Karen Hamling, who spent 13 years as Nakusp's mayor and 11 as a councillor, became the village's sole recipient of the King Charles III Coronation Medal earlier this month.
While for the record, it is not her first ceremonial award, as she previously received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, this more recent accolade has left Hamling feeling pleasantly surprised to be recognized again as she winds down her career.
"I stopped four to six years ago to regain my life, so I wasn't expecting this at all," she said, noting she continues to serve as a board member for Interior Health and the Columbia Basin Trust.
The highly-revered medal, administered by the Governor General's Chancellery of Honours in Ottawa, recognizes outstanding individual contributions to Canadian society.
Hamling's ceremony happened Wednesday, March 5, at Robertson Memorial United Church, with friends in attendance and South Okanagan-West Kootenay MP Richard Cannings driving up from a previous Coronation Medal event in Slocan to decorate her.
First leaving New Westminster in 1971 to try out life in Nakusp for a couple of years, "I've been here ever since," Hamling said with laughter.
From a decades-long list of accomplishments for her Arrow Lakes communities, she highlighted her 2014 appointment as the first woman elected to chair the Regional District of Central Kootenay. She additionally served as vice-chair for the Columbia River Treaty Local Governments Committee.
Hamling also recalled pushing for years to get upgrades to the Arrow Lakes Hospital, which hadn't seen improvements since its 1975 construction and was sitting in dire need of a new emergency room. Thanks to her persistence, a $2.1-million renovation concluded in 2020.
Other major achievements for her include the revitalization of Nakusp's downtown, and pursuing the predecessor of lumber producer Interfor when it fell bankrupt and began handing off $3 million or $4 million to the U.S. that it owed to Nakusp.
Another fond memory is her red-eye trip to Ottawa in 2016 with former Nelson mayor Deb Kozak to represent local governments in Columbia River Treaty discussions. She was back in Nakusp within 24 hours.
Asked how often she sports her Coronation Medal, Hamling described being humble and rule-abiding about possessing this royal badge of honour.
"There are very strict rules on when you can wear it," she explained, but "I'm definitely honoured."
Formally retiring from the local council in 2018, Hamling anticipates having more and more time to spend her days with her husband and lifelong Nakusp resident John.
"Which is a good thing," she added, "because he's probably my biggest supporter."
To learn more about the King Charles III Coronation Medal, visit .
