Donna Masse was a trailblazer, including being the first woman to carry the ceremonial mace out of the legislature, in 2001.
The usual carrier of the mace, the sergeant-at-arms, was unavailable after a sitting was adjourned, so the responsibility shifted to Masse in her role as chamber supervisor.
Masse held the mace, which weighs five kilograms and is plated with 24-carat gold, as she led the speaker’s procession from the chamber — and made parliamentary history.
It was a great honour for her, said daughter Anna Peakman. “She was really proud of some of the barriers that she broke.”
Peakman said her mother, who died Jan. 10 at the age of 85, had become part of the legislature’s staff after retiring from a military career.
She had joined the armed forces after Peakman was born, and quickly rose through the ranks to earn another first for a woman — becoming the commanding officer of the 700-member Communications Squadron at CFB Borden, near Barrie, Ont.
For her mother, being a woman in a traditional male job was about stepping up and doing the work, Peakman said.
“Her mindset was: ‘It’s not about being a woman in the workplace, it’s about being the best in the workplace,’ ” she said. “That was her attitude — you can whine about this or you can just shut up and be the best and get on with it.”
Peakman said the family moved to Vancouver Island when her father, Guy — also a commanding officer — put in for a transfer, seeking a better climate for his health.
Masse also asked for an Island posting but was turned down, so she decided to leave the military, at least for a while.
Just 18 months after the move, Guy Masse died and Donna Masse became a widow at 44 with two teenage daughters.
She returned to school to finish her business administration degree and went to work for the provincial government, but she wasn’t done with the military yet.
“They were looking for female officers, so she was recommissioned to work in Vancouver,” Peakman said.
Masse became a security officer and commuted to Vancouver so her daughters could keep going to school in Victoria.
Peakman remembers one of her investigations involving a tank running over a cadet during training manoeuvres. “It was so rainy and muddy, the tank squished him into the mud but he was otherwise unhurt.”
Masse retired from the military in 1993, but took on several jobs after that “just to keep herself busy,” Peakman said.
Peakman said her mother viewed every job “as another opportunity to connect with different people.”
“She loved creating an extensive community and having purpose.”
Working as a cashier was one of the jobs that allowed her to do just that, Peakman said,.
“Some of her most fond memories were customers’ kids asking for a hug.”
Masse then signed on with the legislature staff, which typically includes retired military personnel, and went on to earn the job that would lead to carrying the mace.
That work was a part of Masse’s life until she was 78; she also kept active in the Catholic Women’s League through the military parish.
Masse had five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her daughter Renee Attwood.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Feb. 2 at the Our Lady Star of the Sea Chapel, 585 Galiano Cres.
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
