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The next Division 660 meeting will be held on August 29th
at 10 am. This meeting is for TCRC Division 660 Bombardier employees of all classifications. The meeting will be held at Long Branch legion, lower level 3850 Lakeshore blvd West next to Long Branch GO station. |
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| Heroic railwayman recipient of bravery medal |
March
18th 2010 | Source: Canadian Press |
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OTTAWA - It was like a scene from a cinematic thriller: a train
barrelling uncontrollably down a mountain track, and a brakeman
frantically climbing between cars in a desperate attempt to
reach the manual stop.
Only
this was real life and, unlike a Hollywood action flick, the
brakeman didn't make it that June day in 2006.
Thomas Dodd died when the lumber car he had climbed onto broke
away from its locomotive and plunged down a steep slope as the
train rounded a curve.
The engine then derailed and went over the embankment in
Lillooet, B.C., killing a co-worker. The engineer was the sole
survivor.
On Thursday, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean announced that Dodd, of
Chilliwack, B.C., was one of 19 heroes who will receive the
Medal of Bravery for "acts of bravery in hazardous
circumstances."
He was the only posthumous recipient. The medals will be awarded
at a later date.
Related Stories:
- CN cost-cutting blamed for deadly derailment
- TCRC will carefully study TSB report on Lillooet accident
- Memorial for 2006 derailment victims unveiled
The other recipients:
-David and Michael Byrd and Cpl. Gabriel Proulx, all of Belleville,
Ont., who on June 8, 2008, rescued three people from a burning
vehicle near Napanee, Ont.
-Robert Dorie of Long Creek, N.B., who on July 23, 2006, risked his
life to capture an armed robber in Sussex, N.B., by using his car to
sideswipe the fleeing felon, then subduing him until police arrived.
-Robin Fabiani of Montreal who on June 9, 2008, rescued a struggling
man from drowning during a scuba-diving incident off San Salvador in
the Bahamas.
-Windsor, Ont., police constables Michael Gallant and Phillip Kolody
who on June 17, 2008, rescued four people from a burning house,
locating, waking and evacuating the occupants amid intense smoke and
flames.
-Doug Knill of Scotland, Ont.; Samantha-Joe Larose of Noelleville,
Ont.; Bruce Lavallee of Alban, Ont.; and Daniel White of Paris,
Ont., who on Feb. 2, 2008, rescued a man after his snowmobile had
gone through the ice on Lake Nipissing.
-Donald Morrison of Dutch Valley, N.B., who on May 24, 2008, fought
through flames to rescue an injured pilot after their helicopter
crashed in a remote location near Norman Wells, NWT.
-Marc Patterson of Kamloops, B.C., who on Aug. 1, 2007, repeatedly
wrestled a cougar that had attacked a 12-year-old boy during a
camping trip, near Clinton, B.C.
-Stuart Pringle of Chesterville, Ont., who on July 19, 2005, rescued
an elderly woman trapped in a burning basement after gas container
spilled onto the basement floor and was ignited by the furnace pilot
light. The woman, a neighbour, ultimately died.
-Francis Quevillon of Laval, Que., who on Oct. 28, 2007, who was
wounded while disarming an emotionally disturbed woman who was
threatening a baby in Pierrefonds, Que.
-Victoria police constables Dale Sleightholme and Paul Spencelayh
who on July 24, 2007, descended a 13-metre cliff and jumped into the
water to rescue a suicidal man from the freezing Pacific Ocean.
-Mike Toupin of Miramichi, N.B., who on June 20, 2008, jumped onto
an out-of-control tractor-trailer to save its driver, who was
slumped over the wheel after a heart attack.
The Bravery Decorations were created in 1972 to recognize people who
risk their lives "and choose to defy their own instinct of survival
to try to save a loved one or a perfect stranger whose life is in
immediate danger."
The Cross of Valour recognizes acts of the most conspicuous courage
in circumstances of extreme peril. The Star of Courage recognizes
acts of conspicuous courage in circumstances of great peril.
The Medal of Bravery recognizes acts of bravery in hazardous
circumstances.
Anyone is free to propose the name of a person who has risked injury
or death in an attempt to rescue another person. The incident need
not have taken place in Canada, and the rescuer need not be
Canadian, but Canadians or Canadian interests must be involved.
Nominations must be made within two years of the incident, or within
two years after a public entity, including a court, a quasi-judicial
tribunal or a coroner, has concluded its review of the circumstances
surrounding the incident or act of bravery.