Award winners honoured

By Melissa Piche Times Contributor

Strathmore and the surrounding area have three more community members awarded the prestigious King Charles the III Coronation Medal recognizing each of these individuals for their work and dedication in their perspective field. 

Strathmore High School’s very own Deanne Bertsch, an educator, theatre director, and advocate for reconciliation through the arts, has been awarded the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of her work on the ground-breaking theatre production New Blood.

As part of a national initiative to celebrate Canadians making significant contributions in their communities 30,000 medals were distributed across the country with 4,000 awarded to members of the Canadian Air Force. The rest were granted to citizens from various walks of life – nominated for their meaningful impact. For Bertsch, the nomination came from MP Martin Shields.

“A package just showed up at the front desk of our school,” Bertsch recalled of receiving the medal and giggled as she thought it was Martin Sheilds’ monthly newsletter. “I opened it up and it was a beautiful certificate and the medal and it said it was in recognition of your work telling stories from your community, because I’ve done a lot of devised pieces, mostly with my students, about people’s stories around our area, and of course New Blood, and how we’ve toured it (New Blood) which we’ve taken all over the place.”

Though the medal bears her name, Bertsch is quick to highlight the collective effort behind her work.

“This is not just a medal for me,” she said. “It’s a medal for all the people, who’ve especially been involved in New Blood – the students who stuck with it, the adults from Siksika and Rosebud,” said Bertsch. “It recognizes Strathmore High School and Golden Hills and their support. I feel like it should be for everyone connected to the work we’ve done.”

New Blood tells a powerful story of reconciliation, blending Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives through dance, music, and storytelling. Over the years it has resonated deeply with audiences and earned national attention – even drawing a personal message from legendary musician Peter Gabriel, whose music is featured in the show.

“I never thought it would grow this big,” said Bertsch. “When we first started, we didn’t know what we were doing or what it was about. We didn’t even know if it was the right thing. I thought it would live its little three-day life and be done. It’s surprised me over and over again.”

Bertsch believes the medal not only recognizes the work of New Blood but signals a broader shift in the way Canada values the arts and storytelling – particularly when it comes to Indigenous history and reconciliation.

Siksika Nation is celebrating Jack Royal, a respected Indigenous leader and community builder, who has been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, marking the third time he has received a medal from the crown in the past two decades. His extensive work in community development, cultural preservation and relationship-building across Alberta and beyond continues to leave a lasting legacy.

“This is my third medal in the last 20 years,” said Royal. “I received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee, the Diamond Jubilee and now the King’s Coronation Medal. A lot of it was for work that I’ve done in community, in my own community of Siksika, in the larger communities surrounding Siksika working with relationship building, not only build, but maintain them.”

Royal’s career has spanned a wide range of leadership roles. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Siksika Nation, overseeing vital services including health, housing, education, and economic development. In this role he worked closely with elected officials and surrounding municipalities to foster unity and collective progress.

His second honour was tied to his work as the founding president and general manager of Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park, a world-renowned cultural destination dedicated to the rich history of the Blackfoot people. Under his leadership the park earned national recognition for a top tourist destination in Alberta. 

Royal’s most recent recognition, the King Charles III Medal, acknowledges his work in founding the Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council and the Blackfoot Confederacy Chiefs Association, which united four Blackfoot nations across southern Alberta and Montana. As inaugural CEO, he focused on diplomacy, collaboration, and reconciliation.

Royal’s approach to leadership has always been rooted in fostering relationships and moving forward in unity.

Royal also has a personal connection to New Blood. His niece whom he helped raise “like a daughter,” was in the original cast of the play. 

“New Blood’s not just a play, it’s opened an understanding and again fostering these relationships,” said Royal. “We have a saying from our elders, in order to know where we’re going we have to know where we’ve been.”

Rosebud’s very own LaVerne Erickson, founder of Rosebud School of the Arts, Badlands Passion Plays, Canadian Badlands Performing Arts Summer School and Chemainus Theatre Festival on Vancouver Island, was also recently recognized for his decades-long contributions to arts, education and cultural leadership in Canada. 

“I was grateful. Thankful it’s a complementary recognition over a lifetime of work,” said the 82-year-old. 

Erickson is no stranger to accolades. Over his years he has been the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal, a Western Legacy award from the Calgary Stampede and was recognized among Alberta’s 100 Outstanding Citizens. Yet he remains humble, frequently redirecting recognition towards the many people and artists who’ve walked alongside him in his journey.

“My nature is visionary, so I see things that don’t yet exist but I speak about them as though they do,” he said. “And it’s having a vivid imagination of what happens in a little valley like this when the railway gets torn up, what’s going to happen to everything on the rail line?” 

Through his leadership, Rosebud transformed into a cultural destination, home to a professional theatre company, an arts education institution and a vibrant community that continues to draw visitors from across the world. The Rosebud Theatre is now a cornerstone of Canadian rural arts programming with alumni performing globally in film, theatre, and opera.

But Erickson’s contributions extend beyond Rosebud. He was instrumental in founding the Canadian Badlands tourism initiative, now recognized as Canada’s largest municipal tourism corporation. He has served as a key speaker at teacher conventions, taught economic development strategies across Alberta, and was deeply involved with the Alberta Teachers’ Association, editing journals on religious and moral education.

Even in retirement, Erickson remains active. He’s currently collaborating on a new opera initiative – Amolite Opera – alongside Canadian artists continuing to support the next generation of creators through mentorship and shared resources.

For Erickson, the award is not a final chapter but another moment in an ongoing story – a legacy deeply rooted in community and shared purpose.