Barrie, Ontario
Mr. Leech is a Second World War Veteran who was in France on D-Day. He has been a member of The Royal Canadian Legion in Barrie for more than 30 years. Mr. Leech spent countless hours at a local WalMart store raising funds to have the Juno Beach Centre built to honour his comrades. Mr. Leech was invited to speak to grade 10 history students at Eastview Secondary School in Barrie several years ago and he has continued to visit each year since, providing the students with a deeper understanding of the sacrifices made by Canadians during the Second World War. In November 2006, Eastview students honoured Mr. Leech at their annual Remembrance Day ceremony with a presentation of a "Medal of Thanks" from the Dutch Government. Mr. Leech was unable to return to the Netherlands for the 60th anniversary celebrations in 2005, and it was for this reason that the Eastview students arranged for the Medal to be sent to Barrie. In March 2007, the Eastview students visited Canadian battlefields in France and Belgium, where they left a gold brick at the Juno Beach Centre in tribute to Mr. Leech. Mr. Leech is well appreciated and well respected in his community, especially with the grade 10 history students at Eastview School, for his illumination of the sacrifices of his generation. It has been said that Mr. Leech epitomizes the soldier's ethic of service before self.