Base Commander

William Keith Rudderham
Lieutenant Colonel
Base Commander

Lieutenant-Colonel William Keith Rudderham was born in North Sydney, Nova Scotia.  He grew up on a Cape Breton farm and joined the CF immediately after graduating from high school in 1988.  In 1992, he graduated from the Royal Military College with an honours degree in Economics and Commerce and was posted to Petawawa.

LCol Rudderham began his army career in 2 Service Battalion where he worked as a Platoon Commander in two of the field supply platoons and in Base Supply.  In 1995 he was posted to the 2CMBG Light Infantry Battalion as Officer Commanding (OC) Administration Company and later as the Quarter Master of 3RCR.  LCol Rudderham was employed as a staff officer on the Land Staff in Kingston from 1997 until 2000.  Given the chance to serve in LFWA in 2000, he moved to Edmonton and served as the 2IC and OC of 1 GS Bn Supply Coy.  In the fall of 2001 he became the Base Adjutant for CFB Edmonton.  He graduated from the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College in the spring of 2003 and was promoted to Major prior to being posted back to 2 Svc Bn as OC Administration Company.  From November 2004 until September 2005 he served as A/CO of 2 Svc Bn while his Commanding Officer was deployed to Kabul.  LCol Rudderham remained in 2 Svc Bn as the DCO until he deployed to Afghanistan for the second time in 2007.  Upon return from theatre in August 2007, he was posted to the Land Forces Central Area Training Centre, where as OC CSS Training Company he was responsible for training deploying soldiers in the finer aspects of convoy drills and assisting to implement the entire pre-deployment suite of driver training including the newly acquired Armoured Heavy Support Vehicle System.

LCol Rudderham has served on three operational tours.  In 1999 he deployed to Kosovo as the G4 Operations of Multinational Brigade (Centre) in Pristina.  In 2003-2004 he served the first part of his six month tour as a Transport and Movement officer in ISAF HQ, Kabul.  Later he assumed the duties of Officer Commanding Camp Services Company in Camp Julien.  From February until August 2007, LCol Rudderham deployed to Kandahar as part of the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team (OMLT) responsible for the training of the Afghanistan National Army.

LCol Rudderham is a graduate of the Land Force Command and Staff College as well as the Canadian Forces College.  He earned obtained a Masters of Defence Studies in 2009.  In his spare time he enjoys reading, running, financial planning and farming.  He is married to Lori Rudderham (Salter) of Sudbury Ontario and they live in Petawawa with their three children: Cameron 13, Ian 10, and Emily 8.

Canadian Forces Base Petawawa  

As a partner in the Petawawa Community, Canadian Forces Base Petawawa offers numerous outstanding services and programs to the community. Whether your interests lead you to our beautiful outdoor recreational areas or into our world-class fitness facilities, all residents of the Petawawa area are welcomed to enjoy all the advantages that CFB Petawawa offers.

Outdoor Splendor

For the outdoor enthusiast, regardless of the season, the options are numerous. The Base is located along the Petawawa and Ottawa rivers and adjacent to Algonquin Provincial Park.

Go to Algonquin Park website at www.algonquinpark.on.ca

The beauty of this section of the Ottawa Valley is beyond compare.

Golf and Other Outdoor Attractions

During the summer your options include a relaxing round of golf on our eighteen hole course, wandering through numerous outdoor trails, lounging on a beautiful sandy beach, sailing or boating on the Ottawa River from our full service marina, or camping along the banks of the Ottawa River. Fishing your passion? Some great fishing holes are available throughout the training area.

Winter temptation include extensive cross country ski trails and a link to the main snowmobile trail in Eastern Ontario. Ice fishing, snow tubing and curling are a few more options for you and your family throughout the winter months.

Indoor Activities

If your interests include fitness and recreation, CFB Petawawa has facilities beyond compare. Designed to allow our Canadian Forces members to meet their physically demanding work requirements, our facilities are state of the art and available to the entire community.

Located on Festubert Boulevard, Dundonald Hall is the main fitness facility on Base. It houses a 53,000 square foot field house, a 200 meter indoor running track, a 25 meter swimming pool, a wading pool equipped with a winding water slide, and whirlpool and sauna facilities. The cardio equipment and the weight room provide motivation just by walking in.

The Recreation Complex houses a full size gymnasium, and aerobic studio, teen room, preschool play rooms and meeting rooms. The "Rec Plex" is home to numerous Base clubs as well, from the Karate Club to the Preschool Clubs to the Indoor Rock Climbing Club.

The South Side Community Center offers similar facilities and services to another area of the Petawawa community. The combination of Recreation Service's, Family Military Resources Services and Canex shopping make this facility the ideal "one-stop-shopping" building.

Services Galore

Not only does CFB Petawawa offer indoor and outdoor resources to the local community, we are services. With over forty recreational clubs varying from Wood Hobby to Auto Fix it to Gymnastics, all managed by community volunteers, local residents are sure to find something of interest to them. As well, services ranging from recreational programs to fitness & sport services to family resources programs ensure that every age group has access to outstanding support.

Contact Us

If you would like more information about programs, facilities and services are available at CFB Petawawa, please contact Recreation Department at 613-687-2932 to answer all your questions. Welcome to the Petawawa area and we hope that you enjoy your visit.

Official Web Site for CFB Petawawa
http://www.army.dnd.ca/cfb_petawawa

Government of Canada Web site
http://www.canada.gc.ca/