Long Service Awards & ACR Parade

Government of Nunavut (GN) representatives came to Arctic Bay to award GN Long-Term Service Certificates to local GN employees in a public ceremony at the local community hall on May 6.  GN employees receive public recognition for their dedicated years of service in 5-year increments.  Additional gifts & honours are included at times.  Many local GN employees were invited to attend the ceremony, including me & several teachers.

The GN Long-Term Service Awards began at 7pm.  The emcee opened with a speech welcoming everyone, thanking the local GN workers for their hard work & dedication, and congratulating them for the certificates they were about to receive.  The mayor of Arctic Bay spoke next, mentioning similar points, and adding he was proud of the GN workers’ accomplishments.  The Minister of Human Resources, David Akeeagok, and the Deputy Minister of Human Resources, Kristie Cronin, were present and offered their personal congratulations.

The ceremony continued with the Awards Presentation.  The first batch of recipients were the GN workers who completed 5 years of service.  The next batch were the workers who completed 10 years of service.  I was one of them.  To be honest, I didn’t have a 10-year plan before moving to Nunavut.  I originally thought I would stay, maybe, 5 years and then go somewhere else, but that didn’t happen.  I have no regrets staying longer.  I’m now thinking I’ll reach 20 years of GN service in Arctic Bay.  Only time will tell. 

There were a few people who received certificates for 15 years of service.  One recipient, a high school teacher, received a certificate for 30 years of GN service.  She received an extended applause from the audience.  The last certificate went to the Grade 1 teacher who has worked for the GN for 45 years as an educator!  She too received an extended applause and many personal congratulations from the GN hosts.

The last parts of the ceremony were the door prizes draw and closing statements from the presenters.  Everyone went to the refreshments table after that.  A few people congratulated me for my decade of service.  I stayed a little bit and ate a few snacks before making my exit.

3045 Army Cadet Corps held its Annual Ceremonial Review (ACR) Parade on May 8.  It’s similar to a Parents Night Parade but with more awards, badges, promotions, and announcements.  It’s the year-end parade before summer.  Most corps hold their ACRs in June, near the end of the school year, but we hold ours a month or two early because most people are out camping in late spring.  That and our school year finishes in early June.

The cadets & I arrived an hour before the parade to set everything up in the gym.  The cadets changed into their uniforms when everything was ready.  The cadet parade commander took attendance and sized the cadets before the start of the parade.  Once the audience & guest reviewing officer (GRO) arrived, I signaled for the ACR to begin.

The GRO was the mayor of Arctic Bay: Olayuk Naqitarvik.  I escorted him into the gym while the cadets stood at attention.  He received the General Salute and was escorted through the ranks by the cadet parade commander.  I did a short welcome speech while the mayor inspected the cadets on parade.  The cadets did a March Past after the inspection.  The mayor did a short speech, thanking the corps for inviting him, and congratulating the cadets for another successful year.

The mayor assisted me in awarding badges.  There were many to give out.  I first called up the marksmanship team to receive their Stage 3 competition pins.  The cadet coach received a t-shirt.  I then called out the cadets from each training level to receive star training badge.  The Canadian cadet program uses coloured stars for training years.  They’re organized into Green, Red, Silver, Gold, and Master. 

Next came the year end awards.  The first was the Most Improved Cadet.  The lucky recipient gets their name placed on a large plaque.  The next award was Best Boots & Deportment.  This went to the cadet who wore their uniforms to the highest degree.  Next were the top female & male athletes.  They were selected based on the high scores they achieved from physical training tests.  The top three cadets with the highest attendance for the year received t-shirts.  The final award is the Top Cadet Award.  This went to the cadet with the highest training results, best uniform & deportment, taking initiative, assisting other cadets, and displaying leadership qualities. 

Promotions were the last part of the Awards Section.  Six junior & senior cadets received promotions.  They were very glad to be advancing in the ranks. 

The parade concluded with an Advance in Review Order & General Salute.  I escorted the mayor out of the gym and the parade came to an end.  I thanked the mayor again for his participation and joined the cadets for a group photo.  The after-parade reception lasted about 20 minutes.  The cadets then helped me clean up the gym.  I congratulated the cadets for a job well done and then dismissed them for the night.