It is with a deep sense of loss that Bury Radio Society (BRS) announce that their beloved friend and fellow amateur Lynda Jopson, G6QA (Queen Anne) passed away peacefully on 4 April 2025 following a prolonged battle with cancer.

Lynda was a long time BRS member as well as being its chairperson and treasurer. Lynda filled these roles with dedication and enthusiasm, contributing greatly to the success of the Society.

Lynda’s interest in radio first began in the CB boom of the 1980s. She worked the morning channel, chatting to regular drivers and anyone else in the area at the time.  She was known in those days as ‘Spectrum’ and worked with her friend Dorothy (‘Bookworm’) who looked after the channel.

She subsequently passed her City & Guilds exam in 1993 and joined her local radio club, which met at Rawtenstall fire station in Rossendale, Lancashire.

Her grandad and his friend and relative Arnold Whiteley were radio amateurs during both World Wars when not away at sea. She acquired Arnold’s G6QA callsign in April 1994, as she wasn’t able at the time to find grandad’s callsign. She felt very proud and privileged to use G6QA, even though she frequently got ‘DR OM LYNDA‘ on CW. The callsign led to her becoming affectionately known as ‘Queen Anne’ by her friends.

Lynda was passionate CW operator and was always keen to pass her skills on to other amateurs. One BRS member recalls “Morse Code was a must . . . and Lynda had a one-track mind about this. Once you started to learn Morse it was like a religion with Lynda. She would go to any lengths to help teach CW and it did not matter how long it took.”

She always used her organisational skills to excellent effect, directing many of BRS’s activities (field days, fox hunts, and NARSA to name just a few) as well as mentoring new club members. One BRS member wrote eloquently of the help she gave him as a new member “From my first visit to the club to our last phone call Lynda’s kindness and good humour shone through. I can’t thank her enough for the many happy hours that she spent teaching me morse. Our last sked was on 20M when she welcomed me onto the HF bands. She encouraged me throughout my radio journey with words of encouragement and support for which I am eternally grateful.”

BRS’s shack will be a lot quieter without Lynda and, although we shall all miss her greatly, we will be comforted by our fond memories.

Paul Anthony Stocks, M0OWS

LYNDA JOPSON G6QA A FIELD DAY EVENT.

           Lynda with our then Chairman Peter and Paul M0OWS at South Stack and below Paul and Rod.

In Memory of Lynda Jopson – G6QA

Across the air, her voice would glide,
A steady soul, with joy and pride.
From Kearsley Towers, warm and bright,
She lit the bands with Morse and light.

A nutty pensioner, she’d say,
With daft old jokes to start the day.
Yet through each key tap, loud and clear,
Was strength and warmth we held so dear.

From CB days on morning’s breeze,
With Spectrum’s call she rode with ease.
Alongside Bookworm, side by side,
They kept the channel’s heart and guide.

Then came the test — she passed with grace,
At Rawtenstall she found her place.
She taught with patience, calm and cheer,
The young and old, both far and near.

A call sign rooted deep in past,
G6QA, she made it last.
For Arnold’s voice and wartime thread
Still whispered through the words she said.

She wore her call sign like a crown—
Queen Anne, in laughter never down.
Though ‘DR OM’ she oft would see,
She grinned, “It’s just the ham in me!”

When sorrow knocked and time stood still,
She rose again with quiet will.
With daughter’s love and radio’s song,
She found the place she did belong.

At Bury’s helm, she led with grace,
As Lady Chair she took her place.
A force of joy, of steady calm,
Of soldered dreams and healing balm.

She led with heart, a guiding star,
At Bury’s club she raised the bar.
The Lady Chair, both kind and wise,
With mischief twinkling in her eyes.

She gave her time with open hand,
With lessons clear and wisdom planned.
Young people learned, old friends returned,
And in her care, bright passions burned.

Now silent key, but never gone,
Her legacy will carry on.
For every wave she ever made
Still echoes soft, and will not fade.

So let the airwaves hum tonight,
With dits and dahs that feel just right.
For though she’s gone, her signal stays
A friend, a light, ’till end of days.