Memorable Manitobans: William Joseph “Bill” Trebilcoe (1921-1971)

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William Joseph Trebilcoe
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Broadcaster, columnist.

Born at Winnipeg on 29 April 1921, one of two sons of Charles Lane Trebilcoe (?-?) and Margaret Anne Connolly (?-1969), he attended St. Edward's School and St. Paul's College, becoming a skilled orator who was in demand as an after-dinner speaker. He began his working life as a brewery representative then as a supervisor for a soft drink company. In the mid-1950s, he switched to journalism, working at a weekly newspaper at Humboldt, Saskatchewan. He then went into radio broadcasting at CKBI at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.

He returned to Winnipeg as News Director at CJOB Radio, moving to CKY where he was News Director and later host of an open-line program, said to be the first of its kind in the city. In 1969, poor health necessitated early retirement but he wrote the column “Coffee Break” in the Winnipeg Free Press until his death and filled in occasionally on radio programs. He served as President of the Winnipeg Press Club (1959) and was emcee of its Beer and Skits performances. In his early years, he was active in the Manitoba Liberal Party and served a term as President of the Manitoba Young Liberals.

He died unmarried at the St. Boniface Hospital on 22 May 1971, following surgery to replace a valve in his heart. He was buried in the Assumption Roman Catholic Cemetery.

Sources:

Obituary [Margaret Anne Trebilcoe], Winnipeg Free Press, 6 January 1969, page 23.

“Bill Trebilcoe dies after surgery,” Winnipeg Free Press, 22 May 1971.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 25 May 1971, page 15.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 1 December 2023

Memorable Manitobans

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