The Bowen Island Museum and Archives is proud to recognize some of our Bowen neighbours who make such a difference to life on this island. How inadequate it is to choose only ten. In future years, we plan to continue honouring many more of the hundreds of citizens who volunteer their time and expertise in such a variety of ways. For example, there is the traditional volunteer who donates the essential hours needed to staff our public facilities such as the library or the art gallery. There are others who accept truly daunting challenges to run events or develop new island amenities. Some go far beyond their day jobs to offer visionary planning or conceptual expertise. Others initiate tiny projects that nevertheless enrich our daily lives. Then there are the low key heroes who have quietly focused, year after year, at making the island a better place. Remember that our children’s growth, our senior’s needs, our aid to our unwell and unfortunate, and just about every significant service or diversion is made possible by the gift of someone’s time. We thank you for your input in nominating those who have donated these acts of kindness. This year we recognize a few more role models and we intend to honour yet more in the future. And, for the first time, we will ask the 12 citizens in these brief stories to join our jury. From among themselves, they will vote for an “Islander Who Made a Difference” to represent them as Citizen of the Year in the Bowfest Parade. Let’s all show our appreciation.
The Citizens of the Year, 2017, are: Norma Dallas, Shelagh MacKinnon, Dave and Louise McIntosh, Bruce Russell, Sue Clarke, Sasha Buchanan, Peter King, Susanna Braund, Yvonne McSkimming, Joyce and Gordon Ganong
