About the video
TRL Cast
View the video (we_salute_hec.mpg ~51Mb 05:01)

About the video

Hector James Ruddell joined TRL in 1955 as a chemist after 19 years in private industry in the field of oils, general chemistry, rubbers and plastic. In 1966, he was promoted to set up the Polymer Section which was responsible for the investigation, development and application of all plastics, rubbers and adhesives in the communications equipment. He was actively associated with the early manufacture and installation of plastics cable, including the development and formulation of epoxy resins and the epoxy resin field pack, the design of joints, particularly those for multi-pair submarine cables laid off the cost of Queensland, and the recent developments in the field cable, optical fibres and stabilisation of polyethylene.

Hec has been an associate of The Plastics Institute of Australia since 1959 and was awarded a Fellowship of the Institute in 1982, as well as being awarded a Citation for Outstanding Achievement by the Polymer Division of the RACI. Hec was awarded the inaugural "Telecom Award for Outstanding Achievement" in 1988 by the then Minister for Telecommunications, Sen. Gareth Evans (this was when Harry Wragge was the Director, TRL).

Hec retired in 1987 and this tribute video was produced in his honour.

Thanks to Ray Boast for all the background information.

TRL Cast

00:45 Hec Ruddell

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Last updated: 11 June 2002