On November 20, the defence community gathered for the annual Vimy Award celebration. The Award, established in 1991, recognizes one Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to defence, security and the preservation of democratic values. (Past recipients include Major General Roméo Dallaire, General Rick Hillier, Gordon Hamilton Southam and former PM, the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, to name just a few.) The Conference of Defence Associations unanimously selected Warrant Officer William Kenneth MacDonald as the 2009 Vimy recipient. Supreme Court of Canada Chief Justice, the Hon. Beverley McLaughlin, presented the award. Chief of the Defence Staff Walter Natynchuk also paid tribute to MacDonald. Previously decorated for bravery and a recipient of the Star of Military Valour, Warrant Officer MacDonald said that he shared the Vimy Award with his fellow soldiers in the Canadian Forces. Journalist Brian Stewart was the 2009 recipient of the Ross Munro Media Award, also presented that evening. Launched in 2002 in collaboration with the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, the award recognizes a journalist who has made an outstanding contribution to the general public’s understanding of Canadian security and defence issues.