Duane Hicks
“You can’t go through life just with a catcher’s mitt. At some point, you’ve got to throw one back.”
Words of wisdom from 2015 “Citizen of the Year” Larry Patrick, who was honoured Friday evening during the town’s annual appreciation dinner at Sunny Cove Camp.
“Being ‘Citizen of the Year’ is a pretty humbling experience because, if you really think about it, a leader or gatekeeper . . . is only as good as the team of volunteers he or she works with,” Patrick stressed.
“I was fortunate to have some of the most passionate and committed volunteers I’ve ever had the privilege of working with,” he added.
“They all brought such energy to their tasks.
“And yes, I am a taskmaster,” Patrick admitted.
“But that’s the way things get done and I’m quite proud of our achievements.”
Patrick is a die-hard hockey volunteer who scored a hat trick of notable accomplishments here last year.
He not only chaired the Dudley Hewitt Cup committee but joined the new Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame committee, which held its inaugural Hall of Fame banquet in late August, and chaired the “Duncan Keith Day” committee.
The retired school teacher also thanked mayor and council “for their commitment and resolve to help out with these significant events.”
“Make no mistake about it—through their resources and their manpower, they contributed in a huge way to both the Dudley Hewitt Cup and Duncan Keith Day,” Patrick stressed.
He said he felt privileged Friday to be in the company of so many other dedicated volunteers, adding they’re “why our town will continue to grow and prosper.”
Fort Frances Sports Hall of Fame co-organizer Terry Ogden shared a few words about Patrick.
A long-time acquaintance of his, Ogden said Patrick always has been involved in coaching and working with kids, but “Larry really, really stepped it up” in 2015.
Ogden lauded Patrick’s dedication to not one, not two, but three separate volunteer projects last year, adding his expertise is valuable to any committee he works with.
“Larry’s a detail guy—he looks after all the details and makes sure things are done in a first-class manner,” Ogden noted.
“And he put in a lot of hours in 2015.”
Mayor Roy Avis, who worked with Patrick on “Duncan Keith Day,” also applauded him, citing his organizational skills as being “nothing less than fantastic.”
The appreciation dinner, which was attended by 131 people, also was an occasion for the town to recognize local media, its management group, and the volunteers sitting on the various boards and committees.
Mayor Avis also recognized members of council, noting they are very dedicated, with each councillor having attended about 125 meetings in the past year.
“Every decision they make is the best for the taxpayer of our community,” he added.
Speaking on volunteers, Mayor Avis specifically thanked Bruce Caldwell, who spearheaded the drive to bring the “Snowbirds” demonstration team here last summer.
He also saluted all those who took part in the recent “Blight the Flight” campaign, as well as bylaw enforcement officers Patrick Briere and Arlene Byrnes, who organized it.
Mayor Avis added the “Fight the Blight” campaign was a success and should happen again—not next year but perhaps every two or three years.
“Fort Frances is your community and with your help, we’ll make a difference,” he said in his closing remarks.
“It will always become better.”
Coun. June Caul, who emceed the evening along with Human Resources manager Aaron Petrin, shared her own thoughts on volunteers.
Citing the 4-H pledge (“I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my heart to greater loyalty, my hands to larger service, and my health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world”), Coun. Caul said, “That’s what each of you do every day when you are volunteering.”
“We are so thankful to have all of you, and are so appreciative to have the people who volunteer for the different committees that you’re on for the town because without you, the town wouldn’t run as well as it does,” she added.
The dinner, which was catered by local chef Marc Nagant, also was an occasion to recognize town employees who retired in the past year.
They included library clerks Evelyn Norris and Janet Bell, as well as Public Works foreman Rob Paterson.
Also recognized were Milt Strachan, who achieved 25 years of service with the town as of Jan. 2, 2015, and Lori Pattison, who has worked for the town for 25 years as of March 13, 2016.
Employees who already have achieved 25 years of service, as well past retirees, also were recognized.
