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MITTIMATALIK/POND INLET
David Parks has few regrets about being unable to receive his Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal in person. He was too busy being cured of cancer.

Pat and David Parks missed the March 23 ceremony in Pond Inlet in which David was to be presented with the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal. He was in hospital recovering from prostate cancer at the time. - photo courtesy of David and Pat Parks

"I had prostate cancer, and they removed the prostate and I'm fine now," the 61-year-old Pond Inlet man said. "They did some blood work and I'm completely clear. You never know what's going to happen in the future, but right now everything's good."

His wife Pat didn't mind either, as their son Abbas and grandson Ryan stood in for David.

"When we heard, we were absolutely stunned," she said of the award, noting her grandmother received a similar medal for the Queen's 25th coronation anniversary in the 1960s. "To have our son and little grandson receive the medal on behalf of my husband, we thought that was very fitting and we thought it was very sweet."

David and Pat, who have been married 36 years, moved to Pond Inlet to teach in 1979, and stayed for good. David, who continues to work as a justice of the peace, retired as principal at Nasivvik High School in 2008.

"My wife's uncle was an RCMP officer in the late-'50s in Baker Lake and the early-'60s in Grise Fiord, so she grew up hearing about the Inuit in the North and was always interested in it," he said. "We had friends who were teachers in Qikiqtarjuaq, and they encouraged us to apply, and we did. Within the first two weeks, we thought this was the place for us, and we decided we're here for a long time."

Knowing they were home for good, they bought a house in 1986.

"Actually, it was the only non-government house in town at the time," he said. "It had been built by German scientists who were leaving town and we bought it from them."

The Parks raised two daughters and a son in the community, and all three pursued work in the education field. One daughter is a teacher in Pond Inlet, another teaches in Iqaluit, and their son works in human resources for the Department of Education in Pond Inlet.

Parks says he was surprised but humbled by the award, for which he was nominated by an Inuk colleague at the school.

"She said she had nominated both my wife and I but they said she could only put one name," he said.

Despite the fact they are of the Baha'i faith, the Parks have previously been honoured by the Anglican church for visiting grieving families over the years.

For them, leaving a legacy of contribution is more important than awards.

"It's important to be a good person and be helpful in the community," David said. "Hopefully I've had some role to play in developing the school system here in Pond Inlet. I think it's very important to respect Inuit culture and to give a good example in your own life. I've learned a great deal from the Inuit while living here and tried to apply it in my own life."

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