Spruce Meadows Co-Founder Margaret Southern Honoured

Spruce Meadows co-founder Margaret Southern was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal this morning, with Her Honour, The Honourable Salma Lakhani, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, hailing her as ‘that anchor that grounds us.’

“Mrs Southern, you and your family are really that anchor that grounds us, in a world that has lost its mooring,” she explained. “Thank you so much for everything that you have done, and your family continues to do.”

The award, which recognizes civilians who have made significant contributions to Alberta and Canada, was presented during ATCO Military Family Day, an annual event at Spruce Meadows honouring Canadian military heroes and their families.

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It came in advance of the ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup, the marquee competition of the ‘North American’ tournament and Spruce Meadows’ 50th Anniversary summer season.

Mrs. Southern, 94, now joins the ranks of her daughters Linda Southern-Heathcott, the President and CEO of Spruce Meadows, and Nancy Southern, Chair and CEO of ATCO, both of whom also received a King Charles III Coronation Medal earlier this year.

In addition to founding and lovingly developing Spruce Meadows for much of the last half-century, as well as serving as its President until 2005, Mrs. Southern has devoted her life to the advancement of sport, community, education, and business within Alberta, and beyond.

In 1975, the former teacher launched the ongoing Spruce Meadows School Tours program, which has seen more than 250,000 youngsters grace the grounds of Spruce Meadows to learn about agriculture, ecosystems, equine welfare, and more.

She actively fostered a culture of charity and philanthropy at Spruce Meadows, which, since its opening in 1975, has been intended to serve as a gift from the Southern family to the wider community.

Mrs. Southern’s decades of passionate leadership, tireless work, and enduring dedication helped make Spruce Meadows one of the most successful show jumping venues on the planet.

That effort has helped draw hundreds of thousands of global tourists to Alberta, bringing in more than $120million to the broader Alberta economy annually, without the aid of government funding.

Many Albertans will also fondly remember how Mrs. Southern served as Lady-In-Waiting during the June 1990 Canadian tour of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the visit that inspired this afternoon’s Grand Prix title.