Barry Mellish was nominated during a meeting Sunday afternoon at the Best Western Plus Glengarry in Truro.
Family friend Debbie Dalrymple nominated Mellish, and no other names came forward amongst the 30 attendees to the meeting.
“I feel good,” Mellish, a retired RCMP officer with 28 years of service under his belt, said following the nomination meeting. “I love helping people. As far as I’m concerned, any first responder – whether police officer, paramedic, firefighter – needs to have a desire to help people in order to do their job. I am very proud of them and I want to give back to my community to make it a great place to live.”
Born and raised in Prince Edward Island, Mellish grew up in a farming community.
“I learned early on that for an area to prosper, everyone must work together. We’ve all had our ups and downs, and in these times, we will need to lend a helping hand to others. It feels so good to have someone give us that hand, but it feels even better when you’re the one giving the hand.”
Mellish married his wife, Sandy, in 1974 and the couple had two children. Their son, Frank, was killed in 2006 while serving as a Warrant Officer in Afghanistan.
Frank and his wife had two children.
Mellish’s daughter, Tanya, is married and has a daughter.
Following his retirement from the RCMP, of which he spent eight years in the Truro area, Mellish worked as a safety advisor for seven years with local and international trucking companies. He was also the chair of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association Safety Council for three years, followed by three years as special constable at the Stanfield International Airport.
Evan Price, president of the Truro-Bible Hill Liberal Association, is elated to have Mellish represent the association come election time.
“Barry has worked in a lot of areas that have always been of service to others,” he said, following the meeting. “I’m very proud to have him come forward and serve the people of Truro and Bible Hill.”
rtetanish@trurodaily.com
@TDNRaissa
