The three Islanders selected to receive the honour are:

Ms. Wilma Hambly of Charlottetown

Mr. Elmer MacDonald of Augustine Cove

Mr. Frank Zakem of Charlottetown

These three individuals were selected from a total of 34 Islanders nominated to receive the award this year.

The honour was first conferred in 1996 with six individuals invested at that time; since then there have been three Islanders invested each year. The 2008 inductees into the Order were Chief Darlene Bernard of Lennox Island, Mr. Garnet Buell of Murray River, and Ms. Nancy Hamill of Mill River East.

The honour is awarded as a means of recognizing those Islanders who have shown individual excellence or outstanding leadership in their community and in their chosen occupation or profession. It is the highest honour that can be accorded to a citizen of the Province. It is awarded annually following a public nomination process with not more than three recipients being selected by an independent nine-person Advisory Council each year. Insignia of the Order will be presented by Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor at a special investiture ceremony on October 1 at Government House, Charlottetown.

BACKGROUNDER

Information on the Order of Prince Edward Island Recipients

Wilma Hambly:

Wilma Hambly’s name is familiar to Islanders. Of course, she is well known as a businesswoman, but she has also devoted much time to faith-based activities on behalf of the Spring Park United Church, including service as an Elder, served as a board member for both the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Foundation and the IWK, and assisted charities such as Heart and Stroke PEI, the PEI Cancer Society, Home and School and United Way. Her long-held love of tennis – which goes along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle that includes skiing and walking – found an outlet in her presidency of Tennis PEI and as Director on the Tennis Canada Board. All this is on top of being a mother of three children and a grandmother of two. Initially trained to be a nurse, then as an interior designer, for over 40 years Hambly has combined these two occupations to succeed in business, and to dedicate herself tirelessly to bettering the spiritual, mental and physical health of Islanders. In 2007, she received the Red Cross 2007 Humanitarian Award, along with her husband Wayne, and is one of this year’s deserving recipients of the Order of Prince Edward Island.

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Elmer MacDonald:

This year, as in other years, the Order of Prince Edward Island recognizes the long-standing efforts of one of our ablest farmers. Elmer MacDonald’s farm has roots going back five generations. After the death of his father, he and his brother Earle took over the family farm in 1968, and have increased its production and widened its diversity. MacDonald’s knowledge of farm practices and his interest in husbandry, together with a respect for what the land can yield, have translated into making him a much sought-after businessman – most notably in the formation, with six other family farms, of Mid-Isle Farms – and an expert whose advice is regularly in demand by royal commissions and environmental boards and roundtables. In 1991, MacDonald was named agrologist of the year, and he has been inducted into the Atlantic Agriculture Hall of Fame. Over the years, MacDonald has served as chair of the Potato Marketing Board, the Canadian Horticultural Council, and the provincial Association of Fairs and Exhibitions. He generously volunteers his time and abilities for the Crapaud Exhibition, as a talented fundraiser for the Prince County Hospital, and as an Elder in the North Tryon Presbyterian Church.

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Frank Zakem:

Educator, administrator, grocer, politician, and author (most recently of The Basilica Recreation Centre: Before and After), Frank Zakem played an integral part in Island education through his work with St. Dunstan’s, Prince of Wales College, and Holland College, where he served in a variety of capacities, including Acting President. But he is perhaps most quickly identified as a municipal politician who performed his civic duty by serving as a councillor, deputy mayor and mayor of Charlottetown. His fourteen years at City Hall were spent representing constituents, serving on committees, and taking part in labour-management relations. In the 1990s, his expertise was utilized to assist on the issue of municipal reform and, later that decade, he served as Director of the Federation of PEI Municipalities. These achievements are paralleled by Zakem’s lengthy community involvement in organizations dealing with mental and physical health, sports, multicultural matters and race relations, the Boy Scouts, and in helping create the Rotary Youth Parliament, an invaluable training ground and venue for many current and future Island leaders. All this speaks to Zakem’s deep commitment to social, health and practical improvement. He is a worthy recipient of the Order of Prince Edward Island.