October 19, 2011
OTTAWA—His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, announced today the awarding of one Star of Courage and nine Medals of Bravery. The recipients will be invited to receive their decorations at a ceremony to be held at a later date.
The Decorations for Bravery were created in 1972, to recognize people who risked their lives to try to save or to protect the lives of others. The Cross of Valour (C.V.) recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril; the Star of Courage (S.C.) recognizes acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril; and the Medal of Bravery (M.B.) recognizes acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.
A list of recipients and their citations, as well as a fact sheet on the Decorations for Bravery, are attached.
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Marie-Pierre Bélanger
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RECIPIENTS
STAR OF COURAGE
Kenneth Franklin Lehman, S.C.
Espanola, Ont.
MEDAL OF BRAVERY
Constable Scott Dargie, M.B.
Oshawa, Ont.
Richard Kelly, M.B. (posthumous)
Oshawa, Ont.
Constable George MacNeil, M.B.
Kenora, Ont.
Constable Kris Miclash, M.B.
Kenora, Ont.
Elaine Kathryne Spray, M.B. (posthumous)
Lundar, Man.
Jakki Spray, M.B.
Lundar, Man.
Frank William Taylor, M.B.
Ladysmith, B.C.
Kevin Thomas, M.B.
Oshawa, Ont.
Ian Joseph Wheeler, M.B., C.D.
St. John’s, N.L.
CITATIONS
STAR OF COURAGE
Kenneth Franklin Lehman, S.C.
Espanola, Ontario
Star of Courage
On March 22, 2009, Kenneth Lehman risked his life to rescue a man from an apartment fire, in Espanola, Ontario. Mr. Lehman was driving by the building when he noticed the fire. He pushed in the back door, only to be met by intense heat and thick, black smoke. Crawling, he felt his way around until he found an unconscious victim. Suddenly, an explosion went off in the apartment, forcing Mr. Lehman to quickly move the man out into the hallway. He then pulled the fire alarm and opened the main door to let others in to help evacuate other tenants. Although the victim suffered severe burns, he survived, thanks to Mr. Lehman’s courageous efforts that day.
MEDAL OF BRAVERY
Constable Scott Dargie, M.B.
Oshawa, Ontario
Richard Kelly, M.B. (posthumous)
Oshawa, Ontario
Kevin Thomas, M.B.
Oshawa, Ontario
Medal of Bravery
On November 29, 2008, Richard Kelly, Constable Scott Dargie and Kevin Thomas risked their lives in an effort to restrain a violent man, in Oshawa, Ontario. An armed intruder had entered Mr. Kelly’s house and attacked his wife and his two youngest sons. Mr. Kelly was stabbed several times as he tried to keep the man away from the other members of the family in the house. Despite his wounds, Mr. Kelly managed to grab the knife away from the attacker and throw it into the basement. He then stumbled outside, where he fell to the ground. Constable Dargie then arrived at the scene and was confronted by the attacker, who came at him with a hammer. Constable Dargie drew his gun and ordered the man to drop his weapon; but the deranged man ran inside another house and threatened to strike its elderly occupant. Constable Dargie followed him and fired two shots, successfully disabling the assailant. The constable then dragged the struggling man outside, where, with the help of Mr. Thomas, he was restrained. Sadly, the ordeal cost the lives of Mr. Kelly, his wife and one of their sons.
Constable George MacNeil, M.B.
Kenora, Ontario
Constable Kris Miclash, M.B.
Kenora, Ontario
Medal of Bravery
On May 4, 2007, constables George MacNeil and Kris Miclash, of the Treaty Three Police, risked their lives to apprehend an armed man, in Grassy Narrows First Nation, Ontario. The officers had confronted a man who had been firing a .223-calibre pump-action rifle. Constables MacNeil and Miclash took cover behind their vehicle, while yelling at the attacker to drop his weapon. Without any concern for the bystanders, the inebriated suspect kept approaching the officers and shot twice at them. During the intense confrontation, the officers, fearing for their lives and for the safety of onlookers, shot at the man, causing him to fall and drop his rifle. The constables then secured the weapon and restrained the injured gunman until an ambulance arrived.
Elaine Kathryne Spray, M.B. (posthumous)
Lundar, Manitoba
Jakki Spray, M.B.
Lundar, Manitoba
Medal of Bravery
On September 8, 2009, Elaine Spray and her daughter, Jakki, rescued Jakki’s three children from their burning bungalow, near the Interlake community of Deerhorn, Manitoba. Early that morning, Jakki and her mother were awakened by a fire in the living room. Unable to reach the bedroom where two of her daughters were sleeping, Jakki returned to her own room, broke out the window and gently dropped her two-year-old daughter to the ground below. Jakki then crawled out, placed her daughter in her vehicle and ran back to the house. Meanwhile, her mother, Elaine, had successfully rescued the six-year-old, but collapsed from the thick, black smoke before she could reach her eldest granddaughter. Jakki climbed through the broken window and retrieved her unconscious daughter. Unable to lift her mother outside, Jakki then drove to a neighbour’s house for help. Sadly, Elaine Spray succumbed to smoke inhalation and did not survive.
Frank William Taylor, M.B.
Ladysmith, British Columbia
Medal of Bravery
On July 22, 2008, Frank Taylor rescued his neighbour who was trapped inside his house engulfed in flames, in Chemainus, British Columbia. After hearing an explosion, Mr. Taylor ran onto the porch and saw the badly burnt victim trying to pull himself out through a window. Mr. Taylor grabbed the man under the armpits and pulled him backwards, out onto the porch. With the help of his father-in-law, Mr. Taylor then kicked down the railings of the deck and brought the victim into the yard. With damaged, live power lines dangling above them, Mr. Taylor was able to bring the man a safe distance away.
Ian Joseph Wheeler, M.B., C.D.
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
Medal of Bravery
On March 9, 2009, civilian search and rescue technician Ian Wheeler saved the only surviving victim of a helicopter crash off the coast of Newfoundland. The helicopter, carrying18 passengers and crew, was en route to an oil platform when it crashed into the Atlantic, leaving the lone survivor severely injured. The man was falling in and out of consciousness as he floated in a field of debris. Mr. Wheeler was lowered from a rescue helicopter and fought two-metre-high waves and the wind action from the rotor blades to reach the victim. The rescue basket was lowered to them, and after many attempts,
Mr. Wheeler was able to place the injured man inside. Mr. Wheeler remained un-tethered during the lift as he tended to the hypothermic victim, ensuring he was safe and well secured.
FACT SHEET ON THE DECORATIONS FOR BRAVERY
The Decorations for Bravery were created in 1972. They recognize people who risk their lives and choose to defy their own instinct of survival to try to save a loved one or a perfect stranger whose life is in immediate danger.
The three levels of the Decorations for Bravery reflect the degree to which the recipients put themselves at risk:
The Cross of Valour (C.V.) recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme peril.
The Star of Courage (S.C.) recognizes acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril.
The Medal of Bravery (M.B.) recognizes acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances.
Eligibility and nomination
Anyone is free to propose the name of a person who has risked injury or death in an attempt to rescue another person. The incident need not have taken place in Canada, and the rescuer need not be Canadian, but Canadians or Canadian interests must be involved. The Decorations may be awarded posthumously.
Nominations must be made within two years of the incident, or within two years after a public entity, including a court, a quasi-judicial tribunal or a coroner, has concluded its review of the circumstances surrounding the incident or act of bravery.
For more information on the Decorations for Bravery,
please visit www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=73.
