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UQSUQTUUQ/GJOA HAVEN
George Porter Sr. thought the territorial government had forgotten about him now that he's retired, but his record of service was remembered and he was recognized with a medal this month.

Diamond Jubilee medals were presented to Nunavummiut for contributing to their communities on Jan. 13 in Gjoa Haven. From left are RCMP Const. Michel Mignon, Gjoa Haven Mayor Allen Aglukkaq and Premier Eva Aariak; recipients George Porter, Elizabeth Anavilok and Miriam Aglukkaq; and Commissioner Edna Elias. - photo courtesy of the Government of Nunavut

Commissioner Edna Elias presented Porter with a Diamond Jubilee medal in a ceremony in Gjoa Haven on Jan. 13 in recognition of his public service.

The medals commemorate the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the throne. During the year of celebrations, 60,000 Canadians will be recognized with the medal.

Porter Sr. worked more than three decades in the public sector.

"I was really surprised because I never expected it at all. It was really sneaky," he said. "Before I thought nobody is going to be thinking of me. At least the government still thinks of me. I thank them very much."

Now 82, Porter said he still hunts when the weather is nice.

"I'm still going strong. I don't even feel I'm that old at all," he said.

Born in Gjoa Haven, Porter worked as an interpreter in Cambridge Bay in the late 1950s and early '60s, then for Canadian National Railway in Hay River, NWT, and High Level, Alta. for about six years.

While based in Gjoa Haven from 1971 to the mid-1990s, he worked in many roles as a civil servant. He retired from the GNWT Department of Public Works and Services, where he served as a settlement maintainer for 30 years.

Porter has six children and approximately 45 grandchildren and great-grandchildren in total. He has been married since March 13, 1960.

Porter Sr. received a bravery award in 2003 from then-commissioner Peter Irniq for his actions in saving the life of a fellow Northwest Territories Power Corporation worker who had come in contact with live cable wires and was electrocuted. The power cables, back then, were underground with the transformers above ground. Porter revived the worker with skills he'd gained through CPR training.

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