By Cheryl Jahn

King Charles III medals awarded

Sep 5, 2024 | 3:30 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – One by one, four recipients of the King Charles lll Coronation Medal were presented by the region’s two MLAs. And the recipients of the awards come from a wide-varied cross-section of people.

Local photographer Chuck Chin was the first to receive the award, albeit posthumously. His accolades were followed by three more recipients of the King Charles the Third Coronation Medal and one BC Medal of Good Citizenship.

“The criteria was that of an individual who made significant contributions to their community or country,” explains Mike Morris, MLA for Prince George-Mackenzie. “We just submitted an outline of what we thought their contributions were and they were accepted. So it wasn’t a it wasn’t a huge process.”

The list of worthy candidates – those who make “significant contributions to the community and region” – is lengthy. Whittling it down the final list was challenging.

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“Prince George and the Robson Valley region are full of amazing people,” says Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond. “And I think today what we see is just a sample of the kinds of people who make a difference. And so I’m absolutely thrilled today to be able to recognize and honour some very special people. I have two additional presentations that I will make in the Robson Valley region, people who are different makers in McBride and Valemount as well.”

Aside from Chuck Chin, the recipients were Michael Schneider out of Takla, Selen Alpay and Dustin Snyder. Each one arrived not knowing they were actually getting a medal.

“One of the recipients, I asked him to come because someone very special was getting a medal. What he didn’t know was that it was him. And the second recipient, Dustin Snyder and I meet regularly to talk about issues related to habitat and wildlife. I’m so impressed with this young man. And we had a meeting scheduled for today. He thought we were going to meet in my office. So I just changed the location.”

Plenty of family members were on hand for the event, for many of whom this is just a significant.

“These medals don’t get handed out like candy at a parade,” says Morris. “These medals do go to very deserving candidates. A lot of thought has been put into the nomination process for the Good Citizenship Medal. And the criteria for the King Charles Medal is also fairly significant. And so, you know, the process behind it means a lot to the recipient. The recipient’s family. It’s something they will have as a lifelong legacy to show their children and grandchildren.”

Steve Hamilton, past president of the Spruce City Wildlife Association and advocate for the region’s backcountry, received the Medal of Good Citizenship.