The following is being distributed at the request of Her Honour, the Honourable Judy M. Foote P.C., O.N.L, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador:
At a ceremony today at Government House, the Honourable Judy M. Foote, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Honourable Andrew Furey, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, participated in the investiture ceremony for nine women and men who received the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.
John R. Barrett, David Gordon Bradley, N. Louise Bradley, C.M., Fred Budgell, Dr. Alice M. Collins, Marlene Creates, Dr. Donald Bruce Dingwell, OC, Lester C. Powell, and Dr. Ted O. Rosales, are receiving the province’s highest honour for their ‘demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field of endeavour benefiting in an outstanding manner Newfoundland and Labrador and its residents.’
With today’s recipients, there is now a select group of just 127 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians invested to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Biographies for each person honoured at today’s ceremony can be found in the backgrounder below.
Each recipient of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador is nominated for the award and is presented with a medal bearing the shield of Newfoundland and Labrador surmounted by the Crown. Members receive a certificate signed by the Lieutenant Governor, Chancellor and sealed with the seal of the Order, as well as a miniature medal and a lapel pin. Members of the Order are entitled to use the initials O.N.L. after their names.
More information on the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador can be found at www.gov.nl.ca/onl.
Quotes
“The Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, first approved by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in 2003, is our province’s highest honour and a part of the official honours system of Canada. The nine exemplary Newfoundlanders and Labradorians invested today join a prestigious group of 127 individuals who have received the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador since the honour was first bestowed in 2004.These nine individuals demonstrate deep commitment and dedication to our province and their fields of expertise. The impact of their work resonates not only within Newfoundland and Labrador, but our country, and internationally. It is my honour to recognize these outstanding individuals with the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Judy M. Foote
Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador
“It was a remarkable day as I was fortunate to participate in my first Order of Newfoundland and Labrador ceremony. I was humbled to meet and acknowledge the accomplishments of these amazing women and men who work so hard to make their province and their world a better place. On behalf of the people of the province, I thank them for being great ambassadors for Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Honourable Andrew Furey
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador
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Media contacts
Robert Greeley
Government House
709-729-4494
robertgreeley@gov.nl.ca
Meghan McCabe
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960
meghanmccabe@gov.nl.ca
BACKGROUNDER
Biographies of those invested into the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador
John R. Barrett
John Barrett (also known as Jackie) joined Special Olympics as a child in 1987. Mr. Barrett’s hard work and perseverance is exemplified by his many achievements in both sport and life. He has been a great ambassador, representing Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada on the world stage.
Mr. Barrett had a long and successful tenure as an athlete, and was the first Special Olympian to be inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame after winning many gold medals while setting new world records in powerlifting.
Mr. Barrett was nominated for the Lou Marsh Trophy in 2015, recognizing him as one of Canada’s top athletes that year.
In celebration of Special Olympics’ 50th year in Canada, Mr. Barrett was named as one of 50 Movement Makers, a title given to those who have played a significant role in helping the organization achieve the milestone, or who have a powerful voice in the organization’s future.
He now volunteers with Special Olympics Corner Brook where he mentors the club’s powerlifters and also serves as an Executive Member.
David Gordon Bradley
David Bradley is one of the founders and current chair of the Bonavista Historic Townscape Foundation. His involvement has spanned over twenty-five years, and his efforts have had a major impact on heritage preservation in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. During that time, Mr. Bradley has also worked as an archivist at Memorial University’s Maritime History Archive.
His volunteer work has focused on implementing the recommendations of the Bonavista Historic Townscape Management Plan, and in attracting public and private investment for specific initiatives such as restoration programs for property owners, streetscape development in the Town’s core, and the restoration and redevelopment of public heritage buildings, including the Garrick Theatre.
Throughout, Mr. Bradley’s emphasis has been on pursuing initiatives that are relevant to residents, engaging property owners and local artisans in the restoration of buildings, and adding value to public spaces that are accessible to everyone. His efforts have also demonstrated how preserving heritage can be an economic generator; it has helped to transform Bonavista into the vibrant, renewed community it is today. His commitment, vision and determination in creating a model for heritage preservation in Newfoundland and Labrador have been recognized both locally and nationally.
Mr. Bradley is also former Chair of the Association of Heritage Industries, an umbrella group of non-governmental heritage organizations in the province, the Newfoundland Historical Society, and the Heritage Canada Foundation.
Louise Bradley, CM
Louise Bradley has been a leader and advocate for mental health throughout her entire career beginning as a nurse in Corner Brook. For more than a decade, she has been the President and CEO of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. In that capacity, she oversaw the development of Canada’s first mental health strategy and Opening Minds, a ten year anti stigma initiative. She retired from that role in April of this year.
Ms. Bradley continues her efforts to change the mental health landscape, now largely in a volunteer capacity. From the world’s largest research project on homelessness and the mentally ill, At Home/Chez Soi, she now serves on the board of the Gathering Place, working to improve health outcomes, and bringing dignity to some of the province’s most vulnerable individuals.
Ms. Bradley has multiple honorary degrees and an extensive list of awards. In 2019, she was invested as a member of the Order of Canada.
Fred Budgell
Fred Budgell was born and raised in the Town of Norris Arm, where his extensive volunteer work spanning decades has made a lasting impact on the community and the broader Central, Newfoundland area. Mr. Budgell was Postmaster with Canada Post for thirty-four years and during this time ran successful retail businesses in the community with the support of his late wife, Marion. Since the 1950s, he has volunteered tirelessly and continues to do so in his 80s. He credits his mother as his greatest influence for her passion as a community volunteer.
Mr. Budgell’s public service and volunteer work over the years has been varied and includes: serving as Mayor of Norris Arm for 15 years; as a director with the Lewisporte Area Development Association; with the Exploits Valley Economic Development Association; as school board chairperson at the time of transition from the denominational education system; as Lion’s Club executive member; and in various roles with the United Church in Central Newfoundland, including the Loon Bay Camp.
Mr. Budgell initiated the construction of a War Memorial Site for Norris Arm and has served on the War Memorial Committee for the past thirty years. He continues to serve as Chair of the Board and organizes the annual memorial services as well as keeps the grounds in excellent condition with beautiful flowers, which he plants every summer. He contributes to many other organizations, such as the Kids Eat Smart Program, and the Norris Arm Heritage Society, which led to the development and construction of the Norris Arm Heritage and Arts Centre on the waterfront in Norris Arm which contains the Fox Moth museum and regularly hosts entertainment events throughout the year.
In 1999, Mr. Budgell received the Governor General’s Caring Canadian Award and in 2012 he received the Seniors of Distinction Award.
Dr. Alice M. Collins
Dr. Alice Collins is Professor Emeritus and former Dean of the Faculty of Education, Memorial University. She has served as the President of the Canadian Association of Deans of Education; President of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education; President of the Canadian Association of Teacher Education; and, Board Member of the Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada.
Dr. Collins has worked on curriculum outcomes and teacher education policy with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development; on leadership theory and practice with the province’s school districts; on teacher professional development with the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers’ Association; and, on parental involvement and governance with the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of School Councils.
She has conducted research in the areas of teacher education and school governance and has taught in the public school system in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as in graduate and undergraduate programs at Memorial University and the University of Jakarta. She was also a driving force behind the development of a PhD program in the Department of Education at Memorial.
Dr. Collins has received many awards, including the Herbert J. Coutts Award for national leadership in education, and has been involved in the community and served on organizations such as the Board of Eastern Health; Janeway Children’s Foundation; and, Johnson GEO Centre. In 2016, Dr. Collins was appointed Chair of the Premier’s Task Force on Improving Educational Outcomes.
Marlene Creates
Marlene Creates is a renowned environmental artist and poet who works with photography, video, scientific and vernacular knowledge, walking and collaborative site-specific performance in the six-acre patch of old growth boreal forest where she lives in Portugal Cove.
Her work has been presented in over 350 exhibitions and screenings across Canada and internationally, and is represented in numerous Canadian public collections, including The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s, the Canada Council Art Bank, and the National Gallery of Canada. In 2019 she received a Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts for “Lifetime Artistic Achievement”.
Ms. Creates’ volunteer and community work includes: positions with the Board of Eastern Edge Gallery; the Arts and Letters Committee of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador; the National Council of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts; and the Board of VANL-CARFAC, advocating for artists’ rights.
She co-founded both the Advisory Committee on the Environment (ACE) and the arts association, Partners for the Arts, for the Town of Portugal Cove–St. Philip’s. With her passion for the province’s environment, she created arts experiences for almost 3,000 school children through the ArtsSmarts program.
Dr. Donald Bruce Dingwell, OC
Dr. Donald Dingwell is a world-renowned geoscientist and researcher, who grew up in Corner Brook and graduated from Memorial University.
In 1987, Dr. Dingwell was recruited to Germany, where he learned the language as an adult. He founded and is currently Director of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Since 2000, Dr. Dingwell has been in his present position as Professor of Mineralogy and Petrology in the Faculty of Geosciences. He has published more than 450 peer-reviewed scientific papers in his field and has received numerous scientific awards.
Dr. Dingwell has led several major national and European research projects and initiatives in the solid earth sciences. He is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the European Geosciences Union, the Mineralogical Society of America, the Geological Association of Canada and an honorary fellow of the Society of Mineralogy and Petrology of Italy. He is an elected member of five national and supranational academies: the Royal Society of Canada, the Academia Europaea, the Leopoldina, ACATECH and the Royal Society of London.
Dr. Dingwell has had honorary degrees of Doctor of Science bestowed upon him by the University of Alberta, University College London and the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
He has served as 3rd Secretary General of the European Research Council, President of the European Geosciences Union and as President of the world´s volcanology association (IAVCEI). He has also served on a vast number of Canadian and international funding panels.
The President of Germany has bestowed upon him the Order of Merit (Bundesverdienstkreuz) of the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2020, he was invested as an Officer of the Order of Canada.
Lester C. Powell
For more than 50 years, Lester Powell had a pioneering career as a pilot in Labrador. He began his storied career working for Labrador Airways for 44 years, a predecessor to Air Labrador. He flew a Cessna 180 to deliver first-class mail from Nain to all points south to Henley Harbour. In 2017, he flew his last run for Air Labrador after logging more than 45,000 hours.
Mr. Powell has made a significant contribution to transportation and aviation in Newfoundland and Labrador. He comes from a family of seven boys and two girls, with six of the boys, including himself, the second oldest, who become pilots. He is well-known in the Big Land for his remarkable pilot skills and steady hand. Passengers always felt safe knowing he was at the helm.
Mr. Powell’s unique capabilities and experience ensured that many Labradorians had access to vital services such as medical support and mail delivery. He opened up some of the most remote regions of the province.
Mr. Powell mentors many pilots in the aviation industry, teaching them how to fly in the challenging terrain and inclement weather. His dedication to serving remote communities has made a lasting impact on our province and the aviation industry in the North.
Dr. Ted O. Rosales
Dr. Ted Rosales has spent more than 50 years as a Pediatrician/Geneticist and educator. He was born in the Philippines and moved to Canada after studying Medicine at the University of the Philippines in Manila. In 1969, he settled in Newfoundland and Labrador, and went on to serve in many roles including Chief of Pediatrics (Central); Pediatrician/Geneticist (Janeway); and Professor of Pediatrics (MUNL).
Until the late 1990s, Dr. Rosales was the only pediatrician in our province specializing in genetics. He was instrumental in establishing the Janeway Genetics Program, providing genetic counselling to families grappling with hereditary disorders, and made countless personal visits to rural communities.
Dr. Rosales’ work and research contributed immensely to the health care field locally, nationally, and internationally. He is a recognized expert in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), and worked with colleagues across Canada to develop a National Screening Tool Kit for those identified and potentially affected by the disorder. Dr. Rosales is an expert in child protection and his advocacy work strengthened provincial guidelines and social work policies around the reporting of child abuse.