A woman who is described by her peers as being, “community orientated, very giving, fair and detail orientated,” was honoured by Mayor and Council at the regular meeting of council, held Monday, July 21.
On behalf of the Town of Princeton, Mayor Frank Armitage presented Dawn Johnson with a plaque and bouquet of flowers in appreciation for the dedication and commitment she gives to the community.
“We are here to honour a lady who has given more to this community than any of us could ever think of,” he announced. The mayor went on to describe Johnson as an “outstanding citizen who is a role model for giving back to the community.”
Some, not all of Johnson’s community service includes; four years on the school board, Princeton Arts Council member and past president, member of the Princeton Museum Board, 32 year member of the Princeton Exhibition Association (PXA), 32 year member of the Princeton and District Agricultural Fall Fair and 43 year member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Canadian Legion.
“This speaks to her dedication and fine efforts,” said Mayor Armitage, “we wanted to take this opportunity to thank Dawn Johnson—Princeton’s finest.
Johnson extended her thanks to Mayor and Council,
“I very much appreciate this,” she said, “And of course I don’t think anybody who does volunteer work in the community expects to receive bouquets and plaques, but I do hope that council through the years takes the time to recognise so many other good citizens who work so tirelessly for this community,” she added.
As well as the numerous volunteer positions Johnson held, she and her husband Barry raised two children; daughters Elizabeth and Sharon.
Dawn Johnson has worked for the school district, Canada Manpower and in 1982 she became dedicated to the newspaper industry.
Johnson worked as a reporter/columnist for the Similkameen Spotlight until 1997. During her years at the Spotlight, Johnson wrote a column entitled “Bunchgrass Country.” The popular column ran for 11 years.
In December of 1997, Along with her daughter Sharon, Johnson opened the Similkameen Newsleader, publishing their first edition on January 6, 1998. In 2003, Johnson sold the Newsleader to George Elliott and Brenda Engel - Bengal Publishing. Johnson still writes part-time for the Similkameen Newsleader to this day.