2023 GERRY HOLMES AWARD RECIPIENT – Joan Brown

This year‘s recipient of the Gerri Holmes award is Joan Brown.

Joan has been a part of the rodeo committee since the very first days 32 years ago. She says she’s done whatever jobs were needed, helping with set up and take down. In the early days she helped with the high school rodeo and also did the Terry McLean draw for many years. She then settled into the rodeo office handing out weekend, wristbands to committee members volunteers and of course the rodeo contestants. Joan says she always enjoy her time in the office with Sheila and Liane from Primetime Rodeo sharing lots of laughs and getting to say hi and have a visit with the cowboys and cowgirls.

Joan is married to Les Brown a dedicated roper and rodeo competitor in his younger years and to this day he still enjoys going to some team roping jackpots. They raised three sons, Cody, Lee, and Lance, who participated in High School Rodeo and MRCA. Joan also has six granddaughters the older girls do some riding, enjoy barrel racing and you’ll even see one of her granddaughters Sadie Brown competing in the High School Rodeo as well as the Virden Indoor Rodeo this weekend.

Growing up, Joan loved her saddle horse and spent endless hours riding and working with her horse. She showed at light horse shows, gymkana and helped her mom show Arabs and belonged to the Manitoba Arabian horse association.

Joan had a long and successful career nursing and working at the hospital in Virden and I’m sure is greatly missed now that she has recently retired.

When I asked Joan what she will miss about not being a part of the committee, she said, and I quote “the biggest gift was the people I worked with all the years. We are so lucky to have the committee we have”.

Well we all thank you Joan for your many years of dedication hard work and your friendly smile!

Also thank you to the Flower Attic here in Virden for Joan’s corsage this evening, and to the Gomph family from Oak Lake for the team of horses and wagon for this evening’s ride around the arena.