Three residents who have continued to show strong support for the community have been honoured with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Heather Colberg, Fred Makowecki, and Bob Hannah were nominated by Mayor Terry Yemen for the honour. Friday, Yemen learned all three were approved to receive medals.
Heather Colberg’s service to the valley has not gone unnoticed. She was named the 2010 Citizen of the year. Her service is varied; from involvement with local sports teams to supporting Rotary endeavours and the Morgan Jayne Project. About half-dozen years ago she took over as the organizer of the annual Christmas Food Drive for the local food bank. With her leadership skills she is able to motivate dozens of volunteers to canvass Drumheller and surrounding communities to replenish shelves of the food bank for Christmas and beyond.
A couple years ago, recognizing the need throughout the year for support of the Food Bank, she began Stuff the Bus. This has become a successful endeavour in its own right.
Fred Makowecki has also been an important part of the community, but in 2006 he turned a tragedy into a lifeline for literally thousands of people in Roatan who are facing life with AIDS.
As a tribute to his daughter Morgan Jayne, who passed way at only 18 years of age, he founded the Morgan Jayne Project to help supply infant formula to babies in Roatan to curb the spread of AIDS from mother to child. It has gone on to become so much more. The Morgan Jayne Project was crucial to help establish a clinic for babies in the area, and now supports schooling. It also completes an annual Christmas Wish List for families that would never have the means to celebrate Christmas let alone a visit from St. Nick.
Makowecki is honoured and humbled by the selection and says the award is great for the project, but should also be shared with everyone in the community who has helped support the cause.
Bob Hannah has dedicated many years to serving the community, especially those who fought for Canada. Some of his service included working with the local Cadet Corp RCSCC Furious. He was also the president of the Drumheller and District Fish and Game Association.
The majority of his work however has been with the Legion. He was elected as District Commander of the Alberta/NWT Command for one term, then chairman for two terms, vice president for one before going on to become president. He is a recipient of the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, the Alberta Centennial Medal and the Minster of Veterans Affairs Commendation.