Medal of Bravery
Awarded on: 1997-08-28
Invested on: 1998-05-15
On August 3, 1996, 17-year-old Derek Russell rescued two teenagers whose canoe had capsized on Devil's Lake, on the Churchill River System, north of La Ronge, Saskatchewan. A community church group was canoeing down rapids near Otter Falls when one of the canoes tipped over and was sucked under by the swirl as one of the three individuals was dragged away by rushing waters. When Mr. Russell realized that the other two boys were trapped in a whirlpool, he plunged into the rapids to their rescue. He managed to free one of his friends from the boil and push him towards the canoe that had resurfaced downstream from them. Meanwhile, the other teenager was having trouble staying afloat and as Mr. Russell reached him, he disappeared under the surface. Hampered by his life jacket, Mr. Russell removed it and dove in after the victim. He grabbed the boy and succeeded in pulling him out. When the ordeal was over, they had drifted more than 100 meters.