Former Stampede Royalty honoured with Diamond Jubilee

Times Reporter

 

As a way to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne, a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal was created and distributed in 2012. 

The medal has been presented to 60,000 Canadians throughout the year, recognizing them for various achievements and/or significant contributions to their community, province or region. 

Rockyford resident Dani Gariepy, 24, her fellow members of the Calgary Stampede Royal trio and Indian Princess Amelia Crowshoe were among the 60,000 Canadians honoured with the Queen’s Jubilee Award. 

“Receiving this award means the world to me. It goes to show that my past year of 100 per cent dedication to the Calgary Stampede was well worth it, and that my efforts contributed to something bigger than just my own self-fulfillment,” said Gariepy.

“It means that being a part of the Stampede, especially on the centennial year, contributed to building community in Calgary, and that this was recognized by others as a significant achievement.”

At the beginning of November Gariepy noticed a fancy envelope addressed to her in the mail. At first she thought it was a mistake until she read it and found out it was for a ceremony on Nov. 30 at Mount Royal University. 

“I was very surprised to get this award, considering my obvious degree of youth compared to the others. The other Stampede girls and I were by far the youngest recipients out of the 100 people that received the award that day,” said Gariepy.

“I felt so honoured to be put in the same category as the rest of the awarded individuals. There were many doctors, lawyers, scientists, artists and policemen that were honoured and had worked their whole lives to achieve this. I was absolutely blessed to be a part of this special group of people.

“I have a hard time believing that I belong to this special group of people. I only hope that I can continue to be worthy of this award thought out the rest of my life, whether I continue to volunteer with the Stampede or I take another avenue toward giving back to the community.”

The celebrations have ended but the memory of receiving the distinguished award will forever live on in the memory of all those who received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee medal.