Diamond Jubilee medals awarded in East District

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – In commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and in recognition of contributions to Canada, two Diamond Jubilee Medals were awarded in the East District of Lutheran Church–Canada. East District President Rev. Paul Zabel and Greater Toronto Area Intercultural Missionary Rev. James Luke were each awarded a medal for their outstanding contributions and dedicated service to the immigrant community at a special ceremony in Mississauga May 26.

The medals were presented by Mr. Brad Butt, MP for Mississauga-Streetsville. Stella Ambler, MP for Mississauga South, and Senator Don Meredith also participated and brought greetings to the assembly. Senator Meredith noted that, while the recipients of the awards were to cherish them highly, the greatest honour we will ever receive is to one day walk together as God’s people on heaven’s streets of gold. Governor General David Johnson offered his congratulations in a letter presented with the awards. In it he writes, “In granting you this honour, I thank you for your dedicated service to your peers, to your community and to Canada. The contributions you have made to our nation are most commendable and deserve our praise and admiration.”

About the medal: The obverse depicts a crowned image of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The reverse marks the sixtieth, or diamond, anniversary of her accession to the throne, expressed by the central diamond shape, by the background diamond pattern, and by the two dates. The Royal Cypher consists of the Royal Crown above the letters “EIIR” (i.e., Elizabeth II Regina, the latter word meaning “Queen” in Latin). The maple leaves refer to Canada, while the motto “VIVAT REGINA” means “Long live the Queen!” The ribbon uses a new arrangement of the blue, red and white colours found in the 1953 Coronation Medal, the 1977 Silver Jubilee Medal, and the 2002 Golden Jubilee Medal.

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