Gab Thiessen and Noah McNeill receive Dave Bernatchez Memorial Award, which continues to make a lasting impact at StFX

The legacy of the late David Bernatchez continues to make a lasting impact at St. Francis Xavier University.

Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Bernatchez's friends and family, the David Bernatchez Memorial Award endowment has reached the remarkable milestone of $1 million. The fund will now annually provide two awards valued up to $20,000 over four years to both a female and a male rugby player, ensuring future generations of student-athletes continue to benefit from Mr. Bernatchez's legacy of leadership, service, and excellence.

This year, Gabrielle (Gab) Thiessen of Winnipeg, MB, and Noah McNeill of Summerside, PEI, received the renewable $5,000 David Bernatchez Memorial Bursary. The bursary honours Mr. Bernatchez, a 1985 StFX graduate and 2014 Hall of Honour inductee who is remembered for a lifelong commitment to helping others.

Mr. Bernatchez was a leader from an early age at St. Mary's High School in Calgary, at StFX, on the rugby pitch, in supporting scholarships for students from Calgary to attend StFX, and in co-creating the Katherine Fleming Scholarship at the Coady International Institute.

Mark Gallant, the chair of the David Bernatchez Memorial Bursary Committee, says he is delighted to welcome two outstanding new recipients as they celebrate the fifth year of this award. "Each year, our committee has the privilege of reviewing applications from students connected to the rugby community, but we are especially inspired by those who demonstrate leadership, character, and a genuine commitment to serving others," he says.

"This bursary was created through the generosity of Dave's many friends across North America, who came together to build a lasting legacy that reflects the values by which Dave lived his life: community, service, and making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. Dave would be incredibly proud to see the calibre of student-athletes choosing to come to "X"-young people who not only strive for excellence in sport and academics, but who also carry forward the spirit of leadership, humility, and community involvement that this award was created to celebrate."

Gab Thiessen: Building community through leadership

For Gab Thiessen, leadership has always been about making sure everyone feels included.

The Winnipeg, MB native, a graduate of Collège Jeanne-Sauvé, will begin studies at StFX this fall in the Human Kinetics and Education program with the goal of becoming a teacher. Throughout her high school career, she has distinguished herself as a student-athlete and a community volunteer.

"It means a lot to me," Ms. Thiessen says on receiving the award. She notes that she is happy to be in the company of past award recipients, who all have been impressive. "I'm hoping I do it justice."

Her first experience in a leadership role came through hockey, a sport she has played since Grade 5. "I loved it. It was really awesome." She later found additional opportunities to lead through musical theatre in high school.

She started getting leads in the productions and took it upon herself to make sure all the younger students felt included.

About three years ago, she decided to give rugby a try, and it quickly became a passion.

"My older brother played for St. Paul's high school and I was never interested it," she recalls. An old hockey buddy kept messaging her to give it a try. She finally decided to and she loved it. "The people and the support are really special."

She started playing hook before moving primarily to scrumhalf.

Rugby has provided her with such opportunities as to attend the U18 Canada camp, captain the Winnipeg Gold team at the Manitoba Summer Games, and captain her high school rugby team. It has also given her a strong sense of community.

"The coaches and teammates are always pushing me to be the best I can be. I've made so many great friends."

As captain of her high school rugby team, she also made sure her actions made everyone feel included.

Outside of athletics, Ms. Thiessen has volunteered at the Dakota Community Centre, assisting with community events including Santa Breakfast, Skate with Santa, and Dakota Days. She also volunteered with the Volt hockey program and has given her time to the Music Cellar music school.

As rugby continues to be a growing sport in the province, she likes volunteering to help with that as much as she can. Skating is something she's done all her life so volunteering has been important to her so "that other people get a chance to do that. "

As she prepares to begin her first year at StFX, she is looking forward to immersing herself in campus life.

"Everyone I've spoken with has told me it's really special, the whole community."

She is looking forward to her courses, meeting new people, and getting involved in the StFX community.

Noah McNeill: Leadership and community involvement

"I am beyond grateful for the award, it means a lot to me and my family members as well," says Mr. McNeill, a graduate of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside, PEI, who has already distinguished himself in academics, athletics, and community leadership.

"I take great pride in the work I do in school and outside of it, and those around me are certainly proud to see how far my work ethic has brought me. The David Bernatchez memorial scholarship will provide me with amazing opportunities and lead me on my way to pursuing higher education."

Mr. McNeill will enroll in the Bachelor of Science in human kinetics degree at StFX in September, something he has been interested in for many years.

"I have heard plenty about the support and opportunities that come along with attending StFX. I am extremely excited to meet plenty of new teammates, friends, staff, and coaches who will continue to help me develop not only as a rugby player but as a person. University is a big change and I am looking forward to this next step in my life."

Playing rugby is something that he has loved since he stepped onto the pitch. "I love the community, the culture, respectful atmosphere, and physicality of the game. I have always wanted to continue to participate in sports throughout university, and I am grateful that StFX has provided the opportunity for me to do so."

Along with sports, Mr. McNeill has been an active member of the community. He volunteered at the Prince County Hospital (PCH) in Summerside throughout his high school years with an organization called The Youth Who Care. "It is a wonderful team of high school students who organize events such as pancake breakfasts, bake sales, raffle draws, etc. throughout the year to help raise money for hospital equipment."

He has also been a volunteer flag football coach for Athena Consolidated school, and a volunteer summer camp counsellor at St. Paul's Catholic Church camp.

"It is important for me to give back as I know how it felt to be supported in my community as a child playing sports, going to summer camp, or in need of healthcare support. I am very proud to have gone back to coach at my old middle school where I loved football before I found rugby. I also enjoy seeing how our fundraising and events at the PCH help families at Christmas time during the Lights for Life campaign, as well as throughout the year when the healthcare system is continuously growing."

Mr. McNeill started playing rugby in Grade 10 and was the only person of his age to play up with the AAA men's 15's team. At that time, he played scrumhalf (9) and was the rookie of the year for TOSH. After this, he played outside centre (13) for the U17 team PEI, where he was the team captain and rookie of the year. The next year, he transitioned to 13 for high school as well and was named team captain as a Grade 11 student. The team won the provincial championship that year. In his Grade 12 year, he played 13 again and was named the MVP for his high school team. He also captained the U17 team PEI for a second year, where he was also named the MVP.

"The teammates I have met will be friends for a lifetime, and I am very grateful for everything I have learned from them. I have also been very lucky to have amazing coaches in high school and provincial rugby, who grew my love for the sport, and patiently coached me as a younger player to become the player I am now."