It was indeed very sad and unwelcome news.
There were many tributes to Steve posted on various UK Reflectors but I was
most struck by the following post from Laurie, G3UML, which indicates the
integrity of our now departed ham friend.
Such sad news. RIP and sincere condolences to his family. A fine DXer and
contester, and thoroughly nice guy.
I'd known Steve probably over 40 years. One small story I told at the Surrey
dinner last night I think sums up Steve's
strength of character.
When P5/4L4FN came on from North Korea, I found myself in the odd position of
being his first UK contact and fixing some skeds for him with G. Over a couple
off Sundays, way up beyond the radar at the top of ten metres. I brought quite
a few G friends on board and they all made early contacts.
I included Steve but he wasn't interested. Thanks, but I don't work DX off
skeds or lists, he said. At the time I thought it a bit holier-than-thou, but
soon realised it showed a great strength of character and determination to do
the right thing (not that I was proposing the wrong thing, just a easing the
way for a mate).
Laurie G3UML
73 Brian 5B4AIZ / C4Z.
From: Mike Smith VE9AA <ve9aa@nbnet.nb.ca>
To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Sent: Wednesday, 7 December 2016, 3:47
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] GW4BLE SK
Damn ! That's rotten news. I knew from reading his 3830 WW SSB report he
wasn't in perfect health, but I had no idea.
We had a short email exchange just before CQWW CW and he never answered my
question (I had asked what call he was going to use in the contest)
and I thought that was odd he never replied, but I never inquired twice as I
just assumed I'd find him regardless.
I had actually emailed him thanking him for all the recordings he had made
of all his contacts in the contests over the years. I thought it was so cool
I could go look them up on his page and be reminded of that contact years
later by listening to the recordings. He happens to be one of only a
handful of UK stns that I can actually always remember his name in the heat
of a contest, though I do recognize many callsigns. I just have worked him
so many times, the name is burned in. WOW L
He certainly will be missed.
Be at peace, Steve.
Mike VE9AA
Hello all.
I'm sure you'll be sad to hear the news that Steve GW4BLE passed away in the
early hours of Friday the 2nd of December, his wife Mandy was with him to
the
end.
He was born in South Wales in 1952. He grew up in what was probably the
hey-day of Amateur Radio. As a teenager he was a member of the local
Blackwood Amateur Radio club, where he rapidly progressed from SWL to fully
licensed Amateur. He became a keen DX'er but what really motivated him was
contesting. He simply loved it. His favourite was, of course, CQWW SSB.
Anyone around the world who has ever taken part in an SSB contest will
recognise his callsign. Steve was one of the good guys, fiercely
competitive
but always ready to offer help and encouragement. Scrupulously honest in
every
respect he was an excellent operator who was always ready to adopt new
practices and squeeze the most out of his station. He crammed more antennas
into his small garden than one might have thought possible!
Steve had been diagnosed with cancer a while back. It seemed as though the
surgery had been successful in eliminating it. He was a a fighter and
always
positive. Unfortunately, over time, complications developed and in the end
his
cancer returned with a vengeance.
Amazingly , even in very poor health, Steve managed to put in an entry for
this
year's CQWW SSB contest. He simply said he wanted to be a part of the
greatest
contest in the calendar. Many of us have lost a dear friend and the world
of
Amateur Radio will be a poorer place without him.
73 Ian G3WVG
Mike, Coreen & Corey
Keswick Ridge, NB
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