Let’s Be Good Elders Paulatuk pushing for a bus to serve young and old

by Millie Thrasher

First, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Did we ever see beautiful fireworks! Every year we see them but I always feel good about them. Let the old year end and the brand new year in with good thoughts of good health and everything you need to improve the old year. We did not have one storm during the Christmas season, which was surprising because we always had storms before. Every event went well and people are happy and well. Speaking of weather, these last few days the wind chill and temperature was down to 63 degrees on Tuesday and 53 degrees this AM. I have never seen it that smoking cold like Inuvik.

In the beginning of January, a team of students went to Inuvik or Ft. Simpson for hockey and basketball tryouts. I know some succeeded. Marion Green, Arlin Ruben and Elton Ruben will go to the winter games in Alaska. Good luck and every good wish for you to succeed. Congratulations!!

We also had a visit from Nellie Cournoyea and Patrick Gruben, with their ideas and a long list of what they will try to accomplish. Congratulations to Nellie and keep trying Patrick, we like your ideas.

Now, Happy Birthday to Shawn on Jan 9th, and to my husband Andy on Jan 22. Happy Birthday Kenny on Jan 23rd Election day was long, it took 13 hours, but we did it! We are a little disappointed with the results but let's see what happens next.

There has been lots of meetings. The hamlet was sworn in and Paulatuk Community Corporation, District Education Authority had meetings. There are some new members and some old, the new ones are getting familiarized with what’s going on. Lots to do with self-government and the working group.

There was a terrible flu too. There were so many bad colds and coughing, it must be due to the temperature changing so much. The whole family had really bad coughs, but the elders are doing well, we wish Edward Ruben good health.

Mary Ruben is doing really good, always embroidering little stroud shoes for children or adults. She must have made lots of pairs. That’s how our elders are, always busy with their hands. So all of you treasure your elders! We learn from them. It is so good to be around them, to help them and to listen to them. As we ourselves become elders we start realizing we should have paid more attention to our elders. We should try to be active and fill in our parents’ shoes. Show good examples to your children and grand children and be good to your neighbors. In short, treat others like how you want them to treat you.

We are having a very good winter for caribou. They are only about 2 hours drive away, at our spring camping areas. It sure is good to go out and have fresh meat, unlike last year when everyone had to go way up to the bush and really look for them. It is also hard to find them in the trees with so many wolves around. Polar bear sports hunters are out too. Other hunters are preparing to go out. I hope the weather warms up abit. As the sunny days get longer I start thinking of going fishing and having fresh fish. Oh, I can’t wait. It is so enjoyable to go fishing for a day. It is most fun.

Well, our storms came four days in a row. Really strong winds on Sat/Sun/Mon & Tues. The snow banks in the last row houses were up to the top of these houses. It was really hard snow too! Everyone was out of water. We had to melt snow for our bathrooms, so everyone was really busy trying to open roads and delivering water and pump outs.

The court party is also in. It was scheduled for Tuesday but winds were so strong nothing could move around town. It is better for you to just sit and wait out the weather when it blows, because it can seem really nice out before it picks up and really blows. We always make sure our children are sent home when a south wind starts. I was talking to a new social worker who just came to work here. The nursing station is two stories high and faces the south wind directly, she said she was shaking in her boots. We felt the same. The wind must have been 130 mph or more. We hear we’ll have to call weather radio to confirm it but anyways, the winds were really strong. When the wind died down it became so calm we couldn’t sleep. There was no snow in the hills, but so much among the houses. It will take days to clear.

As Father Kaufman was still here after a week of being in

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Paulatuk, two girls received their first communion. Bernie Green and Candice Thrasher, our grand daughter. Congratulations girls! Remember what you were taught, and always remember to have communion, to receive Jesus just like Father taught you. It took about a year to finish their lessons but they did it. Good work girls. Thank you Father Kaufman.

The school had their assembly on the 3rd of February for those with perfect attendance records. It is held at the end of each month so children can feel good about themselves and realize going to school is fun. Thanks to all the teachers, they gave out certificates and little presents, which the children enjoy so much. Also children with good attendance gather points for a larger prize at the end of the year. Attendance for the younger children has dropped because we have no school bus. There is only a van owned by an individual, and the insurance has gone up with the sky high gas prices. Paulatuk is a small place but small children do need a ride early in the morning in the dark days or the cool and stormy days. This topic will be brought to the Beaufort Delta Education Board next week. We are also looking forward to our bingo licenses, because we sponsor the breakfast program to encourage children to go to school. A good breakfast helps our children to learn more, and be more alert on a full stomach.

We have to push for a bus also for the elders. They have no transportation to go to events or even just to visit their neighbors, to go have tea with them. Until next time, take care and god bless you all. Everyone with anniversaries and birthdays, Happy Birthdays and good wishes and good health!