Gail Lucier
Special to The Tribune
Jimmy Lulua will be this year’s honorary parade marshall for the 85th annual Williams Lake Stampede Parade.
The Stampede Parade Committee says Lulua has not only won the hearts and respect of youth but one of his greatest accomplishments is winning the Harry Setah Xinli Memorial, simply because no one in history has won all three mountain races in a row: Williams Lake, Xeni Gwet’in (Nemiah Valley), and Tsi Del Del (Redstone) mountain races.
He accomplished this last year by winning 2009 in Nemiah and Redstone and 2010 in Williams Lake and Nemiah.
This year’s theme is Round-up 2011, which the parade committee says is fitting since eight days prior to the Williams Lake Stampede, Lulua, his family, and his community will begin a wagon and horse trip from Xeni Gwet’in to the Stampede as a grand entry.
Lulua works for School District 27 as a First Nations Liaison counsellor for 150 Mile House and Mountview elementary schools. He is extremely involved with his community.
“Jimmy is a great example to our youth and to the entire community at large,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “He is very much involved in the community and makes a difference everywhere he lends his natural leadership skills. I saw him work with youth recently at a camp in Punky Lake, and I could see he really connected with the kids.”
“I have gotten to know Jimmy over the past year or so through his work and involvement with the Punky Lake Wilderness Society,” adds Staff Sgt. Warren Brown, detachment commander at the Williams Lake RCMP detachment. “Through our interactions, I have found Jimmy to be a very caring and passionate young adult who has gone out of his way to create a very positive environment for the youth in and around his community. He is certainly what I would consider to be an exceptional role model.”
The parade committee adds a special thank you to the Williams Lake Daybreak Rotary Club for its ongoing organization and support of the parade.
To download forms for the 85th annual Williams Lake Stampede Parade, visit www.stampedeparade.com.