February 12, 2007
OTTAWAHer Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced today the awarding of 11 Decorations for Bravery. Recipients will be invited to receive their decorations at a ceremony to be held at Rideau Hall at a later date.
On the recommendation of the Canadian Decorations Advisory Committee (Bravery), the Governor General has awarded Medals of Bravery to the following recipients:
Medal of Bravery
Sharon Jean Bard, M.B.,
Champion, Alta.
Kayla Denomme, M.B.
Toronto, Ont.
Kiana Denomme, M.B.
Toronto, Ont.
Éric Girard, M.B.
Sherbrooke, Que.
John "Jack" Eli Marsh Sr., M.B.
Clarenville, N.L.
John "Johhny" Morris Marsh Jr., M.B.
Clarenville, N.L.
Sarah McLean, M.B.
Amherstburg, Ont.
Charles François Pelletier M.B., C.D..
Victoria, B.C.
Constable Gerald Proctor, M.B.
Vancouver, B.C.
Jamie Duncan Wicks Robertson, M.B.
Calgary, Alberta
Danielle Elyse Walker, M.B.
Vanderhoof, B.C.
The citations for the recipients are attached.
The Decorations for Bravery were established in 1972 as part of the Canadian honours system. 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.
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Media and public information Frédérique Tsaï-Klassen613-993-8158 or 1-800-465-6890www.gg.ca
CITATIONS
Sharon Jean Bard, M.B., Champion, AlbertaMedal of Bravery
On December 10, 2005, Sharon Bard rescued her 13-year-old grandson and her husband from a fire that had spread through their home in Champion, Alberta. Awakened to the early morning fire by her husband's screams, Mrs. Bard jumped out of bed to alert her grandson and then led him outside through the burning debris falling on them. Despite severe burns to her hands and feet, she went back in to search for her mobility-impaired husband. Feeling her way through the thick, toxic smoke, she located the semi-conscious man on the hallway floor, grabbed him by his shirt and dragged him outside to safety.
Kayla Denomme, M.B., Toronto, OntarioKiana Denomme, M.B., Toronto, OntarioMedal of Bravery
On August 19, 2005, 13-year-old Kayla Denomme and her 12-year-old sister Kiana saved their grandmother from drowning in the flooded basement of their house during a heavy rainstorm in Toronto, Ontario. Warned of an impending tornado, the trio took refuge in the basement but the water started coming in and rapidly filled the room. The girls tried in vain to break through a window in the hope of scrambling out. While swimming amongst the floating furniture and debris in some two metres of cold, dark and dirty water, they managed to grab hold of their grandmother and made their way outside through the front door before taking shelter at a neighbour's house.
Éric Girard, M.B., Sherbrooke, QuebecMedal of Bravery
On August 7, 2005, Éric Girard saved his fiancée from drowning in Lac Saint-Jean, Quebec, after the couple's personal watercraft experienced mechanical difficulty. As night fell and they were too far from shore to be heard or seen, the couple found themselves in the water when waves over a metre high capsized their watercraft. After trying for several hours, in vain, to tow the watercraft, Mr. Girard began swimming to shore while pulling his fiancée, who was barely conscious and suffering from hypothermia. It was not until dawn, after courageously battling the powerful waves for more than four hours, that Mr. Girard finally managed to reach the shore at Vauvert, some 36 kilometres from the couple's starting point, where they received help.
John "Jack" Eli Marsh Sr., M.B., Clarenville, Newfoundland and LabradorJohn "Johhny" Morris Marsh Jr., M.B., Clarenville, Newfoundland and LabradorMedal of Bravery
On December 5, 2005, during a severe storm, Jack Marsh and his son, Johnny Marsh, rescued two fishermen brothers during a severe storm at Smith's Sound, in Trinity Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador. The victims were bringing in their loaded boat when the craft began to sink. One brother swam some 30 metres through metre-high waves to reach the shore, but the other, wearing heavy rain gear, was unable to swim against the wind. Noticing the scene from their boat, the Marsh father and son team opened up the throttle and, seconds later, were just a few metres away from the victim in the water. In a joint effort, they managed to hoist the man aboard. They then manoeuvered their boat along the rocky coast until they reached the second man and picked him up. Despite the extra weight aboard their boat and the strong wind and wave action, they reached the safety of the shore some 20 minutes later.
Sarah McLean, M.B., Amherstburg, OntarioMedal of Bravery
On January 30, 2006, Sarah McLean rescued three people from a house that burst into flames after an explosion in Amherstburg, Ontario. On hearing the blast and seeing smoke coming from the house across the street, Ms. McLean, then four months pregnant, ran to investigate. Noticing that the occupants were still inside, she rushed to the front door, which a man was trying to kick open. Without concern for her own safety, Ms. McLean removed the frame of the blown out living room window and climbed inside the smoke-filled house. As the back of the house was engulfed in flames, she led the dazed occupants out through the window one by one before she left the house and guided the group to safety.
Charles François Pelletier, M.B., Victoria, British ColumbiaMedal of Bravery
On May 27, 2004, Charles Pelletier, then a volunteer with the United Nations in Bukavu, Congo, spearheaded the evacuation of 42 people from the Orchid Hotel during gun battles between rebels and the Congolese army. When the armed troops moved closer to the hotel compound, Mr. Pelletier assembled the occupants and instructed them to take refuge on the lower floor of the lobby, which afforded more protection from mortar rounds and machine-gun fire. Acting as a human shield, he then repeatedly exposed himself to gunfire as he escorted the fleeing hotel occupants, in groups of 10, across the open courtyard to armoured personnel carriers. Thanks to Mr. Pelletier's efforts, the group escaped the riots and safely reached the UN compound, one kilometre away.
Constable Gerald Proctor, M.B., Vancouver, British ColumbiaMedal of Bravery
On the night of January 2, 2006, in Vancouver, British Columbia, police constable Gerald Proctor saved a woman from drowning after the car in which she was travelling was involved in a violent collision and landed in the Fraser River, some 20 metres from shore. Moments after the impact, the injured victim emerged from the sinking vehicle, calling desperately for help as she was swept downstream in the fast-flowing river. Witness to the scene, Cst. Proctor plunged into the freezing water and, battling the forceful current, swam to the woman some 40 metres out. Although exhausted and suffering from hypothermia, he managed to grab hold of her clothes and pulled her to shore where other police personnel offered assistance.
Jamie Duncan Wicks Robertson, M.B., Calgary, AlbertaMedal of Bravery
On October 31, 2005, in Calgary, Alberta, Jamie Robertson came to the rescue of his neighbour who was being stabbed after opening her door to a man masquerading as a trick-or-treater. The intruder had pushed his way inside and was lungeing at the victim repeatedly with a knife. Hearing the woman's screams, Mr. Robertson immediately rushed to her aid from his basement suite. He burst through the front door and pushed the assailant off the victim, struggling to gain control of the weapon. As both men fell out of the open doorway onto the ground outside, the attacker managed to break free from Mr. Robertson's grip and escaped. Despite the serious stab wounds that she incurred during the vicious attack, the victim recovered.
Danielle Elyse Walker, M.B., Vanderhoof, British ColumbiaMedal of Bravery
On August 5, 2005, 16-year-old Danielle Walker put her life in danger to save her father who was being attacked by a rampaging bull on the family farm in Vanderhoof, British Columbia. When she saw her father being tossed around by the 1200-kilogram Red Angus bull, Ms. Walker ran from the safety of an abandoned house some 300 metres away to render assistance. She raced in and repeatedly punched the enraged animal on the snout to divert its attention from her seriously injured father, ducking behind trees for cover when the beast turned towards her. She continued distracting the animal with more punches until her father was able to crawl away. The bull paced back and forth menacingly before it finally backed down, allowing the father and daughter to escape to safety.
