CORNER BROOK — Freida Faour has known for couple of months that she was going to receive the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador, but yet didn’t fully realize the importance of the honour until Tuesday morning.
That’s when she stood before Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie at Government House in St. John’s to receive the order. The highest honour of the province, the order recognizes individuals who have demonstrated excellence and achievement in any field of endeavour benefitting the province and its residents.
Faour, 82, was one of eight honoured during the ceremony which was also attended by Premier Kathy Dunderdale.
“You kind of do these things as a matter of course in your lifetime because you like to be involved and you like to help wherever it’s needed,” said Faour.
“But today was very, very solemn and you saw the importance of the award and what it meant to every individual and what it meant to their families.”
The event was a proud moment for the city woman and for her family.
“It brought me to tears to see them there and see the pride on their faces,” she said. “I’m going to cherish the moment, which I did today, and I think I’ll be very, very proud to pass on this legacy to my children and grandchildren.”
Faour is orignally from St. John’s. She moved to Corner Brook 62 years ago after she married her husband, Danny Faour.
The couple once operated a jewelry store on West Street. They have five children and 12 grandchildren.
Over the years Faour has been involved in numerous volunteer groups and served as a city councillor.
She represented Corner Brook on the Great Humber Joint Council and the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities, now Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador.
She’s helped organize Canada Day activities and a telethon for the Ethiopian disaster, served on the board of the Western Health Care Corporation and volunteered with the Canadian Red Cross.
She’s currently involved with the Canadian Organization for Development and Peace, is the past-president of the Scottish Heritage Society of Western Newfoundland and is active in her church, the Cathedral of the Holy Redeemer. She also serves on the disciplinary committee for the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Faour said in all her involvements she enjoyed interacting with and learning from others.
“You do take a lot away with you and hopefully you give a lot.”
She said respecting others was something she always practised and something that worked well for her.
Among all she’s done though, the thing that stands out the most is the one that lead to her being nominated for the order.
Faour is a founder of the Humber Arm Environmental Association Inc. (ACAP Humber Arm).
She was nominated for the award by Sean Dolter, the environmental organization’s first executive director.
She said the group started just when the environment was becoming an issue.
Through its activities, Faour said ACAP introduced a lot of young people to environmental science.
“It just gave them another outlet or choice.”
The group was also instrumental in establishing the programs in environmental science that exist today at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland and College of the North Atlantic.
She said to see the group grow to the extent that it has is wonderful.
Faour said ACAP gives her the most tangible results of her work as seen through the appreciation of the students they were able to hire for summer programs.
The inductees:
Janet Cox
Tom Dawe
Freida Faour
John (Jack) Ford
Mary Dyer Gordon
Constance Howley
Capt. Sidney Hynes
Susan (Fran) Williams
