Doreen Patterson Reitsma

Doreen Patterson Reitsma (December 12, 1927 – April 30, 2000) was the first woman from British Columbia to enter Canada's newly created Postwar Women's Division of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Coverdale was located near the city of Moncton, New Brunswick and was part of the Canada-USA Atlantic High Frequency Direction Finding Network responsible for the collection of military intelligence.

Here, she was part of a special force of eleven Wrens trained to live and work in extreme weather conditions.

On January 26, 1955, Doreen Patterson helped inspire Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent and his cabinet to create a permanent and fully integrated regular force for women in the Royal Canadian Navy.

Ms. Patterson, in part, credited Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt with giving her the inspiration to achieve her accomplishment after a meeting with the former First Lady at the Hotel Vancouver, where Doreen had worked in the 1940s.