Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jun 23/00) - Long-time Yellowknifer Don Hunter was presented with a humanitarian award on June 15 for a lifetime of work dealing compassionately with criminal offenders.

Hunter was presented the National Humanitarian award by the president of the John Howard Society of Canada, John Peach, at the society's annual general meeting at the Yellowknife Correctional Centre. He spent 34 years working in the probation field.

"There were people he assisted in the past at the AGM who said they didn't really appreciate him at the time but now realize what he did for them and how incredibly supportive he was," said the local society's president Arlene Hache.

"Whether as a (society) volunteer or as part of his job (in corrections), in both environments his goal was to support the guys back into the community. He never once gave up on anybody."

Hunter, 71, came to Yellowknife in 1966 along one of the first waves of probations officers to take up residence in the North.

In a previous interview with Northern News Services he articulated a unique passion for working with and helping offenders get back on track.

"If you are from any culture and you start out in life under great depravation where life is at a subsistence level, you don't have an education and you don't think in terms of a competitive world or the objectivity of any kind of trade ... then you're very vulnerable to being exploited," he said.

"Human beings are so intricate and fascinating and there's no end to the human potential."

Hunter is currently on the local John Howard Society's board of directors.