Special Olympics Nova Scotia: King Charles III Coronation Medal Honourees
The King Charles III Coronation Medal celebrates Canadians who have made outstanding contributions to their communities—and this year, several remarkable individuals from the Special Olympics Nova Scotia community were among those honoured.
From program builders and longtime volunteers to passionate advocates and athlete leaders, each recipient has helped grow the movement across the province and championed the values of inclusion, empowerment, and civic service.
Below, we invite you to learn more about the Special Olympics Nova Scotia recipients and their incredible contributions to building a more inclusive Canada.
Doug Branscombe
Despite helping Special Olympics Nova Scotia as a coach, regional coordinator, and committee volunteer, Doug Branscombe’s most proud role in the organization is being the parent of an athlete leader. As a basketball coach, Doug was on Team Canada for the 2023 World Games in Berlin, who returned as gold medal winning champions.
Erin Magee is an athlete representative on the Special Olympics Board of Nova Scotia, who participates in swimming, soccer, curling, as well as track and field. Known for her radiant charisma, Erin carried the Flame of Hope during the 2018 National Summer Games’ opening ceremonies, and later co-hosted the 2019 National Awards with TSN’s Vic Rauter.
Outside of sports and leadership, Erin has been working at a Sobey’s store for over 10 years, which was shared by Special Olympics Canada in light of Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Joan Conrad
Regional Coordinator for Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Joan Conrad said she was “so proud” of her province’s athletes after they brought home 32 gold medals from the 2018 Summer National Games. More recently, Joan got to join Team Canada in going to the 2023 Berlin World Games, as an Athletics coach.
