Citizen of the Year...A Worthy Tribute

Ron Wallace was named Citizen of the Year last night in  the Council Chamber.

It was a heart-warming event. The  Chamber  was almost at capacity. A  couple of other events  had drawn in a  substantial audience.  But the  crowd rose to their feet in applause for the recipient of the award.

Citizens  of the Year are not always so well known or so warmly regarded. The  decision is made  by a Committee from nominations received. 

Ron has lived  in Aurora  most of his adult life . He came here as a reporter  from North  Bay when he was twenty-seven years old .

When his only child was born,he so loved the town, he named her Aurora. And she is beautiful. 

For years he  played  hockey on  Sunday with a  group calling  themselves the Church Dodgers .

He and the late Dick Illingworth  had a weekly cable T.V show called Ronnie and Dickie .

Last night, the Mayor cited Ron's involvements in  various  community organisations. There were many. 

He did not mention the one  I think , was most important of all.

Ron started from scratch a second weekly newspaper in Aurora An enterprise that before computers would have been  an entirely impossible undertaking. 

From my perspective, Ron Wallace  and  his little newspaper, The Auroran , saved the town whrn she needed it most. 

He wasn't young. He wasn't rich.  He was quirky, like  the rest of us.

He  always proclaimed himself  to be more of a sports writer than a news editor. 

But when he published  his little newspaper, he revealed himself ,for the  perfectionist he pretended not to be. 

He didn't do it alone. He had friends who worked for him .  Others who gladly contributed  items of interest, particularly historical, to the enterprise. 

He  suffered sadness and loss in his life  but  never complained. 

I can't think of anyone who  better deserved to be  Auroras Citizen  of he Year. 

And no-one who would appreciate  it more than himself.