A Legion president, an advocate for people with disabilities, a food security exec, and a police officer advocating for mental health were conferred with medals from the king in Nanaimo.
Laurie Grubb, Amanda Hall, Peter Sinclair and Const. Joshua Waltman were honoured with King Charles III Coronation Medals for their service to the community at a ceremony at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre on Thursday, Sept. 5.
Grubb, Royal Canadian Legion Mount Benson Branch 256 president, went from second vice-president to president in the span of two months, according to Bill McKay, past-branch secretary, who introduced Grubb. She was a "leader extraordinaire" at a difficult time at the branch, he said. With renovations occurring and "strife," she stepped up, solved problems as they arose, not allowing them to fester and showed everyone the way.
For her part, Grubb said she was wondering why MLA Sheila Malcolmson's number showed up on caller ID when she was notified and felt "honoured" and "unworthy." Her peers at Branch 256 contributed to the medal, she said, and she will continue advocating for support for members of the Armed Forces.
"I accept this award with honour, but I do it on behalf of everybody at my branch," said Grubb. "Wounded Warriors … has been a passion of mine. I have a husband at home with PTSD, so it's been a passion. I really enjoyed working with Wounded Warriors and raising funds and community awareness of what they're all about."
Amanda Hall, a member of B.C. People First Society, writes blogs and teaches welcome workshops for Community Living B.C., sharing her experiences with Williams Syndrome. Brita Hall, CLBC provincial community engagement lead, said Amanda Hall is a mentor and role model who ensures everyone feels welcome and never feels alone.
Amanda Hall expressed thanks for the award and said she couldn't have done it without her mother, Wendy, who died in June.
"She helped me reach my goals and dreams."
Sinclair is executive director at Loaves and Fishes Community Food Bank. In his time at the helm, he started the second-ever food recovery program in B.C. in 2012. Over a span of 13 years, the amount of food being recovered and being given to those in need increased to $90 million from $800,000, expanding to 44 communities, 15 of them Indigenous.
Sinclair said he was thankful to serve his community and thankful to his family and the people who make the food bank possible.
"There are literally hundreds of people, from donors to volunteers, to staff, to board members, [that make] Loaves and Fishes the success that it is today…" he said. "What we are doing here on Vancouver Island can be scaled, not just across the province, but across the country. It is our intention as an organization to do everything we can to make sure that what we've learned here on Vancouver Island can benefit as many people as possible."
Waltman was chosen as Nanaimo RCMP's first full-time mental health liaison officer. He worked with the RCMP and Island Health leaders to develop the Car 54 program, offering emergency response to mental health and crisis calls.
Like other recipients, Waltman felt honoured to receive the award and thanked his family.
"Although I'm the one standing here accepting this award, it is not lost on me that there should be a number of people up here that made this Car 54 program come to light," Waltman said.
The medals are awarded in honour of King Charles III's coronation as British monarch in 2023.
"These medals have not been given out for 70 years, seven-zero years, because that was the last time in our Commonwealth there was a coronation," said Malcolmson. "This is a nomination process that is going on across the country … for us as members of the legislature, these are the people in our communities that we propose and that King Charles III has assented to."
Malcolmson added that Lisa Marie Barron, Nanaimo-Ladysmith member of Parliament, will announce her own selections at a future date.
