History repeated itself for the Rau family last Saturday.
Darcy and Jim Rau were honoured for the second time in 20 years as the Clyde & District Ag Society’s Volunteers of the Year at the Ag 500 April 29.
A full house of 200 packed the Clyde Community Hall to hear the unprecedented announcement that had the couple in the dark leading up.
“The hard part was — they’re involved in everything — trying to keep a secret,” said ag society president Perry Lumayko.
“There was lots of misleading. We told them someone else won it and they didn’t realize that person didn’t buy a ticket to come tonight.”
The couple couldn’t hide the looks of surprise on their faces when their names were called Saturday night.
“I don’t think it’s legal,” Darcy said with a laugh. “We already got it once.”
“We were always teasing, ‘Oh we’d like to be the first two-time winner,’ thinking no, it would never happen,” Jim added.
The couple was honoured back in 1996 with the volunteer award and winning it twice was a first in the award’s history.
“We’ve never, ever had a repeat,” Lumayko said. “But Jim and Darcy, everywhere you go … all the maintenance, they help do the cleaning, they do the paperwork. There isn’t anything they don’t do.”
He recalled one time getting a phone call from Jim looking for parts because the toilet in the hall had been leaking so he it off to fix it himself.
“They don’t stop and you can’t do enough to help them because they don’t ask for help,” Lumayko said.
The Raus have lived in Clyde the last 39 years, putting in their time and efforts maintaining the community hall, curling rink, and ball diamonds, organizing the finances for the Clyde fire department and the casinos.
On top of that, they are also heavily involved with the Clyde Senior Drop-in Centre, the Clyde Curling Club, and planning crib tournaments, the 55-plus Games, the Ag 500 and more.
“We do our share but so do a lot of other people …it’s what makes everything work,” Jim said. “Without that you have nothing.”
“In a little town it’s ‘Today you’re the fire department,’ so you put on this hat and then the next day you’re the ag society so you put on this hat, and the curling club,” he continued.
“It’s a small community so a lot of the same people do a lot of different jobs,” Darcy added. “But it’s fun. It’s fun to volunteer.”
While the old guard of volunteers is hanging in until a new generation is ready to take over the reins, the Rau’s children manned the bar during their parent’s honorary night.
In the meantime, the couple are gunning to be third-time recipients in another 20 years.
“Well, we’ll try,” Darcy said with a laugh, though Jim noted he’d be 86 by then.
The event also recognized Derek Schlacter for his five years of service with the Village of Clyde fire department. “Derek’s amazing,” Lumayko said. “He’s a mechanic too, so that helps.”
