Two Stettlerites who left a mark in both medicine and the arts are the latest individuals to be honoured as community builders.
Dr. Archie Kennedy and Noeline Brockley were celebrated on June 12 as the 2026 inductees into the Stettler Community Builders program.
The initiative, which began in 2021, honors two prominent residents each year with permanent plaques along 44th Avenue.
Family members gathered inside the Stettler Recreation Centre to share stories of how their forebearers’ dedication to healthcare and the performing arts shaped not just the town, but generations of their own families as well.
Following the ceremony, attendees moved outside to unveil the monuments, which feature historic photographs and biographies of the community builders.
A Pioneer in Rural Medicine
Dr. Archie Kennedy was recognized for his role in establishing regional healthcare.
Born in Illinois in 1895, Kennedy immigrated to Manitoba with his family in 1903.
After earning his medical degree from the University of Manitoba, he practiced in Donalda before arriving in Stettler around 1923.
Locally, Kennedy was one of the original staff members of the Stettler Municipal Hospital when it opened in 1928.
He’s credited with spearheading an annual insurance plan for $25 that secured basic services, general surgery, X-rays, and medical advice for district families.
A veteran of both World Wars, Kennedy served in Europe with the Medical Corps during the First World War, attaining the rank of Captain.
In 1940, he re-enlisted, serving in Camrose before commanding the Currie Barracks Army Hospital in Calgary as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Kennedy also served as president of the Stettler Imperials Hockey Club and the local golf club before his death in November 1946.
Elevating the Community Arts
Noeline Brockley (nee Weigh) was honored for her directorial legacy that elevated drama and music students to a provincial standard.
Born in Buckley, Wales, in 1931, Brockley graduated with a teacher’s certificate from the University of Wales in 1951.
After marrying her husband Peter in 1954, the couple moved to Stettler with three of their children in 1969.
Brockley quickly became the region’s music instructor, instructing up to 80 private vocal and piano students a year.
Brockley founded the Bar Harbour Choir Camp at Buffalo Lake, which drew up to 90 students annually through the 1970s, and directed the Stettler United Church Choir.
Her work eventually expanded into the Stettler Gilbert and Sullivan Choir, holding shows and touring across Alberta.
In total, she produced, directed, and performed in 25 musical theatre productions and four pantomimes, opening her choirs to anyone in the community who wished to sing.
Alongside her husband, Peter, a machine shop teacher at William E. Hay High School, Brockley spent years spearheading the fundraising required to build the town’s Performing Arts Centre.
Named Stettler’s Citizen of the Year in 1973, she also received a Government of Canada Certificate of Merit for her musical contributions in 1988.
Brockley retired to British Columbia in 1989 and passed away in November 2016, at the age of 85.
Historical summaries of previous Community Builders can be found on the Town of Stettler’s website.
Author: Landin Chambers
Landin Chambers is a news reporter for Hometown Media Stettler. He has a background in broadcast news, with previous roles in Prince George, Red Deer and Calgary. You may also see him as a cameraman for the Stettler Wildcats and Stettler Imperials. Have a story idea? Email: lchambers@htproductionsmedia.ca
