Prince Edward will be making a visit to Saskatchewan, including visits to Moose Jaw on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and Regina on Sept. 18, and some residents from the Weyburn region will have the opportunity to meet him.
Prince Edward will be making a visit to Saskatchewan, including visits to Moose Jaw on Wednesday, Sept. 17, and Regina on Sept. 18, and some residents from the Weyburn region will have the opportunity to meet him.
As the prince, the Earl of Wessex, is also the Colonel-in-Chief of the Saskatchewan Dragoons, he will be hosted at a regimental family barbecue on Sept. 17, at the L/Col. D.V. Currie VC Armoury in Moose Jaw.
As a past veteran of the militia, Dale Huff of Weyburn, along with his wife Sandi, will be attending the barbecue, and is greatly looking forward to it with the hopes of meeting Prince Edward.
"I've never met a member of the Royal Family before," said Huff, who held the rank of Lieutenant when he last served with the militia. He served with the Dragoons for five years, and had command of around 120 tanks.
Huff noted about a few years ago, Prince Edward was supposed to meet the Dragoons but ended up having to cancel it. While the invitation states the dress is to be casual, Huff expects there will be a royal salute to the prince with a march past as a part of the ceremonies.
"Sandi and I are looking forward to the barbecue," said Huff, adding he realizes he may not necessarily have the opportunity to meet the prince.
In addition to this event, on Thursday, Sept. 18, the Earl of Wessex will be presenting Gold Awards of achievement to 28 young people from Saskatchewan.
The recipients will include youth from Stoughton, Wilcox, Estevan and Moose Jaw; there are also groups in the Weyburn area that has participants in various levels of progression.
The award, which recognizes the dedication and personal accomplishments in pursuing the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, will be presented in a ceremony to be held at 10:30 a.m. at the RCMP Depot Division, in the Roche Percee Auditorium.
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a self-development programs available to all young people between the ages of 14-24. The award encourages young people to be active, engage in new activities and set and achieve goals in four areas: community service, physical recreation, skill development and adventurous journey.
At the Gold Award level, participants must also complete a residential project to develop their leadership skills and accept responsibility amongst a group other than their regular peer group over five consecutive days.
The award program came to Saskatchewan in 1983. The award was founded in 1956 by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh; there are currently over 44,000 youth registered in the award across Canada.
There are three levels to the award program; for those 14 and up is the bronze award; for 15 and up, the silver, and for those 16 and up, the gold level. In Canada, Silver Awards are presented provincially by either the Lieutenant Governor or the Commissioner. Gold Awards are presented by the National Chairperson, the Governor General of Canada or a member of the Royal Family, generally Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex.
