NEW YEARS HONOURS FOR LOCAL PEOPLE
New Year honours for local people
BY: ROSETTA DONNELLY
THE NEW YEAR proved a special time for a number of local people who were singled out in the New Year's honours list by the Queen.
The top honour went to former Omagh man, Pat Armstrong for his services to the police.
Also on the list was John Carl Langtry who was given an MBE for his dedicated service to the Fire Service.
A police officer who helped set up the police service's casualty bureau after the Omagh bomb, received an MBE in the honours list.
Sergeant June McHugh has spent 23 years in the police Press office. She also played a key role in setting up the police service's Casualty Bureau as part of a major incident plan.
In the five days following the Omagh bombing the Bureau handled more than 16,000 calls from Nl, Britain, the South and Spain. It provided invaluable service to the public in general and concerned relatives in particular.
Sgt McHugh was instrumental in identifying training needs and encouraging the police service to create a fully equipped and properly trained Casualty Bureau.
Pat Armstrong, who lead the NI Police Authority through the Patten reforms and the RUC name change, following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, was awarded a Knighthood.
Sir Patrick, the only person to be knighted in the North in the honours joined the authority in 1991, became its vice-chairman in 1994 and chairman in 1997.
His term ended when the authority was disbanded and replaced by the Policing Board for NI. He is already is a holder of the CBE.
Secretary of State, John Reid, paid tribute to Sir Patrick saying he gave courageous leadership to the Police Authority during a particularly difficult time for all involved in policing in Northern Ireland.
He said he had played an important role in laying the foundations for cross-community support for police which would benefit the whole community.
"This award is a fitting recognition of Pat's contribution to helping see in the new beginning to policing in Northern Ireland and I warmly congratulate and thank him" he added.
John Langtry spoke of his delight this week at being selected for an MBE but said he believed that it was for the whole of his team. "As a fireman you work in a team, without your colleagues you could not do your job properly and this is why I feel the MBE is really for the whole brigade here".
John had not realised his name had been put forward by the Fire Service but was surprised and delighted when he was cited in the New Years Honours list.
Like a lot of firemen from the district, John was heavily involved in the aftermath of the Omagh bomb, and feels that that undoubtedly contributed to his receiving the MBE.
He does not yet know when he will make the trip to London to pick up his MBE but he and his family are looking forward to the occasion.
BY: ROSETTA DONNELLY
THE NEW YEAR proved a special time for a number of local people who were singled out in the New Year's honours list by the Queen.
The top honour went to former Omagh man, Pat Armstrong for his services to the police.
Also on the list was John Carl Langtry who was given an MBE for his dedicated service to the Fire Service.
A police officer who helped set up the police service's casualty bureau after the Omagh bomb, received an MBE in the honours list.
Sergeant June McHugh has spent 23 years in the police Press office. She also played a key role in setting up the police service's Casualty Bureau as part of a major incident plan.
In the five days following the Omagh bombing the Bureau handled more than 16,000 calls from Nl, Britain, the South and Spain. It provided invaluable service to the public in general and concerned relatives in particular.
Sgt McHugh was instrumental in identifying training needs and encouraging the police service to create a fully equipped and properly trained Casualty Bureau.
Pat Armstrong, who lead the NI Police Authority through the Patten reforms and the RUC name change, following the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, was awarded a Knighthood.
Sir Patrick, the only person to be knighted in the North in the honours joined the authority in 1991, became its vice-chairman in 1994 and chairman in 1997.
His term ended when the authority was disbanded and replaced by the Policing Board for NI. He is already is a holder of the CBE.
Secretary of State, John Reid, paid tribute to Sir Patrick saying he gave courageous leadership to the Police Authority during a particularly difficult time for all involved in policing in Northern Ireland.
He said he had played an important role in laying the foundations for cross-community support for police which would benefit the whole community.
"This award is a fitting recognition of Pat's contribution to helping see in the new beginning to policing in Northern Ireland and I warmly congratulate and thank him" he added.
John Langtry spoke of his delight this week at being selected for an MBE but said he believed that it was for the whole of his team. "As a fireman you work in a team, without your colleagues you could not do your job properly and this is why I feel the MBE is really for the whole brigade here".
John had not realised his name had been put forward by the Fire Service but was surprised and delighted when he was cited in the New Years Honours list.
Like a lot of firemen from the district, John was heavily involved in the aftermath of the Omagh bomb, and feels that that undoubtedly contributed to his receiving the MBE.
He does not yet know when he will make the trip to London to pick up his MBE but he and his family are looking forward to the occasion.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0905
Published Date: 03-Jan-02
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