Stephen Cooper was handed the last King Charles III Coronation Medal in the County March 19, during a ceremony in Gooderham.
Cooper is a retired navy man. He started with the cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers program in 1986 with RCSCC Iron Duke in Burlington. He progressed through the ranks to serve as the commanding officer (for a five-year term). He received the City of Burlington civic recognition award in 1999 for his work with a successful local cadet program that brought honour and prestige to the city. After command of the Duke, Cooper transferred to RCSCC Triumph in East Hamilton-Stoney Creek and was twice appointed as commanding officer.
Upon retiring from his civilian job, Cooper moved permanently to Haliburton. Once settled, he joined with Coboconk’s RCSCC Hood in October 2018 and assumed command in June 2019. Upon taking command, Hood only had four cadets. Cooper worked extremely hard to rebuild and stabilize the unit. He also ran the unit solo until two additional volunteers joined in 2023.
His nominee, Susan Cooper, said “Steven Cooper… has provided the young people of Kawartha Lakes with an amazing opportunity and a great and successful program. The cadets’ dedication, determination and their outstanding performance at numerous events and competitions is a testament to the professionalism and commitment (of Cooper). He has dedicated 37 years to the cadet program making a sustained, significant and valuable contribution towards the development of the youth in Canada, instilling them with a sense of pride, good citizenship, and a desire to succeed.”
