Speakers

A native of Powell River, BC, Lewis has spent more than 20 years behind benches of teams in the BCHL, including his hometown Paper Kings/Kings for two different stints, the Nanaimo Clippers and Victoria Salsa (now Grizzlies) from 1990 to 2018.

Prior to his coaching career, the 56-year-old suited up as a player with Nanaimo and the former Esquimalt Buccaneers, along with the Victoria (now Prince George) Cougars of the WHL from 1982-87

Notable coaching achievements include; 

• Multiple “Coach of the Year” awards in the BCHL
• A gold medal with team Canada West at the World Junior “A” Challenge
• Allan Cup Championship, and a silver medal for Canada at the Nagano Cup. 
• A Junior hockey winning percentage of .629 in over a 1000 games at the Junior A level. 
• One of the leaders in advancing players on to the NCAA and Canadian Universities. 
• One of two coaches to have Captured 7 Conference Championships in BCHL history. 
• Played Jr A Nanaimo Clippers BCHL
• Played Major Jr with Victoria Cougars WHL 
• Garnered MVP, Rookie of the Year and Inspirational awards from his time in Nanaimo

Kent says, “I look forward to continuing to oversee and work with everyone in the Dukes program to give its fans something it can be proud of."

The above is taken from:  https://www.wellingtondukes.com 

When Cheryl relocated from Guelph, Ontario, to the county in 2003, the first thing she did was put up her bird feeders. To her surprise, one of her visitors was a fox sparrow. She wondered what on Earth a fox sparrow was doing here. So, she reached out to the local naturalists’ group to learn more about birds in her area and was connected to many like-minded individuals in the process. Cheryl has lived in the county for nearly 20 years and has dedicated thousands of hours to protecting the area’s cultural and natural heritage.

Through her work with the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists (PECFN), South Shore Joint Initiative (SSJI) and the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory (PEPtBO), she has shared the wonders of Prince Edward County to countless individuals from near and far. She has hosted numerous strolls along the shore to look for ducks and migrating songbirds, or to learn about the natural and cultural history of the area. She’s assisted with the Great Canadian Bird-a-thon and Christmas Bird Counts. She helped to re-establish PEPtBO’s Spring Birding Festival and hosted the Wild Thing Biodiversity Day for kids. She has even assisted with the south shore Important Bird Area and its transition and expansion to a Key Biodiversity Area. And this is just scratching the surface; she has done it all.

The above is an excerpt from a January 12, 2023 article written by Amanda Tracey and found on this website: https://www.ssji.ca/conservation_heros_in_the_county_cheryl_anderson

Peta grew up in Zimbabwe, came to Canada in 1975 and arriving in the County in 1994.  She dove into bringing the arts to the County by established the Studio Tour, the Makers Hand, the Arts Trail and programming for the Baxter Arts Centre, in Bloomfield and more recently her work with Wellington Community Association, bringing art to the village!

In 2009, needing to return to her African roots, she raised funds in the County to build the Atorkor Vocational Training Institute, in a remote, impoverished coastal part of Ghana, West Africa. This club generously supported the school; which now has over 500 students and is administered by the Ghanaian Department of Education who renamed it, the Atorkor Technical Institute.

It is a thriving institution with a strong academic and vocational reputation, drawing students from far afield. In 2022 she established the Atorkor Graduate Program to assist graduates to further their education.

She has been active on many boards, including the Ontario Arts Council, Quinte Arts Council, Prince Edward Arts Council, Bloomfield and Area Business Association, Alternatives for Women, Wellington Community Association and in Ghana the Atorkor Development Foundation, Dream Big Ghana and the ATI Board of Directors.

Peta lives in Wellington and returns to Africa as often as she can!