This past weekend, the Search and Rescue Volunteer Association of Canada (SARVAC) held a special working meeting in Paradise, Newfoundland and Labrador at the SARVAC Office located in the Rovers SAR Building.
Longtime SARVAC President, Harry Blackmore, announced that he was stepping down as President in order to dedicate more time to SARVAC NIF Projects. The Board appointed Scott Wright of the Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV) as the new Acting President.
Scott has been serving the Association as the Vice-President and assumes his new role immediately. Don Drebert of SAR Alberta, our current Secretary, will fulfill the role of Acting Vice-President/Secretary until the annual general meeting in October 2015 in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island.
Harry has served the SARVAC Board since our inception in 1996 as a founding Director and has been President since 2005. Under his leadership, SARVAC has grown to become the national voice of Ground Search and Rescue in Canada. Several New Initiatives Funding grants from the National SAR Secretariat and other projects have been successfully completed with Harry as a driving force behind each, including:
- Establishing a national training standard with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
- The national rollout of the AdventureSmart SAR Prevention program
- SAR Volunteer Tax Credit
- Regional workshops organized for Provincial and Territorial Associations to strengthen the GSAR Role in Canada
Harry has been an active member of Rovers SAR based in Paradise Newfoundland for 49 years and has received the National SAR Secretariat Certificate of Achievement.
Scott Wright has served the SARVAC Board as both the Saskatchewan representative since 2006 and VicePresident since 2014. He has been involved with SAR for 30 years as a member of Saskatoon SAR and North Corman Park SAR. Scott is a recipient of the Saskatchewan Service Medal for his work with GSAR.
Don Drebert has served as the Alberta representative since 2010, and SARVAC Secretary since 2014. He has been an active member of Brazeau Regional SAR in Drayton Valley, Alberta for 12 years.