"It blew my mind."
That was Gwen Saret's reaction when she was told she had been chosen as the 2013 Citizen of the Year for Humboldt and District.
Saret has lived in Humboldt for nearly all of her life; she and her husband of 55 years, Bernie ran a business together and raised four children here, and they now have grandchildren and great-grandchildren living in the area.
But despite her busy family schedule, and her career, she's still managed to volunteer in almost every aspect of the community, from her church to sports to town council and community groups.
The list describing her volunteer involvement is extremely long, spanning over 50 years.
She began her volunteer career acting as both treasurer and president of the Catholic Women's League (CWL) in Humboldt in the 1960s. She worked as the banquet convenor for the group, and instructed baptism classes and sang in the choir at St. Augustine Church.
She acted as treasurer for both the Jaycettes and Humboldt Minor Hockey in the 1960s and 1970s, and was on the Humboldt Broncos board of directors from 1977 to 1979. She was even the president of the hockey club for a season, believed to be the first woman to do such a thing.
Saret served on the board of Carlton Alcohol and Drug Abuse in 1987, and was on the board for the 1987 Centennial Cup.
She was an instructor at engagement encounters held at St. Peter's College, and was on the board of the Humboldt Sports Hall of Fame for a few years.
She taught the course on Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) for those convicted of that offence for over 20 years, spent five years as a Crisis Care Volunteer at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, and was on the board of the Waldsea Lake Regional Park.
In the 1980s and 1990s, she spent three terms on town council, acting as deputy mayor for three years.
On council, she chaired the administration and protection committee, and represented the town on the Humboldt and District Fire Protection Association, the library board and the museum board, as well as committees like special events, German banquets and galas.
During her time on council, Saret was instrumental in getting a new fire hall and a new library built in Humboldt.
Because of her involvement on council, she was approached to act as co-chair of the Friends of the Pipeline committee with Al Muench in 1995.
"Al Muench and I knocked on every door in Humboldt to explain the benefits of getting river water and encouraging them to support the plebiscite," Saret explained.
That effort was successful, as river water was brought in.
She was the chair of the Humboldt and District Mutual Aid Emergency Measures Organization, sat on the Humboldt Rec. Board for six years, was the rep for the Telemiracle van, co-chaired the statistics committee for the 2002 Saskatchewan Winter Games hosted in Humboldt, and served on the committee for the Sask. Seniors Games, also hosted in Humboldt in the past decade.
She's volunteered for immunization clinics and helped at funeral luncheons at church.
Currently, she's on the Humboldt Housing Authority Board, the City of Humboldt Development Appeals Board and the Good Neighbour Store board.
Gwen and Bernie also opened their home to many. For two years, they provided homes for juveniles on probation or awaiting trial, something they were not paid to do. And they billeted Broncos players as well.
Saret has run the gamut when it comes to getting into everything.
"You do a little bit every year for that many years, it works out," she told the Journal.
Getting named Citizen of the Year for what she's done had never entered her mind.
"I was overwhelmed," she said when she got the call. "It's just such an honour. Completely such an honour."
Saret didn't even realize all that she had done until she was asked to compile a list to the Humboldt Journal for the selection committee, once her name was submitted as a nominee.
Saret's parents had a big influence on her, and inspired her to get involved in her community. A.E. Kilcher Park in Humboldt is actually named after her parents - Art and Emily.
"They were both very, very involved in everything, so I think it came naturally. It's in the genes," she grinned.
Emily was a very sharp businesswoman, a woman ahead of her time, Saret said. She was a very, very strong person, as well.
Saret takes after both her mother and her father, who was more emotional, more prone to laughter.
"I'm an emotional person," she said. But she's a strong one, too.
Her mother was literally the one who got Saret volunteering. Emily was president of the CWL when she became ill. Though she was only in her early 20s, Saret stepped up to fill the role in her mother's absence.
And she just kept going.
Bernie's attitude is one of the reasons Saret has been able to do so much over so many years.
"Every time I say 'I want to get involved,' he says 'Whatever you want'," Saret said. "He's always been very supportive... and that makes it easy."
She's even dragged him along to help with her current volunteer efforts at the Good Neighbour Store, she laughed.
Professionally, up until about 20 years ago, Saret was a bookkeeper at the auction marts she and Bernie owned with partners in Humboldt and Wadena.
When they got out of the auction business, Saret got into selling real estate. She retired at the end of 2012.
What's she going to do, now that she's retired?
"Volunteer," she said simply.
That does seem to be Saret's go-to activity.
"It's gratifying," she said as to why she does it. "It's fun."
But she doesn't look for things, she said.
"It comes to me. I don't go to it," she laughed.
That's what happened when she decided to run for council.
"I think a few people approached me. Again, I thought, I can do this, if they want me to," and so she tried her hand at it.
She does enjoy helping people - and if a job does that, she seems to be interested.
The most gratifying work she's done, she said, has been with self-help groups.
"Because you can see people grow."
But she loves what she does now.
"I really enjoy the Good Neighbour Store. That's just a blast," she noted.
And the people on the housing board are just ridiculously good to be around, she noted.
Not many can say they've been involved with everything from community groups to sporting clubs to town council. Saret can.
Teaching the DWI course was something special for her.
"It was the challenge," she said.
People would come in all defensive, and by the third session over the weekend, she would know she had them.
"They'd be sitting up, communicating," she explained. "It was so rewarding to watch these mostly young people just... get it."
In her time on town council, she's most proud of being a part of building the new fire hall, and helping pave the way for river water.
While the pipeline didn't get approved while Saret was on council, she had been fighting for it, and co-chaired that committee right after her term on council was over to make sure it happened.
"I thought Burton Lake would go dry," she smiled. "And if we wanted industry in Humboldt, we would need water."
On the other end of the spectrum, hockey was also an interest for Saret.
"The Bronco board - I liked that," she smiled. "At the time, we thought I was the first female president of a junior team."
She did a lot, as president from 1978-79- things no board president expects to have to do now.
The entire budget that year was about $50,000, she explained.
"My husband and I painted the Bronco dressing room and I washed the sweaters and socks and mended the socks that year," she said.
Saret is widely known as a plain-spoken individual. She's not afraid to tell you what she thinks of something, in pretty blunt terms. But she's got a sense of humour that gives her eyes a little twinkle while she does so.
Her DWI students were sometimes shocked by the plain language she chose to use in the classes, she admitted.
"I was not the teacher stereotype," she laughed.
"My sense of humour has got me through a lot," she admitted. "It's one of my best attributes."
She does a lot of laughing and crying at the same time, she admitted.
"So does all our family," she smiled. "We're great criers."
Saret lost one of her sons in a tractor accident when he was quite young. Laughter helped her family get through that tough time.
Now, the Sarets have one son living in Alberta and two daughters living in Humboldt, along with 10 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
The youngest great-grandchild, born in December, was named Liela Gwen for her great-grandmother.
Now that she's done it for so long, it's not likely Saret will stop volunteering any time soon.
"All volunteership is rewarding," she said. "I don't think you go into it for the rewards, but they sure are there."
Saret is likely to serve as an example to others of what you can do for people, for a place, when you do a little at a time, for a long time.
But that's not something she expects.
"I do it selfishly," she said of her activities. "I do it because I like it."
