Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the life and accomplishments of Ms. Sara Corning, a native of Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia. Ms. Corning was born in 1872 and her story reflects Canada's legacy of compassion and international humanitarianism.
In 1921, Sara Corning arrived in a small Turkish village to take charge of an orphanage. Longstanding conflict between the Turks and Armenians had resulted in hundreds of thousands of homeless and starving children.
In 1922, fighting erupted in the Turkish port city of Smyrna. As the city began to burn, Corning assisted in delivering more than 5,000 mostly Armenian and Greek children from an orphanage to the harbour, where they were transported to Greece aboard American destroyers. Upon arrival in Greece, Corning established an orphanage for these young victims of war, famine and disease.
For her courage and dedication, King George II of Greece awarded Corning the Silver Cross Medal of the Order of the Saviour. Upon retiring, Sara Corning returned to Yarmouth County, where she lived until her death in 1969.
I wish to thank the member for Brampton Centre for bringing this story to our attention.