Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: September 26, 1983
• Invested on: December 09, 1983

Without concern for his own life, Paul Jacoby saved a young woman from a deliberate suicide attempt in the South Saskatchewan River, early in the evening of 5 October 1982. Mr. Jacoby was jogging near the Nineteenth Street Bridge when he noticed a woman floating face-down, more than ten metres from shore. He dashed to the water's edge and, though an inexperienced swimmer untrained in rescue techniques, plunged in. With the aid of a board he had found on the river bank he reached the unfortunate woman just as she disappeared below the surface. While the swift current carried them some distance, the rescuer struggled to keep the victim's head up. In spite of the cold water which hampered his efforts, Mr. Jacoby towed the semi-conscious woman to safety. On reaching shore, his strength was nearly exhausted.