Erin Legion member and author of We Will Remember Them: The Men and Women of Erin and District – a non-fiction book on Erin soldiers and the town’s involvement in wars throughout the years, has been named Erin's Citizen of the Year.
Doug Kirkwood was chosen from 47 nominees.
The award honours those who have made a significant contribution to the community during the 2020 to 2021 calendar year and is part of the town's annual Shamrock Awards.
“Mayor Allan Alls gave me a phone call which surprised me because I thought I was in trouble, but then he told me I’m being awarded the Citizen of the Year award. A few days later, I got an official letter announcing I’m the recipient of the award,” explained Kirkwood in a phone interview.
The 85-year-old, who was born and raised in Erin, assumed he got the award because of the historical book he wrote of Erin’s soldiers and involvement in wars throughout the years.
We Will Remember Them: The Men and Women of Erin and District is a 360-page chronological look at the men and women in Erin and district, from the pioneers in 1820, including Kirkwood’s great, great-grandparents, up to 2006, when Erin native Lt. William 'Bill' Turner was killed in Afghanistan.
The historical book not only talks about the veterans but also the women and organizations that contributed to the war effort.
Remembering the days of military vehicles rolling through the town during the Second World War and Canadian soldiers stopping at Erin restaurants for lunch, Kirkwood noted these childhood memories are what truly inspired him to write his historical book.
“I’ve always been exposed to the military and the war since I grew up in the Second World War. I remember being at school and our teacher had a poster of an airman in his underwear on the wall. Each day we’d paste another little part of his uniform or his equipment on him,” said Kirkwood.
“I first brought up the subject of writing a book at the legion in 2006. I wanted to do a small book on the legion but it evolved into a much bigger issue. I began collecting information then, but I didn’t write the first chapter until 2011. It was finally finished in 2020 and I have 200 (copies of the book) published – most of them are gone now. They were given away for free to veterans.”
Kirkwood has been a member of the Erin Legion Branch for 66 years and has been involved in many community service projects such as adding names to the cenotaph in Erin when the legion found out more casualties were killed; repairing the cenotaph; and putting street banners with the names of the veterans who lost their lives in World War I and World War II.
He was also instrumental in providing the Town of Erin with the names of veterans they can use to name new streets after.
“I also arranged for permission to use the Dominion Command Legion poppy trademark and provided the name and rank wording for the signs. We now have the new poppy signs on six streets and more are in the works,” he said.
“I’m surprised about this award but happy altogether. I can’t wait to contribute more to this wonderful community.”
Other Shamrock awardees were:
- The Volunteer of the Year: Bayne Upton, Sid Spear, Robin Brooks, Deanna McKay, and Jay Mowat
- Business of the Year Award: Erin Fitness
The Shamrock Awards Ceremony will be held April 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Erin Centre 2000 Theatre.
