Beloved Humboldt historian and volunteer, Reverend Al Hingley, was among thirteen Saskatchewan citizens to receive the prestigious Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal from the Lieutenant Governor. 

The award was presented to Hingley on Tuesday, April 9 at a ceremony held at the Hotel Saskatchewan in Regina. Hingley, who has been retired from his position with the United Church of Canada for some time, has always connected with people through volunteerism. He confesses that he's always been a volunteer at heart, even as a youngster, but his love for history, particularly this country's history has driven his efforts.

Hingley reflects, "Most but not all of my volunteering springs from my passion for history. It just seems to have led me into various opportunities to volunteer, most recently with the Legion military museum." The museum bears his name as he was heavily involved with the acquisition, identification, and cataloguing of artifacts, many of which date back to World War I. Hingley has a Masters degree in history which serves him well in his archival work. 

He also leaned into a project involving the naming or renaming of geographical features in Saskatchewan's north after those who made the supreme sacrifice in wartime. These geomemorials now bear the names of many of Saskatchewan's fallen. Hingley's research and support led to 48 of those features being named after soldiers from the Humboldt area. 

As with many volunteers, the personal satisfaction Hingley gains is in the connection made with others in the community. Striving together toward a common good creates and cements bonds that last lifetimes. He says, "It includes the fantastic experience of working with like-minded people. You don't do this yourself; you do it with people."

Those connections have lasted with Reverend Hingley throughout his journeys with his wife Marion, who is also a dedicated community volunteer. His journeys have taken him across the country from his native Nova Scotia to the Scrip area near Quill Lake, and to Carlyle where he recalls working with the residents of the White Bear First Nation. He relates that part of the experience involved getting a senior ladies sewing circle together as an outlet for community members who were often isolated. 

As for his start, Hingley's earliest recollection of volunteering takes him back to his youth at Sunday School being a librarian. His duties involved heading down to the post office every week to retrieve periodicals for the students and making sure they were delivered to each child.

He speaks fondly of each of his recollections. With a volunteering career spanning 70 years, the SVM (Saskatchewan Volunteer Medal) designation that follows his name is truly well deserved.