Honour Roll inductees make Aldershot a better place

It was an evening to celebrate dedication to the community – and the latest inductees to the Aldershot Community Honour Roll have shown exactly that.

More than 100 people turned out to recognize their contributions at the Burlington Golf and Country Club this week. The wine and appetizer event included messages of congratulations from many, including Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and MP Karina Gould, and highlighted their leadership, vision, creativity, innovation and initiative, and their impact on Aldershot and beyond.

“By honouring our citizens, a story is being told,” said this year’s event chair Margret Sweetlove.

The 2023 inductees are:

• Leon Denbok for his dedication to fundraising for Joseph Brant Hospital 
• Steve Cussons, a fierce supporter of the school communities
• Paul Barna, for his contributions to music, including teaching hundreds of students, and being part of both the Burlington and Mississauga Symphony Orchestras

Two youth leaders were also given awards. Katie Hunt was recognized for her outstanding leadership on sports teams, basketball, hockey, rugby, field hockey, touch football and soccer. An honour roll student, she led her school’s Halloween night collecting food for the Burlington Food Bank collecting more than $37,600 worth of food.

She had to spend two years of high school studying at home during the pandemic, but has since made up for it becoming a student ambassador at Assumption Secondary School.

Kylie Sinclair is a member of the arts council and she has held workshops at Aldershot School on beading and metal jewelry. She is a writer and has helped produce newsletters for her school and the community. A keen student, she is always up for a challenge and always displays professionalism and enthusiasm.

The Aldershot Honour Roll got its start in 2008 as a way to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Aldershot joining Burlington. Previous Honour Roll selections include former mayors Robert MacIsaac and Walter Mulkewich, businessman Jack van der Laan and longtime former councillor Rick Craven.

The Business Improvement award, which recognizes a business that has supported and fostered community engagement in the community went to Rolling Horse Community Cycle, a non-profit bicycle shop offering full service and refurbished bike sales. It provides an opportunity for bike mechanics and bike mechanics to share their skills It began in 2010 as a group of mechanics from ForestView Church visited geared-to-income neighbourhoods, repairing bicycles for children, youth and adults.

Cussons was involved in Maplehurst School, and was also part of two school accommodation reviews, and he’s proud that school populations went from 475 to 1,000. He helped create a huge, hot breakfast club twice a week as well as the STEM program. He was an organizer of the Be Well Fair, part of the Sound of Music, Food For Thought, and the Reach Out Centre for Kids. He was part of the early group of volunteers with the Field and Stream Rescue, Halton Women’s Place and many more.

“What an honour,” he said. “I grew up downtown, and watched Joseph Brant Hospital being built. I landed in Aldershot as an adult.” Since then he's given back every chance he could, and he suggests others do the same. “Join a club, a movement or anything to support the community.”

Denbok has served as chair of the hospital’s board of directors, and as a member of the campaign cabinet, for the New Era Campaign (the expansion). He’s past president of the rotary Club of Burlington North, logistics for the annual food drive, and an integral part of the Amazing Bed Races on Brant Street to raise more than $430,000 for the hospital.

“I couldn’t do it without Victoria, my wife and her support, my boys and my grandchildren,” he said. 

Barna initiated a Young Mentorship program with the Burlington Symphony Orchestra, established the Burlington Chamber Sinfonia, is a musical ambassador for the city and works and relates to students of all ages and levels – many of his students have received scholarships and awards. In fact, 25 per cent of the violin players with the Hamilton Philharmonic orchestra were Barna’s students.

“This is tremendously meaningful and I’m immensely grateful to be able to give back,” he said. “I have the best clients on planet Earth – sharp-minded people I work with day in and day out.” He likened learning a musical instrument to running a marathon, saying there are similar parallels since it’s a long-term commitment.

“Youth who are looking for instant gratification  music will not do that.” He shared a story of a student who faced enormous difficulties in dealing with two tragedies in her family.

“She had so much weight on her shoulders and music helped her. It gave her a sense of joy in dark times. Students like this motivate me to work.”

This year’s volunteer judges were Mae Radford, Central Rotary Club, Brendan Hamil, Aldershot Lions Club and Andrea Dodd, Aldershot Village BIA.

Following the inductions, Craven honoured a pioneer of Aldershot who is now deceased: Alexander Brown Jr. He said that Brown was one of the most influential citizens of the time in the 1860s. He was key to establishing LaSalle Park and Marina, and Waterdown Road. He also built Brown’s Wharf to ensure a supply of wood from his family’s sawmill to boats that carried grain, flour, aggregate materials and woollen goods to customers along Lake Ontario.

Brown, a soldier, a builder, a justice of the peace, an alderman, a deputy reeve, and later a warden of East Flamborough, eventually became the first postmaster in Aldershot. He died in 1880.