Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: February 18, 1991
• Invested on: December 13, 1991

In the early hours of the morning of May 6, 1989, Jozsef Vastag lost his life while trying to save his wife from drowning in the Trent River near Trenton, Ontario. While casting her fishing line, the victim lost her footing on the slippery surface of the dam and fell into the spillway where the strong undertow carried her to the backwash and eventually to the shore. Mr. Vastag yelled to others that his wife had fallen into the water. He then threw a life ring into the rushing current. Unable to reach his wife with the ring, Mr. Vastag jumped into the dangerous waters, was also carried to the backwash and over the spillway, never to be seen alive again. Others attempted to revive the woman but she died later in hospital.