HAPPY VALLEY-GOOSE BAY, N.L. — Labradorian Robert (Bob) Lyall was made a member of the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador on March 6.
Judy Foote, Lieutenant Governor of NL and Premier Dwight Ball were in attendance for the investiture ceremony at the Happy Valley-Goose Bay Long-Term Care home.
Lyall, 86, is a well-known figure in the Lake Melville region for his involvement in many projects, including as a founder and first president of the Labrador Friendship Centre in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The Friendship Centre, which was named after Lyall in 1992, offers a hostel, senior’s transportation, a facility for training and education and a community food bank.
He was also involved with the Okalakatiget Society, the Labrador Inuit Association, Labrador Legal Services, the Lion’s Club, the Moravian Church, the Melville Native Housing Association and the Labrador Correctional Centre.
“Robert Lyall has spent decades working to make Labrador a better place and strengthening services for Indigenous people in the province,” said a release from the office of Judy Foote, Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Lyall is also a lifetime honorary member of the National Association of Friendship Centres and a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002 and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2013.
The Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, which has been around since 2004, is the highest honour of the province. According to the provincial government, the object of the Order is to “recognize individuals who have demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field of endeavour benefiting in an outstanding manner Newfoundland and Labrador and its residents.”
Other recipients this year are Jim Burton, Elaine Dobbin, Myles Murphy, Helen Murphy, Gordon Slade, Bruce Templeton and Susan Rose.
