Al Gilchrist isn’t slowing down — not a chance.
The 79-year-old and his wife Sue have lived in Innisfil for 47 years, where Al has become an avid member of the town's Rotary Club and a dedicated supporter of the future Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) south campus.
For these and so many other ventures, Al was presented with the 2024 Ontario Senior of the Year Award at town council June 24.
“When we first moved here, my daughter was a baby, my son was a little toddler,” he said. “We moved to Innisfil because we could see it was a great place to live. Little did we know how great it was going to be. It’s a wonderful, wonderful community. We raised a family here and it was absolutely the best thing in our lives that we did.”
The award gives each municipality in the province the opportunity to honour one outstanding person who after the age of 65 has enriched the “social, cultural or civic life of his or her community,” the Ontario government’s website says.
Al was prompted into public service by Sue, who is actually credited with being the first volunteer in the family dynamic. He’s since gone on to travel abroad for humanitarian work, and at home he’s a key cog in the wheel of the town’s Pitch-In Day, local Remembrance ceremonies, and various Rotary efforts.
You’ve probably sat on the Rotary train as he’s driven it around at events. Or watched him take the plunge into a freezing Lake Simcoe over the last two years to raise money for the RVH Foundation’s Keep Life Wild campaign.
Mayor Lynn Dollin called Al a “key member” of the fundraising committee for the RIzzardo Health and Wellness Centre. And he also sits as the current chair of the Innisfil cabinet for Keep Life Wild, which among other goals aims to bring the South campus to town.
“I actually met Sue before I met Al when I first joined council in 1994 and was appointed to the library board,” Dollin said, noting Sue also sat on that board at the time. “We’re deeply grateful to them both for their unwavering commitment and contributions to our community.”
Dollin, who nominated Al for the “distinguished” award, called him a “steadfast pillar” of support and service within the community who brings “positive energy” to any initiative he touches.
“It exudes from you. We all absorb it,” she said. “There is truly no one more deserving in our community than Al.”
Al’s 38-year professional career was just as remarkable — he spent much of it as a police detective and crisis negotiator.
“I was going to slow down and retire, but after receiving this, I can’t,” he said jokingly of his volunteerism while addressing council. “We have a lot to do in this town — heck, we’ve got to build a hospital and we’re gonna. You’ve created a monster. You’re going to have me around for many years to come. I promise you, I’ll be bugging you all the time.”
In a written message, Barrie-Innisfil MP John Brassard thanked Al for his dedication to the community.
“The energy and enthusiasm shown by your volunteerism is truly an inspiration for all,” Brassard wrote.
Al also showed appreciation for both his family and Rotary colleagues.
“Really, it’s been a terrific time,” he said. “It’s a privilege, a pleasure. It’s a chance to give back. We take so much for granted these days.”
