Those receiving awards during this year’s Municipality of Argyle volunteer recognition dinner included (from left) Charles Brittain, Barbara Brittain, Mallory Surette and Dwayne LeBlanc.
Eric Bourque photo
Municipality of Argyle says thanks to volunteers
By Eric Bourque
THE VANGUARD
NovaNewsNow.com
The Municipality of Argyle held its annual volunteer recognition banquet Friday evening at the East Side Community Centre in East Pubnico.
Twenty of the municipality’s residents were honoured for the time and effort they have contributed to a wide variety of causes and organizations.
They included Stan Surette, who also was among the Nova Scotians to receive awards at the 2008 provincial volunteer recognition event in Halifax.
The provincial awards were presented the day before the Municipality of Argyle’s volunteer dinner.
Surette, the guest speaker for the Argyle banquet, said he was glad to see the municipality’s volunteers recognized for their efforts, although he noted that volunteerism is not about recognition.
“Being a volunteer is wanting to help others and that is the reward,” he said.
He asked those on hand for the April 25 banquet to consider what the local community and the world at large would be like without volunteers doing the work that they do.
This was the Municipality of Argyle’s 26th volunteer dinner, an event that organizers hold in a different location from year to year.
The following people were chosen for recognition this year: Michelle Amirault, Troy Amirault, Vicky Belliveau, Neil Bourque, Barbara Brittain, Charles Brittain, Coral A. d’Entremont, Cynthia d’Eon, Laurie DeViller, Joseph Doucet, Joanne Doucette, Ron Horrocks, Donna LeBlanc, Dwayne LeBlanc, Donna Nickerson, Luke Schrader, Stan Surette and Thomas Surette.
Student volunteers Karmanda Murphy (Ecole secondaire de Par-en-Bas) and Mallory Surette (Drumlin Heights Consolidated School) also were honoured.
The evening included words of welcome and congratulations from Argyle Warden Aldric d’Entremont, Argyle MLA and provincial cabinet minister Chris d’Entremont and West Nova MP Robert Thibault.
Argyle municipal councillors were on hand to present the awards, each called upon to make the presentation to recipients residing within their district.
Addressing the assembled guests at the evening’s conclusion, Stan Surette encouraged the municipality’s volunteers to continue contributing to their community.
“Keep it going,” he said.