The Honeymoon Bay Community Society announced this past Canada Day that this year’s annual Honeymoon Bay Citizen of Merit award would be presented to resident Al Quarnby.
The Honeymoon Bay Citizen of Merit award is presented each summer to a member of the community who is always eager to help with volunteer work and participate in community activities taking place around Honeymoon Bay.
“There are a lot of older people who have lived in Honeymoon Bay for a long time, and they’ve done a lot for the community,” Honeymoon Bay Society member Guy Patten said. “The award is our way to thank them and give them some recognition.”
As the community’s newest Citizen of Merit, Quarnby is in good company. Past recepients of the award include former Honeymoon Bay Society director Peter Ridley (2013) and military veteran and former business owner Lorne Huddleston (2011), who passed away in December 2013.
Patten explained why Quarnby was a clear choice to join the ranks.
“He may have a hard time getting around, but whenever we’ve had work to be done, he’s always the first one there,” he said. “He always comes to carpet bowling and he’s very ingenious with making things. Al is just an all-around nice guy.”
Now 82-years-old, Quarnby first moved to Honeymoon Bay in 1992, after retiring from a long career in plumbing and heating. Quarnby said he chose Honeymoon Bay so he could spend his retirement on the lake.
“We used to boat on the lake quite a bit, and we liked the area,” he said. “We bought our property here after they subdivided the mill sites.”
Quarnby said that he still spends some time on the water, though he’s switched to a 14-foot aluminum boat as he’s gotten older.
The Honeymoon Bay Citizen of Merit award is typically presented during the community’s Canada Day celebrations, though Quarnby received his award last night (July 14) at the Honeymoon Bay Community Hall. Patten said that the award was officially presented at a later date this year because the certificate was not ready in time for July 1.
Quarnby said he was grateful, though surprised, upon hearing that he would be named this year’s citizen of merit.
“It’s great, but there are others who I think deserve it more,” he said. “It’s really a great bunch up here.”