I had the honour to nominate 32 constituents and citizens of New Brunswick for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. Most of the recipients were invested by the Lieutenant Governor, her honour, Brenda Murphy at a ceremony in Fredericton on January 29th.
It was a privilege to be able to recognize these change-making individuals in our community and province. For every person I nominated, there were many more who deserved this honour. We are blessed as a community, and as a province, with so many who devote their time and energy to making our society a better place, every day and in so many different ways.
I nominated a diversity of people who might not otherwise be recognized with this honour. You know the old saying, “someone should give that person a medal.” Well, that is what I was striving for.
We were further honoured with a poem written and read by Thandiwe McCarthy on the occasion of the Jubilee Medals:
Of Purpose and Passion
What is the weight, Of a lifetime of good?
Who embodies rare values that we all should?
It’s a tall ask to face the storm, with head held high
To manage the cold, the pressure, the time.
Yet thankfully for us are a chosen few
Who chart the unknown and show us new.
New ways of being, of sharing, of building trust.
They are the compassion that keeps our souls free of rust.
Those made of courage an love, of blood and bone
Who make this great city feel like a home.
What humble and wonderful moments are these
To celebrate the work, of those who won a Queen’s Jubilee.