TORONTO—When Josephine Pelletier retired from teaching after 34 years in 1988 she took a year to “get a few things I had put aside done.” Then she rolled up her sleeves and really got to work volunteering with a number of local organizations. On October 29, Ms. Pelletier received her due recognition when Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell presented the Wikwemikong elder, volunteer and actress with an Ontario Senior Achievement Award.
“I am delighted to honour these 20 seniors who have so generously contributed to the strengthening of communities in Ontario—and even throughout the world,” said Lieutenant Governor Dowdeswell. “Through their leadership, wisdom and talents, they bring us inspiration. We can create just and sustainable communities in Ontario.”
Ms. Pelletier was among the three Northern Ontarians who were honoured at this year’s awards as outstanding seniors who have made “significant contributions to their communities and the province.”
The process of even being nominated for the award takes dedication and determination on the part of the nominators, who must gather documentation and information to be submitted as part of the nomination. That process began in July, when folks at the Wikwemikong Board of Education decided to put Ms. Pelletier forward for the award.
“It was all very hush, hush,” laughed Ms. Pelletier after she got back home to Wikwemikong. “Every now and then somebody would let something slip, but then they would put their finger to their lips and say ‘I am not supposed to say anything’.”
As time went on, Ms. Pelletier began to think she hadn’t made the grade. “I just kind of forgot about it after a while,” she said. “Not everybody who gets nominated gets chosen.”
But her dedication to keeping the Ojibwe language and culture alive and service to her community was far from forgotten; that selfless dedication brought her to the forefront of nominees. When the notice that she had been selected came about two weeks before the ceremony, it came as a surprise.
A member of the Wikwemikong Board of Education who has served on the boards of the Amikook Seniors Centre and Rainbow Lodge, Ms. Pelletier began her formal schooling in 1940 when she attended the St. Joseph Girls’ School in Spanish. Ms. Pelletier said that she took away many good memories from there and “learned a lot.”
Following her completion of Grade 10, Ms. Pelletier continued with her Grade 13 in Pembroke, where she graduated in 1951 and then went on to teachers’ college in North Bay. Over the next 34 years, Ms. Pelletier taught in a number of schools, got married and had “five beautiful children.”
Not content to rest on her education laurels, Ms. Pelletier worked diligently on upgrading her credentials through summer courses, securing her BA and B.Ed. Ms. Pelletier finally retired in 1987. “I thought I might stick it out to 35 years, but then I thought there were a lot of young people who needed jobs,” she recalled.
She may have retired, but that certainly did not slow Ms. Pelletier down. She continued to substitute teach at various schools on Manitoulin Island and then took on a gig at the Ojibway Cultural Foundation (OCF) in M’Chigeeng. “I did a lot of translation work for the OCF,” she said. She went on to be an instrumental part of the Anishinabemowin Teg Language Conference at Sault Ste. Marie.
In recent years she has been involved in sitting on language committees with a focus on curriculum development that supports teachers with language lesson planning materials. She volunteered at the Amikook for Meals-on-Wheels and continues as a translator at the Wikwemikong Aniishnabemowin Curriculum department.
“I tell people not to ask me to do anything on Thursdays, that is my time at Amikook,” she laughed. Thursdays will find the volunteer busy quilting at the centre.
“She is one of the busiest ladies I know,” said Amikook manager Kim Genereux. “She has a lot of talents, quilting is only one of them. She is very strong on family and family values. She is an inspiration.”
Ms. Pelletier said that she especially enjoyed her time volunteering with Meals on Wheels. “I would take my grandchildren with me to meet the elders,” she said. “There are a lot of little memories.”
The Honourable Mario Sergio (Ontario Minister Responsible for Seniors) informed the assembled dignitaries at the awards that Ms. Pelletier had translated three Robert Munsch stories for Sault College and that she had assisted with the translation of hundreds of other books.
Ms. Pelletier was also the recipient of Elder of the Year award from the Amikook Centre in June 2011.
The senior has also garnered some serious thespian chops, taking to the stage as part of the cast of Debajehmujig’s Elders Gone AWOL production. “That was a lot of fun, but a lot of work too,” she said. “We had fun teasing each other if one of us was late.” The production meant four rehearsals a week, usually starting at 9 am. “I got to know some people I had seen before, like one lady from Rabbit Island, but who I didn’t really have much chance to talk to before.”
The Senior Achievement Awards are the highest provincial honour for seniors over 65 and are presented at Queen’s Park each year by the Lieutenant Governor.
During the ceremony, Lieutenant Governor Dowdeswell explained that “since 1986, the Senior Achievement Awards have recognized outstanding seniors who have made significant contributions to their communities after the age of 65. Baby boomers and senior adults contributed more than 1 billion volunteer hours to Ontario in 2010. This number is expected to double by next year. Our seniors keep pushing the bar even higher.”
Although Ms. Pelletier still drives herself around her home community, her son Stephen drove her down to the presentation ceremony, for which she was very grateful. “That Gardiner Expressway doesn’t live up to its name,” she laughed. “It took us almost as long to get downtown to the awards as it did to drive from Barrie to Toronto.” Two of her nephews also drove up from Brantford to attend the ceremony. “They let us bring three guests to the ceremony,” she said. Wikwemikong Board of Education representative Harold Fox was also at the award ceremony.
That ceremony proved somewhat lengthy, with 20 recipients and the name Pelletier does come a fair bit down on an alphabetical list, but Ms. Pelletier described the wait as pleasant.
She described Lieutenant Governor Dowdeswell as a very engaging person. “She was very personable, the kind of person it is easy to talk to,” said Ms. Pelletier.
Following the awards, there was a ceremonial photo session with all 20 recipients and then individual photos with the minister and lieutenant governor. “We had a picture taken with the three of us,” she said. “The photographer was lining people up for the pose, she had to keep adjusting them.” When it came to her individual pose, Ms. Pelletier said she was pleasantly surprised. “The photographer said we were the first ones to get it right from the start,” she laughed.
Following the official awards, Algoma-Manitoulin MPP Mike Mantha took the opportunity to present a certificate to the elder as well, posing with her and her family members.
“It was very nice,” she said.
Ms. Pelletier said that the trip south was nice, but that she is happy to be home again. Asked if she was ready to sit back and relax, resting on her laurels, she laughed again. “No, no, no, there is always lots to be done.”
