Gilbert Buote Award
Presented to the Friends of the Farmers’ Bank of Rustico
The Sister Antoinette DesRoches Historical Committee presented the Gilbert Buote Award to the Friends of the Farmers’ Bank of Rustico (FFBR) for producing a bilingual educational kit on Father Georges Antoine Belcourt, parish priest in Rustico in the mid-1800s. The kit, titled Father Georges-Antoine Belcourt: Missionary, Educator, Visionary, Fighter for Human Rights, includes 13 full-colour fact sheets highlighting his work in the Red River region (Manitoba and North Dakota) and Rustico, PEI. Distributed free to all provincial schools, the plain-language texts feature excerpts from Father Belcourt’s correspondence, helping Island students appreciate his contributions to Rustico’s economic, educational, and socio-cultural development during his ten years at St. Augustine’s parish.
FFBR also made the fact sheets available to the public in magazine format, available at their boutique or online at farmersbank.ca/discover-rustico/father-belcourt/. This is the second time the committee has honoured the Friends of the Farmers’ Bank with the Gilbert Buote Award, recognizing their significant contributions to preserving Acadian heritage and highlighting key chapters in the province’s history. The award is presented annually for projects of merit in Acadian history and heritage.