Iqaluit (Oct 02/06) - Dennis Nalungiaq has one heck of a long commute.

Every two weeks, the Kugaaruk resident must make a journey of nearly 1,000 kilometres as the crow flies. His day job is at the Jericho diamond mine near the NWT border.

Nalungiaq is a process plant lead operator: the man responsible for introducing the raw kimberlite into the machinery that will eventually turn the rock into diamonds.

He started work at Nunavut's first diamond mine in April. It's his first mining job, and one he hopes will make life better for his family, including four children.

"It keeps me busy and it's hard to get a job back home here, so I've got no choice but to keep my job," he says. "And I enjoy my job so far."

Before starting at Jericho, Nalungiaq drove heavy equipment for the hamlet in the spring and fall, but that work was inconsistent.

"It's tough watching the kids when we don't have jobs, kids asking for this and that," he said.

His father taught him how to drive heavy equipment, and he used those skills to enrol in a four-month training course in Fort Smith, NWT in 1997.

His position at Jericho takes Nalungiaq away for two weeks at a time, then home for two weeks. That schedule is perfect for him because it lets him spend quality time with the family while he's home.

"Every time when I go home I take my boy out hunting (or) fishing," he said.

"What I like about it is training my boy how to do this, and that he will know what he's doing (out on the land) when he grows up."