Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today in Edmonton at Government House, three constituents of Hay River North will be receiving recognition from the Royal Life Saving Society. R.J. Benoit, Lucy Benoit and Jordan Groenewegen will be in attendance at the event in which the honourable Lieutenant Governor of Alberta will be recognizing the efforts and quick thinking of these three Hay Riverites as they each receive a commendation and citation today.
Hay River has a beautiful sandy beach on the shores of Great Slave Lake, and the warm water from the mouth of the Hay River makes the mouth of the public beach a wonderful spot for swimmers. On a particular weekend in July 2011, Hay River was hosting a slo-pitch tournament and three teenage girls from Alberta had accompanied their parents and, like so many others, were enjoying the swimming at the beach. The girls drifted too far from shore, hanging on to a floating toy. The current picked them up and took them eventually two or three kilometres from shore.
When the mother of two of the girls could no longer see them, she turned to long-time Hay River campground and beach manager Lucy Benoit for help. Lucy called on Jordan, who had just gotten home, and with his high-powered binoculars was able to see the girls floating in the water. There would have been no time for Coast Guard or RCMP to respond.
At that very moment, Lucy’s son R.J. happened to be exiting the Hay River onto the lake. The swells on the lake made it impossible for R.J. to initially see the girls. R.J. tells us that he never takes his cell phone in his boat, but this evening he had and actually could hear it over the roar of the boat. Lucy called to tell him of the swimmers in trouble, and Jordan was able to guide R.J. to the location of the girls, who by this time were screaming and on the verge of succumbing to the waves and cold water. Their floating toy had completely deflated by now and they were able to muster the strength to wave it in the air for their aiding R.J. to locate them.
Too weak to get into the boat, R.J. was able to pull all three of the girls into the boat and return to shore.
Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.
---Unanimous consent granted
The sequence and timing of the event that unfolded on this summer evening was nothing but miraculous. We celebrated their rescue from near disaster and the quick thinking of R.J., Lucy and Jordan.
So many of our communities in the North are located where they are because of the proximity to waterways and lakes. They provide recreation and much enjoyment for residents and visitors alike, but access to these waters requires knowledge, respect and extreme caution.
Please join me today in thanking the Royal Life Saving Society of Alberta and the Northwest Territories for the valuable work they do, and the three Hay Riverites who were in the right place at the exact right time to contribute to this happy story and the safe ending of this story. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
