Sep 15 - Gibraltar Awards First Medallions of Honour and Distinction to Deserving Recipients
On Friday afternoon the first Gibraltar Medallions of Honour and Distinction ceremony was held aboard the Sunborn hotel. The reception was attended by many key figures in the community as well as friends and family of the recipients.
Speaking at the reception, the Chief Minister insisted that the Gibraltar parliament had wanted to demonstrate the affection and thanks to those who had received an award for the work they have done and still do in Gibraltar. He added that there ‘is a system of state honours where we see many of our fellow Gibraltarians receive awards from Her Majesty’. However, he noted that not many were available for Gibraltar. ‘But there are many more people within our community who deserve to be honoured, and therefore it is right and proper that the Parliament itself should honour those who have not received a state honour, to demonstrate how the people of Gibraltar value the work that you do,’ the Chief Minister added. This was the first such ceremony that has been held, ‘but it will be the first of many’, Mr. Picardo added.
The award of Gibraltar Medallion of Honour was bestowed to a number of individuals who have served to contribute to Gibraltar and the people in an exceptional manner, including; Ernest Montado CBE, for services to Public Service and Politics, Aurelio Montegriffo CBE, for services to Politics. Twenty-two Medallions of Distinction were also awarded for services to Gibraltar including, politics, sports and education.
