His Honour Norman L. Kwong, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta

Alberta Order of Excellence Investiture Ceremony
Thursday, October 16, 2009
Government House, Edmonton, Alberta

Good afternoon Minister Dave Hancock, Justice Wachowich, AOE members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen and a very special good afternoon and congratulations to the eight great citizens who have just joined the ranks of the Alberta Order of Excellence.

It's my pleasure to be among the first to thank them for their long-standing and exceptional service to our province.

I should point out that a quick glance at the bios for these new members shows that five of them were born in Saskatchewan, and a sixth also lived in that province for a short time. So, there's a chance that they're actually closet Saskatchewan Roughrider fans.

But I've decided to overlook that fact, because anyone who has achieved the level of service to others represented in those biographies is someone who most definitely has the right stuff in my books.

These eight citizens have each found an important and distinct way to foster excellence and create lasting success for themselves, for our province and for the country as a whole.

You know, there's an old line about achieving greatness that goes, "creating success is quite straightforward - just do what's right, the right way and at the right time."

We all know how just much of an understatement that saying actually is, and yet, in many ways, these new members have made creating success look incredibly straightforward.

They have consistently committed themselves to doing what's right for the world around them and they have happily and faithfully served the principles of hard work, innovation and strong citizenship that stand at the heart of who we are as Albertans and Canadians.

As Her Majesty the Queen's representative in Alberta, I'd like to recognize and thank each of them for their contributions.

To Shirzad Ahmed, thank you for the help and hope you have given to those who reach our shores in search of a happier and more peaceful life, and thank you for helping us to remember those around the world who do not have the rights we enjoy as Canadians.

To Henry Bergen, thank you for the great creativity, energy and joy you bring to your inventions and for the help those innovations have brought to farm families.

To Bill Bowes, thank you for your many contributions to the health of Alberta's business sector over the years and for everything you've done to make Grande Prairie a truly healthy, thriving and caring place to be.

To Helen Hengel, thank you for the faith, patience and strength you have shared with Albertans struggling with addiction and for the great example of compassion, understanding and good humour that you have provided for us all.

To Bernadette McDonald, thank you for your dedication to the people, places and culture of the beautiful Rocky Mountains and for all that you have done to preserve and celebrate this essential part of our world.

To Ken Sauer, thank you for your outstanding commitment to making Medicine Hat a healthy, active and thriving community and for everything you've done to ensure that young Albertans receive the best possible education.

To Barrie Strafford, thank you for your dedication to providing Alberta seniors the dignity, respect and high quality care they have so richly earned and for the excellent heath and community benefits you have generated over the years through the Brenda Strafford Foundation.

And, finally, to Hal Wyatt, thank you for the outstanding leadership you have provided to the Canadian financial and business sectors throughout your career and for your dedication to making the City of Calgary, and our province as a whole, places that offer the highest possible quality of life for all people.

People like these eight outstanding citizens make me feel proud to be an Albertan and their contributions remind us all of how truly fortunate we all are to call this province and country home.

Thank you and enjoy this well-deserved evening of celebration.