Prince George, B.C.- For former light middle weight boxing champ Harold Mann, this has been one very special night.

Two and a half years ago, the gold medal he won at the 1962 Commonwealth games in Perth Australia, and the gold medals he achieved for being the Canadian Amateur Boxing Champion in 1958, 1961 and 1962, were stolen from   Exploration Place. Despite   an extensive police investigation and a $5,000 dollar reward, the medals have not surfaced. 

The museum has spent more than two years trying to find some way to have the medals recast, or duplicated, and they found a willing partner in Bond - Boyd, the Toronto company which makes the Order of Canada medals.

With  the generous loan of a gold medal from butterfly swimmer Mary Stewart who was also at those games in Perth, Bond-Boyd was able to recreate   Harold’s gold medal.

Tonight,   Exploration Place once again honoured Harold and shared his accomplishments with an audience of special guests.   Mayor Dan Rogers   proclaimed this Harold Mann Day in Prince George and called on the former boxer to step forward.   Harold stepped on the stage to the applause of all, and the Mayor placed the newly minted Commonwealth Gold Medal around Harold’s neck. There was an instant standing ovation.

Then, the  national anthem was playing, and Harold’s voice could be heard above all the others who were singing Oh Canada. 

Harold’s honours weren’t over though, as replicas of his Gold Medal were presented to the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame, the B.C. Sports Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame.,

Ken Piegues of Boxing Canada also presented Harold with the run of medals from this year, to replace the three Amateur Canadian Champion medals that were stolen.

Museum Executive Director Tracy Calegheros  apologized again for the theft, saying tonight was all about righting a wrong.

While he made his mark being a great fighter,   tonight, he was fighting back the tears. He looked at the medal around his neck,   touched it, and said “It’s making me tingle, just like it did in Perth.”