Five Islanders honoured with 2024 Senior Islander of Year Awards

Five Island seniors were honoured with the Senior Islander of the Year Award for the positive impact they have made to their communities.

These awards recognize the efforts that seniors have made in areas like volunteering, artistic achievement, fundraising, sports, recreation, and business. 

The 2024 Seniors Islander of the Year Award recipients are:

• Bernadette McDearmid Pedersen, of Tignish; 
• Helen Lockerby, of Brudenell;
• Bryson Guptill, of Charlottetown;
• Ernie Stavert, of Cornwall; and
• Marion Trowbridge, of Bridgetown.

“Each year, as we celebrate the Senior Islander of the Year Awards, I reflect upon the dedication and contributions made by seniors that have helped shape our Island. These awards are a testament to the remarkable achievements and the deep commitment Island seniors have shown to our province and their communities. Congratulations to all recipients and thank you for your tremendous work.”

- Social Development and Seniors Minister Barb Ramsay

Media contact: 
Marilee Devries 
Department of Social Development and Seniors
mjdevries@gov.pe.ca

Backgrounder:

2024 Senior Islander of the Year Recipients:

Bernadette McDearmid Pedersen
Bernadette has a deep commitment and passion for making a positive impact in her community of Tignish. Her volunteerism knows no bounds, from sitting on community boards to selling tickets for fundraisers to caring for the members in her community. For many years, Bernadette has been graciously giving her time to support the following organizations in many capacities:

• West Prince Hospice
• West Prince Caring Cupboard
• West Prince Christmas Hamper Group
• Tignish Senior Home Board
• St. Simon and St. Jude Parish
• Tignish Catholic Women’s League; and
• Tignish Co-op Association (until May 2024)

Helen Lockerby
Helen provides valuable leadership and support to a wide variety of volunteer organizations in the Three Rivers Area. 

Helen is very involved with the Hillcrest United Church in Montague, where she is currently the Chair of the United Church Women Group and volunteers to help lead and organize many of church activities.

She dedicates time, energy, leadership and creativity to the Roma at Three Rivers National Historical Site. One of her main interests is developing programming for school students and summer visitors.

She also has a passion for helping newcomers in the area with everything from assisting them in locating to the Island, to driving lessons, to teaching English. 

Bryson Guptill
The Island Walk walking trail would not have been possible without the dedication and tireless commitment from Bryson Guptill.

As a walking enthusiast who has logged many kilometers here and away, Bryson was determined to make the Island Walk concept into a reality, which he has accomplished  - all 700 kilometers.

Bryson volunteers his time both on the Board of Directors for Island Trails and in supporting the Island Walk. He continues to update the Island Walk publications and assists others with their Island Walk planning.

After Fiona, he graciously volunteered his time and energy to clearing many of the Island trails of fallen trees and debris, particularly, the Winter Trail. Due to Fiona’s devastation, this took months. 

Ernie Stavert
Ernie is a life-long volunteer within his Cornwall community. He has been an active member of the Cornwall United Church, now known as the West River United Church, for a long time and over the years has held numerous leadership positions. 

According to a past board member of the Cornwall Seniors Club, “[the Club] would never have happened without Ernie.” The club formed approximately 15 years ago, and Ernie is still the President.

Ernie has also been very instrumental and involved in the Cornwall Curling Club since he helped found it 40 years ago, and has continued to be an active organizer to this day. In 1998, due to a knee condition, he was having difficulty with releasing the rock while curling so he became the first person in PEI to use a delivery stick. He later spearheaded the arrival of two person stick curling and as a result, many members across the province can continue curling well into their 80s and beyond. 

After Ernie retired, he became involved with the PEI 55+ Games and is still involved today. This includes participating, organizing, and serving as a member of the Board, both locally and nationally. He served on the Canadian 55+ Games for 20 years continuously until 2022.

Marion Trowbridge
Marion has dedicated her life to helping and supporting others in her community. She has been involved with the Montague Rotary for many years serving in leadership roles and continues to volunteer for several of their programs. She is the current Treasurer and co-leader of the Three Rivers Seniors Club. 

She has recently become a board member of the PEI Seniors’ Federation. Through her involvement and leadership on various community and provincial boards, she has been a mentor to not only the young but also the young at heart. Marion is always there for members of her community, listening and chatting to folks, visiting other seniors in the community, or driving them to medical appointments.