Nova Scotia Mission Staff Win Award

Eighteen volunteers serving as mission staff for Team Nova Scotia at the 2003 Canada Winter Games have won the Claude Hardy Award for the second time.

The award honours a long-serving chef de mission for Team Quebec. He died after the 1999 Games in Cornerbrook, Nfld.

The award is presented to the provincial or territorial mission staff who best exhibit leadership, co-operation, integrity and esprit de corps. It was presented for the first time at the 2001 Canada Summer Games in London, Ont., to Team Nova Scotia.

"Nova Scotia is unique at the Games because we have the only fully volunteer mission staff in the country," said Rodney MacDonald, Minister responsible for the Sport and Recreation Commission. "The commitment of these volunteers to making the Games experience the best that it can be for our athletes is the reason they're so highly regarded by their peers."

Mission staff co-ordinate the participation of Team Nova Scotia in each Canada Games. They help prepare athletes, coaches and managers; assist with registration; arrange transportation and provide support throughout the event.

Mr. Roberge, of Dartmouth, was chef de mission for the 2003 team. He served on the mission staff in 1999 and 2001 and has worked with the Canada Games Council. Sydney native Russell MacDonald was the assistant chef de mission.

They led 16 other volunteer mission staff from across Nova Scotia:

• Michael Almond, Hammonds Plains, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Patsy Blais, Sydney River, Cape Breton Regional Municipality
• Michel Caron, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Duncan Cross, Bedford, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Anitra Dagley, Windsor, Hants Co.
• Carol Davis-Jamieson, Dartmouth, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Bette El-Hawary, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Angela Hill, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Bev Hugenholtz, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Gary Johnston, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Gary Linthorne, Pleasantville; Lunenburg Co.
• Cathy MacDonald, Bridgewater, Lunenburg Co.
• Joseph MacDonald, Dartmouth, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Ed Matchett, New Germany, Lunenburg Co.
• Adèle Poirier, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Phil Redden, Antigonish, Antigonish Co.

Mr. Linthorne, Ms. MacDonald and Mr. Matchett have served as mission staff for previous Games. The 2003 Games was the first for the other volunteers.

Nova Scotia athletes competed in 18 of the 21 sports represented during the two weeks of the Games from Feb. 22 to March 8. The team had 284 athletes, coaches, managers and mission staff.

Team Nova Scotia was funded by the Nova Scotia Sport and Recreation Commission, a division of the Office of Health Promotion. Team Nova Scotia sponsors include Avis, Spring Rain, ATV and Aliant. The Atlantic Lottery Corporation sponsors Team Atlantic -- supporting all teams from Atlantic Canada for the 2003 Games.

For more information on Team Nova Scotia and its sponsors, visit the Web site at http://winter2003.ns.canadagames.ca .