Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Okay, I’ve got two and a half minutes here.

---Laughter

At this time of year, I sometimes turn my mind towards the anniversary of when I came to Hay River. It was November 4th forty years ago this

November when my parents took me to the Union Station in Toronto and dropped me off. I arrived in Hay River on November 7th and the next day I

turned 18, so you do the math.

Mr. Speaker, I chose Hay River and I have to tell you I didn’t have any post-secondary education and I wasn’t a great student. I was not voted the most likely to succeed when I left my high school, but I came to Hay River and what I did find was a community of people that didn’t wear their position, their wealth, their education or their achievement like a badge, much like the community where I had grown up, unfortunately.

Before long, I had three jobs. The morals and values instilled in me by my upbringing by my parents kept me on the straight and narrow, so I didn’t waste any time being bad. It wasn’t long before I found all kinds of things to help out with in the community. Community service is like any other kind of service. You see a need, and if you can help, you help. I’m not going to list off my biography here today, but let’s just say there were many opportunities everywhere to get involved in the life of a small town.

I’m here to say that opportunities to help, to get involved, to serve are everywhere if you choose to see them. When I hear about people’s aspirations to get involved in elected leadership campaign, schools, et cetera, may I be so bold as to suggest that the best way to know the issues to know your community, to learn about leadership, is to serve. You know that saying that says, sing like no one’s listening and you’ll sing in the shower like no one’s listening. I say, serve like no one’s watching. It’s the best training ground for leadership. It helps you, it helps others and the job openings are endless.

I made a decision at that young age of 17 to come north, my home for the last 40 years. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. As we embark on this final year of this Legislative Assembly, the 17th Legislative Assembly, people will be turning their minds towards coming elections and whether they would like to serve, and I just challenge them. If you want to be a leader, serve, get involved in your community in any way you can. It will stand you in good stead for everything you do. Thank you.