A Cochrane resident will help carry the Olympic torch in Nelson, B.C. on its way to the Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.

Brenda Campbell, who lives in GlenEagles, was selected to carry the torch in an internal contest for Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) employees, and will carry the flame on Jan. 23.

“It’s quite an honour,” Campbell said, adding she was “speechless” after receiving a call saying she had won.

Campbell worked for RBC for more than 30 years before retiring recently.

She was nominated by her manager at the Cochrane branch for her dedication to community service, teamwork and responsibility — values that correspond with the Olympic spirit.

“It’s still almost unbelievable,” she said. “I think it will really sink in when we’re making the trip there.”

In 1988, she was working at RBC and missed the chance to see the torch when Calgary hosted the winter Olympics. But she remembers the “electricity” and excitement in the streets.

This time, she’ll be at the centre of the action in Nelson.

She is running there because so many winners of other torch-bearing contests from urban areas want to be close to home, and there was space for her in Nelson. Campbell doesn’t mind, though — she’d go just about anywhere for the honour of carrying the Olympic flame.

“It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, for sure.”

No related stories.

• Filed under News | Both comments and pings are currently closed.

Comments are closed.