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Ernie Isley(By Jim Halliday, on the occasion of the presentation of the President's Award to Ernie Isley.)This past November, Ernie Isley
completed his sixth and final year as public member on our
Council. Ernie didn’t always say a great deal at Council but
what he did say was clearly heard and clearly represented
the public’s interest.
Throughout his career, Ernie has
been involved in farming, teaching, and as an agent for the
Mutual Group. He was chairman of the Lakeland Regional
Health Authority. He perhaps may best be known as MLA for
the Bonnyville constituency from
1979
to 1993, during which time he served
as Minister of Manpower, Public Works Supply & Service, and
Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. Ernie also
encouraged Ralph Klein to run for the leadership to become
premier – so now we know who’s responsible.
Ernie showed us the way the
political world worked and helped us when we had a
particular thorny political question to deal with. He always
encouraged us to never pass up an opportunity to host an MLA
reception.
All of his experience served us,
and the public, well during Ernie’s tenure on our Council.
One of the first things he taught us was something he
learned from Don Getty: don’t speak using acronyms. So it
was out with terms like PDC, LOC, GELC, DOS, MSP, and RPR
and back to using proper names.
When he came to Council, we knew
he had a great deal of political experience but he also had
a keen interest in geography. Ernie taught us that Jasper is
not the geographical centre of the province and tried to
convince us that Cold Lake would be a great place for an
annual meeting.
If there was any negative side to
Ernie’s term on Council, I would have to say it was the two
times he attempted to spill his water on me. But the
positive side of that was that it kept my cat-like reflexes
in tune.
But, in all seriousness, on behalf
of the seven presidents you served with (Stan
Longson, Alex Hittel,
Don Jaques,
Larry Pals,
Ken Allred,
David McWilliam and myself),
the 34 Council members you served with, and the entire
Association, please come forward and accept the
2004
President’s Award.
Mr. Isley addressed the audience as follows:
I feel both honoured and humbled and it is generally hard to humble me. On behalf of Sheila, my wife, and myself thank you for inviting us back to our seventh convention and for the hospitality that you have provided.
I would also like to publicly thank an old friend, Alberta Land Surveyor Ken Drake, who submitted my name as a possible public member a little over seven years ago. During the six years I served as Public Member on Council, I have met some very interesting people. I have learned a lot about your profession and have developed a high degree of respect for your Association and your professionalism. As I said in ALS News, you look hard to find a profession that has members participating to the level that you people do. I also think I indicated that I have never been to a convention that was so well attended and well participated in.
I have to say that only once in my Association career with you my confidence was shaken and President Jim Halliday already alluded to it.
I was very confident that you as a profession could find the corner of a quarter section, that you could find the central part of an LSD to drill an oil well, and that you could lay out a city subdivision and mark all the lots accurately. Then, low and behold, I heard a bunch of land surveyors arguing that Jasper was the central point of Alberta. For awhile, my confidence was shaken, for a bit. But when you refused to recognize Cold Lake as a central point, I started to realize you were just playing games.
With that, I wish my successor Mr. Lawrence Kluthe, Public Member well, and I am sure he will serve you well as he did on the Practice Review Board. My only advice is do not get into poker games with him. It could be costly.
Good luck and God bless. |
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