Brave plunge earns national honour
Cambridge Bay man receives medal for rescuing young boy
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Monday, November 7, 2016
IKALUKTUTIAK/CAMBRIDGE BAY
Cambridge Bay's Stuart Rostant was fishing at Freshwater Creek July 10, when he saw two youth struggling in the water.
Stuart Rostant, left, of Cambridge Bay saved a young swimmer in distress in July, and received a Medal of Bravery from Governor General David Johnston Oct. 28. - photo courtesy of the office the secretary to the Governor General of Canada |
"The kids started calling for help," Rostant said. "I just instinctively ran towards them and into the water."
His instinct to jump to the rescue - one boy may not be alive without his help - earned Rostant a Medal of Bravery from the Governor General at a ceremony in Ottawa on Oct. 28.
"It was knee height while I was running out, and then it just drops right off from under your feet," he said, explaining why he thinks the youth got into trouble.
"I was able to get to one of the kids and pull him to a shallow area where he could stand up. I think at that point I was pretty exhausted. Luckily I looked over and the other kid that was in trouble reached a shallow area where he was able to stand up."
Rostant was wearing tall boots and waterproof pants, which he said filled with water and slowed him down.
"I consider myself a good swimmer. I never felt as though I would drown, but it definitely was a difficult situation because of all the gear."
Decorations of Bravery were first introduced in Canada in 1972, to recognize people who risk their lives to save another person. The Medal of Bravery recognizes acts of bravery in hazardous circumstances. Forty-one medals were given out at the ceremony.
Rostant found out about his nomination when the RCMP contacted him to provide a statement of the day's events.
"I feel a bit humbled to be awarded something when there were so many people there on the day to do their part," he said.
Rostant's fishing friend also jumped in the water to help the children, and paramedics arrived on site soon after.
Anyone can suggest a nominee for a Decoration of Bravery, according to a release from the Governor General's office. The person does not have to be Canadian and the event does not need to have taken place in Canada - though Canadians and Canadian interest must be involved.
"Nominations must be made within two years of the incident, or within two years after a public entity, including a court, a quasi-judicial tribunal or a coroner, has concluded its review of the circumstances surrounding the incident or act of bravery," stated the release.
Originally from Trinidad, Rostant moved to Cambridge Bay in June of 2010. He has recently started a private development company called Chou Consulting and Development Inc. with his wife Amanda Doiron. The company is currently constructing a multi-use office building and last year completed a condo complex.
"There are a lot of people out there that do a lot of brave things on a daily basis," Rostant said. "I just did what I feel a lot of people would have done in that situation."
