Star of Courage

• Awarded on: December 1, 1975
• Invested on: February 11, 1977

Montgomery Penney, S.C. (Posthumous), Lower Lance Cove, NL
Star of Courage

Montgomery Penney was drowned when he attempted to rescue two occupants of a car which plunged into the waters of Long Pond near Random Island, Newfoundland on July 4, 1974. The vehicle rolled head-on into the water when the operator lost control, negotiating a bend in the road. Of the five occupants of the car, all but one managed to escape before the vehicle sank 30 feet below the surface. Two returned ashore, but the driver and her daughter struggled to stay afloat. Upon seeing the women floundering some 75 feet offshore, motorist Montgomery Penney dove fully clothed into the pond and swam to their aid. Grabbing hold of the panic-stricken victims, Mr. Penney displayed outstanding determination to prevent them from sinking, but sadly, he was dragged underwater and all three were drowned.