When Dylan Corbett, now 17, was in junior high school, a presentation by Culture Summerside changed his young life.
The presenter had one item in particular that caught the young history buff’s eye, a pocket watch that had belonged to Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first prime minister.
Being able to touch something with such a strong connection to Canada’s history was a profound moment for Corbett.
“Everything we have today is built on something that someone did in the past,” he said.
“History never stops. Everyone is part of history – and I always liked the idea that what we do now can have reverberations down the road. One person’s actions could be someone else’s history project 100 years down the road.”
A few years after that presentation, Corbett started volunteering with Culture Summerside on a number of projects: lending his voice to radio plays, acting in reenactments, and searching through untold pages of old newsprint for one project or another.
For his efforts, Corbett was awarded the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, Friday, during the City of Summerside’s Culture/Heritage Awards.
A total of eight awards were handed out in six categories. The event coincides with the Mayor’s Tea, held annually at city hall.
Fred Horne, one of Summerside’s archivists and a member of the award selection committee, said this year’s winners all brought unique strengths to the subject of heritage in the community.
Even though this year’s awards are now over, there is always next year, and the selection committee is always looking for nominations, he added.
“It all depends on people making the nominations in the first place. We’re pretty happy; there was a nice number of nominations this year,” he said.
Winners of this year’s Culture/Heritage Awards for the City of Summerside
Heritage Activity Awards:
- Mike Dixon, for researching and publishing a blog dedicated to the life and artifacts of Mildred Marion Stewart
- Peter Holman, for his dedicated service to heritage in Summerside and his assistance in preserving the historic Holman Homestead
- Catherine MacLellan, for preserving and expanding the legacy of her father, musician and songwriter Gene MacLellan.
Cultural Activity Awards:
- College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada, in recognition of its efforts in preserving Scottish and Celtic musical and cultural tradition on P.E.I.
Volunteer of the Year Award:
- Joy and David Palmer, in recognition of their contributions to the community and their volunteer work with Culture Summerside.
Youth Volunteer of the Year Award:
- Dylan Corbett, for his extensive volunteer work with Culture Summerside.
Publication of the Year Award:
- Rudy Croken, for “Ban the Automobile: Instrument of Death,” which chronicles P.E.I.’s erstwhile decision to ban cars.
Award of Honour:
- Harbourfront Theatre, in recognition for its continued contribution to the cultural life of Summerside and P.E.I. in general.
@JournalPMacLean
