Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: October 13, 2010
• Invested on: October 28, 2011

Jewel Denison, M.B.
Donald Neil Harper, M.B. (posthumous)
Medal of Bravery

On August 19, 2008, Don Harper and Jewel Denison tried to rescue a young boy from drowning, in Kingston, Ontario. Mr. Harper was at the beach with a friend and three of her grandchildren, when one of the boys was carried away by the fast current. Mr. Harper rushed into the water, but had difficulty locating the boy who was constantly being knocked over by the large waves. Mr. Harper tried several times to reach the boy, but was pulled under himself by the strong current. Alerted to the incident, Ms. Denison jumped in the water and, with great difficulty, swam out to the boy, grabbed him and made her way back to shore. Despite being completely exhausted, Ms. Denison then tried to resuscitate the child. Meanwhile, Mr. Harper became trapped in the undertow, unable to escape its strong pull. Sadly, neither Mr. Harper nor the six-year-old boy survived.