by Connie Tabbert
Editor
LA PASSE — A well-known couple from Whitewater Region Township were presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce.
The award was presented during a gala event Saturday evening at Festival Hall in Pembroke.
Gail Richardson and Izett McBride accepted the award with three of their five children in attendance. While it would have been nice to have all of them attending, one was home with a sick child while another was a keynote speaker at a conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
This is the first time a couple was presented with the award. Ms. Richardson said there were nominations for herself and her husband, so it was decided to present to a couple.
The lifetime achievement award recognizes someone who has demonstrated leadership in his or her field; has shown vision; has displayed a sustained and significant commitment to the prosperity of the Upper Ottawa Valley; and has served as a positive role model in the business community.
Mr. McBride grew up in the Westmeath area, was in the farming business for 25 years and then went into real estate for the next 35 years.
Ms. Richardson spent her first 12 years in Geraldton, northern Ontario, and then moved to South Africa where she attended a Cape Town boarding school and the University of Cape Town where she received a social worker degree and completed grad work in human resources.
She returned to Canada and discovered she is Canadian, not South African, so remained in the country.
Mr. McBride and Ms. Richardson met each other through Liberal political events and fell in love.
“I knew Izett wouldn’t leave the valley,” Ms. Richardson said. “I was looking for new challenges so I moved here.”
Both had been married previously and had children – Mr. McBride with three and Ms. Richardson with two and one of them was attending high school still.
While living in the area, Ms. Richardson worked at AECL before moving to the Delfi Group, which works in human resources training and consulting.
Sitting in their La Passe home, the couple agree they haven’t been too active recently, but throughout their lives have been.
“We were surprised when we heard we were getting the award,” Mr. McBride said. “We were more active years ago.
“Maybe that’s why it’s called a lifetime award,” he added with a quiet laugh.
The couple led two different work lives, but when it came to politics, they are the same – Liberal. They both ran as candidates in separate provincial ridings – Mr. McBride in Renfrew North and Ms. Richardson in Markham. Both were defeated.
Mr. McBride was also a councillor for the former Westmeath Township council and spent eight years as the deputy-mayor of Whitewater Region Township, opting not to run in last year’s municipal election.
He was a member of Junior Farmers in Renfrew County and eventually became the provincial president of the same organization.
He was also chairman of the building committee for the Westmeath Arena, tried to help establish a general farm organization instead of having various farm organizations, which didn’t pan out; and was on the Whitewater Bromley Community Health Centre board when it began.
However, Mr. McBride has Parkinson’s Disease, which causes a gradual deterioration of different functions, most noticeably shaking of the hands and a quieter voice. He noted that while at times he will quit talking in mid-sentence, it’s not that the disease is affecting his thinking, but it does affect his talking. His father had the disease as does his brother Arthur.
When the disease first started affecting him, Mr. McBride admits he was always conscious about it, but gradually it just became a part of who he is.
But, he added, his daughter, Dr. Heidi McBride, who is an academia doctor, is doing research on Parkinson’s at McGill University in Montreal.
Ms. Richardson began her career in social work before coming to Toronto where she worked for the Elizabeth Fry Society.
“I worked with women who had just been released from prison,” she recalled. “It was a terrific job. I was the first young person who worked there.”
When she moved to the Valley, she worked in the human resources department at AECL in providing counselling to employees. After attending a conference, she began the Employee and Family Assistance Counselling program. She then left that company to work for Delfi Group.
The couple was also active members of the Upper Ottawa Valley Chamber of Commerce, both having served on the board in various positions, including president.
While both are retired, they agree they will remain active in Liberal politics.
Their five children don’t live near them, but they are a close family. Mr. McBride’s children are: Dr. Heidi McBride in Montreal and Hugh and Kirby operate a manufacturing and transportation business in Boston, Mass. They have 70 employees in six countries. Ms. Richardson’s children are Trevor who builds homes and Russell who works in the high-tech computer world.
They also have 11 grandchildren.
Mr. McBride admitted while surprised they were going to be presented with the award, they didn’t protest too much.
Ms. Richardson said, “It’s a nice award. It’s nicer getting it together.”
OTHER AWARD WINNERS
Other Award Winners
New Business: Madameek Restaurant
Small Business: Valley Automotive
Large Business: North Renfrew Long-Term Care
Professional Services: Valley Naturopath
Hospitality Award: The Epic Cafe & Emporium
Agri-Business: Forest Lea Stables
Not-for-profit/Community Organization: Community Living Upper Ottawa Valley
Community Ambassador: Jamie Bramburger
