DIDSBURY - Shirley Thompson is a determined woman.
For the 50 years that she has lived in Didsbury, this 81-year-old rolls up her sleeves when she sees a need.
"The big thing in life is to be positive and to be active," she said. "I like to see things be moving along and that's a hard thing to get other people to understand and do."
In the early days, she pushed for the community's first female baseball team and then fought for equal time on the field. No equal pay for female music teachers at school? Not on Thompson's watch.
When she picked up her mail recently and found a government letter, she recalled thinking "Oh damn, what have I done now."
When she opened it up she was surprised to learn she had been recognized with a Senator's Contribution Award.
She was nominated for the award for making important volunteer contributions to her community.
The list is long and hasn't ended yet.
She is currently the community bus assistant coordinator.
She would have marked 50 years with the Order of the Royal Purple this year had the organization not seceded from the Elks of Canada about two years ago. She remains a member of the Didsbury Elks club, having been named an honorary member in March of 2004.
Over the years, parade planning and various fundraisers with the two organizations have kept her busy.
She still enjoys being part of the club's patrol team and in recent weeks had just returned from a competition.
The love of her life though is music.
She continues to be a regular entertainer in the extended care wing at the Didsbury hospital where she plays the piano for the enjoyment of residents.
It's a place she knows well, having volunteered there in various capacities over nearly 40 years.
Without any formal training, she plays a variety of instruments including the accordion, piano and keyboard.
"My father took me for a lesson and the teacher told him I had an ear for music. And that was it. I was on my own," Thompson said.
As a long-serving member of a now disbanded Didsbury-area Women's Institute, she not only helped educate her community and fellow members but also was part of a kitchen band.
"(W.I.) was a lot of work but we had so much fun too. I served on all the committees and for four years I was constituency convenor," she said. "Playing in the band was really a lot of fun."
She describes a time "back in the day" when her musical talents were first sought by the local elementary school to host a fun musical class.
"I said I'd go if (females) got equal pay," said Thompson.
For 21 years not only did she do that job, but also gave up her own time to help students after hours.
The drive to help people was also what got her into her volunteer work with Didsbury Lifeline, an organization that disbanded a few years ago.
It provided medical alert devices to those in need and she, as manager, and the organization's board would offer personal response service that let them summon help any time of the day or night.
"I truly believed in it. You never know when you're going to need help until it happens," said Thompson.
Well spoken from someone who has had several heart attacks, which she adds, has not changed her outlook on her community involvement, as evidenced by her commitment today.
