PRESENTATION OF COMMUNITY
SERVICE AWARD
On
5.6.03 Donaghadee Rotarians presented their third annual Community Service
Award. In attendance at the presentation along with the Rotarians and their
wives were Dr Joan Millar, Ken Lenox and Alan Couser and his wife. His wife Anne
accompanied the recipient and guest of honour Tom Johnston.
Dr
Millar and Ken Lennox outlined their reasons for nominating Tom Johnston for the
award. They mentioned some of the positions held by Tom, which had benefited the
community of Donaghadee as a whole, these included Trustee and past Captain of
Donaghadee Golf Club, Chairman of Donaghadee branch of Abbeyfield and also
Chairman of the N.I.Branch of Abbeyfield. Chairman of Donaghadee Chest Heart and
Stroke Association. Sunday School Superintendent for 10 yrs Youth club leader
for 13yrs and currently Clerk of Session of High St Presbyterian Church
Donaghadee. He
was formerly chairman of the Martial Arts Association and is currently a
Director on the board of the Association of Open Arts. And an alleged honorary
member of the W.I. As a sportsman he captained the Civil Service first fifteen
for 4 years and was selected to play for They
described him as always being very helpful and enthusiastic in everything he
does. He is sympathetic, courteous kind and helps the people of Donaghadee in
endless ways. He never shirks responsibility and would do what others would
baulk at. He has been a tireless worker for many years for the Donaghadee
community in many directions and for all age groups. All this he has done with
generosity, dignity friendship and most of all humility. In
his speech of thanks Tom Johnston said "I am embarrassingly overwhelmed by all
the wonderful comments, which are total lies, and the only adjectives left out
are naive and stupid. He continued by saying that being married to Anne for over
40 plus years she taught me very early to forget how to say no. I had to say
yes; from then on I am just a bloke who can’t say no. When I retired from the
Civil Service I felt obliged to put something back into society. I have enjoyed
the work I have done but there are others who have done similar sorts of things
maybe just because I have been involved in so many different things I have been
noticed. My sincere thanks I am overwhelmed and this is not deserved at all.
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