Minto Country Music Wall of Fame

Paul was born on May 12, 1943 and was a lifelong resident of Minto. He graduated from Minto Memorial High School in 1963, began coaching Minor Hockey in 1964 and from then on spent his entire adult life volunteering on committees too numerous to mention. Sports and community in general were very important to him and he dedicated endless hours to any project with love and compassion. He married Anna (Belliveau) in 1965 and together they had two children, Vicki and Jason.

The Minto/Grand Lake area has always been known as a “Country Music Area”. Over the years numerous musicians have played various venues around the surrounding area, the province, along with national and international performances.

A group of citizens had talked about a way to recognize some of this local talent. To this end, a steering committee consisting of Ron Vautour, Gary DiPaolo, and Paul Rollins, along with help from the Chairman of the New Brunswick Country Music Hall of Fame, Mr. Aubrey Hanson, made a presentation to the Council of the Village of Minto. Subsequently, Council endorsed the idea and as a result, the steering committee got the so called ball rolling to create The Minto Country Music “Wall of Fame”. The “Wall” is located in the Minto Municipal Building.

Paul was instrumental in getting this Wall off the ground. He served as Secretary Treasurer of the wall from its inception. In this role he would accept the nominations from the public, assemble the information for the Committee and present the material for review.

Paul can be credited with being a “true builder” of the Minto Country Music “Wall of Fame”. Without the tireless hours he put into this project, it would never have reached the high level of success and prestige it now holds in our Community. His organizational skills were immensely important to pulling off the first Dinner and Induction Ceremony in September of 2001. Each year after that Paul would consolidate all the nominations together for the committee and do all the nitty gritty things that had to be done behind the scenes.

Paul passed away in 2006 but his memory will always be enshrined in the Minto Country Music “Wall of Fame”.