Health and Community Services
June 25, 2010
Newfoundland and Labrador's Seniors
Honoured
with
Special
Awards of Distinction
The Williams Government is continuing to recognize the
significant contributions that seniors make in Newfoundland and Labrador
with the presentation of the second annual Seniors of Distinction
Awards. The awards were presented to the recipients last evening during
a ceremony at The Rooms.
Five Seniors of Distinction Award recipients were
chosen by a selection committee. The recipients are Julia Best,
Placentia; Agnes Brake, Little Rapids; Nellie Caul, Stephenville; John
Nicholas Jeddore, Conne River; and R. Thomas Mills, St. John's.
"The Seniors of Distinction Awards Program gives us an
important opportunity to further promote the significant achievements of
seniors in our province," said the Honourable Jerome Kennedy, Minister
of Health and Community Services and Minister Responsible for Aging and
Seniors. "It allows us to recognize the many contributions seniors make
to their communities and society, and is one of several initiatives in
which our government is investing as we prepare for an older
population."
To be eligible for the awards, a senior had to be
nominated by an individual or group, be 50 years of age or older, and be
a current or past resident of Newfoundland and Labrador. Seniors were
considered for both voluntary and paid work and nominations from last
year were reviewed again this year at the request of the nominee.
The selection committee consisted of Leo Bonnell,
Chair, Provincial Advisory Committee on Aging and Seniors; Dr. Gail
Wideman, Gerontological Social Worker and Assistant Professor of Social
Work, Memorial University of Newfoundland; and, Minnie Vallis, 2009
Senior of Distinction.
"We are very pleased with the level of interest in the
Seniors of Distinction Awards Program this year. A total of 156
nominations were received," said Minister Kennedy. "And although we
couldn't select every nominee, each individual demonstrates skills,
wisdom and abilities that clearly enrich the lives of others and our
society as a whole."
The Seniors of Distinction Awards Program is an
initiative of the Provincial Healthy Aging Policy Framework
launched in 2007. The framework outlines six priority directions
together with a series of goals and actions to create an age-friendly
province which supports seniors and recognizes their diversity and
valuable contributions.
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Media contact:
Tansy
Mundon
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 685-2646
tansymundon@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Recipients of the 2010 Seniors of
Distinction Awards
Julia Best
Mrs. Julia Best was born on Red Island in 1914 into a
large family where she carried out many responsibilities. Twice married,
Mrs. Best helped raise 13 children, even as she struggled with
tuberculosis. As an older adult in Southern Harbour in the 1970s and
1980s, Mrs. Best started to volunteer formally. She established the
Foggy Bay Senior Citizens' Club and an auxiliary at the Come by Chance
hospital. She served on the board of the Dr. G.B. Cross Memorial
Hospital, was president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Pensioners and
Senior Citizens Federation, and was instrumental in establishing many of
the federation's 130 seniors clubs. Mrs. Best was a member of the
National Advisory Council on Aging, advocating on many seniors' issues,
including the preservation of medicare, the continued indexing of
pensions, and assistance with the costs of medication for low-income
seniors.
Agnes Brake
Mrs. Agnes Brake, from Little Rapids, is the mother of
five children, a cancer survivor, and a wonderful volunteer. Over the
past 40 years, Mrs. Brake has been diagnosed eight times with different
kinds of cancer, and lost her husband to the disease. Yet, Mrs. Brake
remains positive and constantly provides others with hope and
inspiration. To help those living with cancer, she provides one-on-one
support, speaks publicly about her experiences and wisdom as a survivor,
organizes events and fundraises. Mrs. Brake serves on the administration
committee of her local service district, raises money for fire
departments and playgrounds, and helps organize summer camps for
children and one for seniors. She is determined to make the lives of
others easier.
Nellie Caul
Born in 1921, Mrs. Nellie Caul of Stephenville is the
mother of Rick, Ken and Theresa; both Ken and Theresa have intellectual
disabilities. Mrs. Caul's advocacy work throughout the second half of
the last century is recognized as key in the movement to end the
institutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities in Canada.
She was a central figure in the establishment of the Newfoundland and
Labrador Association for Community Living, an organization dedicated to
developing communities that welcome persons with developmental
disabilities. Mrs. Caul was instrumental in the closure of Exon House,
an institution in St. John's for persons with disabilities, and the
reintegration of these individuals into the community. In the late
1970s, Mrs. Caul also successfully lobbied so that the income tax
deduction for individuals who used a wheelchair would be extended to
persons with intellectual disabilities.
John Nicholas Jeddore
Mr. John Nicholas Jeddore is a Mi'kmaq elder from
Conne River, a member of the Miawpukek Band. Born in 1922, he became a
trapper through his father's teaching. At the age of 19, Mr. Jeddore
went abroad with the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit in support of
the war effort. Back in Newfoundland in 1945, Mr. Jeddore married and
went on to raise nine children. Disqualified from working due to
tuberculosis, he transformed his shed into a store and ran his business
until 2008. Today, Mr. Jeddore spends time hunting, trapping, fishing,
cooking and gathering wood for himself and others. He is passing on many
traditional skills, such as the fabrication of eel spears and snowshoes.
Mr. Jeddore contributes to various websites and has a blog through which
he shares the culture of the Mi'kmaq people.
R. Thomas Mills
Mr. Thomas Mills was born in 1933 in St. John's. As a
father of five, and at the age of 34, he gave up his job to pursue
post-secondary studies. He earned undergraduate degrees in Arts, Social
Work and Vocational Education and eventually a Master's degree in Social
Work. Mr. Mills became a skilled marriage and family counselor and as
such has helped thousands of people over a 20-year period. He was the
Director of the Family Life Bureau in St. John's and a founding member
of Family Services Canada. Mr. Mills is a leader in many areas of social
justice. He has embraced, advocated for, and guided through intricate
bureaucracies, countless immigrants moving to Canada. He has spoken out
on behalf of survivors of sexual abuse. His promotion of community
acceptance and legal equality for gays and lesbians is yet another
example of his strong community activism.
2010 06 25 9:35 a.m. |