Long-time Harriston resident Irma Ternan has received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her volunteer work with the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA). She was presented with the medal by Sue Taylor, CDA senior manager, community partnership programs, on May 9 at the North Perth Wellington CDA branch headquarters in Harriston.
Ternan, 98, who now lives in Newmarket to be closer to family, was one of the founders of the local chapter 37 years ago. A public health worker in Bruce and Wellington counties from 1949 to 1981, she recalled being asked to visit a local woman with diabetes in the mid-70s.
After spending a couple of hours with the patient Ternan said, “I was wondering what I could do for her.”
At the suggestion of a health unit dietician, Ternan began to “get some people together” and formed a local diabetes association, which held its first meeting in 1976.
Early meetings involved presentations by doctors and other health care professionals in facilities where people were literally “standing in the halls,” Ternan recalls.
The association grew to involve a large number of volunteers and spread to Perth County. Ternan, while occasionally filling other roles, spent much of her time over the years coordinating the volunteer fundraising canvassers.
Asked how she felt about receiving the jubilee medal, Ternan said, “Super. It’s terrific. What else can I say.”
Ternan feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with so many professionals and volunteers in the fight against diabetes.
“The organization did as much for me as I did for the organization. Having connections with all these people in all these jobs kept my mind very alert. As well, it was a learning situation for me about diabetes. I couldn’t have done it without the help of many, many volunteers and I would like to thank each and every one of them.”
