Central Frontenac annual seniors awards ceremony

Craig Bakay | Jun 28, 2017

“June is Seniors Month and Volunteers Month,” Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith said at a special ceremony Tuesday afternoon at Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake. “We take this opportunity to appreciated them.

“Most volunteers do it quietly, they’re not the kind to go out and hang signs.”

And so they gathered, representatives from each of the districts nominated their choices and the certificates were printed.

First to be so honoured was Kennebec’s Ronda Noble.

Noble came to Arden to retire in 2010 after being an office manager for a prominent law firm in Toronto that included Toronto’s current mayor.

“She’s very involved in the community, as secretary of the Legion, a member of the Heritage Festival committee, and the Friends of Arden steering committee,” said Coun. Tom Dewey. “She drives people to appointments in Perth, Napanee and Kingston.

“And she hates to lose at euchre.”

Mayor Smith presented Olden’s recipient, former Coun. John Purdon.

“John retired to his wife Maxine’s family home in 2001 after a successful career in the civil service,” Smith said. “He’s chair of the United Church fundraising committee, president of the Mountain Grove 51+ Club and is still on the Library Board.

“He plays euchre in Arden and is on the Arden Seniors Slow-pitch club where he has his own cheer.”

She said that since Purdon left Council, she’s had to read the agendas more carefully because Purdon was the one who caught typos, spelling mistakes and errors in arithmetic.

“Why I’m here today basically is because I volunteer,” Purdon said. “And why do I volunteer?

“My late wife knew a lot of people here and I knew nobody.

“She liked to volunteer and so I volunteered with her to get out and meet people.”

Coun. Bill MacDonald presented Oso’s joint honorees, Alvin and Diane Lake.

“Al’s lived in Sharbot Lake all his life and Diane’s been here for 44 years,” MacDonald said. “They are both Sharbot Lake High School grads.”

MacDonald said he remembers Alvin as a great coach of many teams as well as a driver for the Cancer Society and meals-on-wheels. Diane was a Girl Guides leader and active in the United Church.

“What I remember most is the Ice Storm,” he said. “I remember them feeding up to 200 people daily in the gym and making door-to-door checks.

“If there’s such a thing as a fabric of a community, these folks would be a big part of this one.”

“It’s all the community,” said Diane.

Coun. Phillip Smith and Dep. Mayor Brent Cameron jointly presented Hinchinbrooke’s honoree, musician Gord Struthers.

“Gord was born and raised in the Piccadilly area and is a unique individual,” said Cameron. “He was one of the originals at the Piccadilly Jam and never turned down a request to play whatever the cause or occasion.

“His gift is his music and he is putting together a historical and cultural record of songs on Facebook and YouTube.”

Cameron explained that Struthers couldn’t be in attendance for the ceremony because of being diagnosed in April with ALS — Lou Gehrig’s Disease. His daughter Sherry was there to accept the award on behalf of her father.

“Dad took a fall and it is heartbreaking for him to not be able to attend because he has such a gift for gab,” she said. “He spent countless hours picking, singing and yodelling and if people asked, he answered.

“This really means more to him than I could ever convey.”