Volunteers throughout the East Kootenay were celebrated on Tuesday and awarded a commemorative pin marking the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne.
Twenty-one pins were handed out at the Royal Alexandra Hall in Cranbrook.
Here is a description of the pins by the Government of Canada.
“The Royal Cypher of Her Majesty The Queen, EIIR, appears at the centre of the emblem. It makes a personal reference to the Queen as a way of marking this significant anniversary of her reign. Below the Royal Cypher is the number 70, depicted in silver white to allude to the rare and precious metal platinum, the name of a jubilee marking 70 years. These elements are framed by a 7-sided shape, along with 7 maple leaves and 7 pearls to mark the 7 decades of Her Majesty’s reign. Depicted in red and white, the national colours of Canada, these elements make several allusions to the idea of celebration. The Royal Crown appears at the top of the emblem.”
Kimberley mayor Don McCormick was one of the recipients and said it was a big honour.
“I feel humbled,” he added.
“I don’t think anyone gets into community service thinking you’re going to get recognized for it in any way.
We do it because our communities need it. We have so many worthy people in the community that perform community service.”
Cranbrook mayor Lee Pratt also received one and echoed the same sentiment.
“It’s a very nice award. We do it not because we want this but because we’re dedicated to it and it’s great to receive it but that’s not why we do it.”
McCormick said there are a lot of people in the community who deserve the recognition.
“The awards that we received today is the tip of the iceberg with respect to people in the community that are deserving of awards like this,” he added.
“I think in many respects those of us that receive them are doing it on behalf of everybody in the community.”
MP Rob Morrison presented the awards and said it’s a nice change from his usual duties.
“It’s so much fun. It doesn’t get any better than being able to present to people in the community who are providing so much volunteer time. It is fun,” he said.
“A lot of things I do every day are not that much fun. This today was a great event.”