Like father, like son.
As a child in Moose Jaw, Sask., Rick Felstead observed the satisfaction his dad got from volunteering with St. John Ambulance.
When he was a teenager, Felstead joined his dad in the brigade and taught first aid until he graduated from high school.
SUPPLIED
Rick Felstead accepts a volunteer of the year award from Travel Manitoba.
It was the start of a lifelong commitment to volunteering that Travel Manitoba recognized in April when it named Felstead volunteer of the year as part of its tourism awards.
Felstead, who lives in Brandon, was given the award in recognition of his volunteer work at the International Peace Garden.
Felstead started helping out at the garden, which sits on the border between Manitoba and North Dakota, 18 years ago.
He was taken aback by the award.
“You want two words? Surprised and humbled,” the octogenarian said. “I knew nothing about this until I heard I’d been nominated.”
Nestled in the Turtle Mountains, the garden was established in July 1932 to celebrate the friendship between Canada and the United States.
Felstead got involved in the garden in 2006 through his role as district governor of Rotary International.
A group of Rotarians was the driving force behind creating the garden’s 9/11 memorial, and Felstead was instrumental in raising the $150,000 needed for the project.
The memorial, which includes steel girders from the collapsed towers at New York’s World Trade Center, opened in 2010.
By that time, Felstead had been elected to the garden’s board of directors.
It never occurred to Felstead to join the board until he was asked. Once he did, he was struck by its makeup: nine Canadian directors and nine American directors.
“It’s a great group to volunteer with,” he said.
He’s served on various committees over the years, including governance, planning and development, and communications and membership.
“I’ve done everything from working the gate taking admission, to working special events we’ve had down there, to sitting on the board governance committee and rewriting bylaws,” said Felstead, who retired in 2000 from his career as a gas utilities engineering manager and consultant.
Felstead is always willing to help, according to Tim Chapman, CEO.
“His energy and enthusiasm are contagious and he’s an outstanding ambassador and advocate for the garden,” Chapman said in a news release.
Felstead has volunteered with several community organizations over the years.
He remains an active member of Rotary International, serves in the Electrical & Mechanical Engineering Association of Canada, the Manitoba Branch of the Army Cadet League of Canada board, and is an executive member of the Central Museum of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery in Shilo.
He is the recipient of several awards, including the Queen’s Silver, Gold and Diamond Jubilee medals.
Travel Manitoba, an organization that promotes travel and tourism throughout the province, hands out its awards every year to recognize businesses and people who contribute to the province’s tourism industry.
Jane Fudge, a volunteer at Dalnavert Museum and Visitors’ Centre in Winnipeg, was also recognized with a volunteer of the year award from Travel Manitoba.
If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca.
Aaron Epp
Reporter
Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron.
In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press’s editing team before being posted online or published in print. It’s part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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