The Val Woodward Memorial Award for Service
The Val Woodward Memorial Award for Service was created in 2022 to recognize outstanding service in the club. It was named after Val Woodward, a club member who dedicated much of her time to help with the success of the club. She sadly passed away in 2022, and in an attempt to recognize her hard work, and the work of other club members, the award was created.
This is not an annual award, but one that is given out when deemed appropriate. Since its inception, the following have been recognized:
- David Peel - September 2026
David joined the London Camera Club in 2012. He has held many positions within the board, including Treasurer and President over several terms. He has acted as the External Competitions Co-ordinator, organized workshops, assisted competition directors with results and ordering awards.
He has always taken his responsibilities seriously, especially when it comes to club finances, helping build an efficient structure that positioned the club well for the future. Dave has been an 'unsung hero' for the club, working behind the scenes to ensure its continued success. His dedication, leadership, and countless contributions have been essential to the growth and stability of the London Camera Club.
- Harry Cartner - September 2026
Harry received this honour, not because of a single action, but because of his overall commitment to the club. His persistence, passion and involvement in every aspect of the club was evident from day one. From his early days in the role of Program Director to his eight seasons in the role of president, Harry consistently acted in the best interests of the club and its members.
He has helped the program committee find speakers from both within Canada and internationally, provided ideas for workshops and club outings. Harry has been actively involved in the Audio-Visual group, mentored many of the board members and goes out of his way to meet and greet as many members as he can.
Perhaps his biggest accomplishment was serving as president during the COVID years and working with the board to find ways to keep the club active and thriving during a very challenging time. Had it not been for his persistence and perseverance, the club might not have survived. Under his leadership, membership grew significantly and at one point, the London Camera Club had the distinction of being the largest camera club in Canada.
Harry's dedication, leadership and unwavering commitment have left a lasting impact on the club and its members.
- Lorna Eggert - September 2024
As part of our 90th year celebrations, Lorna helped accumulate information to put together a retrospective of our club's history. She dedicated a lot of time to organizing the information into a cohesive format that could also be shared with the historical section of the London Public Library.
- Maureen McCormack - September 2023
Maureen took on the Herculean task of collecting and sorting through 90 years worth of club history, to put together a meaningful retrospective. Part of this work included putting together an audio-visual show, with images collected, stories told and timed to music, to showcase at our opening session. This required her to reach out current members, past members, search through newspaper articles and check the local library's historical section.
- Paul Armstrong - September 2022
Since joining the London Camera Club, Paul has helped shape the club. Early on, he became Competition Director and overhauled the way in which competitions were constructed, including the use of Novice/Intermediate/Advanced rankings in the club. He also conducted training sessions to ensure judges were educated on what to look for. He was instrumental in starting up a number of Audio-Visual groups with the club, to help showcase images in new ways.
- Susan Berdy - September 2022
Susan took on the role of Website Administrator in 2012, and helped build the website which is used today. She has supported many presidents, competition directors, and members with technical assistance, answering questions, and building new capabilities as they arose, both within and beyond the website. Susan was recognized for her decade-long work in support of the club.