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Home > News and Events > Photos > Decorations for Bravery Ceremony

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Decorations for Bravery Ceremony

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On April 20, 2012, His Excellency presented 2 Stars of Courage and 36 Medals of Bravery at a ceremony at Rideau Hall. 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.

"These brave acts deserve to be remembered," said His Excellency. "These stories deserve to be passed on. Because, in these stories, we can see what caring, compassion and altruism look like distilled to their purest forms. After all, what are stories if not a piece of us, a piece of who we are and who we want to be."

On November 20, 2009, Corporal Winston Matheson, S.C., C.D., (Enfield, Nova Scotia), rescued a wounded soldier from a burning bus, following a head-on collision in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The driver of a bus carrying two passengers was unable to avoid an oncoming SUV that had drifted into his lane. On impact, Corporal Matheson was thrown forward and landed halfway through the front windshield. Despite his injuries, he made his way back inside the bus to search for the other passenger, while the bus driver escaped. Corporal Matheson grabbed the injured man and, with great difficulty, opened the emergency exit and pushed him outside. Corporal Matheson then fell unconscious but was pulled to safety before the bus became completely engulfed in flames.

On April 28, 2007, Darren Bieber, M.B. (Weyburn, Saskatchewan) and Mark Janke, M.B. (Elbow, Saskatchewan), rescued one person from a submerged vehicle, near Stoughton, Saskatchewan. A car with five people on board had lost control, left the roadway and flipped into a water-filled ditch. One of the occupants got out and ran to the road to alert passersby. Mr. Janke (pictured) stopped his vehicle and got out to help. He was able to pull two people out of the wreckage. At that point, Mr. Bieber arrived and helped Mr. Janke pull out the last two victims. Messrs. Bieber and Janke took care of the two survivors until the ambulance arrived. Sadly, three of the occupants did not survive.

On September 2, 2009, Dawn Manning, M.B. (Rossland, British Columbia), bravely fought off a cougar that was attacking her five-year-old son during a hike on Mount Abercrombie, in the State of Washington. Ms. Manning was walking with her son when a cougar sprang out of the bushes and attacked the boy. Yelling as loud as she could, Ms. Manning grabbed her metal water bottle and repeatedly hit the animal until it retreated into the bush. The boy survived, thanks to Ms. Manning’s selfless actions.

On March 17, 2010, Jeremy Michelin, M.B. (North West River, Newfoundland and Labrador), rescued a man from a possible drowning in the Sabaskauchu River, in North West River, Newfoundland and Labrador. Mr. Michelin was ice fishing when he saw a man on a snowmobile fall through the ice. He made his way to the scene on his own snowmobile, crawled to the edge of the ice and threw the end of a rope to the victim. After several attempts, the man caught and held onto it, and Mr. Michelin pulled him out of the water. Mr. Michelin got the victim onto his snowmobile and safely drove him to a nearby cabin.

On June 17, 2009, Master Corporal Daniel Rochette, M.B., C.D. (Sudbury and Napanee, Ontario), saved a man from possible drowning in the Jacques-Cartier River, in Pont-Rouge, Quebec. Master Corporal Rochette was fishing with his family when a man, standing near them, fell into the water and was carried off by the river’s powerful current. Acting quickly, Master Corporal Rochette jumped in after him, but the strong current made the situation very dangerous for both men. Master Corporal Rochette had to let go and return to the shore, from which he held out a log to the distressed man. After a few attempts, the victim managed to grab on and the rescuer pulled him to shore.

On November 6, 2009, Mr. George Rusu, M.B. (Ottawa, Ontario), risked his life to rescue a woman being attacked by her ex-boyfriend, in Ottawa, Ontario. Mr. Rusu was at the pharmacy where he worked, when he heard someone screaming. He rushed outside to find the victim on the ground, with her assailant standing over her. Mr. Rusu pulled the attacker off the woman and pushed him against the wall, struggling to keep him away from the victim. Suddenly, Mr. Rusu felt as though he was being punched in the chest, and saw that the attacker had a knife. Fearing that he would not be able to take this man on alone, Mr. Rusu ran inside the store to call 911. Only then did he realize that he had been stabbed. Emergency services arrived shortly after and the victim survived thanks to Mr. Rusu’s quick actions.

Mr. Garth Hampson was joined by the Edinburgh School Choir, from Montreal, in the singing of the National Anthem.

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