Roy Doerkson (VE7RDV)
Roy passed away in early December 2021.
A moment of silence was held on Sunday morning Dec 19th during the NORAC Sunday Net with everyone participating.
More information will follow when a memorial is announced or an obituary is published.
Our condolences to Bev and their family.
December 11-12, 2021
Working around road closures and adhering to strict pandemic-related gathering regulations, the Big White Winter Rally was able to take place this year. 16 teams somehow found ways to get to Kelowna, BC for the event and it was worth the effort. Snowy roads with a blizzard on Saturday and gorgeous sun on Sunday made for great winter rally racing.
Due to a shortage of volunteers being able to fundamentally get to the location, due to flood damage on all major roads in BC this fall, the rally stages were slightly shortened. However, there were more runs of those stages and in some cases the new stage reconfigurations made for some very entertaining driving. For example, the shortened Gem-Falcon stage now included a series of very-tight switchbacks, making it even more fun for rally drivers (and volunteers who got to drive the course to get to their blocker positions).
Several NORAC and neighbouring club HAMs stepped up as radio volunteers:
- John VE7JXC (second time volunteering) stepped into the deep end and joined net control
- Michal VE7TMZ (first time volunteering) as a blocker
- Kevin VE7XY and friend Mike (first time volunteering) as a blocker
- Tom VE7ENP (first time volunteering) as a blocker
- Alison VA7ASK (first time volunteering) as a blocker
- Michael VE7KPZ and Jane VE7WWJ as a blocker
- Alex VE7ASX in recovery + event radio planner
The event can't run without a minimum number of radio volunteers so big thanks go out to all of the first-timers that stepped up and also to the experienced folks who returned for another event.
There were definitely some learning moments for the first-timers, but the challenge made it all the more exciting. Volunteering for radio operations for an event like a performance car rally with no previous experience is a great way to develop skills and learn by overcoming obstacles. It also, for the blockers on course, facilitates a front-row seat to the event. Nothing beats the sound of a performance rally car approaching at speed on a snowy dark forest road and then passing by with exhaust notes reverberating. The giant lights on the cars are fun to witness as well. If you're lucky enough to be blocking near a corner, the rooster tails from the wheels spinning are a great sight as well.
For the rest of the public (and the usual spectators as spectators were not allowed access to the course this year), the media crews are the eyes and ears. First, we have the CRC words+pics recap: https://carsrally.ca/crc-news/tilley-wins-leblanc-brothers-clinch-title-at-big-white-rally/. And then there is a highlights video of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMRa1JAmcXw. Oooh, and also some b-roll with a focus on car 16: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjnFe4ZQiZI. And some b-roll with a focus on car 9: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBne-7srwN0. And: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh5p3tuNsIA. In a month or two, the event recap will be shown on TSN and then that event video will also make it to Youtube. A google search with keywords "Big White Winter Rally 2021" should also turn up some results with in-car video footage, etc.
Again, big thanks to all of the volunteers,
73,
Mike VE7KPZ
NORAC VP, technical coordinator and avid performance car rally radio volunteer
Please check out https://www.rac.ca/youth-on-the-air-month-update/ for more details on the Youth On The Air special event.
Please check out the QST article outlining the FD2021 results: https://contests.arrl.org/ContestResults/2021/Field-Day-2021-FinalQSTResults.pdf
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our husband, father, opa, brother, uncle and friend, Gerard Mulder, at Vernon Jubilee Hospital from cancer. Gerard is survived by his wife, Annie of 47 years and children; Wilfried (Nikki), Rosalinde, Andrea, and Helga (Jeff), and grandkids; Mya, Alexander, Brooklyn, Addison and Ivy. He is also survived by his sisters; Lidi (Geert), Annie (Cor), Willie (Jan), and extended family in Europe.
Gerard was born in Doornenburg, the Netherlands in 1947. He grew up studying horticulture and agriculture and worked on the family farm. He met the love of his life, Annie, in 1968 and they married in 1973. They welcomed their first child Wilfried in 1975 followed by their daughters; Rosalinde in 1976, Andrea in 1978 and Helga in 1979.
In 1980 Gerard and Annie immigrated with their young family to a dairy farm in PEI, Canada. Gerard worked very hard to build a successful dairy farm despite many challenges & setbacks including an injured back which he lived with for the remainder of his years. In 1992 Gerard and Annie sold the farm to move their family west to Vernon, BC and spent a lot of time at their coffee shop. In 2005 they moved to Falkland, BC back to the country, though returned to Vernon a few years later.
Gerard was a man of many talents with a big personality and is particularly remembered for his beautiful wood carvings. He was a charter member of the Prince County Woodcarvers Guild in PEI, and a founding member of the North Okanagan Carver’s Society in BC. He was a welder, built stunning cedar strip canoes, created outstanding pottery and clay sculptures, loved life drawing, made jewelry, did lapidary, dabbled in photography and taxidermy, built clocks and enjoyed brewing beer and wine.
Gerard loved the outdoors camping, hunting, fishing, gold panning, rockhounding, gardening, French/Belgian Ring, Schutzhund dog training, and target shooting. Gerard was a member of many clubs including the Summerside Amateur Radio Club (VY2GMU), North Okanagan Radio Amateur Club (VE7NOC), Vernon Collectors Club, Vernon Mineral and Lapidary Club, Vernon Fish and Game Club, local Tai Chi, a past board member at the Vernon Community Arts Centre, a member of nature clubs and enjoyed sharing stories with his weekly coffee club.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation at vjhfoundation.org or by calling 250-558-1362.