The 2003 recipients of the Order of Prince Edward Island were announced today by the Chancellor of the Order, the Honourable J. Léonce Bernard, Lieutenant Governor and Mrs. Sharon Wedge, Chair of the Order of Prince Edward Island Advisory Council.
The three Islanders selected to receive the honour are:
Mr. Georges Arsenault of Charlottetown
Mr. Donald Deacon, CM of Charlottetown
Mr. Noel Wilson of Cardigan
These individuals were selected from a total of 56 Islanders nominated to receive the award this year.
The honour was first conferred in 1996 with six individuals invested at that time; since then there have been three Islanders invested each year. The three most recent inductees into the Order in 2002 were:
Mrs. Anna Duffy of Fort Augustus
Mr. Allan Graham of Alberton
Mr. Elmer Williams of Summerside
The honour is awarded as a means of recognizing those Islanders who have shown individual excellence or outstanding leadership in their community and in their chosen occupation or profession. It is the highest honour that can be accorded a citizen of the Province and is awarded annually following a public nomination process. Recipients are selected by an independent nine-person Advisory Council. Insignia of the Order will be presented by His Honour the Lieutenant Governor at a special investiture ceremony in September at Government House, Charlottetown.
M. GEORGES ARSENAULT
Born in Abram-Village, M. Georges Arsenault has served Prince Edward Island with distinction. A professor, radio program host, editor, ethnologist, author and historian, M. Arsenault continues to provide an invaluable service to all Islanders through his work for the preservation of Island Acadian history and heritage and for his involvement in the development of one of Prince Edward Island's most important communities.
Over the years, Mr. Arsenault has demonstrated his commitment to the Island Acadian community and the broader Island community through many contributions, including: Chair of the Acadian Festival (1979 - 1981), Member of the PEI Acadian Museum Association (1981 - 1985), President and Member of the PEI Acadian Historical Society (1978 - 1986), Member of the Board of Directors of Atlantic Canada Institute, President of the Committee for the Centennial of the Acadian Flag (1982 - 1984), Member of the Canadian Council of the Arts (1978 - 1980) and service as a Member of the Prince Edward Island Museum from 1980 - 1986. Mr. Arsenault has also been involved with Société Saint-Thomas-D'Aquin, the Arts Council of Canada, Port Lajoie Cultural Centre, Parks Canada Acadian Advisory Committee, the Institute of Island Studies, Les Éditions D'Acadie and the Monument Lefebvre Society.
Mr. Arsenault has done a great deal to promote an understanding and appreciation of Acadian history, culture and traditions, including lectures to such noted gatherings as the Canadian Association of Ethnology and Folklore, the Acadian History Institute, the International Symposium of Acadia, the Canada-France Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Folklore Society. Mr. Arsenault has also led the research and participated in the development of several important exhibits, including: Popular Acadian Arts, Eptek Centre (1978), Old Acadians, Eptek Centre (1980), Acadians: A People and its Symbols, Eptek Centre (1984), Acadians of Prince Edward Island, Acadian Museum (1986) and Island Acadians: A Community and its History, Acadian Museum (1991).
For these exceptional efforts, Mr. Arsenault has received many special acknowledgments, including: 1982 Acadian of the Year, 1990 L'Ordre des francophones d'Amérique, 1996 L'Ordre de la Pléiade, 1999 Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Literary Arts, PEI Council of the Arts, 2001 Award of Honour from the PEI Museum and the 2001 Prix Hommage awarded at the Prix Chalin Gala, PEI Cultural Federation.
Mr. Arsenault's work serves to provide the Acadian and francophone communities and all Prince Edward Islanders with a greater appreciation of our collective history and culture. It is in acknowledgment of these exemplary contributions that Mr. Arsenault is to be invested as a Member of the Order of Prince Edward Island.
MR. DONALD DEACON, CM
Mr. Donald Deacon of Charlottetown is truly an exceptional Islander and Canadian. A Veteran of World War II, born in Toronto, Mr. Deacon has demonstrated his commitment to public service in many different ways. Whether it be as a businessman, elected representative, volunteer or appointee, Mr. Deacon has distinguished himself through tireless efforts to improve Prince Edward Island. Some examples of this commitment include founding member and Co-Chair of Katimavik (1977 - 1980), National Commissioner of Scouts Canada (1982 - 1987), Board of Regents, Mount Allison University (1982 - 1987), Executive Members and President of the PEI Branch of the Royal Commonwealth Society (1986 - 1992), Vice-Chair of the PEI United Way Campaign (1992), President of the PEI Red Cross and Member of the Society's Board of Governors (1995 - 1997), Founding President and President Emeritus of Island Trails, Director of Trans Canada Trail Foundation and Member of the Voluntary Resource Council Capital Fund Campaign (2002/2003).
For these, and other exemplary contributions, Mr. Deacon has received the Military Cross for service during WWII, named a Member of the Order of Canada (1987), named to the Order of the Red Cross (1997) and as Red Cross Humanitarian of the Year in 2002.
Mr. Deacon's life has been filled with an unbelievable variety of ways in which one person may serve humankind. His spirit, energy and caring for others has truly served all Islanders in an exemplary manner. For these special efforts, Mr. Deacon has been selected to be invested as a Member of the Order of Prince Edward Island.
MR. NOEL WILSON
Over the past 30 years, Mr. Wilson has unselfishly and voluntarily dedicated his life to many different causes. His enthusiasm and vision have served to improve and develop the Village of Cardigan, its community members and all of Prince Edward Island. Mr. Wilson is truly an outstanding volunteer who always believed in doing what he could to make the world a better place. In his own words, "...our world is made up of many communities...and it is with community it all begins."
To demonstrate this commitment, Mr. Wilson served on the Cardigan Village Council for 28 years and all but two of those years as Council Chairperson. He also served on the Executive of the PEI Federation of Municipalities for 18 years, with Canadian Parks and Recreation for 12 years and for many years in varying capacities with the Cardigan Recreation Commission (1961 - 2001), Community and Correctional Services (1987 - 2000), Lions Club Members (1975 - present), Knights of Columbus (1954 - present), also serving as a United Way Coordinator and collector, catechism teacher, baseball coach, volunteer fireman, coordinator for the Red Cross Summer swimming program and even as the official "flooder and stove stoker" for the Cardigan Outdoor Rink.
In acknowledgment of these exemplary contributions, Mr. Wilson has received many distinctions and awards including: named an Honorary Citizen of Cardigan (2001), Bruce H. Yeo Memorial Award in recognition of outstanding contribution to municipal government in PEI (2001), Award of Merit from the Canadian Park and Recreation Association (1994), Honorary Chair of the 1994 World Senior Softball Championship, Lifetime Member of the PEI Recreation Association, Certificate of Appreciation for contributions to community and correctional services in PEI and an Award of Appreciation for contributions to baseball in PEI.
As the foregoing will attest, Mr. Wilson has dedicated his life to making Prince Edward Island a better place. Accordingly, in acknowledgment and appreciation, Mr. Wilson will be invested as a Member of the Order of Prince Edward Island.