Star of Courage

• Awarded on: April 10, 1996
• Invested on: September 13, 1996

Master Corporal Robert Clarence Andrew Fisher, S.C.
Star of Courage

On December 2, 1995, MCpl Fisher rescued thirty people from the sinking Motor Vessel Mount Olympus, which had been caught in a severe Atlantic storm almost 2,000 km southeast of Nova Scotia. In the early morning darkness, MCpl Fisher was lowered from a hovering rescue helicopter to the rolling and pitching deck of the vessel, swinging dangerously close to the ship's metal superstructure in the high winds. He attached a crew member to his harness and was hoisted back to the helicopter, all the while protecting himself and the crew member from being dashed against the moving ship by the gusts of wind. Over the next four hours, MCpl Fisher repeated this hazardous manoeuvre until all thirty people were rescued.