Janet Diveky said she was humbled by receiving a Sovereign's Medal for Volunteers at city hall on Wednesday.
John McFadden/NNSL photo
The long-time Yellowknife resident, a native of South Africa, was recognized for improving the quality of life for people with disabilities and organizing the city's Gumboot Rally, a fundraiser for the Yellowknife Association for Community Living.
She was honoured along with three other Yellowknife residents by Gov. Gen. David Johnston.
“It's very gratifying and I feel very honoured,” said Diveky. “To get an award just for bullying people into doing work for you and getting money out of them – everybody I've been bossing around should be getting the award.”
Diveky added being recognized with the medal just reinforces her long-held feelings about her adopted country.
“I wrote my mother when I got here in 1963 and told her – Canada – what a wonderful country,” she said.
Diveky and her immediate family have been in Yellowknife since 1977.
Mickey Brown also received the medal for her volunteer work with the Stanton Territorial Hospital Foundation.
“It's awesome,” she said about the recogniztion. “It isn't anything I expected at all. I feel top of the world.”
David Kellett was also presented with the medal for leading various organizations and major events, including the Old Town Ramble and Ride. He too said he was honoured and humbled as well as pleasantly surprised to receive the medal directly from Johnston.
“There are a lot of volunteers out there who put in a lot of hours,” he said. “I don't know why I am the one to represent them but I'm happy to do that – for the hundreds of volunteers across the North.”
The master of ceremonies for the event was Kellett's wife, Sheila Bassi-Kellett, the senior administrative officer for the city.
The fourth person honoured was Sheena Tremblay, the driving force behind Walk to Tuk. The NWT Parks and Recreation co-ordinator was awarded the Meritorious Service Decoration for her work leading the annual physical activity initiative whereby residents and groups walk symbolically the 1,600 kilometres from Fort Providence to Tuktoyaktuk along the Mackenzie River. Thousands of people have participated in the walk since it began in 2010.
“It feels pretty exciting and a bit surprising,” said Tremblay. “I didn't know what to expect. It was great to have the Governor General here.”
This was Johnston's second trip to Yellowknife as Governor General. He was first here in 2011, shortly after he assumed the role. Johnston's term is up this fall, when he will be replaced by former astronaut Julie Payette.
The Governor General told Yellowknifer he believes issues in the North are more front and centre across the country now than when he first sworn in.
“We clearly have momentum in that direction and yet we have a long way to go,” he said. “We need more and more of southerners understanding the North – and seeing the vastness of it and the wonderful resilience that there is in the North, the beauty of the North and of course the challenges.”
After the ceremony, Johnston and his wife Sharon Johnston left city hall for the legislative assembly where they were feted by Premier Bob McLeod, other dignitaries and members of the public. They were presented with a birch-bark basket and a sealskin tie, both locally made. They then chatted with people inside the Great Hall and listened to Dene drummers.