DUNNVILLE—The Optimist Creed starts with the line, ‘Promise yourself to be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.’
That creed has served 96-year-old Peter Zynomirski well. The nonagenarian was recently presented with an Ontario Volunteer Service Award and pin by Haldimand Norfolk MPP Bobbi Ann Brady, recognizing his 65 years of volunteerism through both the Optimist Club of Dunnville and as a former volunteer firefighter.
“Peter has a big heart, especially when it comes to young people. He has a servant’s heart. He is a jack-of-all-trades and a problem solver. He was always willing to help anyone who needed help and/or teach them how to do a job,” said his daughter, Brenda.
Born in Winnipeg on October 26, 1929, Zynomirski moved with his family to Dunnville when he was around age nine. He remains a big fan of the community.
“It’s a nice town to get around. Everything we need is pretty well here,” said Zynomirski, praising the people of Dunnville as “very nice, very polite…. People help each other here. It’s a super town.”
He signed up as a volunteer with the Optimist Club on June 1, 1960, despite having his hands full with four children under five with his wife, Florence.
Meanwhile, he opened his business, Peter’s Small Engine Repair, on April 1, 1967, building the shop with his father-in-law in a field east of his house. The business remains open, although Zynomirski passed on the mantle to a new owner in 1989.
Those handyman skills were well used around the Dunnville Optimist Hall, including several renovation projects around the main hall and first floor kitchen, as well as building the speaker’s podium that is still in use today.
He was also a fixture in the kitchen for Optimist pancake breakfasts.
“His pancakes were golden, light, and fluffy,” recalled Brenda. “The customers always commented on how good the pancakes were.”
Zynomirski worked the griddle until just three years ago, when it became too difficult to remain on his feet that long. Still, he remains a fixture at the club.
“He still helps out when he can. If I am at the hall cleaning and he sees my vehicle there, he will come in and help to gather the garbage,” said Brenda.
Why has he stayed on all these years?
“It gives him a purpose and a sense of belonging. Through these organizations, dad made many long-lasting friendships,” said Brenda.
Asked for some favourite memories as an Optimist, Zynomirski recalled crafting the ‘Opti-Queen’ with fellow Optimists John and Jim Allen for Dunnville’s centennial celebration. The boat-float was a fixture of many parades in town over the years.
Zynomirski has watched the club go through many changes over time – some good, others challenging – while filling a variety of roles, including treasurer, secretary, and a term as president from 1967-1968.
In 2020, with the club undergoing a major leadership overhaul, he was quoted as saying, “It is good to see the young people taking over. They have new ideas and bring in change. It sometimes is hard to accept the change, but these changes end up being better than what we were doing. More people are coming out to our events and bringing in more money for the kids.”
Zynomirski’s influence clearly rubbed off on his family, many of whom are also long-time Optimists, with Brenda currently serving as treasurer and his son Don serving as president.
Outside the Optimists, Brenda recalled her father volunteering in many other ways, including helping to paint the mezzanine at the Calvary Church around the year 2000.
Asked why he took on these projects in addition to his busy work and family life, he said, “Because I could.”
It was five years after joining the Optimists that Zynomirski took on his second major volunteer role – volunteer firefighter – despite his family having grown to six children aged 10 and younger. He held the position for 26 years, retiring as a senator in 1991.
Over the years, he responded to many challenging calls, including the Victoria Hotel fire that claimed four lives in 1969.
“Volunteering as a fireman in a small community means that you are usually responding to an emergency of someone you know. Dad says that it was not an easy job … but at the same time, he knew that he was helping people,” said Brenda.
Asked why he joined the fire department, Zynomirski replied, “I wanted excitement. I wanted something different. I enjoyed it all too – the good times and rough times.”
Now that he is on the other side of a lifetime of serving his community, the overwhelming feeling he is left with is satisfaction.
“I feel like I’ve done something, helped somebody,” Zynomirski said. “What else is there?”
