Hay River (Apr 21/03) - Christy Read first started working as a lifeguard in her early teens.

Now 27, the aquatic supervisor at the Hay River Centennial Pool has also been a lifeguard instructor since 1996.

Her efforts were recently recognized with the Commonwealth Service Medal from the Royal Life Saving Society of Canada.

"It was exciting. It is a big deal in the lifeguarding world," she says of receiving the medal, which was awarded at a ceremony at the Provincial Museum in Edmonton.

The medal honours people who have four or more years instructing and examining lifeguards.

"What they're doing is trying to get people to stick with it," says Read, explaining many people become lifeguards as a high school or college job and then move on to some other career.

Twelve people in all from Alberta and the NWT were honoured with the medal at the awards ceremony. Read was the only recipient from the NWT.

She trained all her lifeguard staff and also staff in Fort Smith and High Level.

Read first became a lifeguard 13 years ago while in high school in Edmonton. She says her mother decided it would be a good job for her. "Looking back, it was an excellent choice."

She moved to Hay River five years ago to take up the position as senior lifeguard at the Hay River pool. That was after three years working at the water park in West Edmonton Mall.

The small Hay River pool was something of a shock, since she didn't see it before moving north. She recalls that, at the time, it didn't have a climbing wall or a window. "It was scary."

And she says the 18-metre pool is so small. "But people loved it."

Plans are to replace the existing pool with a brand-new aquatic and leisure facility, featuring a 25-metre pool.

Read is looking forward to the new centre, which should open in 2005.

"I'm telling people here they're not going to get rid of me now," she jokes.

She is looking forward to the challenge of getting a new facility operating and offering more activities, such as water polo and scuba diving classes.

The new facility will be wonderful and Hay River residents are going to be very happy with it, Read predicts.

"I think they won't grasp the total concept until they set foot in the building and see how much better it is."