Visit to Halifax - Day 3

His Honour Brigadier-General the Honourable John James Grant (Ret'd), Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, offered welcoming remarks.

Mental health clinics at bases across Canada provide general mental health care, operational trauma and stress support, psychosocial services and addictions counselling.

The CAF has a wide variety of mental health services and programs available to its members.

She met and chatted with staff and clients of the clinic.

In the morning, Her Excellency Sharon Johnston visited the Mental Health Clinic of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Health Services Centre (Atlantic) in her new role as honorary captain (Navy) for Military Personnel Command.

The national anthem was sung by Ms. Rachel Burey.

In the afternoon, the Governor General presented honours during a ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. More than 70 recipients from across the Atlantic provinces were recognized for their excellence, courage or exceptional dedication to service with one of the following honours: a Decoration for Bravery, a Meritorious Service Decoration or the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.

The Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers was presented to Ronald Griffis for dedicating his time to improving the lives of his fellow veterans and their families through the Canadian Association of Veterans in United Nations Peacekeeping. A former national president, he has established regional and provincial chapters across Canada to support veterans at the national, provincial and local levels.

The Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers was presented to Zita and Edmond Gallant. The husband and wife duo has promoted French arts and culture with such organizations as the Coopérative de développement culturel et patrimonial de Mont-Carmel and Communities in Bloom. Through the years, they have brought together P.E.I.’s Francophone community and preserved French language and Acadian heritage.

Dancers from the Halifax Highland Dancing Association entertained guests during a cultural interlude.

The Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers was presented to Michelle Blanchard for working to advance the arts and culture of Prince Edward Island’s Francophone and Acadian community through Music PEI and the Fédération culturelle de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard. Serving in executive positions with both organizations, she has helped preserve and nurture her culture in Atlantic Canada.

The Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) was presented to Maike van Niekerk, M.S.M. Determined to create a legacy for her mother who died of breast cancer, Ms. van Niekerk created Katrin’s Karepackage, an organization that raises funds to offset rural cancer patients’ travel costs to access care in Halifax and St. John’s. She has cycled across Newfoundland and ran seven marathons in seven days to symbolize patients’ long journeys to access treatment.

During a fierce winter storm in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canadian Coast Guard members Peter James Cowan, Anthony Kelly, Byron Alexander Samson, John A. Seymour and Paul Joseph York were called to secure an unmanned barge carrying diesel fuel that had been cut loose because of heavy seas. Despite the rough seas, the team worked to avoid an environmental catastrophe by boarding the icy barge, securing it and preventing it from crashing into nearby Henry Island. For these actions, the group received the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division).

The Meritorious Service Cross (Civil Division) was presented to Paul A. Young, M.S.C. With great determination, Mr. Young works to generate awareness of the issues facing people with a disability. Drawing purpose from his own battle with cerebral palsy, he helped found People First Nova Scotia to seek social justice and equality. He went on to serve as national president of People First of Canada, where he helped grow the organization and became well known for speaking out for disability rights.

The Medal of Bravery was presented to Rorey Dee Chamberlain, M.B. On January 19, 2014, he rescued a man who had fallen through the ice on the Kennebecasis River, in Rothesay, New Brunswick. After hearing the victim scream for help, Mr. Chamberlain ran to the frozen riverbank and began to break a path through the ice toward the man until he was chest-deep in the water. He then crawled over the remaining ice on his stomach to grasp the victim by the jacket and direct him safely back to shore.

"We’ve borrowed our recipients from their communities for a day to honour them and to celebrate their achievements," said the Governor General. "They’re from communities throughout Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. They’re exceptional volunteers, professionals and innovators. They’re caregivers and members of the military. They’re courageous. They’re philanthropists in the broadest sense of the word: they share a love for humanity."

Mrs. Johnston experienced virtual reality-based exposure therapy which aims to provide military members relief from post-traumatic stress.