News Release

Six Canadians meet Her Majesty The Queen to Celebrate Commissionaires’ 150th Anniversary

Delegation of Canadian Commissionaires proud to honour organization’s history

July 7, 2009, Vancouver, BC – Six Canadian commissionaires from across the country met Her Majesty, The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh as part of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Corps of Commissionaires in England in 1859.  The Canadian delegation joined other Commissionaires’ organizations from as far away as Papua New Guinea and Australia.  True to its founding purpose, Commissionaires’ mission is to provide meaningful employment to veterans.

All six of the Canadian Commissionaires presented to Her Majesty is a decorated veteran of the Canadian Forces with exemplary service records.  They are:

“Commissionaires was thrilled to participate in this special 150th anniversary celebration at St. James Palace,” noted Allen Batchelar, CEO Commissionaires BC.  “It is a moving reminder of our unique history and our continuing commitment to support our veterans after they have served their country.”

Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh inspected a specially selected group of Commissionaires who formed a 48 strong Guard of Honour at the event, then they moved on to greet guests and staff in attendance. Over half of those invited to the anniversary celebrations were employees serving within the company today.


The Guard of Honour were all uniformed officers representing the Corps Security offices in the UK and Asia Pacific. They were joined by their colleagues from  Canada and Australia at this prestigious event. Also in attendance with Paul Guindon from Commissionaires Canada were William Bawden, Chair of the National Board; Jacques Grenier, Training Manager; and Audrey Plé, Marketing Manager . 

“The fact that for well over a century, The British Monarchy has supported Commissionaires is a symbol of respect and appreciation for the important work of the organization,” noted George Vondrasek.  “Today, I was reminded of just how proud I am to be a Commissionaire.”

Her Majesty is the Chief Life Governor of The Corps of Commissionaires continuing a tradition dating back to 1901 and the reign of King Edward VII.

About Commissionaires
Commissionaires was founded to provide meaningful employment for former Canadian Forces and RCMP personnel. The organization has long been recognized as Canada’s premier security provider, protecting people and property for public and private sector clients from coast to coast. While employing leading-edge technology in delivering security services, Commissionaires has remained true to its roots by providing employment to those making the transition to civilian life after active service in the military and police forces. Commissionaires’ services and security solutions include: security guarding, enforcement, identification services, training and security consulting. The integrity, strong work ethic, proven skills and discipline of Commissionaires give clients confidence and security everyday, everywhere.

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For more information, please contact:

Audrey Plé   
Commissionaires BC
T 604 224 6122
C 604 506 2266
ple@commissionaires.bc.ca

Patricia Robitaille
PR Strategies Inc.

T 604 873 0080
C 604 230 0530
probitaille@shaw.ca

Read bios of the six Canadian commissionaires presented to Her Majesty The Queen to celebrate 150th anniversary of the Corps of Commissionaires in the UK...to link through to new bios page.

Six Canadians Meet Her Majesty The Queen to Celebrate Commissionaires’ 150th Anniversary

Delegation of Canadian commissionaires proud to honour organization's history

July 7, 2009, Ottawa, ON - Six Canadian commissionaires from across the country met Her Majesty, The Queen and His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh as part of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the creation of the Corps of Commissionaires in England in 1859. The Canadian delegation joined other Commissionaires' organizations from as far away as Papua New Guinea and Australia. True to its founding purpose, Commissionaires' mission is to provide meaningful employment for veterans.

All six of the Canadian Commissionaires presented to Her Majesty is a decorated veteran of the Canadian Forces with exemplary service records. They are:

"Commissionaires Canada was thrilled to participate in this special 150th anniversary celebration at St. James Palace," noted Paul Guindon, Chairman of Commissionaires. "It is a moving reminder of our unique history and our continuing commitment to support our veterans after they have served their country."

Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh inspected a specially selected group of Commissionaires who formed a 48 strong Guard of Honour at the event, then they moved on to greet guests and staff in attendance. Over half of those invited to the anniversary celebrations were employees serving within the company today.

The Guard of Honour were all uniformed officers representing the Corps Security offices in the UK and Asia Pacific. They were joined by their colleagues from Canada and Australia at this prestigious event. Also in attendance with Paul Guindon from Commissionaires Canada were William Bawden, Chair of the National Board; Jacques Grenier, Training Manager; and Audrey Plé, Marketing Manager

"I was deeply honoured to have been selected to make this wonderful journey to London to meet Her Majesty, The Queen," commented Wayne Doucette. "It just makes me so proud to be part of an organization like Commissionaires that has done so much for so many veterans in Canada over such a long period of time."

Her Majesty is the Chief Life Governor of The Corps of Commissionaires continuing a tradition dating back to 1901 and the reign of King Edward VII.


About Commissionaires
Commissionaires was founded to provide meaningful employment for former Canadian Forces and RCMP personnel. The organization has long been recognized as Canada's premier security provider, protecting people and property for public and private sector clients from coast to coast. While employing leading-edge technology in delivering security services, Commissionaires has remained true to its roots by providing employment to those making the transition to civilian life after active service in the military and police forces. Commissionaires' services and security solutions include: security guarding, enforcement, identification services, training and security consulting. The integrity, strong work ethic, proven skills and discipline of Commissionaires give clients confidence and security everyday, everywhere.

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For more information, please contact:

Donna D'Arcy
Commissionaires
T 416 364 4496 x444
C 416 458 0276
ddarcy@commissionaires.ca

Dave Fleet
Thornley Fallis Communications
T 416 515 7517 E332
C 416 414 6630
fallis@thornleyfallis.com

 

Read bios of the six Canadian commissionaires presented to Her Majesty The Queen to celebrate 150th anniversary of the Corps of Commissionaires in the UK.

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