PAULATUK
Charlie Ruben knew the value of hard work. During the Northwest Territories' oil boom in the 1970s and 1980s, Charlie was known as a workhorse for the companies that employed him.
Paulatuk elder Charlie Ruben poses for a photo with his late sister Lena Ruben. - photo courtesy of Paulatuk Community Corporation |
"He was kind of a smallish guy, not very heavy, but his work ethic was very strong," said Paulatuk's Lawrence Ruben, a relative.
"In the oil boom days he was always out there for weeks on end doing his duties."
Charlie was in his late 50s when he died in November, but Ruben said he will always be remembered as a man who loved the land.
For years, Charlie worked as a marine mammal observer for different organizations, including the territorial Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
As a field technician, he helped scientists and government agencies track and monitor seals during the Beaufort Sea Seals Research and Monitoring project, which began in 1991.
Ruben said Charlie believed he was lucky to get paid to be out on the land.
"Most of his duties pertained to caribou research, seals, polar bears and whales," Ruben said. "He loved doing that on the land and getting paid for it. His specialty was getting paid to do what he loved best. He cared a lot about our land."
Charlie's love of the land prompted the idea to start his own outfitting business, Charlie Ruben Outfitting, which began in the late 1980s.
Ruben said he admired Charlie because he worked hard and always got the job done.
"It was one of the things I liked about him, he could do things," Ruben said.
"Like Anny (Illasiak), he loved what he did out on the land."
Paulatuk Mayor Ray Ruben said losing three members of the community in such a short timeframe has been tough on family and friends. But he also said people have been helping each other.
"Families are able to stick together and support each other," he said. "It's really good to see families coming together and supporting each other."
Paulatuk only has 300 residents, and Ray said he believes the community's close relationships will help people get through the mourning process.
"In a small community, you can't go without that," he said
"Everybody knows everybody. Nobody is left out."
