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Saturday, June 15, 2019 | Your community newspaper since 1916

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Local Navy League cadet Chief Petty Officer (first class) Dante Meyer, 11, was awarded the Medal of Excellence.

Local Navy League cadet earns top award Mark NIELSEN Citizen staff mnielsen@pgcitizen.ca Prince George is home to the top Navy League cadet in the province. Dante Meyer, 11, was recently awarded the accolade in the form of the Medal of Excellence which he now wears over the right pocket of his uniform. And if he decides to pursue a career in the military, he will be able to continue to wear it as he progresses up the ranks. It is awarded on the basis of leadership, marksmanship, drill team and first aid

skills. But you don’t have to be perfect. “We watch the kids as they come up through the program and really they’re asked for only one thing – effort,” said Lt. (NL) Tom Taylor. “Even if their effort doesn’t produce the best, stellar performance, putting in the effort that’s what we’re looking for. But in a group like that, there are always the ones that shine a little bit more.” Navy League is open to youth ages nine to 12, and Meyer began pestering his mother, Shawna, to join when he was as young as three years old. “My cousins,” he said simply when asked

why he wanted to join. Meyer excelled as a drill team captain and led a team that finished in the top three out of 11 in a first aid competition. Along the way, he’s also learned such skills as the phonetic alphabet used by the military and semaphore – the system of flags used in the navy to send messages to other ships. Some outdoor adventure training has also been thrown into the mix. Other attractions include a summer camp at HMCS Discovery in Stanley Park. “I like the leadership skills you can obtain, the sense of responsibility,” Meyer said. “Not like ‘okay, I’m here, can you do this

for me?’ And I like how you have to earn your position, it’s not a given.” Meyer is the third member of the local Navy League Cadet Corp., known as 142 Aurora, to earn the medal. Past recipients are Vincent Toderovich and Cameron Taylor. “They earn everything they get,” Taylor said. “They don’t get it just because they show up, they earn everything.” Starting in September and continuing through the school year, NLCC 142 Aurora meets every Monday at the Connaught Youth Centre, 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Baker twins to host National Indigenous People’s Day celebrations the case for millennia, this is a connection community where other cultures are welcomed and their own customs honoured. To pass this ancient knowledge and fun onwards, workshops will be held at an on-site pavilion. They include medicinal plants and medicines with Crystal Kennedy, drumming and singing with the Khast’an Drummers, Dakelh language and stories with Edie Frederick, and beading with Lynette La Fontaine.

Frank PEEBLES Citizen staff fpeebles@pgcitizen.ca The Baker twins are coming home for a special event at Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park. These fashion and film stars are from the Stellat’an First Nation at Fraser Lake, and were born in Prince George. They are the special guest emcees for the National Indigenous Peoples Day Celebrations at the park on June 21. They will also be part of the Heatwave-Celebrate Cultures Festival at Canada Games Plaza on June 22. The two events are linked. “We also have Cree chainsaw carver Randy Gauthier from Moberly Lake and Saltwater Hank joining us all the way from his new home in Haida Gwaii,” said Kym Gouchie, organizer of the event. “Also joining us on June 21 at the LTN Memorial Park will be Doris Munger and the Old Fort Traditional Dancers, the Khast’an Drummers, Thundering Eagles, Tazzy Fraser, The Northern Outlaws, Ivan Paquette, The Vegabonds and many other talented Indigenous performers.” The Heatwave component of the three-day music and culture festival will have two of B.C.’s most acclaimed First Nations performers coming in for concert

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Schedule of events

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Jennifer Pighin and the Khast’an Drummers perform in Lheidli T’enneh Memorial Park in 2017. appearances: George Leach and Laura Grizzlypaws fresh off her recent win at the 2019 Indigenous Music Awards. Presiding over the festivities are international Aboriginal superstar sisters that Gouchie is excited to see back on stage in their home region. “Shannon and Shauna are

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identical twins from the Stellat’an First Nation,” she said. “They currently live in Los Angeles, California and are excited to be able to have this opportunity to come home and celebrate with us. They are actresses, models and fitness enthusiasts. We are so excited to have them join us.” Gouchie listed a number of

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additional cultural features at National Indigenous Peoples Day in the park like food vendors, artisans, information booths, on-site carving, a teepee, a cottonwood canoe display, childrens activities and games, an elders’ tent, and more. Not all of these features are specifically derived from Lheidli T’enneh history, but as has been

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NEWS 5

• 11 a.m. Opening ceremonies • 11:15 a.m. Khast’an Drummers • 11:35 a.m. Tazzy Fraser • 11:45 a.m. Mona Rock • 12:05 p.m. Northern Outlaws • 12:35 p.m. Thundering Eagles • 1:05 p.m. Sabina Dennis • 1:20 p.m. Doris Munger & the Old Fort Traditional Dancers • 1:45 p.m. Moose Calling Contest • 2 p.m. Arilynne Vegeer • 2:15 p.m. Jason Frederick • 2:30 p.m. Saltwater Hank • 3 p.m. Kasandra Turbide • 3:15 p.m. Ivan Paquette • 3:30 p.m. Vegabond • 4 p.m. Closing remarks and Round Dance • 7 p.m. Activities shift to Canada Games Plaza for Heatwave Festival events

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