Celebrating the best in our communities

Published in the Canstar Headliner and Metro on November 11, 2020

By Myrna Driedger

The constituency of Roblin is made up of two impressively tight-knit neighbourhoods, Charleswood and Headingley. These areas are family-friendly, community-oriented places, they both have a little bit of a country and a little bit of a city feel to them and, importantly, they both have people who do their best for the community.

This week, I would like to shine a spotlight on two amazing community members — Ms. Jean Ammeter of Headingley and Len Van Roon Sr. of Charleswood. Jean has been an avid volunteer in her community for many years and was recently the recipient of the prestigious Lieutenant-Governor’s Historical Preservation Award, which, according to Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon honours those who preserve the stories of their communities: "In every community, in every city and town, there are individuals who devote their time and expertise to preserving documents, creating historical studies, restoring or maintaining historical buildings and artifacts, bringing the past to life in schools, museums and historic sites, and advocating for historical understanding." This award is especially important this year as we are currently in our 150th anniversary as a province. Our celebrations have been postponed, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it is nevertheless an excellent time to quietly reflect on our history.

I am very grateful to Jean for all the work she does. When Headingley and Charleswood were joined together in the provincial constituency of Roblin, I was grateful to her for the historical information on Headingley that she provided for my website. Check it out at www.myrnadriedger.com/history-of-headingley

Another great volunteer family is the Van Roons of Charleswood. In fact, the historical information about Charleswood on my MLA website was collected by the late Verna Van Roon. Check out this fantastic resource at https://www.myrnadriedger.com/history-of-charleswood

Len Van Roon Sr. has been an active community member and volunteer for decades. He grew up in Charleswood before enlisting to fight in the Second World War, a service for which we are all so grateful. He has been a lifelong resident, served on many volunteer organizations and loaned his voice to important local causes. This past summer, the Charleswood Rotary Club recognized Len’s civic commitment with the prestigious Rotary Club Paul Harris award. It was a well-deserved honour.

Charleswood and Headingley are filled with amazing residents. The community minded spirit in our constituency is inspiring. I want to express my gratitude for all our wonderful volunteers especially Jean Ammeter and Len Van Roon Sr.