The 2013 recipients of the Order of Prince Edward Island were announced today by the Chancellor of the Order, His Honour the Honourable H. Frank Lewis, Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island and Mr. Charles Curley, Chair of the Order of Prince Edward Island Advisory Council.

The three Islanders selected to receive the honour are:

Ms. Vera Elizabeth Dewar of Stratford

Honourable Alexander B. Campbell of Stanley Bridge, and

Dr. Joyce Madigane of Bideford

These three individuals were selected from a total of 46 Islanders nominated to receive the award this year.

The honour was first conferred in 1996. Since then there have been three Islanders invested each year. The 2012 inductees into the Order were Emily Bryant of Clyde River, Sibyl Cutcliffe of Charlottetown, and Dr. Albert “Bud” Ings of Montague.

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 the Lieutenant Governor at a special investiture ceremony in October at Government House, Charlottetown.

BACKGROUNDER

Hon. Alexander B. Campbell - Stanley Bridge

Alexander Bradshaw Campbell, Premier from 1966 to 1978, ushered in a new age in the history of Prince Edward Island. Despite his youth and, in the beginning, a slender majority in the Legislative Assembly, he persevered and through acumen, negotiation and political skill brought in the Comprehensive Development Plan that forever altered Island culture and our way of life. Institutions were revamped or built from the ground up, the civil service expanded and improved, the economy jolted into life, and education institutions changed. All these things are with us today. Campbell’s vision extended from local concerns such as housing and non-resident land ownership to national concerns such as Medicare and equalization payments. His vision defined the province, and its effects will remain for some time to come, but his work could not have met with such success if he did not understand his fellow citizens. After Campbell stepped down from office, his legal background helped him get appointed to the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island, from which he retired in 1994. For his great service to the province on the political, economic and cultural levels, Alexander B. Campbell is a worthy recipient of the Order of Prince Edward Island.

Vera Elizabeth Dewar - Stratford

Order of Prince Edward Island “recognizes exceptional contributions in chosen professions or occupations,” and for Vera Elizabeth Dewar, it comes after nearly five decades of involvement in the nursing profession. That span of time begins with her graduation from the PEI Hospital School of Nursing in 1956 to her addressing a nurses’ graduating class at UPEI in May 2008 after she had retired from official duties. Her experiences as a student, and in the various positions she occupied early on, encouraged Dewar to join with others in advocating for a provincial school of nursing. In 1992, those efforts paid off with the establishment of the UPEI School of Nursing. Dewar has had awards and honours bestowed on her over the years, including the Order of Canada in 2011 for her “contributions to the advancement of nursing education” in the province. Amidst the requirements of a demanding profession, she contributed to the Island’s culture through the exploration of its Scottish roots, and her genealogical work culminated in the book Perthshire to Three Rivers, listing the names of over 14,000 descendants of the Brudenell area. The Order of Prince Edward Island is a well-deserved recognition of the labours of Vera Dewar.

Dr. Joyce Madigane - Bideford

Dr. Joyce Madigane has made an important contribution to the lives of many people in her four decades of service to Tyne Valley and Lennox Island. She first came to the area in 1974 from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) via England, and quickly built close ties to mothers of the children she delivered and, later, to the children themselves. Patients can testify to the long hours she has spent in the office and on call during the night shifts at Stewart Memorial, as well as her constant travelling to Prince County Hospital to tend to those under her care. Madigane has a special bond with the Lennox Island First Nation, and in 2010 she was honoured to be named Elder of the Year. She has also played a significant role in supporting rural health care service, and her work has been recognized through the receipt of the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002, and the Tyne Valley Citizen of the Year award in 2005. Dr. Joyce Madigane lives up to the values laid out in the Order of Prince Edward Island through, literally, her life-giving contribution to the Island, her devotion to her occupation, and her long public service.