The Stayner Chamber of Commerce held its annual general meeting and business awards gala at the Golden Apple Restaurant on Wednesday.

The event – the highlight on the chamber’s calendar each year – drew a crowd of about 70 people.

The evening included a presentation on branding and marketing by On The Bay Magazine publisher Jeff Shearer, a Clearview Township resident who lives north of Creemore.

Shawn Davidson, who with his wife, Paula, owns Carruthers and Davidson Funeral Home, acted as the emcee for the evening.

Davidson kept people laughing with his own brand of humour, a mix of puns, self-deprecating jokes and good-natured teasing.

He also oversaw the awards portion of the evening. The first award of the night was the Employee of the Year Award, which went to George Dickey, a driver for Stayner Feed Service.

“The 2008 recipient…by all accounts could have received this acknowledgement at any time over the past 40 years,” Davidson told the crowd. “He is a fixture in the Stayner community and is well-known to many if not all of those that rely upon his service to the agricultural community.”

He said that Dickey began working at Stayner Feed after he graduated from high school.

“He is responsible for delivering feed to the farming community and raw materials back to the mill – has extensive knowledge of protocols for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and truck maintenance,” Davidson said. “George is known for his polite and courteous nature.”

Dickey accepted the award and thanked Stayner Feed for its support over the years.

The Volunteer of the Year Award went to Bob Charlton.

“He contributes his enthusiasm, knowledge and skill set to so many causes which positively add to the quality of life in our community,” Davidson told the audience when announcing Charlton as The Volunteer of the Year Award winner. “Bob has been a Lion for over 30 years, holding every position within the club over that time, including secretary. He leads the [club’s] vision-screening program for children and the [club’s] eyeglass collection and donation program. He is also a charter member of the Stayner Heritage Society and the treasurer. He held an executive position with the [Stayner] fair board for over 15 years until the operation folded. He supports Big Brothers/Big Sisters and has been a regular bowler for them for many years.”

After receiving the award, Charlton told the audience that volunteering is a very rewarding experience and he encouraged people present to give some of their own time to a cause if they weren’t already doing so.

The next award presented was the Customer Service Award. It went to the entire staff at Stayner Nursing Home.

“The 2008 recipient, or should I say recipients, give so much of themselves,” Davidson said. “As with any organization it is the strength of the links in the chain that make the whole chain as strong as it is. There are no weak links within this organization.”

Davidson said giving the award to an entire staff was a unique situation but nonetheless appropriate.

“It was stated that this staff works 24 hours a day, 365 days a year…it is truly a combined effort that makes them stand out,” he added. “This effort makes an immeasurable difference in the care and lives of the residents as well as the family members. This facility is for many their home and the staff realize this. They provide the customer service that can make what is for many the last days of their lives pleasant and special.”

Lorraine Baker, who owns Stayner Nursing Home, accepted the award and thanked her employees for their dedication over the years. She then called up a handful of workers who joined her for the evening so they too could enjoy the moment. Later in the evening Baker said she planned to stop by the nursing home so she could share the award news with the night staff.

The Business of the Year Award was then presented and this year it went to DARPAK, a soil, gravel and stone supply company.

“This award recognizes a business that has experienced outstanding achievement in growth, innovation, excellence in leadership and has had a positive impact on the community through good business citizenship and has helped attract interest and attention to Stayner,” Davidson said. “The 2008 recipient is a local family run company who started small and built themselves into a position of handling multi-million dollar projects.”

He said DARPAK is capable of handling projects of any size and that the company has “become a very reputable business within our community. We are all very familiar with the big blue trucks moving material throughout the community and our region, whether it be top soil or mulch for a small backyard project or hundreds of tons of gravel or asphalt for the newest roads project.”

David Rowbotham, who owns DARPAK, accepted the award and thanked the chamber and the community for its support over the years.

The last award presented was the Thomas Stayner Award – a citizen of the year-type award. Thomas Stayner was the deputy postmaster of Canada from 1848-1849. His son, Sutherland Stayner, was a local land baron who named the town after his father.

The award this year went to 89-year-old Harry Mathers.

“This individual was born and raised in Stayner. He was the third generation of his family to run the family business. He raised his family here and although he may have left from time to time, he has always gravitated back to Stayner,” Davidson said.

He went on to say that Mathers served the community through his family’s business, Mathers Furniture Store and Mathers Funeral Home.

“He contributed to his community through the Lions Club, various volunteer activities such as minor sports, the fair and the chamber. He is a fixture at Jubilee Presbyterian Church, having spent many years contributing to the workings of the church and it was always a team effort with [his wife] Bee right his side,” Davidson said.