Order of Prince Edward Island

[slideshow] Wednesday, September 26, 2012 was a very happy night for this writer, Emily Bryant, and I want to express sincere gratitude to the Clyde River Community Council for spearheading a nomination that led to me being the proud recipient of a 2012 Order of Prince Edward Island award. Doug Gillespie, Council Chair, read a citation just before the award was presented by Hon. Frank H. Lewis and Premier Robert Ghiz. Doug was so complimentary that I didn’t think it was about me -ha,ha. In fact, I like to think this was about all of us who worked together on projects over the last number of years -each one goal-oriented and hard working.

I know preparing the application for the Order of Prince Edward Island award is a complicated process. It involves hours of meeting and lots of coordination to get people who know me to write support letters as well as writing up the application. I was very pleased that Doug and Hilda Colodey, whom I’m told did a lot of the background work, were present to help me celebrate. I was told that evening by members of the selection committee that the application prepared for me was “very professional and inclusive”. That meant it included my work with mental health services on PEI as well as my experiences in Clyde River. I have a lot of different people to thank individually as well as this collective “Thank You.”

The pictures tell the story of that night. It was a gala affair, and Vans and I and our entire family were able to enjoy the evening. I was especially happy that my mother, Hazel Colwill, who just celebrated her 95th birthday, was able to attend. That meant it was a four generation celebration for us. Mom got to talk to Maitland MacIsaac, the Chair of the evening. He was the Principal at St. Eleanor’s School where she taught 40 some years ago and this was nice for both of them. Knowing Dorothy (Millar) Lewis, originally from the Tyne Valley area, made visiting Fanningbank at the time when Hon Frank H. Lewis is Lieutenant Governor special for all of us.