Diamond Jubilee

Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain ascended to the throne in 1952, after the death of her father, King George VI.  At the time, the British Empire was in its final days, going through a period of decolonisation.  When she was officially crowned on June 2, 1953, she became queen regnant over Britain, her oversea territories/colonies, and seven independent commonwealth states.  Today, she is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states and head of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations.  The year of 2012 marked the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

            

I have always wondered why 60 is the diamond anniversary?  According to my research, it began during the British reign of Queen Victoria.  At the time, British citizens were not pleased that she had withdrew from public life after the death of her husband in 1861.  This prompted the moving of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations to the 60th anniversary in 1897.  Originally, a Diamond Jubilee celebrates a 75th anniversary.

            

For the entire 2012 year, celebrations were held throughout the Commonwealth.  As an added bonus, the 2012 Summer Olympic Games were staged in London.  To commemorate the occasion, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal was created.  Three versions exist: one for the United Kingdom (Britain), one for Canada, and one for the commonwealth nations in the Caribbean.  The Canadian version of the medal "honours significant contributions and achievements by Canadians."  Sixty thousand citizens and permanent residents would receive the medal.  Three of them from Arctic Bay.

            

The Diamond Jubilee Medal Ceremony took place at the Community Hall on the evening of February 18th.  This was the event that the cadets of 3045 Army had been preparing for.  Unfortunately, the special guest wasn't the Queen but Edna Elias, the Commissioner of Nunavut.  A Commissioner is similar to a provincial Lieutenant Governor.  She was touring the northern communities to award Diamond Jubilee medals to selected recipients and Arctic Bay was her last stop.  I had previously met and had breakfast with her while I was teaching in Iqaluit.

            

Community Hall setup

On the afternoon of the 18th, Commissioner Edna Elias and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Ron Elliott were touring Inuujaq School.  No regular classes were taking place because it was Professional Improvement (PI) Week.  However, there were teachers taking part in PI classes.  I happened to be learning Inuktitut in my classroom (more on this in a future post). 

            

The Commissioner was surprised to see me in Arctic Bay and wanted to know what brought me here.  I explained that I recently completed my teaching contract in Iqaluit and was looking for ways to stay in the north.  Luckily a teaching position had opened up in Arctic Bay.  I was surprised that Ron Elliott knew of my recent arrival to the community, but he later explained that he was informed through cadets because he also volunteers at 3045 Army.  Before they left, the Commissioner and MLA wished me all the best in my new teaching position and hoped to see me at the ceremony. 

            

Cadets on Parade.

I arrived at the Community Hall at around 6:45pm, wearing formal attire and armed with my new digital camera (Nikon Coolpix S9300).  Rows of silver foldout chairs, organized into two rectangles, sat in the middle of the hall.  At the front hung the flags of Nunavut and the Queen.  To the right, a line of tables were set up for an after-ceremony reception.  By 7:10, the hall was packed with people.  I was able to snap a quick photo of the large cake that was specifically prepared for the occasion.

           

Lt. F. May (Mayor) and Geela
Arnauyumayuq (Deputy Mayor).

The ceremony began at 7:10, just after the cadets of 3045 Army took their positions to the left of the podium.  Everyone stood for the arrival of Commissioner Elias, MLA Elliot, and Lieutenant Frank May (Mayor of Arctic Bay).  They were escorted to the front by a member of the RCMP and two senior cadets from 3045.  Everyone remained standing for the playing of the national anthem ('O Canada') and the opening prayer.  When the opening prayer was finished, everyone took their seats.  Opening remarks were made in English and Inuktitut.

            

Cadet J. Olayuk poses with Commissioner
Edna Elias.

Commissioner Elias was given the opportunity to inspect the cadets on parade.  While people snapped photographs, she spoke to every cadet on parade.  After completing the inspection, Elias addressed the cadets and complimented them for their dress, drill, and deportment.  Several cadets were then called upon to receive promotions and awards, presented by Commissioner Elias and Lt. May.  The biathlon team recently competed in the Northern Stage III Biathlon Championship in Whitehorse, Yukon (Feb 9-10) and one cadet, Jesse Olayuk, won a junior gold medal.

            

RCMP Officer, Commissioner Edna Elias, Qaapik Attagutsiaq, Piuyuq Enoogoo, and Lt. Frank May

Cutting the cake.

The ceremony continued with the awarding of the Diamond Jubilee Medals.  The recipients were Piuyuq Enoogoo, the vice-principal of Inuujaq School, and Qaapik Attagutsiaq, a respected Elder.  Lt. May received his medal in April 2012.  There was an extended applause and a lot of cheering from the audience as the two recipients received their medals and certificates.  I did my best to snap perfect photos of them holding their certificates and cutting the large cake with the Commissioner.  After photos were taken, the ceremony concluded, and everyone was free to attend the reception.  There was bannock, tea, coffee, juice, and of course, cake.

            

Commissioner Edna Elias addresses
the audience.

I approached Commissioner Elias after the ceremony to personally thank her for presenting the awards and successfully completing her walk for breast cancer research.  Last year in May, she and five of her female friends walked from Umingmaktok to Cambridge Bay, a distance of 250 kilometres, to raise $70,000 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.  She and her friends walked around 22km a day and were looked after by a support team on snowmobiles.  Elias added that they surpassed their goal and raised around $90,000.    

             

Several minutes before 8:30pm, people began moving chairs to the side, creating an open area in the middle of the hall.  The hall was being prepared for an evening square dance.  Not wanting to be pushed onto the dance floor by my students, I quietly made my exit.