Chris Waddell
Christine “Chris” Katherine Waddell nee Rendall (May 12, 1921 – May 10, 2005) was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Her father’s work as a leader of the O.B.U. Street railway men made her sympathetic to the cause of trade unionism. She worked in the YMCA during the Depression as a dietician, later working in the British Embassy in Washington. She married, however, her husband, Archie, passed away in 1945. She relocated to Vancouver around 1947 and began work in the dining room at the Artistocratic Restaurant where she joined the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union (HREU). She subsequently worked for the HREU for 12 years. In 1965 she became an Industrial Relations Officer for the BC Department of Labour. In 1966 she was appointed the first Director of the newly created Women’s Bureau of Labour for BC, until her retirement on 1980. She also helped establish the Womens’ Exploratory Apprentice Training in 1975.