Today, Pictou County is paying its respects to a former municipal leader, avid motorcyclist and recognized figure in the community.
Hank Dunnewold passed away yesterday morning after a short battle with cancer.
From 1982 to 2000 he served as a county councillor for District 6 which includes Scotsburn and surrounding areas. For 14 of those years, he served as warden of the Municipality of Pictou County.
Dunnewold was a farmer, a volunteer firefighter and volunteer policeman. Throughout the 2000s, he was a familiar face at provincial court, where he worked for the Nova Scotia sheriff’s service.
Allister MacDonald served on county council with Dunnewold throughout his time in municipal office and eventually succeeded him as warden in the 2000 municipal elections.
It was a close race, MacDonald said, and he has little doubt that if Dunnewold had won the vote he’d still be at the council table.
“He was an excellent councillor. Him and I, like anybody else on council, we had our run-ins. All of us disagree at certain points, but I got along very well for 15 years with Hank,” MacDonald said.
“When I was first elected in 2000, I said that Hank had brought the county forward – we had a very low tax rate, and on a lot of infrastructure, sewer and water – he worked very hard on that for all the residents of Pictou County.
Around the table at council, MacDonald remembered Dunnewold as a fair leader, who always lent his ear to his colleagues, and a well-known figure in municipal politics at the provincial level.
“He was an excellent speaker, when it came to issues he was bringing up. He was fair to the councillors, and he treated all of us with the highest respect.”
Jim Worthen, president of the Pictou County Cruisers motorcycle club said, although Dunnewold wasn’t a member of the club, he was well known and will be missed by club members.
“He would participate in the annual awareness ride and we’d also see him in circles in the bike community.”
Namely, Worthen said he was among friends and a familiar face near the Pictou Tim Hortons.
“On behalf of the club, we extend our condolences to Hank's family. We can certainly say that he’ll be missed in the bike community and in the community in general. Hank was a very approachable and easy guy to talk to,” Worthen said.
“He always had a story to tell and his presence will be missed.”
