Gillian Trumper, former Port Alberni Mayor and UBCM President, passed away on October 11 at the age of 83. First elected in 1983, Ms. Trumper was Port Alberni's longest serving Mayor. Her career of public service also included the roles of school trustee, alderman, coroner, MLA, and numerous other clubs and organizations.
Trumper served as an alderman for the City of Port Alberni from 1981-83 and as mayor from 1983 until 2001, and was elected president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities in 1996-97. In 2001 she was elected as MLA for Alberni-Qualicum.
"She was really the leader of our community for the entire time I was growing up," said the city's current mayor, Sharie Minions. "She was just so encouraging [and] such a strong woman. We're just so lucky to have had her in our community."
Before getting into politics, Trumper worked as a registered nurse. She and her family moved to the Alberni Valley in 1969, where she raised her four children along with her husband, Dr. Michael Trumper.
Trumper was named Port Alberni Citizen of the Year in 1993, and became the first woman to be made a “Freeman” of the City of Port Alberni in 2002
A Celebration of Trumper’s life will be held on Friday November 8th at the Port Alberni Italian Hall 4065 - 6th Avenue, starting at 2pm. The family has requested that guests to the celebration wear something bright and colorful.
Photo credit: Susan Quinn, Alberni Valley News