Killyleagh man receives prestigious UK award

Killyleagh man receives prestigious UK award

22 June 2016

A RETIRED civil servant from Killyleagh was recently presented with a newly designed Churchill medallion at a prestigious biennial award ceremony in London.

Ronnie McMaster received the medallion after completing his Winston Churchill Travelling Fellowship after he researched programmes in the United States that aim to prevent young people with special needs from entering the justice system.

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust awarded a record number of 150 travelling fellowships to people across the UK and the Killyleagh man one of eight people from the Province to secure grants totalling £60,000 to fund their respective trips.

Ronnie, who formerly worked from the Department of Justice, was one of two local people associated with the government department to have secured fellowships. The other was Comber’s Karen Crilly who travelled to Australia, New Zealand and the USA to research evidence-based prison design.

Since its inception in February 1965, over 5,000 people from the UK have been awarded Churchill Fellowships from over 100,000 applicants.

Ronnie said he was “honoured” to be part of an initiative for individuals to visit different parts of the world in pursuit of new and better ways of tackling a wide range of social, environmental, medical and scientific issues in order to bring back new approaches and innovative ideas for the benefit of their local and regional communities.

During his career with the Department of Justice, he regularly came into contact with special needs people.

Before his trip he said that in the past, people with special needs tended to get left behind, explaining that mindset has changed, with increased emphasis on those with this condition.

The Killyleagh man spent time with a range of organisations in Seattle, Oregon, New York and Massachusetts, meeting with key professionals from a variety of areas.

As part of his US trip, Ronnie has to compile a report which will be made available to the Department of Justice, Department of Health, Prison Service, PSNI and other statutory authorities to help improve people’s learning and understanding of those who have special needs.

During the recent presentation ceremony in London, Ronnie was was presented with a blue cloisonné enamelled silver medallion by its designer and guest of honour at the awards ceremony, Professor Brian Clarke, who is a world renowned architectural artist and a 1974 Churchill Fellow himself. 

Professor Clarke presented 129 Fellows with their medallions at a ceremony in Church House in Central London which has significant Churchillian associations as during the Blitz Winston Churchill requisitioned the building as a makeshift Houses of Parliament. It was also from Church House that he made his famous speech announcing the sinking of the Bismarck on May 24, 1941.