Highlands East Mayor Dave Burton hands Hilda Clark a certificate naming her the first ever Senior of the Year for the municipality. Clark has been incredibly active in the community since retiring to Wilberforce in 1988./JENN WATT Staff By Jenn Watt
Published June 26 2018
Highlands East Mayor Dave Burton appropriately called his speech on Hilda Clark “Hilda Helps Out.”
The first person to be named Senior of the Year in Highlands East was chosen because of her decades of helping which Burton detailed for a room full of well-wishers at Lloyd Watson Centre on June 20.
Clark who writes a weekly column for the Haliburton County Echo retired to the Highlands following a career in education.
She served on Monmouth township council from 1996 to 2000 volunteered with Haliburton County Development Corporation for 14 years gave her time to St. Margaret’s Anglican Church operated a bed and breakfast in Wilberforce (House in the Village) and is a member of the Wilberforce Curling Club.
She’s also been part of the business association helped organize winter carnivals was given the Retired Teachers of Ontario certificate of merit assisted with the Loop Troupe theatre group and is currently chair of the Wilberforce Heritage Guild.
In 2003 she was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal which she wore to the ceremony on Wednesday.
“I see a lot of volunteers in this audience today” Clark said as she took to the podium.
“I’m involved in them [various organizations] happily because I work with a lot of you on a lot of projects.”
She has done plenty of work on the Red Cross Outpost in recent years. Its designation as a national historic site has been a feather in the cap of Haliburton County.
The building was leased to the Wilberforce Heritage Guild in 1991 with the understanding it would be restored to its previous state. It serves as a museum dedicated to the contributions of Red Cross nurses.
Joan Barton Highlands East councillor shared her thoughts on Clark to end the proceedings which were technically part of the proceedings of council.
“When I moved here in 2001 to live full time and I met you very shortly thereafter you became a role model for me” Barton said. “I would like to grow up to be as generous and as hard working and as bright and as much a pleasure to know as Hilda Clark.”
