Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Arctic Bay (Dec 20/99) - Right now, as you read this story, someone in Arctic Bay is probably sinking their teeth into a ripe kiwi fruit.

Or perhaps they're cutting into a juicy pineapple and passing wedges out to the Christmas visitors who just walked through the door.

Just as Jolly Ole St. Nick will surely hoist himself into your homes this weekend, the residents of Arctic Bay are once again enjoying home-delivered fresh fruit baskets, compliments of Nanisivik mine.

"The fruit baskets are basically given in the spirit of Christmas," said Ron Light, the general manager at Nanisivik.

"It tends to enhance community relations and provide goodwill between the two communities," he said.

And that's precisely the intent behind the nearly decade old tradition.

Starting in 1992 with the tireless assistance of mine catering supervisor John Parsons, the fruit baskets became a way to make sure everybody in Arctic Bay had the opportunity to sample the pleasures of fresh fruit at Christmas time.

Because of the extremely high costs of transporting fruit to the High Arctic made it a prohibitively expensive luxury, Parsons said the project instantly met with success.

"Fruit is so expensive up here and this way, the kids get to benefit as well as the adults," said Parsons, a mine employee for the last 18 years.

"I like it. I see the appreciation people show towards it. As a matter of fact, I would even say I enjoy it."

Similarly, Debbie Cottrell pitches in every year and helps to pack approximately 150 boxes of fruit for her neighbours because of the way it makes her feel.

"It really is wonderful. I think everybody does it for the same reason," said Cottrell.

"You drop the box off and the lady comes out and hugs you and thanks you and wants to invite you in for tea. It's nice to see someone appreciate something," she said.

Loaded with fresh pineapples, bananas, red and green grapes and pears and kiwi fruit, the rather large boxes also contain a healthy supply of Christmas treats and candy canes.

Delivered last weekend by mine employees, Cottrell said people were extremely pleased as usual, adding that the afternoon went off without a hitch.

"It was a little cold, but things went as smooth as glass. People were as appreciative as they always are."