The mood in the Westlock & District Community Hall last Wednesday night was substantially different than the one that hung in air just over a month ago.
The cots, emergency supplies and feeling of uncertainty at the Slave Lake evacuation centre in mid-May was replaced with tables, balloons, dignitaries and a feeling of satisfied accomplishment.
About two hundred people attended a free barbecue in honour of residents who volunteered their time to help the Slave Lake evacuees, and heard several dignitaries, such as premier Ed Stelmach, sing the community’s praises.
“I was grateful in terms of what you accomplished in a short period of time — from offering your homes to people that were evacuated, to sorting out all of the donations, and the thousands of dollars of cash donations that came from Westlock to support Slave Lake,” he said.
Stelmach, along with Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock MLA Ken Kowalski and Westlock mayor Bruce Lennon, offered their thanks and congratulations for the efforts residents put forward.
“This story, the Alberta story of what you have accomplished as volunteers helping others, has not only spread through Canada but also around the world,” Stelmach said. “It made international news, and I can only say how proud I am as your premier to have people come forward and comment on how Albertans helped each other out in time of need.”
He went on to describe the sense of community spirit and volunteerism that has been an integral part of Alberta’s history, all the way back to the pioneers who had to rely on each other through the province’s often-inhospitable climate.
“Our province was built on neighbours helping each other. Our communities were built through volunteer efforts,” he said.
Similarly, both Kowalski and Lennon expressed thanks and congratulations to the volunteers, noting how overwhelming the response was.
“It was beyond what you would ever hope to comprehend,” Kowalski said.
“There were probably 10 volunteers for every person who was an evacuee from Slave Lake. The response from people was absolutely incredible.”
Lennon suggested Stelmach’s presence in Westlock to recognize the volunteers’ efforts was a good indication of the significance of the community’s role in helping to address the disaster.
“In retrospect, what was accomplished was absolutely amazing. Within hours of hearing the evacuation, the disaster reception centre was set up in our community hall,” he said, adding it was volunteers who made it all happen.
The response to the disaster was a shining example of the advantage of living in a small town, he said, and the amount of volunteers who came out to help speaks volumes about Westlock’s character.
“This massive act of volunteerism is just one example of our great town,” Lennon said.
The dinner and drinks at the barbecue were free for volunteers and their families — as were the various musical performances that kept the crowd entertained throughout the evening — as a way for the town to thank the community for the outpouring of support.
