Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Baker Lake (July 08/02) - Most Kivalliq residents can be forgiven if they don't realize how much David Webster has accomplished in their region during the past 37 years.

Webster would rather talk about the accomplishments of others than his own.

But he has quietly amassed an impressive list since coming to the region in 1965 to teach at the Baker Lake federal day school.

There weren't many houses in Baker when Webster arrived. In fact, a number of the kids he taught still lived in iglus behind the school.

Webster's wife-to-be, Sally Qimmiunaaq, was the first teacher's assistant in the Kivalliq region at the time.

The two were wed on Aug. 12, 1967, and moved a few days later to teach in Arviat.

It was while teaching in Arviat that Webster began writing his place in Kivalliq history.

In the 1960s, Inuit students were only allowed to speak English in school.

Webster was the driving force behind the first Inuktitut program in Kivalliq schools.

"The principal at the time wouldn't allow it, but I finally got Ivan Mouat, the superintendent of education for the entire Kivalliq region, to agree to the last hour of Friday to be in Inuktitut.

"I think the reasoning was that by the end of Friday afternoon, the teachers were generally pretty tired and just played games to finish the week any way.

"The Inuktitut segments became so successful and well organized that he (Mouat) couldn't believe it."

Webster enlisted the aid of a group of Arviat elders to advance the Inuktitut program. The elders formed a committee and, a year later, Mouat asked the other communities to form a committee like Arviat's. He even went a step further and gave each committee a budget of $800.

"Those committees ultimately became the local education advisory boards, which, today, are the district education authorities.

"So the first one was actually formed in Arviat in 1969."

While in Arviat, Webster was offered a job as the recreational co-ordinator for the central and eastern Arctic.

The job was based in Churchill, Man., Webster accepted the position and moved to Churchill in 1970.

At the end of that year, Webster learned the NWT Department of Education was going to start an adult education program in Arviat, so he headed back to become the first adult educator in Kivalliq history.

"That term, adult education, was brand new and when I asked what it was, I was told, 'Well, that's your job, to find out.'"

During the next few years, the popularity of adult education grew.

"We were holding about 20 programs a year and hitting all age groups in both genders. That's when Baker called and asked me to go down there and explain adult education to them."

Webster went to Baker and held a day-long workshop at the community hall, which is now the Inuit Heritage Centre.

The people were so impressed, they quickly decided they wanted an adult educator in Baker.

The government of the day said OK and Webster moved back to Baker in 1972 to start that community's first adult education program.