MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard spoke about the Invictus Games in the Legislature

Today, MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard spoke about the Invictus Games in the Legislature. You can watch the video here, or read the transcript below.

Invictus: it means unconquered.

In 2014, Prince Harry founded the Invictus Games. The name itself embodies the fighting spirit of injured military athletes from around the world. The games provide the power of adaptive sport to help physically, psychologically and socially injured and ill men and women in uniform, to help them to restore their pride in their military service and to not be defined by their injuries.

I recently had the honour of meeting Master Cpl. Joanna Robb, one of three military athletes from British Columbia competing in the Invictus Games in Australia. In fact, two members of the Canadian team are stationed at 19 Wing in Comox.

Joanna is a meteorological technician in the Canadian Armed Forces. She was raised on Vancouver Island and was a competitive athlete in her younger days. Joanna served in Afghanistan and has survived cancer and the debilitating effects that, amongst other things, had her learning to walk again. Now here she is, one of the 40 athletes chosen from over 700 applicants, competing in cycling, indoor rowing and wheelchair rugby.

Sgt. Mark Vokey, a search and rescue tech instructor at 19 Wing, joins her on the Canadian team to compete in archery, cycling and sitting volleyball. He also served in areas of conflict in Bosnia and Afghanistan.

From Victoria, Gina Pinangat rounds out the B.C. contingent.

It’s very humbling to meet people who have endured great adversity and come out the other side with such optimism and confidence, strength and resiliency. The indomitable Joanna doesn’t know what will come next in her life, but she is embracing the possibilities with gusto. She is unconquered, and that’s the power of the Invictus Games.