Bob Leslie has been collecting awards as a senior crooner for many years.
This year, the Wilkie singer has been named Male Entertainer of the Year, Mentor of the Year and Lyricist of the Year at the 2014 Canadian finals of the Country Gospel Music Association in Virden, Man., adding to a long list of CGMA awards he's won in previous years. (Luckily, say Bob and Joan Leslie, the convention concluded before the flooding began.)
At that convention, Joan was named Esteemed Servant of the Year, and not for the first time.
"It was wonderful," she says.
The servant of the year awards means if there's something that needs doing, you're the one who gets it done.
The event took place at the historic Aud Theatre, reputed to be the second best concert hall in Canada, says Bob. The acoustics were amazing, he says. The 500-seat theatre was originally built as an opera house in 1912.
Coming off the success at Virden, the Leslies will be heading to Branson, Missouri, for the November international finals.
Bob and Joan, who have been married for more than 55 years, are proof seniors don't have to "slow down."
They globetrot to wherever Bob is singing next. Being a big band crooner, he says he doesn't have many opportunities to perform in this area. He does much of his performing in the United States in places like Missouri, Wyoming and Tennessee.
He particularly enjoyed being invited to take part in a Branson event called Jammin' for Jesus in June, a Christian music session that's been held annually for more than a decade.
Last year, Bob took part in a musical competition called Senior Star. For performers 65 and over, the competition, put on by Chartwell House Canada, held regional competitions across Canada and June 21, Bob took home the title of 2013 Senior Star - Edmonton for his rendition of I Love You So by Perry Como.
While each contestant was on stage, video cameras were rolling, taping the performances. Performers who won first and second in the regional competition, out of approximately 120 contestants, then had their tapes sent to another panel of judges to narrow that group down to the Top 10 of Canada.
Bob was subsequently chosen as one of 10 finalists to take part in the national competition at Niagara Falls, Ont. in November. It was televised recently.
It wasn't the first time that Bob competed in the Senior Star. The year before, he had taken home the 2012 Senior Star - Regina.
While they plan to be in Branson in November, the Leslies have no plans to sit at home until then. Once the convention in Virden was over, they were on the road to their next adventure.
