Northern Alberta contributes new members to the Order of Canada

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Fred Martin is one of three people from northern Alberta who are receiving the Order of Canada.

Photograph by: Supplied , Submitted

Three of Alberta?s newest members of the Order of Canada may also be its most surprised and humble.

?I was a bit taken aback, to put it mildly. I didn?t think that I had done anything in particular that warranted it,? said Fred Martin, a lawyer who splits his time between Edmonton and Salt Spring Island, B.C. He is receiving the order for working in support of equal rights, and in particularly his work with the M?tis Settlements General Council.

Ninety-one new additions to the Order of Canada were announced Sunday, three from central Alberta. In addition to Martin, Edmonton physiotherapist and professor David Magee was named to the order for ?advancing the field of sports medicine in Canada as a physiotherapist, professor and scholar,? and Vegreville?s Elsie Kawulych was given the recognition ?for her contributions to preserving and promoting Ukrainian culture in Canada and for her volunteer engagement in her community.?

The Order of Canada is given by the Governor General to acknowledge ?a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to community and service to the nation.?

agee said he was ?flabbergasted? to find out he had been named to the order for his longtime work in the field of physiotherapy, which has included working with elite Canadian athletes and writing a popular textbook. Magee said he doesn?t know why he was nominated or by whom, and Googled the order to find out what it was.

?I didn?t feel like I did anything special, but I guess somebody feels I have,? he said. ?I really appreciate that somebody has done this for me, and it?s very humbling.?

Magee said receiving the order is ?a great honour,? and that it will find a place with to some of the other recognitions he has received through his work, including three Stanley Cup rings and a Grey Cup ring.

?I?ve been fortunate when I look back on my life,? he said. ?I guess I consider myself being at the right place at the right time for things, and I consider myself very lucky.?

Martin echoed the sentiment, and said the order made him grateful for his experiences working with the leaders of the M?tis Settlements as they fought for recognition of the M?tis Nation.

Martin said he will accept the order on behalf of everyone involved in that movement, including some of the leaders who have since died, such as Maurice L?Hirondelle, Adrian Hope, and Richard Poitras.

?I feel very good because I feel like finally their efforts have been recognized,? he said. ?They put in a lot of work, and their names don?t always get recognized.?

Martin said he will take the order to the M?tis Settlements General Council office after he receives it, so it can be displayed there.

?That?s where it belongs,? he said. ?I think of it more as a recognition of a team than as an individual.? Kawulych, a previous recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence and the Queen?s Golden Jubilee Medal, said she was touched by the honour, which recognizes her longtime work as a devoted community volunteer and her promotion of Ukrainian heritage and culture in the province.

Finding out about the award, Kawulych said she thought, ?Oh, what an early Christmas present.?

?It was such a nice feeling.?

Kawulych said she has been guided throughout her life by the words of her dean?s speech when she graduated with a home economics degree in 1955.

?The dean said, ?Whatever you have learned, if you do not pass it on, you should not have come into our program?,? Kawulych said. ?I?ve always thought of that.?

At 80, Kawulych still volunteers extensively, shovels snow and gardens for neighbours, and sews and makes perogies and cabbage rolls for friends in need.

She said her mother, a Ukrainian immigrant, did a lot of volunteering, and instilled its importance in her children.

?My mother was so grateful to come to a free land,? Kawulych said. ?She told us to always take care of it, and make sure it stays the best country in the world.?

jpruden@edmontonjournal.com

twitter.com/@jana_pruden

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Source: http://feeds.canada.com/~r/canwest/F264/~3/-d7KpNddmjg/story.html

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