News Release
June 24.2005

Local Heroes Honoured in Ottawa

OTTAWA - Today MP James Moore attended a ceremony at Rideau Hall, hosted by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, honouring three constituents with the Governor General's 'Medal of Bravery'. 

“These three fine Canadians, in a moment of crisis, demonstrated the most exemplary citizenship through their bravery,” says Moore. “They have earned this honour and deserve our praise and thank you.”

The three citizens honoured, Leslie Bennewith, Don Miller and Noreen Smith, are all Port Moody residents who on August 9th, 2004 saved the life of a woman in Port Moody who was being abducted at gunpoint by her estranged common-law husband.  The following is the description of their acts of bravery as read at Rideau Hall: “Mrs. Bennewith and Mrs. Smith were walking by when they saw the woman jump out of a parked truck, escape the grip of her attacker, and race towards them.  Acting as human shields, the two rescuers placed themselves between the aggressor and the woman, allowing her to flee under a hail of bullets.  The victim was shot in the back as she ran across a busy four-lane highway, but managed to keep going.  Meanwhile, Mr. Miller had stopped his car and opened the passenger door to let the terrified runaway jump inside with the violent man in pursuit. A window exploded and the woman suffered another bullet wound as Mr. Miller sped away toward a nearby ambulance station.  Although severely injured, the woman later recovered.”

Says Moore: “The Governor General's 'Medal of Bravery' is reserved for the finest acts of bravery and citizenship in Canada.  Leslie, Don and Noreen all earned both this award and our community's most sincere thank-you for their courageous, life-saving acts.”

More information on the award and other recipients can be found online at http://www.gg.ca/

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For more information, email moorej@parl.gc.ca or call 613.992.9650