Joe Kungl named Citizen of the Year at TNCC Awards Night

Township of Norwich Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 Citizen of the Year Joe Kungl (right) accepts his award from Norwich Shoppers Drug Mart’s Lindsay Tribe. (Jeff Tribe Photo)

Jeff Tribe, Post Correspondent

The Township of Norwich Chamber of Commerce’s (TNCC) 2025 Citizen of the Year gazed appreciatively out at a community centre containing family, friends, chamber members and politicians.

And amongst mixed surprise and gratitude, Joe Kungl couldn’t help seeing the facility’s decorated expanse in another light.

“How many badminton courts could I put in here?” he quipped, interjecting a laugh into an at-times emotional acceptance address.

TNCC President Mardy Franzen had recognized the evening’s agricultural roots in his opening remarks. That history is still evident in honouring farm families from the south and north of the township, potato chip potato producers D. R. Whiteside Farms Ltd. (Dennis, Susan and Travis Whiteside); and Laan Dairy Ltd., Joris, Jolanda, Annet, Henk, Thys and Carlyn Laan), respectively.

However, an agriculturally-based ceremony has grown to incorporate small and large businesses and a list of individual awards highlighting significant contributions in the township.

“It is a very wide range,” said Franzen. “But all from within the community.”

Victoria Body was named Small Business Award winner for 2025 as founder and proprietor of At The 100th Mile/The Wine Shack. A Norwich native returning to her home community, Body offers made-in-Canada products largely from within 100 miles. The VDK Group, a dynamically-growing window, door and garage door design, construction and installation business employing well over 100 earned Large Business honours.

The list of individual awards began with Youth Citizen of the Year honouree Logan McLellan, a committed young person with an impressively-lengthy history of volunteerism. Mike Dymarski received the Judy Cayley Memorial Award. A relative newcomer to the community in 2019, Dymarski was cited for volunteerism including expertise in grant-writing proposals with organizations including the local curling club, legion, lawn bowling club, Norwich Merchants hockey team, museum, the Optimist tractor pull, and Norwich United Church.

Lloyd and Diane Boyce were presented a shared Special Achievement Award. Diane’s contributions include knitting lap blankets for Woodingford Lodge residents, the donation of over 1,800 baby hats to Woodstock’s hospital across ten years, as a hospice and palliative care volunteer, volunteer driver for both individuals and Meals on Wheels, and a fundraising pie-baker of note for the Norwich Merchants and Norwich United Church. Lloyd served on the local museum board, subs in for Rudolph to drive Santa’s float in the local Christmas parade and others, and also keeps Quaker Street's turtle pond’s frozen surface clear of snow for area youth to enjoy during colder winters.

Kungl's retirement from a 30-year career as an educator in Norwich and Tillsonburg’s Maple Lane and Annandale (two, 19 and nine years respectively) proved you may be able to take the teacher out of the school, but not the coach out of the teacher.

“It was a great opportunity to spend time doing what you love, helping kids,” he summed up. “There’s nothing more rewarding than to see the smiles and the friendships established through athletics.”

The Norwich resident has continued in retirement, opening Emily Stowe Public School's gymnasium for many years from the third week of September through May to host very well-attended community sports evenings. Volleyball is on two courts Tuesdays and Fridays, with badminton on tap Wednesdays. Historically, Kungl funded equipment purchases included balls, birdies and racquets himself, grateful for more recent support from the local Optimist club to offset rental fees.

‘Blown away’ by the ‘total class’ of the evening and surprised at recognition he didn’t expect, Kungl was nevertheless extremely appreciative of the honour.

“I’m just happy to keep doing the stuff I’ve done all my life.”

The evening had unfolded well credited Franzen in conclusion, welcome celebration amongst economically uncertain and potentially challenging times for both the business and broader community.

“All these things that remind us of the good, all that we have to offer and what we should be grateful for in this township.”