Yvonne Parchoma of Blaine Lake is among the diverse group of individuals from across the country; she was a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal at a formal awards ceremony held in Prince Albert Sept. 4.
"To celebrate her Diamond Jubilee anniversary as queen, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II ordered that a commemorative medal be struck and presented to Canadians," states a press release. "The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal is a tangible way for Canada to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country. At the same time, it serves to honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians."
Parchoma was nominated by the Blaine Lake RCMP detachment for displaying exemplary duties during her more than 30 years employed with the detachment. The RCMP from across the country were allotted 2,300 medals to award to deserving regular and civilian members, 136 to public service employees and 64 to be presented to auxiliaries. The opportunity to recognize deserving individuals within the law enforcement department is an honour.
Nomination forms were submitted then reviewed by the Divisional Recognition Committee resulting in the select of the final recipients. During 2012, 60,000 Canadians will be honoured with the commemorative medal.
Also receiving the award was former resident of Blaine Lake, Sgt. John Kalmakoff. Kalmakoff was born and raised in the Blaine Lake area and is son to John and Doreen Kalmakoff of Blaine Lake.
The medal is described as having the crowned image of the sovereign, in whose name the medal is bestowed. The reverse marks the 60th, or diamond, anniversary of the accession to the throne of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The anniversary is expressed by the central diamond shape, by the background composed of a pattern of diamonds and by two dates. The royal cypher consists of the royal crown above the letters EIIR (i.e., Elizabeth II Regina, the latter word meaning Queen in Latin). The maple leaves refer to Canada, while the motto VIVAT REGINA means "Long live The Queen." The ribbon uses a new arrangement of the blue, red and white colours found in the 1953 Coronation Medal, the 1977 Silver Jubilee Medal, and the 2002 Golden Jubilee Medal.
