Six members of the Moose Jaw Fire Department received Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medals last week from Saskatchewan's Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty, in a ceremony at No. 4 Fire Station in Regina to honour Saskatchewan Fire Service members in the southern half of the province.
The Moose Jaw Fire Department (MJFD) members who received medals on April 4 were:
- Paul Busse
- Cathie Bassett
- Rod Klippenstein
- Robert Halsall
- Ryan Hopkinson
- Levi Watkinson
Halsall, Hopkinson, and Watkinson were unable to attend.
"It was pretty awesome to be able to share that honour with 59 other Fire Service members that day," said Cathie Bassett, the MJFD's Public Education Officer. "It was awesome, and of course we thank the Regina Fire Department for hosting it, and the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs for initiating the nominations."
The occasion was particularly memorable for Bassett because her mother was a Royalist and a collector of royal memorabilia.
"My mom has passed 20 years ago now, as of March. It would have been awesome to have her at the ceremony, but I was thinking of her," she said. "She would have been over the moon. Honestly, it's funny because of all the little bits and bobs and things that I inherited from her and through my grandma as well.
"The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal probably would have taken the top spot in her collection. I was her only daughter, so it would have been way up there. That was the queen's last medal that she commissioned. So, it meant a lot to me and for all the Canadians across the country who have received it."
Bassett added that she was grateful to receive the medal alongside her co-workers, whom she described as wonderful men and great firefighters.
