Several prominent members of Belleville’s community have been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal.
The medals were given during a presentation by Bay Of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp at his constituency office. The MPP was joined by Brenda Snider from Volunteer & Information Centre HPE, who had nominated two of the seven recipients.
A total of 30,000 of the medals were awarded to mark the coronation of King Charles III, being given to people who have made significant contributions to the country, a province, territory, region or community or an achievement abroad that brings great benefit to Canada.
The recipients of the medal include Aruna Alexander, Deputy Belleville Police Chief Sheri Meeks, John McDonald, Nancy Parks, Pat Simard, Darrell Smith, and Terry Sprague. The group were individually recognized for their specific contributions to the community.
Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks said she was humbled by the nomination for the award.
“I don’t do what I do for the recognition and the accolades. I do it because it’s what’s right and it’s positive,” Said Deputy Chief Meeks. “Whatever I could do positive for the community, especially in my capacity as a police officer is always a win for me. So this is this recognition is really meaningful to me.”
Terry Sprague said that he was flattered, but he isn’t seeking awards.
“We do it because we love what we do and we hope that other people appreciate what we do,” said Sprague. “I just turned 80 last year, so you know, I’m still continuing. That’s the way life should be, doing what you like in your retirement.”
Photos of each medal recipient can be seen below.
MPP Tyler Allsopp(right) presents Aruna Alexander(left) with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her work with the local branch of the United Nations Association in Canada, and advocacy for diversity and inclusion.
MPP Tyler Allsopp(left) presents Deputy Chief Sheri Meeks(right) with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her volunteer work with 25 different local organizations.
MPP Tyler Allsopp(left) presents Terry Sprague(right) with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his decades of work as a naturalist at Sandbanks provincial park, educating members of the community.
MPP Tyler Allsopp(left) presents John McDonald(right) with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his over 40 years in work in local hockey with the Trenton Golden Hawks.
MPP Tyler Allsopp(left) and Brenda Snider(right) present Pat Simard(center) with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his volunteer work in the community, with organizations including the Children’s Foundation and YMCA.
MPP Tyler Allsopp(left) and Brenda Snider(right) present Darrell Smith(center) with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for over 25 years of local volunteer service with various organizations.
MPP Tyler Allsopp(left) presents Nancy Parks with the King Charles III Coronation Medal for her various volunteer efforts across the community, including chairing the Back the Build campaign which raised $23 million for a new hospital in Picton.
