Chilliwack MLA John Les (centre) poses for photos with Diamond Jubilee Medal recipients, from left, Ron Denman, Wayne Massey, Roger Pannett and Marian Dyck.
Photograph by: Paul J. Henderson , TIMES
Chilliwack MLA John Les handed out four Diamond Jubilee Medals Monday evening at a small ceremony at the Coast Hotel.
Friends and family members gathered to witness Les give the award to Ron Denman, Roger Pannett, Marian Dyck and Wayne Massey.
"It's my hope you'll agree these people are pillars of our community," Les told the approximately 60 people in attendance.
The Diamond Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal created in 2011 to mark the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne.
There are three versions of the med-l: one issued by the UK, one by Cana-a and one in Caribbean countries.
During the year of celebrations, 60,000 medals are to be handed out across Canada.
"It's a lot of fun, I gotta tell you," Les said of making the selections, "but it's also a difficult job to make these selections."
Ron Denman was honoured for his role as the director of the Chilliwack Museum and Archives. He and his staff have published or been involved with more than a dozen community histories. He has also worked closely with the Sto: lo community on projects that led to publications as well as the repatriation of objects from other communities to Chilliwack.
Roger Pannett was honoured for his two unique roles in the community. He is Environment Canada's volunteer weather observer for Chilliwack and also the province's lone dairy technologist responsible for the inspection and licensing of 540 cow, goat, sheep and water buffalo operations, and 120 bulk tank milk graders and 91 milk tankers. (See feature on Pannett in Dec. 4 edition of the Times.)
Marian Dyck works at Odlum Brown and has been involved with countless local organizations at a leadership level. Dyck is on the board of the Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation (CEPCO) and was on the board of the Chilliwack Cultural Centre. Dyck was chosen as Woman of the Year in 2001 by Soroptomist International. She has also been involved with Rotary, the Chilliwack Chamber of Commerce, the Chilliwack Museum and Historical Society and Chilliwack Community Services. Dyck has also been involved with Les's election campaigns.
Wayne Massey is a local realtor who has been heavily involved at a leadership level of the Chilliwack Alliance Church. Massey has served as the chairman of the board for Ruth & Naomi's Street Mission since 2005 and has overseen the growth of the mission, including the construction of the newly opened facility downtown.
Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon MP Mark Strahl has a number of Diamond Jubilee Medals to give out but he was unavailable to comment on when this would happen.
