Saturday January 18, 2025 | COBBLE HILL, BC [Posted at 10:29 pm | Updated January 31, 2025]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Today Saturday January 18, Alistair MacGregor, MP (Cowichan-Malahat-Langford) awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal to 13 members of the Langford-Malahat-Langford region. A few others who were unable to attend will receive their medals at a later date.
These medal recipients are part of a distinguished fraternity of 30,000 community leaders and contributors across Canada who have been receiving these medals since the coronation of King Charles III in 2023. Ceremonies are held at various times and places across the country.
It is the first Canadian commemorative medal to mark a coronation. The final approval of medals goes through the Office of the Governor General.
The prestigious award honours those who have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a particular province, territory, region or community of Canada, or have made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada.
“Thank you for being here today. This is a really lovely ceremony,” said MacGregor as he launched into the awarding of medals, one by one. “Award ceremonies are a special way for us to recognize the people who make our community so great. A lot of these folks are sort of the unsung heroes. They don’t do it for recognition, they do it because they care for their fellow citizens, they want to make their communities a better place,” said the local NDP MP who has represented Cowichan-Malahat-Langford since 2015.
“And often they’re working hard to make our province a better place, our country a better place. And sometimes their work is international,” he said.

Nominations came in from the community and some were selected by MacGregor.
MacGregor acknowledged two BC MLAs in attendance: Debra Toporowski (Cowichan Valley) and Dana LaJeunesse (Juan de Fuca-Malahat).
Also attending were City of Langford Mayor Scott Goodmanson, Acting Mayor of the City of Duncan, City of Duncan Councillor Tom Duncan, Cowichan Valley Regional District Director for Area E Hilary Abbott, and Cowichan Valley Regional District Director for Area C Mike Wilson.
King Charles III Coronation Medal Recipients: Cowichan-Malahat-Langford
in order as presented

- Glen Ridgway – Access Pro Bono participant since 2011 providing access to legal services across BC. He is a life member of the Law Society of BC and President in 2010. He was called to the BC Bar in 1972, he was a Queen’s Counsel (now King’s Counsel) in 1987 (BC lawyers who have made a significant contribution to the legal profession). He has served on the Justice BC Board for 13 years and was a legal aid in the Cowichan Valley in the late 1970s.
- Captain Ian Drew Shaw joined the Army Reserve in 2019. His passions are national service through the Canadian Armed Forces and community service as a coach. Drew has coached soccer, hockey and rugby in Duncan and Victoria. In his military career he has been a musician, infantry solider, officer, communications officer and artillery administer. While training and administering hundreds of soldiers he has deployed four times to combat forest fires and also served British Columbia during the COVID pandemic.
- John William Falkner (aka Long John). He has been a musician in the Cowichan Valley for over 20 years. He has spent 13 years organizing the 39 days of the July Music Festival which is family-friendly free event plus concerts in the city square. He was president of the Cowichan Valley Arts Council in 1992-1993 and 2004-2005. He has absolutely been ingrained in the local culture of Duncan and he is a dedicated community servant.
- Michelle Mahovolich has an established career in engineering and geoscience spanning over 30 years. She is involved in community volunteering at university, college and high schools promoting women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The former Director of Engineering for the City of Langford, she now has her own consulting firm that specializes in supporting municipalities to plan for infrastructure, affordable housing. She is the board chair for Engineers and Geoscientists BC.
- Fire Chief Bob Beckett. Former Langford Fire Chief Bob Beckett has served his community with distinction, saving lives and protecting property in his community for over 30 years. This is part of four decades in his career fighting fires. In addition, Bob has a long and rich history of also being a humanitarian. He represented Canada internationally at New Orleans (after Hurricane Katrina), Haita (after the earthquake), New York (after September 11), Afghanistan, Ukraine, and others. He has spent thousands of hours helping those impacted by catastrophic events including helping rebuild orphanages.
- Constable Thomas Tarabawka served in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1973 to 1975, then became a regular member of the RCMP, sworn in on January 31, 1978 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. His first post was in Nanaimo and had four other posts in BC over 20 years of service. He transferred to Thunder Bay, Ontario and remained there for 13 years, retiring in 2011 with a total of 33 years of service. He continues to serve the public at the front counter of the North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP.
- Chief Petty Officer First Class Virginia Bauder serves as the Treasurer of the Malahat Legion Branch 134 and she works tirelessly to keep the Malahat Legion’s services at the highest quality. In 1999 she was awarded the Order of Military Merit by the Governor General of Canada. she also runs the Malahat Legion’s Facebook page ensuring that community members remain aware of the Legion’s work in their service. In so many communities right across Canada it is often the Legion that is the hub of the community, bringing people together, organizing volunteer events, providing important volunteers. And all of our Legions right across Canada
- Lieutenant Ken Benedict has been a volunteer firefighter with Langford Fire Service since 2009. During that time he has served with distinction, saving lives and protecting property. Lt Benedict has contributed thousands of volunteer hours both training for and responding to fire-related emergencies. He has contributed to many charitable events and fundraising efforts benefitting his community and is a respected member and leader for the newest members.
- Mrs Janelle Breese Biagioni is a registered professional counsellor and master practitioner in clinical counselling. She is the widow of Constable Gerry Breese. She specializes in traumatic life losses arising from a death or catastrophic injury. She has worked closely alongside Alistair MacGregor in the development of his private members Bill C-277 which was an act to establish a national brain injury strategy. That bill would not be here today if it were not for Janelle’s tireless efforts and a conversation with MacGregor that started back in 2018. As an advocate, Janelle has worked tirelessly to speak on behalf of the brain injury community.
- Sgt Judith Willan is nominated for her tireless service to having served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 36 years. She has volunteered at the Assiniboine Nature Conservancy for five years as well. She holds a position as a defence representative resulting from the Heyder Beattie lawsuit against the Government of Canada (for alleged sexual harassment or sexual assault for discrimination based on sex, gender, gender identity or sexual orientation in employment with the Department of National Defence). She has also started with the qualification process of becoming an official with Curl BC.
- Mary Paula Brooke has made significant contributions to her local community through publishing and journalism. “I think we can all appreciate how important local journalism is in this day and age,” said MacGregor. She recently launched a not-for-profit group to facilitate food growing in urban areas highlighting the importance of food security in our local community. She raised her family of four in Greater Victoria and contributed to public education as a parent advocate. Ms Brooke also wrote the inaugural 36-week Writing for Business and Journalism curriculum at the Western Academy of Photography in the 1990s. Since 2008, she is best known for being the founder, editor and publisher of several west shore news publications (MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, West Shore Voice News 2014-2020, and Island Social Trends 2020 to present). Island Social Trends is an incredibly important local publication for the west shore communities, said MacGregor.
- Nicholas Edward Manville (spelling may need correction) is known for his dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion. As a logistics lead he was crucial in the success of the Vancouver Olympics for BC Emergency Health Services (BCEHS) and the professionalized special operations. He formalized the provincial honour guard program, an advocate for paramedic patient safety and mental health. He has been a BCEHS parademic and manager for 23 years and also volunteers at the Chemanius Remembrance Day.
- Thea Squire is the organizer of the Vancouver Island Motorcycle Run for Homeless Vets since 2021. Her efforts are geared toward fundraising for Veterans House and Victoria House that provide safe transitional housing for social services that help veterans integrate back into society. Her work and efforts won’t go unnoticed. It’s been monumental in raising funds and awareness for an issue that never gets enough thought today. She has been a very effective community advocate organizer and she embodies the values that go along with this exceptional medal.
Alistair MacGregor, MP:
The medal ceremony in Cobble Hill today was hosted at the Arbutus Ridge Golf Club by Alistair MacGregor, MP. The formal ppresentations ran about 30 minutes, was followed by a reception with family and friends.
MacGregor’s staffers coordinated and attended the event: Ashley Cooling, Math Matheson, and Sean Illman-White.
Residing in Duncan with his family, MacGregor has been the Member of Parliament for Cowichan-Malahat-Langford since 2015 (re-elected 2019 and 2021). He is seeking re-election for a fourth term, in the upcoming 2025 Canadian federal election.
About the medal:
The medal is struck in nickel-silver and lacquered to prevent tarnishing. It is manufactured by the Royal Canadian Mint.
===== RELATED:
- Island Social Trends editor & publisher Mary P Brooke receives coronation medal (January 19, 2025)
- King Charles III Coronation Medals awarded in Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke (November 12, 2024)
- King Charles III Coronation Medals to 18 recipients in Victoria (September 11, 2024)
- Four west shore recipients of the King Charles III coronation medal (September 4, 2024)
- Stew Young receives King Charles III Coronation Medal (September 4, 2024)
- King Charles III Coronation Medal awarded to 54 British Columbians including three recent premiers (August 28, 2024)