Modest hero receives GG commendation

Doug Mosher displays the certificate of commendation he received from Mayor Vic Fedeli on behalf of Governor-General
Adrienne Clarkson.
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Doug Mosher doesn’t consider himself a hero, even though his heroic act several years ago resulted in a certificate of commendation from Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson.

Mosher received the certificate from Mayor Vic Fedeli at Monday night’s North Bay city council meeting.

Mosher, now a North Bay resident, was living in Crofton, British Columbia when he witnessed an accident in which an elderly woman slammed her vehicle into a parked car, piercing the fuel tank.

Both cars caught fire and the driver appeared trapped and could not get out.

“I was with a friend and we assessed the risk and helped the lady out. We just did what most people would have done under the circumstances,” a modest Mosher said after receiving the certificate.

But more emphatically
The two men were having trouble getting the woman out of the car, Mosher said.

“My friend said the flames were getting too hot and I said ‘let’s try it once more, but more emphatically’ and we did get her out,” Mosher said

“I’m not sure why she came out then and not earlier.”

About 10 seconds later both cars exploded, Mosher said.

“Work that afternoon didn’t go as planned once we reflected on what happened,” said Mosher, who works at Tembec.

She called collect
Fedeli said he was presenting the certificate instead of Clarkson “because she could not be here tonight.”

“I can only take shots because in that $41 million budget she could not find her way to get here,” Fedeli said, tongue planted firmly in cheek.

“And I can tell how much trouble the federal government is in: she called collect.”

Standing ovation
Fedeli congratulated Mosher as he handed him the certificate.

“There are no words that I can provide,” Fedeli said, “that would offer the respect that we have for you and what you have done.”

A standing ovation followed, as Mosher’s wife Nadine, and children Benjamin and Matthew, looked on.