Original Published 13:31 May 25, 2022
By Jennifer Argue, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Dave Cameron was a fixture in the community of Lumsden. The owner-operator of Cameron’s Pharmacy from 1967 to 2013, he was well-known as a volunteer with well over 30 years of community service. Dave passed away in 2021. He has been recognized for his significant contributions through the creation of a volunteer of the year award.
One of Dave’s many accomplishments was serving twice as a Town Councillor. His last term was from 2016 to 2020. Mayor Bryan Matheson said Dave “was a tireless member working for the community. When he was in business, he was the backbone of the Chamber of Commerce. He was the leader – and so much so that when he retired the chamber dissolved.” Matheson said in Dave’s earlier years, he was involved in anything that was happening in Town. “Any activity that went on in our community Dave would’ve been involved. He was the epitome of a community guy.”
Councillor Verne Barber was at the well-attended memorial – held at one of Dave’s favourite places, the rink. Dave’s former band, The Old Time Rockers, provided the musical backdrop to the gathering of old friends recalling the many Dave stories. Barber said they cooked up a food favourite of Dave’s – hundreds of hotdogs, “Dave loved his rink hotdogs, and he would’ve been very happy to have indulged in diet Pepsi and rink hot dogs. So it was good.”
In March, his significant contributions to the community were recognized by Justin Lacelle, President of the Lumsden Sports Association, with the creation of the Dave Cameron Memorial Award.
Lacelle spoke of Dave’s many roles, “Dave was a part of getting this new rink built in the 1990’s and Dave was a part of keeping this rink in like-new condition in the 2020’s. Dave played many roles when it came to the rink including handyman, gatekeeper, advisor, disciplinarian, and mentor. Dave sat on the board of directors for the rink and brought wisdom and learnings from his years of experience. He would often be the voice of reason in our debates and helped to guide us when the waters were muddy or turbulent. Dave would also be the first one to pick up a wrench and fix what needed fixing or make some minor tweaks to the ice plant to keep it humming. Dave just had a way to find what needed doing and did it – everyone of us can learn something from Dave’s example.”
“ Volunteerism is key to making a community thrive. Without volunteers, this community would not be the great place it is to live. While some volunteer endeavours are easy to see, most are not. Most volunteer work is behind the scenes and the rewards are simpler; helping others, seeing what can be accomplished through teamwork, and creating opportunity among other things.” said Lacelle.
Nominations for the award will be accepted in the fall, and the award will be presented at the Lumsden Monarchs game before Christmas with their name engraved on a plaque.
In 2004, Dave and Liz were married. Liz said that over the course of their time together, Dave wrote nearly 300 ‘Pharmatalk’ columns covering topics from health aids to personal experience.
She said Dave’s approach to life was one where he never looked back. He would make a decision and move forward.
When he started to slow down in the summer of 2020, Liz said that “(Dave) was content to sit on the front deck and watch the world go by. He had done everything he wanted to do, the best way he knew how. No regrets.”
This item reprinted with permission from Last Mountain Times, Nokomis, Saskatchewan
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