Over the past few weeks, several community leaders in our region have been awarded Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medals. These medals mark the 60th anniversary of Her Majesty becoming the Queen of Canada, and honour the contributions that Canadians from around the country have made. Each of the four winners from our region, Alan Boyd, Veera, Bonner, Jim Fraser, and Rod Voth, have worked in their own way to better their communities.
Jim Fraser is the former Mayor of Williams Lake, who has been a community activist and was involved in raising money for the Cariboo Memorial Hospital and the Mount Timothy ski hill. He has always been involved in the community, working on the Recreation Commission, Municipal Council, the board of the Cariboo Memorial Hospital, and the Hough Memorial Cancer Society.
Veera Bonner, a Chilcotin pioneer from Big Creek, has been a true leader. She has lived her entire life in Big Creek, and is an important historian of the region. She is co-author of Preserving Pioneer Memories, the definitive history of the region, which she wrote with her sisters.
Rod Voth is another community leader, who works quietly behind the scenes as a community activist. He is very involved with Rotary and an active member of The Gideons, and always has the good of the community at heart.
Alan Boyd is also a community activist, who leads by example and has played an important role in making the North Green Lake Volunteer Fire Department what it is today. With his involvement as president of the Green Lake Area Ratepayers Association and on the board of the fire department, he is a true leader.
I would like to thank each of these four outstanding individuals for their service to their community, and congratulate them on receiving the Diamond Jubilee award.
Donna Barnett is the Liberal MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin.