Northeast Saskatchewan’s best and most selfless attended this past weekend at the Kerry Vickar Centre in Melfort, to receive a prestigious honour named after a key figure in Canada’s history.
A total of 54 people, from a variety of communities in the area, received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.
Recipients were either nominated by the City of Melfort or the Melfort Constituency.
Fields of outstanding service included volunteer, military, public, religious, business/commerce, health care, sports, law, social, education, protective, and law enforcement.
“We are gathered to pay tribute to those who have given their time and talents in service to their communities, our province and our country,” a statement from the festivities read.
Saskatchewan’s Platinum Jubilee Medal commemorates the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne as Queen of Canada.
And while her passing this past September made the celebration bittersweet, it also made the honour particularly special, as it marks the final comings of the medals.
According to the ceremony, Her late Majesty expressed her wish that Jubilee events be an occasion for enjoying a sense of togetherness and optimism about the future.
“Today’s medal recipients lead, rather than waiting to be led,” the statement continued to read. “They tackle challenges head-on and see problems as opportunities, instead of obstacles.”
Todd Goudy, MLA for the Melfort Constituency shared master of ceremony duties with Melfort Mayor Glenn George, and told northeastNOW about his view, regarding both the ceremony itself, and the people it honoured.
“You get to see what goes on in the background and you hear about a lot of things that others may not get a chance to. When it comes time to give awards and you see the names that are brought forward, I think it’s important to give credit and highlight the hard work of the people that don’t get credit and maybe aren’t recognized,” Goudy said.
“Knowing a lot of those recipients, very few of them would have thought they were worthy to receive a medal and would have named other people as recipients, which is funny because oftentimes, a true servant doesn’t even realize what they’re doing, and how much it’s appreciated.”
Per the Government of Saskatchewan website, a total of 7,000 medals were awarded this year, as a tangible way for the province of Saskatchewan to honour Her Majesty for her service to Canada.
This marked the fifth time in history the medals were doled out (1953, 1977, 2002, 2012, and now 2022).
Mayor Glenn George explained how he felt these people represented that to a tee.
“It did my heart good to see that many people and that diverse of people turn out for a very important event and it just proves to me more than ever that there is so much talent in Melfort and surrounding area, and that just makes me proud to be from here.”
The Melfort Constituency features the likes of Melfort, St. Brieux, Naicam, Lake Lenore, Watson, the R.M. of Nipawin and Kinistino, and more.
One of the winners is well known in Melfort, as she works for a variety of volunteer organizations in the community. She added her comments about being recognized alongside such great fellow colleagues.
“It’s always nice to be recognized for your volunteering work or for that dedication to your job, but that’s not why we do it. It’s always rather humbling for me, and a little bit embarrassing because we’re kind of brought up, not to brag about ourselves. I talked to a couple of the other people, and they kind of had the same feeling; we didn’t expect this,” Peggy George said.
“I have always respected that we are part of the Commonwealth and that we are under the British Empire and so to have something with her insignia on it, that’s pretty special. And, knowing that this is going to be the last one, she has given many medals over the years, so it’s pretty sweet,” she said.
For more photos of the event, available for download, click here.
–
Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com
On Twitter @BenTompkins_8
