NEWS RELEASES
AXWORTHY PRESENTS 1996 AWARDFOR CONSULAR EXCELLENCE
March 26, 1996 No. 47
AXWORTHY PRESENTS 1996 AWARD
FOR CONSULAR EXCELLENCE
Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy today presented the 1996 Minister's Award
for Consular Excellence to Marelle Elzinga-van Wamelen, Senior Consular Assistant
at the Canadian Embassy in The Hague. Ms. Elzinga-van Wamelen was honoured for
her outstanding level of assistance to Canadians during the summer of 1995, which
included the Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Liberation of the
Netherlands.
"I am very pleased to recognize Ms. Elzinga-van Wamelen's dedication and superior
service in assisting Canadians in distress, particularly during the exceptionally
busy summer period, which also coincided with the 50th Anniversary celebrations,"
said Mr. Axworthy. "Her outstanding commitment has made the consular program in
The Netherlands second to none."
Mr. John Moore, Mr. Robin Subba, Mr. Donald Ian MacLeod, Ms. Beatriz Barbaglia,
Ms. Lyne Benoit and Ms. Fatima Anabtawi were also presented with citations for
exemplary service in the consular field.
Mr. Moore, Counsellor (Development) and Consul, Mr. Subba, a locally engaged
Consular Officer, and the entire staff of the Canadian Co-operation Office in
Kathmandu, Nepal, were honoured for their tireless and exceptional efforts
following a tragic landslide in Nepal, by co-ordinating a massive search and
verification process involving more than 1075 Canadian trekkers in the country.
Mr. MacLeod, First Secretary (Commercial) and Consul, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, was
recognized for his exhaustive and persistent efforts assisting Canadians in two
demanding consular cases, one involving a lengthy trial and the other concerning
the deaths of nine Canadians in a helicopter crash in Kyrgyzstan.
Ms. Barbaglia, a locally engaged Consular Assistant in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
received a citation for consistently high standards of consular performance and
for outstanding work on a difficult and sensitive child-abduction case.
Ms. Benoit, Canada's Honorary Consul in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was honoured for
providing exceptional consular service on a regular basis to Canadians in Puerto
Vallarta as well as along the coast of Jalisco and in the states of Colima and
Nayarit, and for her tireless assistance after the earthquake in the area in 1995.
Ms. Anabtawi, a locally engaged Consular Assistant in Tripoli, Libya, was cited
for her enthusiastic service and remarkable work in helping Canadians.
The Minister's Award for Consular Excellence is presented annually as part of the
Department's Recognition and Awards Program.
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