The Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal was presented to 31 recipients from the Tri-Cities area during a ceremony last Friday at the Vancouver Golf Club on Austin Avenue.

Marking the 60th anniversary of the Queen's ascension to the throne, the medal was struck to honour Her Majesty for her service to this country and recognize and honour significant contributions and achievements by Canadians.

MP Fin Donnelly (New Westminster-Coquitlam-Port Moody) presented 19 medals.

"It was an honour to be in the same room with this wonderful group of volunteers and see them get some well-deserved recognition," Donnelly said in a press release.

MLA Mike Farnworth (Port Coquitlam) presented four medals.

"It's wonderful to be given the chance to acknowledge a group of people who would never seek the limelight for themselves," he said. "These are stellar individuals."

MLA Diane Thorne (Coquitlam-Maillardville) also awarded four medals.

"I'm so glad we could see the recipients with their family and friends tonight and let them know how much our community appreciates what they do," she said.

MLA Joe Trasolini awarded four medals.

"The group we honoured here tonight are the backbone of a community and all too often we take them for granted," he said. "It was nice to publicly recognize their sacrifice and generosity."

The following individuals received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal: Leo Bruneau, Sue Haberger, Lelainia Lloyd, Kiyoshi Takahashi, Miranda Anderson, Gordon Clay, Ruth Foster, David Spence, Don Gillespie, Norma Gillespie, Bev Moulds, Ted Wingrove, Al Boire, Mary Brown, Cathy Burpee, John Cafe, John Cashore, Dave Driscoll, Donnie Forester, Gordon Fulton, Elaine Golds, Russ Hellard, Peter Howard, John Menenghello, Robert Siddons, Bob Sutherland, Natalie Thomas, Liz Thunstrom, Anna Tremere, Tom Warwick and Kathy Wood.