Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: April 18, 2000
• Invested on: December 08, 2000

Donald Bezanson, M.B. (Posthumous)
Matilda Amy Kentridge, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On August 29, 1999, Donald Bezanson lost his life trying to save his daughters from drowning at Herring Cove, Nova Scotia. Mr. Bezanson and his two daughters were at a popular scenic cliff when they were swept into the icy Atlantic by a wave. Battling the powerful swell, he was able to bring his four-year-old daughter back to the rocky shoreline and swim to his eight-year-old. Alerted by cries for help, Matilda Kentridge guided the younger girl away from the wet rocks and the surf while shouting encouragement to Mr. Bezanson who was desperately trying to save his other child. Seeing Mr. Bezanson slip under the surface some four metres out, Ms. Kentridge braved the pounding surf and managed to reach the panicked child. As they neared the shore, they were buffeted by the surf and became separated. Near collapse, Ms. Kentridge was thrown onto the rocks by a wave. Sadly, the eight-year-old child and her father both drowned.