At the invitation of town council, Carlyle citizens turned out to show their appreciation for former mayor and alderman, Don Shirley, at a thank you event Sept. 24 at Carlyle Memorial Hall.
With over a decade's service to the town, Shirley has garnered the respect and affection of many, which was reflected during the evening's brief speeches, presentations, and the standing ovation he received.
"We are here to say thank you to Don for his service to the town for his three years as alderman and eight years as mayor," said Carlyle mayor, Wayne Orsted. "To Don's family, I also say thank you for sharing your dad with us, for I know the time he spent in meetings and working for the community were times he wasn't at home."
Orsted presented Shirley with three tokens of appreciation from the town, which he hoped would "be fond memories of your service to our community." Shirley received an aerial canvas of the Town of Carlyle, by local photographer Kevin Dyck, a framed collection of snapshots picturing events throughout his tenure, and a Carlyle Cornerstone paperweight, the first of which had been given to Olympian Clara Hughes.
Shirley said, "Thanks everyone. This is really nice and I certainly didn't expect it. It's been a great honour and privilege to serve the good people of Carlyle during the last 11 years."
Reflecting on his time as mayor, Shirley said,"It's been an exciting time.We've seen unprecedented growth, which resulted in increased spending on infrastructure. Carlyle has also had some extreme weather, including blizzards, hailstorms, a one in 500-year flood and a tornado."
"There are so many good things about Carlyle, and that's due to the people who live here."
The former mayor also said that he tried to work with other communities and the municipality, during his term. "All of the people who've served on council with me all those years," Shirley said, "Their job wasn't an easy job. I had the easy job. All I had to do was chair the meetings. The gavel is used to keep order. I never had to use that gavel once in 11 years."
Thanking the inside and outside Town of Carlyle staff "for all of the guidance you gave me," Shirley also paid tribute to Carlyle's emergency responders and fire department, the RCMP, service groups and the boards that run the Town's facilities.
"It takes a lot of people to run a town this size."
Those who worked with Shirley say that he will be missed.
"He was such a good person to work with, so honest and straightforward and with such a gentle approach," says town administrator Huguette Lutz. "Every issue that came up, he took the high road, and that made working with him awesome."
Alderman Darcy Moore says that Shirley's encouragement led him to decide to serve the town. "I am actually a councillor because of Don. We had coffee one day and he talked me into joining. I've known him since I was 14 years old. He is easy to work with and to get along with. He is very concerned about the elderly people and those who have retired here. He wants to make sure that they can continue to afford to live here. He was a great mayor."
"The museum board appreciates the support Don gave us over the years for all of our projects," says Delores Cutler, secretary of the Rusty Relics Museum board.
However, Shirley's final thank you was reserved for the citizens he served, as he insisted the honour was all his. "Thank you to the people of Carlyle for allowing me to serve you. It's been an honour and a privilege"
