The extraordinary work of our volunteers has been recognized with four prestigious awards – three national and one
municipal. Last year VIMM volunteer Roger Bird was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal, and this year
four other volunteers were also recognized for their contributions to VIMM and the community at large.
Brian McFadden, VIMM President, was awarded the City of Nanaimo’s Honour in Heritage Award at a gala ceremony at the Port Theatre.
Canadian Forces Station Alert is a signals intelligence facility located 817 km from the North Pole and just 40 km south of the northernmost point in Canada. It is the most northerly, permanently inhabited location in the world. The name came from HMS Alert, which wintered in a small bay near Cape Sheridan in 1875-1876.
In 1950, Alert was first established by the Canadian Department of Transport and the US Weather Bureau with the construction of Joint Weather Station (JAWS).