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THE BRUNSWICIC^ttACON
THURSDAY. DECEMBER 14, 1989
B
Varna mtown's
Volunteer Clerk
Enjoys Serving His Community
BY DOUG RUTTER
As volunteer clerk and finance officer for the Town
of Varnamtown, Paul Vealcy says the satisfaction he
gets out of serving his community is the only payment
he needs.
"If you live in a community and that community has
given you something, you should try to give a liuie
back," Vealey said in a recent interview.
A 58-year-old native of New Jersey, Vealey and his
wife, Carol, moved to the area about two years ago. For
the past year, Vealey has volunteered his time and tal
ents for Varnamtown ? a small town on the Lockwood
Folly River near Holdcn Beach which incorporated last
fall.
Among his many duties as clerk and finance officer,
Vealey handles all correspondence between the town
and various county and state agencies. Also, he takes
care of all finances for the town.
On any given day, he's likely to be on the phone
with a state official in Raleigh or conversing face-to
face with an accountant, lawyer or somebody in the tax
department at the county government center.
"There's a lot of information that comes down the
pipe," said Vealey, who receives most of the town's
mail at his home. He said he puts in about 10 or 12
hours in an average week.
Vealey said the best part of his job has been meeting
and working with people. "Everybody I've talked to
with the county and the state has been very helpful," he
said. "That's been the nice part of the job."
A slender, thoughtful man, Vealey took the clerk's
job as a volunteer because he wanted to contribute to
his community. "1 really feel the need to be with peo
ple," he said. "And I like to do things that will be a little
bit of a challenge."
Varnamtown's elected officials have said time and
time again they don't know what they would do without
their clerk. But Vealey refuses to take any credit for the
town's success since its incorporation last September.
He passes it right back to the town's founding
mayor and board of aldermen. Listing the distinct quali
ties each of the six officials brought to the town's first
governing board, Vealey said he respects and admires
each of them.
'They've all been really good to work with," he
Said. They all hsve the interests of the cornrn unity at
heart. They want nothing but the best for this communi
ty."
The Vealey s ? who like so many other retirees love
calling Brunswick County their home ? came a long
way to get to Varnamtown. After graduating from high
school in Franklin, N. J., in 1949, Vealey served three
years in the Army before finding his niche as a quality
assurance and calibration technician.
Starling at the bottom of the totem pole, Vealey said
he worked his way up through the ranks and is a past
supervisor of uitc of die Army's most important
research and development centers.
After nearly 34 years as a federal government
employee, Vealey took early retirement in January
1987. He and his wife moved from Sussex County, N.
J., to their home in Riverside. They have one son,
David, who reccndy moved to Wilmington with his
wife and baby girl.
Vealey said his work with the federal government
prepared him well for his duties as finance officer for
the town since he was used to budgeting. "1 handle
town funds the same way I handle my own ? very care
fully," he said. "I'm not stingy, but if you can buy
something for two dollars why pay ten?"
Although he plans to serve the town as long as he
can contribute, Vealey figures he will eventually have
to step down. In a few years, he said the town will prob
ably need a paid employee or two. That, he said, will
depend on how the governing board decides to handle
matters such as building inspections and street mainte
nance.
"That's what makes this job interesting ? listening
to the different people on the board," he said. "It's inter
esting to find out their ideas and what direction they
want the community to go in."
Despite moving from the shadows of New York
City to the quiet fishing village of Varnamtown, Vealey
said the adjustment wasn't difficult. He said the friendly
nature of local people and the county's natural beauty
made the transition easy.
Besides the change in scenery, Vealey pointed out
that one of the biggest differences he's noticed since
moving is that Brunswick County residents take the
time to enjoy their surroundings. "They've got a good
thing, and they appreciate it."
He said it's the enjoyment of the simple things such
as birds fluttering through the pine trees or the setting
sun shimmering off the river that make life special.
I think most of all it s the people right here in this
community. They've got something wonderful here. It's
a great location with the river, the ocean and the clean
air," Smiling at his wife, he adds, "We picked the right
spot"
PHB* i
, , _ STAFF PHOTO BY DOUG ?UTT?
I AllL VhALhY, volunteer clerk and finance officer for Varnamtown, works at his home in Riverside.
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