June 21, 2004 OTTAWA– Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, Governor General of Canada, and His Excellency John Ralston Saul will preside over a presentation ceremony of the Decorations for Bravery at Rideau Hall on Friday, June 25, at 10:30 a.m. The Governor General will present two recipients with the Star of Courage and 32 Canadians and one Mexican with the Medal of Bravery. The Decorations for Bravery––the Cross of Valour, the Star of Courage and the Medal of Bravery––were instituted in 1972. The Cross of Valour is awarded for acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril. The Star of Courage is awarded for acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril. The Medal of Bravery is awarded for acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances. A media schedule for the Bravery decorations presentation ceremony (Annex A), and a complete list of recipients (Annex B) are attached. Citations for the recipients appear at the end of this document. -30- Media information Rideau Hall Press Office (613) 993-8157 or (613) 998-0287 or (613) 998-7280 Public information The Chancellery of Honours, Government House (613) 993-2569 or 1-800-465-6890 For more information on the Canadian Honours System, please visit the Governor General's web site at www.gg.ca ANNEX A The scenario for the ceremony is as follows: 9:45 a.m. Arrival of media 9:55 a.m. Sound and light checks 10:00 a.m. Guests begin to arrive in the Ballroom 10:15 a.m. All media are in place 10:30 a.m. Their Excellencies enter the Ballroom Vice-Regal Salute The Governor General speaks The Governor General presents the Decorations for Bravery 11:30 a.m. National Anthem End of ceremony ANNEX B STAR OF COURAGE Marie Leia Marion Claire Hunt-Hans, S.C., Île-Perrot, Quebec Master Corporal David Michael Pawulski, S.C., C.D., Waterville, Nova Scotia MEDAL OF BRAVERY RCMP Constable Josephee Frederick Baines, M.B., Cape Dorset, Nunavut James Austin Bates, M.B., Bateston, Nova Scotia Master Corporal Joseph Carl Steeve Bédard, M.B., C.D., Greenwood, Nova Scotia Terence Boudreault, M.B., Saint-Lambert, Quebec Robert Neil Cardinal, M.B., (deceased), Edmonton, Alberta Richard B. Cook, M.B., Belleville, Ontario George Anthony Daix, M.B., Glace Bay, Nova Scotia Chantal Dufort, M.B., Repentigny, Quebec Wayne Maurice Ferguson, M.B., Birken, British Columbia Gary George Ferrier, M.B., (posthumous), Durham, Ontario RCMP Constable Guy Joseph Roger Francis Forcier, M.B., White Rock, British Columbia Jaxon Glaubitz, M.B., Vegreville, Alberta Sergeant Joseph André Hotton, M.B., C.D., Berwick, Nova Scotia David G. Jackson, M.B., Jewel Lake, British Columbia Garry Kakoschke, M.B., Kelowna, British Columbia Stephan Kesting, M.B., Burnaby, British Columbia Mandip Kooner, M.B., Surrey, British Columbia Chad Kratko, M.B., Vegreville, Alberta Dale Raymond Lefebvre, M.B., Vegreville, Alberta Daniel Archibald MacInnis, M.B., Sydney, Nova Scotia Jardath James Nelson, M.B., Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta Gary Nylund, M.B., Surrey, British Columbia Kylie Pike, M.B., Toronto, Ontario Mark Pfeifer, M.B., Surrey, British Columbia Felipe de Jesús Rosete Vázquez , M.B., Sinaloa, Mexico Clinton Michael Douglas Rozak, M.B., Aldergrove, British Columbia Mark Thomas Sanders, M.B., Surrey, British Columbia Carmen Kimberly Schick, M.B., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Pearl Audrey Shaw, M.B., (posthumous), Hanmer, Ontario Captain Kyle Michael Strong, M.B., Spruce Grove, Alberta Erich Schulz, M.B., (posthumous), Ayton, Ontario Jacqueline Rhoda Watt, M.B., (posthumous) , Saskatoon, Saskatchewan RCMP Constable Robert Glenn Wolfenden, M.B., Pelican Narrows, Saskatchewan CITATIONS The Star of Courage Marie Leia Marion Claire Hunt-Hans, S.C., Île-Perrot, Que. Star of Courage On March 3, 2003, 11-year-old Leia Hunt-Hans set out alone in the wilderness to try to find help for her injured father after their snowmobile had plunged down a deep ravine and crashed through an ice-covered stream in Wentworth-Nord, Quebec. Cold and terrified by the howling wind and wolves, Leia courageously set out in total darkness on a nearby lake in a vain attempt to find assistance. She found her way back to her father after walking some three kilometres, and the two huddled together, wet, in minus 27oC temperature, until sunrise. With her boots now caked in ice, Leia set out again down a snowmobile path and walked six kilometres before being found by snowmobilers who informed her that her father had been rescued. Although Leia survived the ordeal, her right foot and left toes had to be amputated. Master Corporal David Michael Pawulski, S.C., C.D., Waterville, Nova Scotia Star of Courage On July 18, 2002, MCpl Pawulski, then Cpl, saved the life of a fellow crew member after their helicopter crashed in a heavily wooded area of northeastern Labrador. Following the aircraft's violent collision with the ground, MCpl Pawulski managed to extricate himself from the wreckage, in spite of serious back and neck fractures. Using a satellite phone, he placed a distress call after assessing the condition of his three teammates. With the still-roaring engines posing a serious threat, MCpl Pawulski freed the other surviving crew member from the twisted debris and dragged him away from the wreckage to render first aid. In spite of fading daylight and heavy rain, MCpl Pawulski, ignoring the pain from his own injuries, spent the next two and a half hours preparing signals for a search and rescue team to locate the site and airlift them to safety. Sadly, the tragedy claimed the lives of the two pilots. The Medal of Bravery RCMP Constable Josephee Frederick Baines, M.B., Cape Dorset, Nunavut RCMP Constable Robert Glenn Wolfenden, M.B., Pelican Narrows, SK Medal of Bravery On August 4, 2001, Csts. Baines and Wolfenden rescued a couple who were trapped inside their burning house, in Iqaluit, Nunavut. Alerted from nearby to the fire, the officers rushed to the scene where the occupants were screaming for help from a second floor window. Without hesitation, the rescuers raced inside but were soon forced back out by the blinding smoke and toxic fumes. Undeterred, they held wet towels over their mouths and made their way upstairs. Braving the extreme heat from a bedroom engulfed in flames, they continued their search until they found the disoriented couple in a nearby living room. Csts. Baines and Wolfenden gave them their wet towels and after convincing the uncooperative woman that her children were safe, guided the couple outside. James Austin Bates, M.B., Bateston, Nova Scotia Daniel Archibald MacInnis, M.B., Sydney, Nova Scotia Medal of Bravery On August 7, 2002, James Bates and Daniel MacInnis rescued a man and his four-year-old son from drowning at Catalone Gut Beach, Nova Scotia. Father and son were sitting on a rubber float when a gust of wind carried them farther out and threw them into the choppy water. Alerted to the situation from the beach, Mr. Bates and Mr. MacInnis, both non-swimmers, grabbed an old wooden boat and paddled through the crashing waves toward the pair, more than a kilometre away. Reaching their side, they pulled the young victim from his father's grasp and brought him aboard, before hauling the semi-conscious man over the stern of the unstable craft. Trying desperately to row back against the forceful winds, they drifted precariously for some 30 minutes before a rescue boat arrived and towed them back to shore. Master Corporal Joseph Carl Steeve Bédard, M.B., C.D., Greenwood, Nova Scotia Sergeant Joseph André Hotton, M.B., C.D., Berwick, Nova Scotia Medal of Bravery On September 30, 2002, Search and Rescue technicians MCpl Steeve Bédard and Sgt André Hotton rescued a severely injured man following a helicopter crash in a rugged and mountainous area near Natashquan, Quebec. During the last moments of daylight, the rescue team of a Hercules aircraft located the helicopter on a steep embankment in a deep river valley. Without concern for their own safety, Sgt Hotton and MCpl Bédard parachuted into the heavily forested crash site. Using improvisational means, they managed to free the sole survivor trapped in the crushed wreckage. In the cold and dark, they cared for the suffering man until a rescue helicopter arrived to airlift them to safety, some seven hours later. Terence Boudreault, M.B., Saint-Lambert, Quebec Medal of Bravery On July 16, 2002, Terence Boudreault, then 15 years of age, rescued his father from a helicopter wreck after a crash landing on the side of a remote lake, in the Roberval region of Quebec. Noting the severity of the situation from the shore, Mr. Boudreault swam to the half-submerged craft and, in chest-deep water, he managed to open the door and get his unconscious father out of the burning helicopter, and then pull him through debris and branches to shore. Overcoming his fear of an explosion, Mr. Boudreault returned to the helicopter three times to turn off the engine and recover the first aid kit and signalling equipment, which enabled rescue personnel to locate them several hours later. Robert Neil Cardinal, M.B., (deceased) Edmonton, Alberta Medal of Bravery On April 13, 2001, Robert Cardinal suffered severe burns while helping members of his family escape their burning apartment in Edmonton, Alberta. After a vain attempt to douse the rapidly spreading flames, Mr. Cardinal instructed his wife and children to flee their fourth-floor apartment through a window. Realizing that his six-year-old nephew was missing, Mr. Cardinal went searching for him through the smoke-filled dwelling. Unable to locate the boy, Mr. Cardinal, overcome by smoke, escaped the apartment by breaking though the flaming door. He managed to crawl into the hallway, where he collapsed, his clothes still on fire. Moments later, Mr. Cardinal and the child were rescued by firefighters and brought to safety. The decoration will be received by his mother, Mrs. Yvonne Cardinal. Richard B. Cook, M.B., Belleville, Ontario Medal of Bravery On March 12, 2001, Richard Cook put his life at risk when he stopped to assist the survivors of an accident on highway 401 near Trenton, Ontario. Mr. Cook was driving to work in the freezing rain when he witnessed the horrific scene. An out-of-control minivan had hit the median and bounced back onto the icy road where it was broadsided by a tractor-trailer. Mr. Cook immediately stopped his vehicle and rushed onto the busy slippery highway to assist the severely injured victims. Seeing that the van was in flames, he helped the driver escape the vehicle before racing to check on the injured passengers who had been ejected from the minivan and were lying unconscious in the middle of the roadway. Without concern for his own safety, Mr. Cook remained by their side until emergency services arrived to block traffic and take over the rescue. George Anthony Daix, M.B., Glace Bay, Nova Scotia Medal of Bravery On June 30, 2002, George Daix attempted to save a twenty-month-old girl from a burning house in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. When he discovered that a neighbour's house was on fire, Mr. Daix rushed to the scene, awakened the two babysitters and instructed them to escape with the small boy at their side. Informed that a toddler was in a second-floor bedroom, he then raced up the stairs, but was driven out by the thick, toxic smoke that filled the hallway. Although suffering from smoke inhalation, Mr. Daix made two more attempts to reach the child but was forced out each time by the intense smoke. Despite bursting lungs, he managed on his fourth try to kick open the child's bedroom door before being driven out again just as emergency crews arrived. The little girl was rescued, unharmed, by a firefighter. Chantal Dufort, M.B., Repentigny, Quebec Medal of Bravery On the night of June 10, 1999, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Chantal Dufort helped evacuate four women and six children from a women's shelter after a man wielding a rifle broke in to kill his wife and set fire to the shelter. After getting past the agitated man, who was pointing the rifle at her, Ms. Dufort raced upstairs to the second floor to tell the occupants to leave the building, before escaping through a back door and sounding the alarm. When informed that some residents were still missing, Ms. Dufort went back inside, in spite of continual gunfire, where she found the women huddled together in a second-floor bedroom, and managed to escort them outside just before help arrived. Wayne Maurice Ferguson, M.B., Birken, British Columbia Medal of Bravery On May 8, 2000, Wayne Ferguson rescued a fisherman from drowning at Lillooet Lake, near Pemberton, British Columbia. The victim had plunged into near-freezing water when his canoe was overturned by the rough waves. Alerted to the situation, Mr. Ferguson, a non-swimmer, boarded a small aluminum boat and battled the choppy waters until he located the man, some 70 metres from shore. Ignoring the danger of capsizing, he maneuvered the craft alongside the unresponsive victim in an attempt to shield him from the high wind and waves. Unable to haul the man into the boat, Mr. Ferguson fastened him to the side of the craft with ropes and, although completely exhausted, succeeded in towing him within a few metres of shore, where others had come to help. Gary George Ferrier, M.B. (posthumous), Durham, Ontario Erich Schulz, M.B. (posthumous), Ayton, Ontario Medal of Bravery On August 15, 2000, Erich Schulz died while trying to assist Gary George Ferrier, who also lost his life, in an attempt to rescue a co-worker from the bottom of a liquid manure spreader tank, on a farm near Drayton, Ontario. Alerted that a colleague had collapsed after going down into the faulty tank, Mr. Ferrier ran to his rescue. Although fully aware that the gases contained in the confined area presented a grave risk to his own life, he climbed down to the bottom of the 18,000-litre metal cylinder but was, himself, soon overcome by the toxic fumes. When Mr. Ferrier failed to reappear, Mr. Schulz jumped into the tank with a rope in an attempt to save him, but he too succumbed to the poisonous gas. Regrettably, efforts to revive them were unsuccessful. The decoration awarded to Mr. Ferrier will be received by his daughter, Ms. Camille Ferrier. The decoration awarded to Mr. Schulz will be received by his brother, Mr. Walter Schulz. RCMP Constable Guy Joseph Roger Francis Forcier, M.B., White Rock, B.C. Garry Kakoschke, M.B., Kelowna, B.C. Clinton Michael Douglas Rozak, M.B., Aldergrove, B.C. Medal of Bravery On November 13, 2000, Cst. Forcier, security officer Rozak and Mr. Kakoschke chased an armed robber outside a shopping mall in Langley, British Columbia. Pursuing the gunman who had robbed a jewelry store and threatened its employees, the trio caught up with him at the mall's exit. As he struggled to break free from their grip, the thief swung the gun, hitting Mr. Kakoschke on the head. In spite of the pistol aimed directly at them, Mr. Forcier and Mr. Rozak managed to wrestle the assailant to the ground, to disarm and to restrain him until local police arrived to apprehend him. Jaxon Glaubitz, M.B., Vegreville, Alberta Chad Kratko, M.B., Vegreville, Alberta Dale Raymond Lefebvre, M.B., Vegreville, Alberta Medal of Bravery On February 14, 2003, firefighters Jaxon Glaubitz, Chad Kratko and Dale Lefebvre rescued two co-workers from a burning service station in Vegreville, Alberta. The victims, who were part of a team that entered the structure to try to contain the blaze, were trapped when a portion of the roof came down on them. Undeterred by the imminent danger of the entire structure giving way, Mr. Glaubitz and Mr. Kratko immediately made their way inside the blazing building and pulled one of the unconscious victims out of the burning rubble. Catching a glimpse of another colleague's equipment under the debris, Mr. Lefebvre rushed into the smoke-filled building and had begun pulling the victim out when his head gear was knocked off by falling debris. Seeing his colleagues' predicament, Mr. Glaubitz re-entered the structure to assist them. Fortunately, all the men exited safely, seconds before the remainder of the roof collapsed. David G. Jackson, M.B., Jewel Lake, British Columbia Medal of Bravery On May 23, 2000, David Jackson rescued a fisherman from his submerged vehicle, in Jewel Lake, British Columbia. The fisherman was loading his boat onto his truck when the vehicle suddenly rolled backwards into the lake. He jumped inside to try to stop it but the truck floated away. He was trapped inside the vehicle that quickly filled with water and sank, some seven metres from shore. Alerted by screams, Mr. Jackson entered the cold, murky water and dived down to the vehicle, stuck in the silt-covered bottom, some five metres below the surface. Although forced to come up for air several times, he persevered in his efforts to pry open the passenger's door, inches at a time. Squeezing his upper body through the doorframe, he then groped inside the cab until he felt the man's unconscious body. Despite failing strength, Mr. Jackson grabbed hold of the victim's shirt, managed to dislodge the man's foot, which was pinned between the door and the frame, and pulled him out. Once on shore, Mr. Jackson revived the victim with the assistance of others. Stephan Kesting, M.B., Burnaby, British Columbia Mandip Kooner, M.B., Surrey, British Columbia Gary Nylund, M.B., Surrey, British Columbia Mark Pfeifer, M.B., Surrey, British Columbia Medal of Bravery On July 31, 2001, Stephan Kesting, Mandip Kooner, Gary Nylund and Mark Pfeifer rescued two fellow firefighters trapped in one of the largest building fires ever to occur in the municipality of Delta, British Columbia. With two of their colleagues unaccounted for, the foursome from the Rapid Intervention Team went inside the smoke-filled structure despite warnings that the burning warehouse was in danger of collapsing. In spite of depleting air supplies, they dug by hand through heavy piles of paper and rubble until they found the two victims, buried under the debris. The team managed to free the injured firefighters, and carried them outside to safety, moments before the unstable building collapsed. Jardath James Nelson, M.B., Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta Felipe de Jesús Rosete Vázquez, M.B., Sinaloa, Mexico Medal of Bravery On July 26, 2002, Jardath Nelson and Felipe Rosete saved three children from drowning near Ensenada, Mexico. Noticing two boys and a girl being taken out by the strong current, Mr. Rosete, although not a strong swimmer, immediately ran into the water to assist. After a 20-minute struggle against the fierce undertow, he managed despite failing strength to bring the girl back to shore. Meanwhile, after tying a long rope of seaweed around his waist, Mr. Nelson swam out until he caught sight of one of the boys from a distance and threw him the rope. Fighting the high surf, he swam back to shore with the victim in tow. Although weakened by his efforts, he then returned for the third child, who had been pulled farther out to sea by the strong riptide. Once at his side, Mr. Nelson secured the rope around the semi-conscious victim's waist and swam back to shallower waters, where others provided assistance. Kylie Pike, M.B., Toronto, Ontario Medal of Bravery On January 7, 2002, Kylie Pike saved a five-year-old boy from a burning apartment, in Mississauga, Ontario. Returning home from work, Ms. Pike noticed heavy smoke pouring out of a neighbouring apartment building and rushed to the scene. When she learned that two children were trapped inside, she climbed onto a storage shed to gain access to the apartment through a broken bedroom window. Guided by the sound of a faint gasp, she searched the smoke-filled room until she located one of the children on a bed. After picking him up, she lifted the boy through the window to waiting hands. Despite the peril she faced, Ms. Pike remained in the flaming apartment, frantically searching for the second child, until firefighters arrived and completed the rescue. Mark Thomas Sanders, M.B., Surrey, B.C. Medal of Bravery On August 29, 2001, Mark Sanders drove after four men following an armed robbery in a jewelry store in Surrey, British Columbia. When the robbers suddenly got out of their vehicle and ran through a townhouse complex parking lot, Mr. Sanders continued to chase them on foot. As he came closer to them, one of the men turned around and fired gunshots directly at him, barely missing him. With complete disregard for his own safety, Mr. Sanders kept pursuing the bandits, shouting out warnings to nearby citizens, while the men fled in a second getaway vehicle. Thanks to Mr. Sanders' bold efforts, the vehicle was identified and the robbers were ultimately apprehended. Carmen Kimberly Schick, M.B., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Medal of Bravery On July 13, 2001, Carmen Schick risked her life to save two children from being crushed between a wall and an out-of-control vehicle in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The young brother and sister were heading to a grocery store when a truck, failing to stop in a parking space, headed straight for them. Seeing that they were directly in the path of the vehicle and unable to get the driver's attention, Ms. Schick pushed the children aside and tried jumping out of harm's way. She took the full impact when she was struck by the vehicle and pinned against the wall. As a result of her valiant efforts to protect the children, Ms. Schick suffered multiple serious injuries. Pearl Audrey Shaw, M.B. (posthumous), Hanmer, Ontario Medal of Bravery On April 22, 2001, seventy-five-year-old Pearl Shaw lost her life while attempting to save her two great-grandchildren she was babysitting, aged three and four, from their burning house in Hanmer, Ontario. When the fire broke out in the basement, Mrs. Shaw was seen by neighbours momentarily exiting the front door of the blazing dwelling, shouting that the children were trapped inside. As others raced to the scene, she dashed back in to try to save the little boy and his sister but the rapidly spreading flames transformed the dwelling into an inferno, foiling further rescue efforts. Sadly, all three perished in the fire. The decoration will be received by her daughter, Ms. Linda McLean. Captain Kyle Michael Strong, M.B., Spruce Grove, Alberta Zachary Vanthournout, M.B., C.D., Sackville, New Brunswick Medal of Bravery On March 14, 2002, while on a mission in Afghanistan, Capt Strong, then Lieutenant, and Mr. Vanthournout, then Warrant Officer, risked their lives to rescue a crew member who was falling out of the open back of a helicopter during takeoff. After landing on uneven ground, the pilot suddenly executed a premature takeoff, causing the victim to slide off the aircraft's lowered ramp. Hanging dangerously off the edge of the ramp, the man managed to grab onto a colleague's leg. Without concern for his own safety, Mr. Vanthournout removed part of his equipment and leaned out to grab the victim by his rucksack. Seeing his colleagues' predicament, Capt Strong also rushed forward and, in spite of the turbulence, assisted in pulling the victim from his precarious position back into the helicopter. Mr. Vanthournout received his decoration at a ceremony held on September 12, 2003. Jacqueline Rhoda Watt, M.B., (Posthumous) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Medal of Bravery On January 24, 2002, Jacqueline Watt lost her life trying to prevent a man from stabbing his estranged girlfriend and their two-year-old son, in Langham, Saskatchewan. After the boy's father broke into her friend's apartment, Ms. Watt instructed the mother to run for help while she stayed behind to stop the knife-wielding father from getting closer to the child. In doing so, she was stabbed by the attacker and fell to her knees, severely injured. She managed to get up in a desperate effort to reach the child, but was stabbed again by her assailant. Sadly, Ms. Watt succumbed to her wounds but, thanks to her valiant efforts, the toddler survived the brutal attack. The decoration will be received by her sister, Ms. Tammy Watt.
