Star of Courage

• Awarded on: October 31, 1997
• Invested on: May 15, 1998

On April 29, 1996, in Cluculz Lake, British Columbia, Hazel White was murdered while protecting her friend from the attack of the woman's estranged common-law husband. Aware of the man's frequent violent assaults on her friend, Ms. White was staying with her for moral support. Shortly before midnight, the women were awakened by the sound of the man smashing a glass patio door with a sawed-off shotgun. Ms. White told her friend to escape through the bathroom window while she went to confront the aggressor. Armed with a piece of driftwood, she succeeded in distracting the man long enough to allow her friend to flee to safety. Regrettably, Ms. White was shot in the back by the aggressor who then went on to severely wound another resident, a 13-year-old girl, before setting the house ablaze and committing suicide.