After a weekend spent celebrating Ucluelet, locals gathered to honour the stars who help make their town so very much worth celebrating.
Ucluelet’s Ukee Days festivities came to a close on Sunday with the community crowning its 2023 business, citizen, volunteer and youth of the year at a packed Seaplane Base Field fairgrounds that pulsated with loud cheers as each name was called out.
The Ucluelet Co-op was named the year’s top business and general manager Laurie Gehrke was ecstatic as she received flowers and applause.
“The Co-op is there for the community day in and day out. The recognition is for the whole team and we thank the community for their support,” Gerhke told the Westerly News after receiving the award. “I’m so excited and amazed and so grateful for everything that the community does for us.”
The Citizen of the Year crown went to Bronwyn Kelleher.
“I’m so proud to live in this town with all of these people and it’s amazing to be able to interact with all the people doing everything for the community here. I’m really shocked and happy,” Kelleher told the Westerly.
“It’s such a great, interactive town and the more that you give the more that you get back. Everybody is investing into something and everybody is getting the exact same thing back, which is an awesome, amazing community with everybody working together for the same goal, which is to be awesome.”
Cindi Levine was cheered as the community’s top volunteer.
“Everything I do is for my kids and this community is an inspiration for me and I wish to serve it for as long as I’m here,” the local mother of four told the Westerly, adding that Ucluelet has a strong “sense of community” with residents watching out for each other.
“We’re a tight knit community and we watch each others’ kids grow and we just have a family feeling here that you can’t find anywhere else.”
Lothar Myck earned the Youth of the Year award, which his brother Orson Myck, 16, accepted on his behalf.
“I’d like to thank my brother because I wouldn’t have gotten up here without him,” Orson laughed while holding his brother’s flowers on stage.
He told the Westerly that he is proud of his brother’s contributions to Ucluelet, particularly through music.
“He has single-handedly helped the community become a better place by playing live music for all kinds of people, improving mental health around the community,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to keep up with him, but I love him very much.”
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