INNISFAIL – There was a moving celebration on March 1 at the Innisfail Golf Club for 25 special citizens from across the region.
Each of them deserving recognition for their contributions to their own community, and even beyond.
It was an event initiated and organized by Red Deer-Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen and his staff to salute each selected regional citizen with the King Charles III Coronation Medal, a commemorative medal created to mark the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, which took place on 6 May 2023.
The Canadian version of the medal, made from nickel silver and coloured silver with a diameter of 32 millimetres (1.3 in) and with a ring suspension, is the first domestic commemorative medal to mark a coronation.
Canada has issued 30,000 coronation medals, awarding them to select members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Public Service, as well as individuals who made significant contributions to the country or achieved accomplishments that brought credit to Canada.
The Innisfail event witnessed 21 worthy regional citizens receiving medals, with another already getting one in February and three more to be honoured later in March.
“It's unique with the King's coronation and there are so many great people in the community to recognize that,” said Dreeshen of the March 1 event. “It was certainly worthwhile.
“We have these important people in our lives and the turmoil one might see outside of the community shouldn't be reaching inside, and we have to make a point of recognizing excellence and compassion,” he added. “One of the things that we had done is reaching out to all the communities within the riding and asking them if they could nominate and give us some names of people who were worthy of recognition.
“It was so nice that that we had that happen from throughout Central Alberta.”
The medals were given out to worthy recipients from almost all communities in the region, including the City of Red Deer, Mountain View County, Red Deer, County, Carstairs, Cremona, Sundre, Didsbury, Olds, Innisfail and Penhold.
“I know most of these people very well, and others I've just sort of met in passing but you know their reputation, and I have followed them along,” said Dreeshen.
Medal recipient Graham Stewart Ford of Penhold has had a long admirable record for heritage preservation and philanthropy, especially in support of youth.
“The real people who deserve it (medal) are those who are out in the trenches, so to speak with the population and doing individual things to warrant the growth of the nation and community and helping those who need help,” said Ford. “In my case it’s very easy to write a cheque but it's much more important to reward those who don't write the cheques and do it through the sweat and work they do.”
Lance Colby has served his citizens in Carstairs as a town councillor and mayor for 22 years.
Colby said he was proud to receive the medal and was humbled to be among such a group of distinguished and humble recipients.
“It's such a varied group of people, and to see and hear what they've done and what they've accomplished in their service to Alberta and to the people is a great honour,” said Colby.
Innisfail’s Rita Kemp has been a community builder for several decades, particularly on the heritage preservation front.
Kemp said she will wear her medal “proudly forever.”
“You have to be thankful for where you came from and appreciate it,” said Kemp. “I guess that’s where I fit into it, because I'm part of what the good nation is built on. The next generation will be standing on my shoulders and the rest of the recipients’ shoulders.”
Dr. Robert Graham Warren, a medal recipient from Sundre, said he believed like many other recipients it was important to give back to the community they serve and to help it become as “strong and as healthy as possible.
“We don't do it for recognition,” said Warren, a physician in Sundre for the past 13 years. “It's a very impressive group of people, and I'm honoured to be included among them. This group of people have made amazing contributions to Central Alberta.”
Olds’ Katherine Kemmere’ was honoured with a medal for her work in palliative care and gave Dreeshen credit for recognizing the work that has been done in her field and the community.
“Earl has been very present in our support for hospice palliative care over the last 18 years, and I appreciate him showing up and helping us out,” said Kemmere. “So, yes it means a lot to have the recognition.”
Below is a complete list of the 25 regional citizens who were selected by their communities to be honoured with the King Charles III Coronation Medal:
Derek John Baird - Innisfail
Bruce B. Beattie - Didsbury
Gloria Mae Beck - Red Deer County
Jesse Burge Innisfail
Robert ‘Dean’ Clark - Innisfail
Lance Colby - Carstairs
Matha Elena Cortes Polo - Red Deer – not in attendance
Graham ‘Stewart’ Ford - Penhold
Jordan Xavier Fournier - Innisfail
Mary Eileen Gardiner - Red Deer
Tami Louise Gardner - Olds – not in attendance
Major Robert Charles Hammel - Olds
Kevin Heerema - Mountain View County
Kathryn Lynn Hoffman - Red Deer - received medal Feb. 14
Garth Terry Ingham - Innisfail – not in attendance
Katherine Kemmere - Olds
Rita Nicholson Kemp - Innisfail
Shaun Alexander McGee - Olds
Donna Cheryl Purcell - Red Deer
Scott Campbell Robinson - Red Deer
Joseph Ching Shi - Cremona
Thomas Robert Towers - Red Deer County
Dr. Robert Graham Warren - Sundre
Kirk Bradley Wassmer - Didsbury
Cassandra Pam Yousph- Carstairs
