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Legion members receive Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medals
Kevin Laliberte
Smoky River Express
Two proud members of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 153 in McLennan have received one of the highest honours in Canada.
Laurent Lamoureux and Fred Napier were presented with the prestigious Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medals earlier this spring. The two worthy local recipients are among an estimated 46,000 Canadians being presented with the medals, which recognize their significant achievements and level of distinguished service to fellow citizens in their community and country.
Both Lamoureux and Napier were nominated for the medals last August by Legion president John Sobolewski.
Lamoureux, who is the branch treasurer and has been an active member for the past 35 years, was instrumental in founding the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron 730 and was commissioned as an officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force Reserve that same year prior to retiring from the squadron in 1967 with the rank of captain.
“Comrade Lamoureux has been active in the Legion and is a past-president, having served in that capacity for seven years,” said Sobolewski in his letter of recommendation to Dominion Command.
During his presidency, he spearheaded the construction of the two Legion manors in McLennan as well as serving as chairperson for the management committee for the two facilities for 17 years between 1976 and 1993.
Lamoureux was also town manager for the Town of McLennan for 33 years from 1961 to 1994 in addition to serving as a director and president of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA), a director of the Alberta Housing Corporation and a member of the Alberta Multiculturalism Commission.
“While president of the AUMA, Comrade Lamoureux represented the province of Alberta on a tour of NATO and the European Economic Community, including visits to SHAPE, the Council of Europe and the Canadian military base in Lhar, Germany. He was also invited by former Alberta Premier Peter Lougheed as a municipal observer to the 1980 Constitutional Conference in Ottawa,” said Sobolewski.
Napier, meanwhile, enlisted with the Canadian Army Royal Canadian Grenadier Guards in 1942, serving overseas in England, France, Belgium, Holland and Germany.
He returned to the region in 1946 after being demobilized as a guardsman and moved to McLennan from High Prairie in 1951 where he spent the next 33 years working for the Northern Alberta Railroad.
Napier, who has been a proud member of the Legion since 1951, has an impressive track record with his local branch having served all positions on the executive – a distinction which earned him the Meritorious Service Medal in 1999.
“Fred presently holds the positions of vice-president and poppy chairperson with the Legion and is a valuable asset to the community through his ongoing volunteer work,” said Sobolewski.
Napier, meanwhile, says his involvement with the Legion as an active member over the past five decades is all about giving something back to the community.
“I’ve always been dedicated to the Legion and committed to the community. I truly enjoy being a part of the organization and volunteering my time,” he said last week.
His volunteer work over the years includes involvement with the hospital, Meals on Wheels and the fire department as well as the Boy Scouts of Canada and the Elk’s Lodge. Napier has also held the title of president of the Northern Alberta Historical Railway Society since 1984, a position which he recently stepped down from due to other commitments.
“I won’t be around for a good part of the summer so I can’t make a full-time commitment to the position, but I’ll still volunteer whenever I can,” he said
Napier received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal and an official certificate of appreciation last month during a District 3 Legion rally in Valleyview. Making the presentation to a surprised Napier was District 3 Commander Tom Bedford of Fairview.
“It really came as a shock to me. I had no idea what was happening at the time,” he said.
Napier, who has nine service medals to his credit, said the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal ranks right up there as one of his most precious awards.
“The Meritorious Service Medal means the most to me personally, but this one ranks a close second,” he added.
Laurent received his medal during the McLennan Legion’s regular monthly meeting in April and was unavailable for comment.
The commemorative medal was created to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee as Queen of Canada.
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