Recognition Archive
The RHF Hearing Foundation Receives a Gift of $70,000
June 17, 2014
The RHF Hearing Foundation was the recipient of a gift of $70,000 from the Estate of Henriette Rolande Marie Parent.
Henriette Parent was a long time admirer of the work of Rotary and an advocate for deaf and hard of hearing children. Henriette's daughter-in-law researched the work of the Rotary Club of Vancouver through its RHF Hearing Foundation and chose the Club to be the recipient of this bequest.
The funds will be used to support the Family Network for Deaf Children and their Deaf Youth Today Camp, the Deaf Children's Society and the BC Children's Hospital Cochlear Implant program for deaf children.
Henriette's daughter-in-law, Teresa Matthies made the presentation to RHF Hearing Foundation's President, Jack Zaleski at the Club's meeting on Tuesday June 17th.
The Rotary Club of Vancouver and the Board of Director's of the RHF Hearing Foundation wish to express their gratitude to the Parent Family and to Teresa Matthies for this most generous gift.
Order of BC
Having arrived in Canada as a young woman with only $50, she joined the Royal Bank of Canada and rose through junior and senior management positions to the position of Vice President and Area Manager, responsible for 18 RBC branches. This would be an incredible achievement for anyone, but particularly so for a woman starting out in the early 1960s. She was the first female RBC branch manager in BC and the first female RBC Vice President in Western Canada.
Throughout her career and now in retirement, Anne Lippert has balanced her dedication to business with an unswerving commitment to the community. Her final role with RBC was Vice President Strategic Initiatives British Columbia and Yukon with responsibilities including management of the RBC Foundation Committee.
She has chaired fundraising campaigns for the Salvation Army and BC Women’s Hospital and was Division Chair of the United Way Annual Campaign. Ms. Lippert chairs the Langara College Board of Governors and the Salvation Army Kate Booth House Community Council.
Today, Ms. Lippert spends countless hours leading initiatives for her charities of choice. Her success in banking, consulting, board membership and not-for-profit organizations makes her a most valuable contributor to the causes she supports. She is energetic and makes it clear that she wants the opportunity to contribute her best for the long term – and she does.
The Order of British Columbia was established by statute on April 21, 1989, to recognize those persons who have served with the greatest distinction and excelled in any field of endeavour benefiting the people of the Province or elsewhere. The Order represents the highest form of recognition the Province can extend to its citizens. The Order will be bestowed on the most outstanding British Columbians possessing the above qualifications annually.
The insignia of the Order of British Columbia consists of a stylistic dogwood, the floral emblem of British Columbia. The insignia is part of a medal which also features a crowned shield of arms. It is worn with a green, gold, white and blue ribbon.
Order of B.C. recipients participate in a special ceremony at Government House in Victoria. The Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, Chancellor of the Order of British Columbia, honours the new members with a medal and a personalized Certificate of Appointment.
Members then have the right to place the letters O.B.C. after their names.
Ralph Towsley presented with first "Ralphie" award
- President - Ann Hulbert
- Vice President - Wayne Crossen
- Vice-President, Shipping - Steve Gable
- Secretary - D'Arcy Warner
- Treasurer - David Truman
- Past President - Bonnie Sutherland
- Director, Transportation of Goods - Dan Gallant
- Director, Warehouse - George Sandwith
- Director, North - Andrea Johnson
- Directors - Michael Woolnough, Janice Froese, Jim McGrandles, Tom Albanese.
Pam Stewart
I was born Vernon quite a few years ago, and mainly grew up in Lumby, a small logging town about 12 miles out of Vernon. I am the oldest of four, with two brothers (one deceased) and one sister. Attended a small town school that combined grades 7 – 12, and there were 18 people in my graduating class.
My father owned a planing mill and I worked there one summer. This was well before any gender equality, so I had to wear coveralls during the heat of the summer.
After grade 12, I worked at the army cadet camp in Vernon, because at that time the summer camp ran for seven weeks with about 1500 cadets in residence in old army huts that were built during the second world war. I worked in the sergeant’s mess, and one thing I learned was that the army life would never be for me.
I decided it was time to leave home, and had an aunt living in Red Deer, Alberta. A friend and I decided to make the move, and we met another girl there and shared an apartment. I never thought people could live in such a cold place. Anyone who has spent winters on the prairie will know exactly what I mean.
I worked at various jobs there before starting at the Bank of Commerce before it became the Imperial Bank of Commerce. Met my future husband, and as he was in the army reserve I thought it might be interesting to join, because after all there was the small (very small) matter of being paid. We couldn’t be in the same unit, so I joined the Tank Corp. Didn’t spend much time doing anything except working in their office once they found out I could type. Did spend a weekend at Camp Sarcee outside Calgary, and actually went for a ride in a tank. The others in the tank were maniacs who just wanted to see how fast it would go, and off across the prairie we went, lurching and bouncing. Tanks don’t come with springs. It didn’t take me long to realize (again) that I really didn’t want to be in the army.
We got married and at first my husband worked at Safeway, then he joined the fire department. He was always looking for something better, and wound up taking a position in Jasper. We lived there for a year, and working in a bank and dealing with tourists all day was “interesting”. Then we moved to Hinton where he was manager of a grocery store, before finally moving to Edmonton where we lived for about 20 years. During that time my daughter and son were born.More cold winters, one year it snowed every month of the year except July.
I went to work for the provincial government in a data entry position (the old keypunch machines), and eventually was promoted to supervisor of a section of 24 women. During the downturn in the early 80’s the government began to cut back positions, and it was a very unhappy time to be working there. Finally in 1992 I decided to take a buyout package and move to BC, where both my children were living, as by that time my husband and I had decided to part ways.
When I got to Vancouver in 1993 I worked at temp jobs for awhile, and loving the water, I decided to take sailing lessons – in November in a martin 242 sailboat. Did quite a bit of sailing until I broke my ankle and that ended that.
Worked at the False Creek Yacht Club for two years before I started with Rotary in February of 1999, and have been here ever since.
I have two children, a son and a daughter, and five grandchildren.