Olive J. (Carroll) Roeckner (Canada)

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Olive grew up in the west coast   city   of  Vancouver, B.C.  She became interested in radio while at high school and upon graduating  attended the Sprott Shaw School of Radio and earned her   2nd  Class Certificate in Radio in 1944.  She then was employed by   the   Canadian   Department  of  Transport as a Katakana Interceptor operator at   VAI, the Pt. Grey Wireless Station.  At war’s end Olive transferred to the Canadian Dept. of Defense in Victoria, B.C.,  again  working as an Interceptor operator.  Early in 1947 she flew   to  San Francisco,  California to sign on the Norwegian passenger freighter M/S Siranger as Wireless Officer.  Duties included those of Purser and Captain’s Secretary as well.  The ship’s regular run was from the U.S. West Coast down the west coast of South America, through the Strait of Magellan, up the east coast,   through the Caribbean and Panama  Canal  and  so back to the West Coast.  In late ’48 Siranger was  put on   world wide charter which took the vessel to much of the rest of the world, with the exception of the Orient and Australasia.   After four years of sailing  and   many   adventures  Olive   signed   off Siranger   December   ’50  and  returned   to Vancouver.  Since retirement Olive has written a column and numerous  articles for maritime and radio related organizations to which she has belonged.  In 1994 she authored a book about her years at sea entitled “Deep Sea Sparks, a Canadian girl in the Norwegian Merchant Navy”.  Her present amateur radio callsign is VA6ERA.