Civitan Club unveils monument to Citizens of the Year

J-D Potié

Some one hundred Aylmer residents and community leaders crowded outside the Paroisse St-Paul after Sunday service on May 4, as Aylmer’s 175^th anniversary committee officially unveiled a commemorative monument immortalizing the names of all Citizen of the Year laureates since 1978.

Animated by Knights of Columbus representative Patrick Doyon, the ceremony was organized by Aylmer’s 175^th anniversary committee in collaboration with the parish. The event notably involved a brief meet and greet, followed by several speeches on the church steps, punctuated with the monument’s unveiling and then a social with snacks and refreshments inside the church’s reception hall.

Along with representatives of the Civitan Club and the Knights of Columbus, among those in attendance largely included friends and family of former laureates as well as Lucerne District councillor Gilles Chagnon and Pontiac Member of National Assembly André Fortin.

Noting that the Paroisse St-Paul had not seen such a large crowd gathered at it steps in many years, Doyon said he felt grateful that the monument is fittingly installed in a location that is steeply rooted in Aylmer’s history. Explaining that the ceremony took place as part of the Semaine québecoise de l’action bénévole (Quebec week of benevolent action) which took place from April 27 to May 3, Doyon said it is important to recognize the essential role of volunteer workers in building burgeoning communities.

Calling the unveilving a dream come to reality, Aylmer’s 175^th anniversary committee President Michel Raymond emphasized the significance of the emergence and growth of volunteer organizations in Aylmer since the 1960s and 1970s, among them the Civitan Club.

Stating that the monument will allow Aylmerites to remember the men and women who contributed to fostering Aylmer’s strong, cohesive, and rewarding social fabric, Raymond said it is important that we don’t forget that Aylmer as we know it was built by countless volunteers.

Civitan Club representative Norah Graham explained that the Aylmer Citizen of the Year award was inaugurated by the Civitan Club in 1978, first awarded to Dennis Foran. She noted that the award’s criteria is based on demonstrated good citizenship and the performance of unselfish services to improve the quality of life of the community at large. The recognition has historically been awarded at the Civitan Club’s annual steak dinner, Graham said, noting that there is a possibility that the Knights of Columbus will carry on this tradition going forward.

Celebrating Aylmer’s 175^th anniversary and the 50^th year of Aylmer, Lucerne, and Deschênes’ amalgamation, Chagnon said there was no better way to illuminate the community’s history than by recognizing the individuals who helped build it into what it has become over the years. “When you go door to door, what comes out the most is that we have a beautiful city,” Chagnon said. “We are rich in community activities, and that is thanks to so many of you and to the names engraved on the monument.”

Stating that Aylmer is constantly changing, André Fortin said the monument is important in allowing residents to familiarize themselves with Aylmer’s history. “A lot of people are new here and they don’t know who built our community and how they built it ... but at least they will have the chance to come here and recognize and know all the people who contributed to building it.”

For Marc Rousson, financial secretary with the Knights of Columbus, who received the award in 2015 and volunteered for various organizations in the community for over 50 years, seeing his name on the monument is a great honour. “I’m really glad that my name is on there and I wish long life to the future ones,” Rousson said, stating that he was the Knights of Columbus to carry on the tradition.

The monument was designed by Martel & Sons, with each name engraved by hand, Doyon said. “This monument is intended as an open book about our community whose pages tell the story of people doing their best to help each other prosper and live happily,” Doyon said.

Noting that there is still room to add many more names to the list of laureates, Raymond says he looks forward to seeing more worthy names engraved and enshrined in Aylmer’s history.