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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Many longtime Yellowknifers have the same story: they moved North with the intention to stay a year or two but decades later continue to call the city home.

Gloria Reyes, president of the Philippine Cultural Association of Yellowknife, co-ordinates a hot dog fundraiser for flood victims in the Philippines outside Wal-Mart on Sunday. - photo courtesy of Gloria Reyes

Gloria Reyes first arrived in Yellowknife years ago and that's precisely what happened to her.

"When I came (to Yellowknife), when I was single, I said, 'I'm only going to be here for two years,'" she said.

"But I'm here, it's been 40 years in town."

Reyes came to Yellowknife after following her friends Kay and M.S. Naidoo from McLennan, Alta. Kay and Reyes had worked together at the hospital there, and worked together again at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

"When I came I was living in the nurses' residences near the Baker Centre," said Reyes. "That's where the hospital was then."

When the hospital relocated to its current location, Reyes and her family moved to newly developed Frame Lake South.

"I think at that time the tallest building was Fraser Tower and now there are buildings everywhere, condominiums, buildings, stores," she said. "At that time I remember we had The Bay where the NorthwesTel Building is and the Canada building ... The Extra Foods downtown was a Super A."

Reyes also remembers an IGA but not many other retail centres or restaurants like there are today.

"We didn't have McDonald's," she said. "We didn't have all those places to eat, like A&W.

"It is a big, big change."

The memory of Giant Mine and Miramar Con Mine closing down still stands out as one of the most city-altering events Reyes experienced during her 40 years in Yellowknife.

"They were two big industries," she said. "That was sad. My husband worked at Miramar Con Mine for 25 or 26 years and it was sad seeing all this happen in our town.

"Lots of people sold their houses and left town. It's sad because you see houses all up for sale. People left them because there was nothing to do here."

Reyes remembers the Salvation Army showing up during the Christmas season after Miramar Con Mine closed with everything her family would need for the holiday.

"They brought us turkey, trimmings, groceries, and even gifts for my kids," she said.

"It really touched me."

When Reyes first left the Philippines for Canada, she was following a job offer to work as a midwife in Alberta. She was 21 and, although she had completed her studies in midwifery, had never travelled alone or been on an airplane before.

"When I first came in 1969 it was hard," she said. "Even to communicate ... I could just say, 'Hi, how are you?' It was hard my first year in Canada."

By the time Reyes reached Yellowknife a few years later, she was much more comfortable with English, an accomplishment she credits to Kay and M.S. Naidoo, and found it easy to meet people in the city through her job.

"It wasn't hard for me to get to know people because I (worked) at the hospital and I meet people a lot," she said. "Even going to (Larga House) in Edmonton, because I have to accompany my mother, there's people from all over the North and they'll say, 'You were my nurse, I know you!'"

Reyes is known around Yellowknife for much more than her nursing skills. Although she has been retired for five years, she says she's busier now than she ever was before.

President of the Philippine Cultural Association of Yellowknife for two four-year terms and a member of volunteer groups serving Stanton Territorial Hospital, Aven Manor, Weledeh Catholic School, and St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Reyes is looking forward to slowing down over the next few years.

"I'm thinking of not running in 2014 (for president of the Philippine Cultural Association of Yellowknife) and just concentrating on other things," said Reyes. She smiled and added, "My daughter just got married in July so I thought maybe by that time we'll have grandchildren, maybe one."

In the meantime, Reyes said she's having a good time helping others and giving back to the city she calls home with deep affection.

"I'm having fun," said Reyes. "I always say I left the Philippines for the better and Canada, Yellowknife is my home."

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