Free Market Foundation honours former executive manager with award renaming
The Free Market Foundation (FMF) has bid farewell to Executive Manager, Gail Day, who retired at the end of February after being involved with the FMF since 1987.
In recognition of Day’s tireless dedication to managing the administrative machinery of the Foundation (mostly behind the scenes), the FMF has named the ‘Gail Day Unsung Heroes Award’ in her honour.
The award’s logo is that of a cyclist pedalling uphill. This not only recognises Day’s passion for cycling all across the world, but also her relentless hard work advancing the cause of personal freedom, private property, and limited government.
“I could not think of a better way to honour the legacy of Gail Day, whose immense contribution to freedom in South Africa should be more widely recognised,” said David Ansara, FMF Chief Executive.
Established in 2021, the Unsung Heroes Award, formerly known as the ‘Free Market Foundation Award’ (not to be confused with the ‘Free Market Award’ bestowed since 1980), is bestowed upon those who have made notable contributions to the cause of individual liberty and limited government in South Africa and abroad with little or no acknowledgement. Whether these unsung heroes are conscious of the service they are rendering to the cause of liberty, or whether it is a necessary by-product of their work, is no factor.
The first recipient of the Award in 2021 was the advocacy group Pandemics: Data and Analytics (PANDA), for making a credible case for freedom as an alternative to lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second recipient, soon after, was Sihle Ngobese (also known as ‘Big Daddy Liberty’), for his frank, honest and far-reaching voice that advocates for the principles and practice of liberty and libertarian values in South Africa.
David Ansara (left) and Gail Day (right) at the Unsung Heroes Award renaming ceremony, 28 February 2023.
“South Africa has many unsung heroes for freedom – like Gail herself – whose work we hope to highlight through this award. Our aim is to draw attention to those ordinary South Africans who do extraordinary things to advance the cause of liberty and prosperity in our country,” said Ansara.
Click on the thumbnail below to watch the FMF’s video tribute to Gail Day: