Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: April 7, 1986
• Invested on: June 13, 1986

During the afternoon of January 12, 1985, 16-year-old François Desjardins saved his uncle and young cousin from drowning in the St-Antoine River. François' uncle, whose tractor had broken through the ice about 60 metres from shore, had managed to throw his son away from the vehicle before he and his daughter were dragged under. Hearing cries of panic, François rushed to the scene. He crawled onto the ice and, leaning over the break, held out a hockey stick to the girl, managing to pull her from the river. He then turned to his uncle, struggling against the current. Aided by his nephew, the man tried desperately to crawl onto the ice, but it broke all around him. François persisted and succeeded, on his second attempt, in pulling his exhausted uncle from the water.