Star of Courage

• Awarded on: August 4, 1987
• Invested on: September 25, 1987

While fishing far out in Souris Harbour, Prince Edward Island, very early on the morning of September 9, 1985, David Harris rescued a man from drowning. The man, one of Mr. Harris' two companions, had been pulled overboard when an anchor on the fishing net he was setting caught in his clothing. A non-swimmer, he went under 2 or 3 times, unable to reach the life-preserver thrown to him. Mr. Harris, seeing his predicament, removed his fishing gear and, in near total darkness, dove off the top of the boat's cabin. The other companion, meanwhile, held the boat steady and shone a spotlight on the area where the victim was foundering. Risking entanglement in the nets, Mr. Harris had to dive underwater twice before locating the victim, whom he then grabbed and hauled back to the boat, receiving help from the skipper in pulling him on board.