, guys like Al Daly, Marty MacLellan, Paul LeBlanc, George Richard, Fred Grezel, John Palmer, Joe Johnstone, Glen Atkinson, Dave Clarkson, Lyle Bates, Roger Squires, Mac Chafe were known to us as kids and were all spoken highly of by Dad.

After Dad retired, he took a position with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which he held until his death.

I have attached a photo taken while Dad was with the Rotary club and will scan and send a couple others from his time in the RCAF. I think a page in the rollcall  is a great idea and can certainly help with any other information that you may need.

Regards,

Steve Cullen

6 June 2014