The community is mourning volunteer extraordinaire Dirk Bannister, who died last week at the age of 78 years.
After spending years in the public service, including holding his last position as CAO of the Village of New Norway before retiring, Bannister dedicated his golden years to his volunteerism through many community causes.
Bannister’s years in the public service sector gave him a unique insight and unique organizational abilities rare in volunteer circles, said David Maffitt, chair of the Volunteer Airdrie Society board of directors. Maffitt served with Bannister from 2017-2021 on the board, and considered him a good friend and important advisor.
“He was invaluable,” said Maffitt. “His legacy and impact on the organization is going to last forever. Because, he was the kind of guy I could ask to do stuff that nobody else wanted to do. Nobody wants to review and update bylaws. Nobody wants to write policy. Dirk loved that kind of stuff. He loved that type of work and excelled at it. He was just a great asset for our organization.”
But it wasn’t just in Volunteer Airdrie where Bannister made his mark. Bannister spent 50 years as a member of Kiwanis, including serving as the Western Canada secretary/treasurer for the organization.
Bannister received several provincial awards for his volunteerism. He was awarded the Alice Modin Senior Services award, the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee medal, and most recently, in January, he was awarded the Northern Lights Volunteer Recognition Award by the Province of Alberta.
Maffitt said Bannister not only had a talent for policy and governance, he also loved being on the front lines taking part in various public events as a helper. To Bannister, no job was a thankless one, said Maffitt, because all jobs were necessary when done in service to others.
“He had a quote: ‘Only a life lived for others is worth living,’" recalled Maffitt. “He just loved people and he had a great sense of humour. He always had a lot of stories … I daresay say he is irreplaceable.”
That dedication to service was ingrained in Bannister at a bone-deep level, said Maffitt. Even as he was ailing this past year, Bannister approached Volunteer Airdrie as recently as January looking for more to do.
“He had come into our office and he was looking for things to do before he became ill again,” confirmed Maffitt. “We were actually looking forward to having him involved in our day to day operations again with our ‘Drive Happiness’ seniors assisted transportation program. He was going to be my dispatcher, and start matching drivers up with people who needed rides.”
Summing up a life as well-lived and full as Bannister’s is difficult, confessed Maffitt.
“He will be missed,” he concluded. “We knew it was coming, but it is always a shock when it happens.”
