Donald Ethell

Donald Stewart Ethell OC OMM AOE MSC CD (born July 23, 1937) is a retired Canadian Army colonel and was the 17th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 2010 to 2015.

Colonel the Honourable
Donald Ethell
OC OMM MSC AOE CD
17th Lieutenant Governor of Alberta
In office
May 11, 2010 – June 12, 2015
MonarchElizabeth II
Governors General
Premier
Preceded byNorman Kwong
Succeeded byLois Mitchell
Personal details
Born
Donald Stewart Ethell

(1937-07-23) July 23, 1937
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
SpouseLinda Ethell
ProfessionSoldier
Military service
AllegianceCanada
Branch/serviceCanadian Army
Years of service1955–1993
RankColonel

Career

Ethell was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1937, the son of a nurse and a navy chief petty officer.[1] He enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1955 after being rejected by the Navy and rejected from the Air Force.[2]

Ethell enlisted as a rifleman in the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada at the age of 17 and underwent basic training at the Currie Barracks in Calgary. He served in West Germany during the Cold War and rebadged to Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in 1970 when the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada was removed from regular army service. He rose through the non-commissioned officer ranks to warrant officer until he was commissioned as an officer in 1972.

Demonstrating an ability for leadership, Ethell steadily rose to the rank of colonel. He successively became a veteran of 14 international peacekeeping deployments, with service in Cyprus, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Israel, Central America and the Balkans. Following his military retirement in 1993,[3] Ethell became involved in humanitarian efforts, including CARE Canada.

He is an officer in the Order of Canada[4] and the Order of Military Merit[5] and a member of the Alberta Order of Excellence.

Lieutenant governor

On April 8, 2010, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced his appointment as the next Lieutenant Governor of Alberta.[6] He was installed on May 11, 2010.[7] He was made a Knight of Justice in the Venerable Order of Saint John on September 11, 2010, and installed as vice prior of the order's Alberta Council.[8]

As the viceregal representative in Alberta, he was styled "His Honour" while in office and has the right to the style "the Honourable" for life. He succeeded Norman Kwong.

During his time as Lieutenant Governor, Ethell swore in each of Alison Redford, Dave Hancock, and Jim Prentice as Premier of Alberta. Rachel Notley was sworn in on his behalf by Catherine Fraser, the Chief Justice of Alberta, as Ethell was recovering from back surgery.

Arms
Coat of arms of Donald Ethell
Adopted
June 15, 2011
Crest
An umbrella thorn acacia tree Proper.
Escutcheon
Or two swords in saltire Bleu Céleste hilted Azure between four infantry helmets Bleu Céleste a chief dancetty Azure.
Supporters
Two lions per fess Or and Azure.
Compartment
A grassy mount set with poppy flowers Proper.
Motto
Duty And Service Above All
Orders
The ribbon of the Order of Canada: Desiderantes meliorem patriam "(They desire a better country)". The insignia of a Companion of the Order of Canada, Officer of the Order of Military Merit and Member of the Alberta Order of Excellence
Symbolism
Blue and yellow are the provincial colours of Alberta, as well as the national colours of Sweden, His Honour’s ancestral country. The crossed swords symbolize infantry and thus mark His Honour’s military career with the Queen’s Own Rifles and Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry. The four helmets represent a formation of soldiers, the light blue colour indicating United Nations peacekeepers, marking the fact that His Honour was deployed on 14 international peacekeeping missions. The upper section refers to the mountains of Alberta, especially the Three Sisters mountains near Canmore, and also to His Honour’s love of mountain climbing. The umbrella thorn acacia tree is characteristic of the African savannah, and it is also found in the Middle East. It therefore alludes to His Honour’s work with development agencies in Africa after his retirement from the Canadian Forces, and to the peacekeeping missions in the Middle East for which he was deployed. This type of tree is notable for its large canopy, its hardiness and the variety of uses to which its products can be put. It can therefore serve as a metaphor for aiding and protecting others. The lions refer to His Honour’s sign of the Zodiac, Leo. The grassy base indicates the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, a reference to His Honour’s home in Calgary. The poppies symbolize his involvement in veterans’ organizations.[9]

References
  1. Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Alberta Order of Excellence  Archived March 20, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. Bennett, Dean. "Retired colonel ecstatic to become Queen’s right hand in Alberta." The Globe and Mail, May 9, 2010.
  3. Lieutenant Governor of Alberta – Meet the LG  Archived February 23, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  4. Office of the Governor General of Canada. Order of Canada citation. Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 26 May 2010
  5. Office of the Governor General of Canada. "Canadian Honours Search Page". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved 26 May 2010
  6. Office of the Prime Minister of Canada (8 April 2010). "PM names retired Colonel Donald Stewart Ethell as the next Lieutenant Governor of Alberta". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 22 February 2012. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  7. Alberta's new lieutenant-governor - troubled youth to Alberta royalty
  8. Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Knighted Archived November 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  9. Canadian Heraldic Authority. "The Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges of Canada > Donald Stewart Ethell". Queen's Printer for Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
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