Andrew MacDougall named WMA's Citizen of the Year

“I’m, of course, flabbergasted and secondly I’m sure there are hundreds of people in Westmount that are more deserving than me,” MacDougall told The Examiner shortly after being given the nod.

“On the other hand, who am I to fight it?” said MacDougall with a chuckle. “If people want to do this then I’m going to be gracious about it and accept it.”

The Derek Walker Volunteer citizen of the Year award is given to local residents who’s volunteer work in the community has helped make Westmount a better place.

Since the mid 1980s, MacDougall has been heavily involved as a scout leader and a soccer coach. Outside of Westmount, he volunteers as treasurer for the Montreal West Operatic Society, as a street car conductor at the Canadian Railway Museum and with the McGill Institute for Learning in Retirement.

MacDougall says that the operatic society is supported by many Westmounters, and the play readings he does for McGill are often performed at the Westmount library and several local seniors’ residences.

MacDougall is also a mainstay for the various civic events that happen every year, such as Westmount family day.

MacDougall has four sons, and says that their profiting from local sports and recreation programs is partly what inspires him to give back to the community.

“Westmount really provides a lot to my life and has in the past for my family,” said MacDougall, explaining his motivation for volunteering. “So I feel like I should return something.”

“In a sense, you get out of life as much as you give, you know,” said MacDougall. “So however much time or effort one gives to volunteer activities, you get as much and more back in terms of satisfaction, in terms of results.”

“There’s so many people in Westmount now who were either in my scout group at one time or I coached them at soccer and it’s very gratifying to see them having grown up into fine upstanding citizens,” said MacDougall. “One gets all kinds of pay back for the volunteer work that one does.”

Westmount Assistant Community Events Coordinator, Virginia Elliott was the person who wrote to the WMA to recommend MacDougal and she was thrilled to hear he had earned the honour.

“I do know a lot of other volunteers, but he certainly came to mind because he has definitely been involved for such a long time,” said Elliott. “I’ve known him from his involvement with scouts which spans over twenty years and he really involved himself with the city in many events.”

MacDougall will be presented with the Derek Walker Citizen of the Year Award at the WMA general meeting on Monday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Victoria Hall. His name will also be inscribed on a plaque, which hangs in that building.