The Provincial Government recognizes today as National Seniors Day. To help celebrate the many contributions of seniors in communities throughout the province, the Honourable John G. Abbott, Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development, was joined by Lucy Stoyles, MHA for Mount Pearl North, to present the 2021 Seniors of Distinction Awards.
The Newfoundland and Labrador Seniors of Distinction Awards celebrate the contributions, achievements and diversity of older persons and seniors in the province.
These awards are an opportunity to recognize seniors from all walks of life – those who are experts in their field, who share their culture and talents, who volunteer as coaches, organizers and fundraisers, and who care for people in need of understanding and companionship.
This year’s recipients of the 2021 Seniors of Distinction Awards are:
- Rose Andrews of Carbonear;
- Patrick W. Moore of Corner Brook;
- Clyde Russell of Stephenville;
- Dorothy Mary Senior of Paradise; and
- Paul F. Smith of Conception Bay South
For more information on each of this year’s recipients, please see the backgrounder below.
Today also marks the International Day of Older Persons as declared by the United Nations. The United Nations flag was raised this morning at the Confederation Building.
Quote
“Congratulations to the truly remarkable seniors being recognized as this year’s Seniors of Distinction. While each of these seniors are unique in their own way, they all share the same passion and dedication to improving the well-being of individuals and communities. Let us all take some time today to celebrate the older persons and seniors in our lives and thank them for their wisdom and sacrifices over the years that have helped shaped this place we call home.”
Honourable John G. Abbott
Minister of Children, Seniors and Social Development
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Seniors of Distinction Awards
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Michelle Hunt Grouchy
Children, Seniors and Social Development
709-729-5148, 6826593
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BACKGROUNDER
Recipient Biographies for the 2021 Seniors of Distinction Award
Rose Andrews
Rose Andrews was born in Southport in 1950. Rose’s life has been built around helping others. Whether working in a nursing home; serving as a Guide leader, Kinette or member of her church community; caring for her husband, Gerald, since an adverse health event in the late-1990s; advocating for inclusion; or helping to provide better futures for youth in Africa, Rose has demonstrated a strong and consistent desire to help others.
Rose’s advocacy on behalf of persons with disabilities has supported the creation of Blue Zone parking in Carbonear, as well as an upgraded lift for persons with disabilities and gender-neutral change rooms at the local swimming pool. When her youngest son’s studies took him to Ghana, Africa, he saw the need for a community school in the area. Rose and Gerald were supportive of this project and provided personal financial support, as well as conducted fundraising to help make the school a reality. On a trip to Ghana to mark the opening of the school, Rose and Gerald met a family who had adopted quadruplets and pledged to support them financially. Upon returning home to Newfoundland and Labrador, Rose found two other sponsors to join her and Gerald in supporting this family. Rose and Gerald also financially supported a biological son of this family as he made his way through university and set up a scholarship fund for others in the area.
At home in Carbonear, Rose continues to advocate for accessibility and inclusion and contribute to causes in her community and beyond.
Patrick W. Moore
Patrick W. Moore was born in Curling, Corner Book on January 20, 1941. Pat was a barber for more than 30 years and still cuts hair for family and close friends. Pat is described as the kind of man that shovels his neighbours’ driveways and saves his own for last and one who tells you what is his, is yours if you need it.
As a member of the Knights of Columbus for more than 45 years, Pat has contributed to many charitable and community service events in his community. He is also the longest serving member of the Bay of Islands Search and Rescue (BOISAR) with 29 years of service. At 80 years of age, Pat is described by the BOISAR coordinator as “an active, vibrant, contributing member to BOISAR”.
Pat and his wife, Christine, have also been bringing Christmas hampers to a family in need in a small community about an hour and a half away from their residence for the past 30 years. Beyond the Christmas season, they support the family with school supplies in August as well as clothing and other items. They once gave a used car to the family when they bought a new one. When not participating in search and rescue or helping out in the community, you will often find Pat sitting around a fire in his backyard or walking the old train track greeting people and their dogs.
Clyde Russell
Clyde Russell is a member of the Qalipu First Nation and was born in Kippens in 1956. A retired Canadian Forces Colonel with more than 33 years of command and staff experience, Clyde has particular experience in counter-terrorism and special operations. Since his retirement in 2009, he has done additional work with Canadian Special Operations Command and as a Special Operations Subject Matter Expert and Senior Mentor for the Special Operations Component Planning Course at NATO Special Operations School in Belgium.
Throughout his career, he has been an instructor and mentor at training facilities at home and abroad and has significant command experience ranging from the recovery operation for the Swissair Flight 111 crash off Nova Scotia in 1998; assisting the migration of Kosovo Refugees to Canada in 1999; Commanding Officer, Canada’s National Counter-Terrorism Unit; Director Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations at Canadian National Defence Headquarters; and Chief of Staff, Land Forces, Atlantic Area.
Outside his military Service, Clyde has served as a board member of the Bay St. George Sick Children’s Foundation, Vice-President of Bay St. George Seniors Transportation System, board chair for the Stephenville Historic French Cultural Association, Grand Knight with the local Knights of Columbus, a member of rotary and as military advisor to the Town of Stephenville. He has also worked with many service and community organizations on community projects such as food banks and various fundraisers.
Dorothy Mary Senior
Born in Winterland on the Burin Peninsula in 1956, Dorothy Mary Senior worked for nearly 40 years in the province’s health care system. For more than five years, Dorothy has used this professional background, combined with her personal experience as a patient, to bring a patient voice and perspective to the Newfoundland and Labrador Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials Unit’s Patient Advisory Council.
In addition to her role as part of the Patient Advisory Council, Dorothy has been and continues to be involved in many other health research-related initiatives to help ensure the patient perspective is recognized and understood. Described as having helped “shape the foundation of client and family centered care at Eastern Health”, she maintains an ongoing role in policy development, quality improvement initiatives and improving communication between patients, family and staff.
Dorothy is also a patient representative on the Hospital Services Committee, one of the six committees established for Health Accord NL. In this role, Dorothy, along with the other committee members, is responsible for making recommendations for hospitals, health centres and the provincial ambulance system to address issues such as the location of health services, information system requirements, acute care standards, improving the ambulance system and reducing hospital care for patients who could more appropriately receive community or other care.
Aside from her contributions to patient care and research, Dorothy is also involved in policy review and feedback, patient and family resource document reviews, human resources hiring processes for leadership positions, and participates as a member of accreditation teams.
Paul F. Smith
Paul F. Smith was born in St. John’s in 1949. Throughout his life, Paul has been involved in the community. He has served as a Beaver and Cub Scout leader, as a member of the Knights of Columbus, and as a volunteer at St. Edward’s Parish in Kelligrews. Paul has also been a member of the former Roman Catholic and Avalon East School Boards along with other school and community-related boards. He is also a long-serving volunteer with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, where he developed and maintained the foundation’s longest running volunteer-led event, Bowl for Heart, and is a member of the Partridge Forever Society.
Paul is best known; however, for his work as builder, coach and executive in softball. Paul’s work with minor softball started in 1987 when he began coaching his sons in the Kelligrews Minor Softball League. In 1993, he founded the Conception Bay South (CBS) Minor Softball League for boys and girls who had graduated from Kelligrews Minor Softball giving them the opportunity to continue the sport. In the decades that followed, Paul’s involvement with the sport grew and he received many awards and recognitions. Paul was named Town of CBS Citizen of the Year in 1997. In 1998, he was awarded St. John’s Minor Softball’s Ray Hazeltine Memorial Award for the individual who has demonstrated selfless commitment to the game of softball.
In 2017, Paul received Softball Canada’s Rose Hodgson Volunteer of the Year Award and was inducted into the CBS Sports Hall of Fame.