Courtenay, British Columbia
r. Gibbon is a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran who served as a Royal Canadian Navy aviator. He is a member of 888 (Komox) Wing of the Air Force Association of Canada and is dedicated to enhancing the heritage of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He has held a number of executive positions within the organization, including second vice-president, first vice-president and wing president. In 2004, Mr. Gibbon was selected to chair a committee that examined the feasibility and affordability of expanding the Wing’s building to better accommodate the organization’s growing membership. Mr. Gibbon was actively involved in the planning, financing and research stages of the expansion, and was engaged in negotiations with the Town of Comox. In 2006, the $160,000 expansion project began. In 2008, he chaired a committee that reviewed and revised the Wing’s five-year development plan. In addition to this work, in 2007, Mr. Gibbon took the lead in initiating and developing a heritage project to commemorate those killed in the crash of a Lancaster bomber in Comox in 1952. This involved organizing a memorial service and presentation ceremony where the George Medal that was awarded to Bobbie Waters—who at only 13 years of age rescued the pilot from the wreckage—was placed in the Comox Air Force Museum. Mr. Gibbon also arranged for a memorial cairn to be installed in the museum’s air park. Mr. Gibbon actively volunteers as the Wing’s Poppy Service Coordinator when memorial or celebration of life services are held for a deceased member. On September 5, 2010, during the Centenary of the Royal Canadian Navy, he arranged for a gathering of former naval aviators at 888 (Komox) Wing AFAC.