Local man Reno Laseur earned himself the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers on Oct. 15.
The award was given to 31 Albertans for their passion, dedication and commitment to volunteering in their communities.
As a retired mechanical engineer, Laseur wanted to help the community by using his experience to help repair damages done to Heritage Village and the shipyard after the Hangingstone River flooded in 2013.
“Once they had problems I thought it would be really good for me to help them get back up on their feet because I love taking my visitors there. Now I can go there and show them all the different things that I’ve either restored or worked on or built for the village.”
After the flood the foundations of the buildings were rotted. Laseur helped with lifting the foundations and deciding which kind would be best suited for the buildings.
He has also recruited new volunteers and summer staff and has taken the time to learn new techniques related to caring for historic buildings and artifacts.
Although Laseur won a Heart of Wood Buffalo Award last year he was surprised that he had been nominated and won the Sovereign’s medal.
Laseur moved to Fort McMurray from Edmonton 12 years ago and said that he was surprised by the history in Fort McMurray.
“When we first moved here and we had visitors come up, we’d always take them to the shipyard and the village because it’s really neat to see the really extensive history that Fort McMurray has.”
For the past ten years he has volunteered with the hospital, but his retirement five years ago lined up with the opportunity to help with restoration after the floods. He also helps with the Fort McMurray Chess Club.
The medals were presented at a ceremony in Edmonton.
