Mike Melanson, a CN police officer and Operation Lifesaver master presenter, has been awarded the OL Long-Term Service Award to mark his November 30th retirement. Mike started with the CN Police in 1982 and began volunteering with Operation Lifesaver in 1986. He became a presenter in 1996 and then a master presenter in 2000.
Operation Lifesaver’s national director, Dan Di Tota, along with the New Brunswick OL Provincial Committee, presented Mike with the award in Saint John on November 14, 2012.
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Left to right: Robb Francis, Claude Tremblay, Lorrie Johnston, Mike Melanson, Bill Walker, Ron Arsenault, Lynette Collins, and Dan Di Tota.[/caption]
“Mike’s experience, dedication and loyalty was invaluable and very helpful to me and to those involved with OL. Although he has officially retired from CN Police Services, we have asked and offered that he stay on as a part-time consultant in order to help fill a void and to continue to share his passion and experience with us at OL and with the general public. We wish him all the best for a long and healthy retirement,” says Di Tota.
Operation Lifesaver Canada presents the OL Long-Term Service award to individuals retiring after many years of dedicated service to the Operation Lifesaver program. The award acknowledges a long-term commitment to public-rail safety and recognizes that this contribution has undoubtedly saved the lives of many Canadians.
For the award, Operation Lifesaver Canada commissioned esteemed Québec naturalist artist Jean-Pierre Vallée, to create a painting depicting OL’s dedicated partners and volunteers hard at work sharing our lifesaving public-rail safety message. Vallée has worked with Operation Lifesaver before, designing the Roger Cyr Award in 2008.
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Retirement dinner in Moncton, NB. Standing Left-to-right: Lynette Collins, Bill Walker, Ginette Bourgeois, Robb Francis, Linda Purdy, Dan Di Tota and Rachele Leblanc. Sitting: Gisele and Mike Melanson.[/caption]