Bert Stewart Awarded Lifetime Honorary Membership in 4-H Canada
As part of the celebrations at the 4-H Canada 100th Anniversary Gala in Winnipeg on May 30th, Ontario’s very own dairy guru, Bertram (Bert) Stewart, was awarded a Lifetime Honorary membership in 4-H Canada in recognition of 68 years of involvement and service to the heads, hearts, hands and health of generations of young people. This honour, granted to less than sixty individuals over the last century, recognizes the dedication, commitment and passion for 4-H in Canada of those who strive to make 4-H the nation’s best youth organization. Two other Lifetime Honorary memberships were granted during the Gala to Dori Gingera-Beauchemin of Manitoba and Marguerite Stark from Alberta.
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4-H Canada 100th Anniversary Gala Was Out-Of-This-World
When an astronaut like Dr. Roberta Bondar keeps a Gala audience of 500 spell-bound, you know you have an amazing celebration. Dr. Bondar was the guest speaker at the 4-H Canada 100 th Anniversary Gala held on May 30th at the Fairmount Winnipeg Hotel. As an astronaut, physician, scientist, photographer, author and, as she proudly proclaimed, an Aggie, Dr. Bondar presented photos from her 1992 travels on the NASA space shuttle Discovery. Her view from space emphasized the importance of agricultural research and technology in being able to feed a growing planet with ever decreasing arable land.
Dr. Bondar’s remarks were in keeping with all of the things that make 4-H one of the largest and longest lasting youth organizations in Canada. Originally named the “Boys’ and Girls’ Club,” the first 4-H club originated in Roland, Manitoba in 1913. Over the past century, more than two million young Canadians, as well as thousands of adult volunteers, have enriched their lives and the lives of others through their 4-H experiences. Currently there are approximately 26,000 members and 8,000 leaders in every province across the country, upholding the commitment to “Learn to Do by Doing.”
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Official Museum of 4-H in Canada Proclaimed in Roland, Manitoba
On May 31st, the skies over Roland, Manitoba, opened up with a torrential downpour, threatening to cancel the 4-H Canada 100th Anniversary celebrations. As the birthplace of the first 4-H club in Canada and the location of the recently proclaimed official museum of 4-H in Canada, Roland was prepared to receive almost 600 guests and participants for the outdoor event – until the floods came!
However, in traditional rural community style, a Roland posse of volunteers arrived to save the day and move everything into the covered Roland curling rink. The festivities were launched by Manitoba’s Premier, The Honourable Greg Selinger, and included the unveiling of a Canada Post Commemorative Envelope by Frederick Pollard, Western Canada’s General Manager of Operations at Canada Post. Mr. Pollard stated that the commemorative envelope was in celebration of the one of the largest and longest-running youth development organizations in Canada and honours the successes of 4-H in Canada. The envelope can be purchased for $3.00 online or at any participating Canada Post office.
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