Lorene Robertson Writing Award

Lorene grew up in the suburbs of Vancouver but always dreamed of living near the wilderness in the North. She moved to Whitehorse at age 33 in 1988 where she was able to pursue her twin passions of paddling Yukon rivers and riding her horse in dressage competitions or with her partner Hugh Monaghan in the hills above Lake Laberge.  Lorene was a creative and engaging English teacher for over 25 years teaching primarily in our Adult Basic Education program.  She was an excellent writer, editor and mentor and particularly loved teaching and writing poetry. She also developed curriculum for the Northern Institute of Social Justice. 

She received two awards – one in 1995 for her innovative teaching and one in 2014 for her many contributions to the institution.  She was particularly proud of establishing our Writing Centre where students could receive individual mentoring to improve their writing.   She passed away in August 2014 due to a tragic fall from her much-loved horse.

This writing award in Lorene’s name hopes to continue her legacy of inspiring others to find their voice and tell their stories especially about their experience of living in the North.