INUVIK - A trapper at heart, Fred Carmichael felt a little uncomfortable formally accepting the Order of Canada at a big celebration with the Governor General in Ottawa earlier this month.

Fred Carmichael accepted the Order of Canada from Governor General Michaelle Jean in Ottawa April 7. He gained recognition as a pilot, and later advocating for aboriginal independence as president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council. - photo courtesy of Sgt. Serge Gouin, Rideau Hall

"It's hard to explain. For me, it was certainly an honour," Carmichael said. "In my mind I was thinking of others that could probably deserve it more than I did."

Carmichael's years of service in the North have earned him national recognition.

Whether he was rescuing stranded hunters as a pilot, advocating for aboriginal independence as president of the Gwich'in Tribal Council or advancing exploration in the territory as chair of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group, Carmichael's achievements for the North have set him apart. On April 7, he joined a distinguished club as a member of the Order of Canada.

Carmichael's wife, Miki O'Kane, was there to see him accept the award. She said her husband is a modest man, but she is very proud of him.

"It's always good when you have a lot of respect for your spouse, and I certainly do!" she laughed.

Former Aklavik chief Charlie Furlong grew up with Carmichael and looked up to him as a role model.

"There was never a more deserving person for that award," he said.

"Fred's been a people-oriented person. He's always liked to help people," Furlong added. "He just gained a tremendous amount of respect for the people - Gwich'in, Inuvialuit, Metis, white people, everyone."

Carmichael, who will be 75 next month, was born to Gwich'in-Irish parents and grew up living off the land near Aklavik. In 1955, he was the first aboriginal person in the North to get a pilot's license and in the past 50 years has worked as a commercial pilot and started up two of his own aviation companies, Reindeer Air Service and Antler Aviation, as well as using his flying skills to complete many a rescue mission. The Aklavik airport was named after him in 1998. Since entering politics upon his election as president of the GTC in 2000, where he served for eight years, Carmichael has been instrumental in securing a one-third partnership for aboriginal people in the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline and has been inducted into the Aboriginal Business Hall of Fame.

He's proud that he was able to work together with so many different groups as a leader, and Carmichael still sees the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline as a gateway to economic self-sufficiency for aboriginal people - as he says, "we need to unite, we need to stand together to accomplish self-sufficiency" - but aviation is his greatest passion.

He knew when he was 12 years old he wanted to be a pilot, though he wasn't immediately sure if he could do it. Carmichael still remembers the day he first realized he'd be flying someday. His mother, in Aklavik for Easter services, chartered a plane full of groceries and supplies out to Carmichael and his father in the bush about 30 kilometres from town.

"I watched this thing come over and land and I was quite curious," he said. "I watched him take off and disappear into the horizon and I thought, 'oh man, that's what I want to do.'"

Over the years Carmichael has trained many young pilots who are now accomplished in commercial aviation.

"I'm most proud to see these young people succeed and grow," he said.

Though Carmichael retired from flying jets, he still has his commercial license and still pilots his own aircraft.

"Aviation and flying is my life. I'll be flying till I can't anymore - till I have wings of my own," he laughed.