Local councillor ‘blown away’ by prestigious award

ELISE VOLLWEILER

Tasman District councillor Barry Dowler was completely blindsided by a prestigious award bestowed upon him by the Motueka Rotary Club last week.

Barry was invited to last Monday’s Rotary meeting under the guise of giving a speech, an invitation that he gladly took up. He spoke for 20 minutes about his duties on the council, and then listened with great interest while longstanding club committee member Paul Heywood spoke about the history and significance of the prestigious Paul Harris Fellowship.

Barry quickly concluded that a deserving person present at the meeting was to be awarded with this honour, but was completely “blown away” when it was his own name that was called.

“It was very humbling,” Barry says, with the emotion still present in his voice days later.

“I probably still haven’t gotten over it, to be honest.”

The award was given to Barry as a culmination of his decades of community service.

In Paul’s speech, he talked of how Barry had “committed unselfishly” 22 years of involvement in the Motueka community and in local body politics.

This began in 2001, as a committee member for Our Town Motueka.

Barry was then voted onto the Motueka Community Board, and in 2008 he was elected as a Motueka ward councillor, a role he has held on and off - but mostly on - ever since.

Paul spoke of the many clubs and organisations that Barry has assisted in the past two decades, including the Motueka Aero Club, the town’s cadet unit, the Motueka swimming pool committee, and Good Sports Motueka, through which he was integral in the construction of the new grandstand at Sports Park Motueka.

Paul mentioned Barry’s loyalty, strong communication skills and the generosity with which he gives his time.

“He is a quiet achiever, a doer, and never expects any recognition,” Paul says.  “He doesn’t’ tell people about what he does, he just gets on and does it.”

When asked by the Nelson App the achievements of which he was proudest, Barry immediately named the grandstand and the rescue of Motueka’s iconic clocktower, which was due to be demolished when the surrounding land was sold in 2003.

Barry was determined that it wouldn’t happen and negotiated for a half-day stay, working quickly with Barry Wratten and Clair Hind to create a charitable trust that enabled the Motueka community to purchase the land for $150,000 – a debt that is long since paid through fundraising.

Barry is quick to acknowledge the teams of people around him who have pulled together towards their common goals.

He says he is “so proud to be the recipient” of such a prestigious award.

“I’m a pretty hard bugger, but I was pretty soft that night,” he says with a laugh.