A new award is honouring the memory of a man known to thousands of local kids as Santa Claus.
Larry Tamkin, who passed away in March, was known as Santa Larry to many families, having served as Santa at Woodward’s and Royal City Centre in New Westminster for 45 years. Along with his Santa duties, Tamkin was an actor, musician and longtime volunteer at Olivet Baptist Church.
Dale Darychuk, a New Westminster resident and lawyer, met Tamkin after Tamkin’s wife Susan (a.k.a Mrs. Claus) painted a picture of the sunflowers Darychuk grows at his home.
“There was a lot more to him than what we saw with Santa Claus,” Darychuk said. “He was a real contributor to the community.”
Darychuk said he was disheartened to hear of Tamkin’s death and thought he hadn’t received as much recognition for his community contributions as he should have. His law firm is sponsoring a new award in Tamkin’s honour at the New Westminster Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Platinum Awards.
The Larry Tamkin Award will recognize the exceptional contribution of an individual to the welfare of the residents of New Westminster. It recognizes those who work tirelessly behind the scenes for the love of the community.
“It’s not the Citizen of the Year, who has done all kinds of different things and is more well known in the community. It’s someone who works behind the scenes. It’s not someone who is the face of an organization or has been publicized before. Larry was that type of person,” Darychuk said. “I think there are other people who fit that category.”
The Platinum Awards recognize businesses and individuals whose achievements and contributions to the community distinguish them from their peers. The deadline for applications for this year’s awards is Oct. 14.
“People can go on the website. There is a nomination form for each category,” Darychuk said. “They can nominate people they think are worthy of the award.”
Darychuk said he planted about 100 different types of sunflowers in front of his house this year in memory of Tamkin.
“He was a real asset to the community,” he said.
More details and applications for the Platinum Awards can be found by checking out www.newwest chamber.com.
