Nickel Belt News Volume Volume 58 60 Number • Issue 2 11
Friday, March 10, 16, 2020 2018 Friday,January
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Neighbour entered burning Thompson trailer two days before Christmas and helped drag man to safety BY IAN GRAHAM
She pulled the man back because she was worried for his safety. “He didn’t seem OK,” she said, and had a visible burn on one of his eyelids. He told her that his brother was still in the trailer and she went to the back of the trailer where there was a door open by the back porch. The first time Walsh went in, she was forced back out by the smoke, but she returned and saw a person. “I grabbed that person and he wouldn’t leave,” she said. Walsh dragged him to the doorway but he held onto the frame, refusing to leave. That was when a man in an orange jacket showed up and helped Walsh drag the man out. Walsh had phoned the fire department prior to entering the trailer and when firefighters arrived, she left the scene and went to the hospital with her husband. “I could not stop coughing,” she said. Walsh was at the emer-
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A resident of the Burntwood trailer court disregarded her own safety and entered a trailer on Cree Road that caught fire two days before Christmas, dragging a resident out with the help of an unknown passerby who came to her aid. Lori Walsh, who lives on Ospwagon Road, was heading out a little after 6 p.m. Dec. 23 when she noticed a lot of smoke in the air and went looking for the location of the fire. “You could tell that there was a pretty significant fire,” she said. “I thought the fire was on Ospwagon.” She eventually discovered that the blaze was on Cree Road, where she observed a man without shoes throwing handfuls of snow at the building in a vain effort to douse the flames. “It was very visible that the trailer was on fire,” Walsh says, with the front door engulfed in flames.
Nickel Belt News file photo A resident of Ospwagon Road who saw a Cree Road mobile home burning Dec. 23 entered the building through the back door and helped drag out one of the residents with the help of an unknown man. gency room for about four or five hours but never saw the men from the trailer come in for treatment. Her rescue effort was not something she thought about much until afterwards, she said.
“It was just instinct,” Walsh said. “I was shocked at myself. You just kind of react and think about it later. Thank God the guy in the orange jacket came. I couldn’t have done it alone.” Her fingers were sore
for days afterward from dragging on the man inside so hard, she said. The men from the trailer have been on her mind since the incident, Walsh says. “I wish them well,” she said.
Walsh’s heroics were noted at the Jan. 6 council meeting by Coun. Duncan Wong. Coun. Jeff Fountain suggested the city may want to recognize her in the future for her extraordinary efforts and bravery.
Friends of Crystal Andrews saw her walking around 6 a.m. the day she went missing before being found dead, court hears assault while walking home drews phoned him around 4 Anderson, another one of That occurred after Bright- match with Brightnose. from a party in early Nov- a.m. and again just before 6 the community’s taxi driv- nose, who was Andrews’s “She stormed off,” a.m. from the house where ers, cleaning out his truck best friend, phoned NazBrightnose said. TheGraham group Three people who were ember 2015. Nickel Belt News photo by Ian Terry White, who was a party was happening and a few days after Andrews zie’s house to tell Crystal passed Andrews on the with 22-year-old Crystal Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. main road in Gods Lake Andrews of Gods Lake engaged to Andrews and that he started to become went missing, which he to come meet her. BY IAN GRAHAM For all the writewith things I’m justa as bad, right?’ notwas a very safe people say living herthat at you the have time ‘Oh, concerned couple hours was thought odd at thething time. swallow After when she arrived at Narrows andharsh askedweather her to Narrows on the last night to EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET havethe allsecond these stories gure out. said It’s pretty clear Iafter do but at take it. I Brightnose’s that Churchillhouse, residents thethe dangers polar of fiher death, she didn’t phone and call to The nextI jumped person to An- and get into vehicle,ofbut she she was seen alive testified to she’s now written when I get through.” need toshe capture for thought was exciting should just find somewhere said if it know Okemow, who some- Ibecause hadn’tthem returned the stand that was Beverly Naz- drews accompanied her bears, refuseddeMeulles once again. in Though a Thompson courtroom a book aboutthe herfirst experienDeMeulles she wrote really the plane landed to live. beenwouldn’t viable she would gave said people rides my homegrandchildren after telling him she until zie, who also goes by and the easier best friend and some other had “She listen to Jan. 8 during day of times ces growing up in Churchill, book,town titled in Whispers in because theytowill be back. lost if they started throwing the people “To say, back to Churchlast name Wood, who said to a‘Those housepeople party have me,” moved said Brightnose. around his grey was leaving walk the trial of Michael William her Addictions Foundation of the Stories the I don’t.” I realized, ‘Holy choose live there. They in a heartbeat. SUVWind: as one of thefrom remote that off sheand invited Andrews before to leaving around 6 ill Okemow’s trial is set “That’s when I started to fuel Okemow, who is charged Manitoba northern director - Life ininformal Churchilltaxi for getShe also has a reputation I was probably sitting just leave,’ and is quite missupthe community’s a little worried,” said cats, into her house, which was should a.m. Brightnose the to “Iwrap byshoreline, Jan. 20 atI with second-degree murder North Gisele coupleWhite of reasons. a storyteller herself. a bomb.’” It’sAnderson quite disremisslatest the rock, I miss the and Andrews as White, who didn’t find out on close to the hall where the simplistic. others hired to the and the verdict for herdeMeulles death. said writ- adrivers. ingOkemow wasn’t something she went “I just sort of “I had a varied his-a social Another thingaround that spectful. were in but the polar though to a social onthought, the night until the such RCMP told him was held, give themIf awe ride home is duebears to be even delivered by was arrested always thought she would know what, hisand Ilater would people spurred the same boatrefused in another area they’re very dangerous and of Nov. 7, 2015 andthis then he tory few days thattell Andrews midnighther Nov.on8 was and that Andrews to go with Manitoba Court of Queen’s and charged in March 2018, you do. stuff that’s in my stories timesvodka facingbefore Churchill think we would scream IBench reallyJustice miss Chris the Hudson and theydead. would go, hard went this home alone because had been found White they drank she Ithem because of a personal Martin more than two years after tory, “In mydied youth never head, not true,that is it?’ go, since sothe why don’t That they Bay,” she says. “When Jan. I go it’s going be gone ‘That’s the Hudson Bayto Railshe wanted to tocontinue also testified heI’dtold walked with Andrews the about disputethat with driver. in Gods Lake Narrows Andrews fromIinjuries felt good at writing,” she if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeah true.’ They’d go, way theled option do that? back operations have drinking. White said Anpolice it’s he had seen Wallace homesuspended of Tessa Brightnose. refusal to ato shoving 24. home, standing on the sustained during a serious BY IAN GRAHAM
EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
said. “But when I moved to Thompson to get into the school of social work, at that point I had to write for university and realized, ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, right?’ I certainly developed a lot of skill in university and came out of there with a very strong skill in my writing and confidence in my writing. I write very clear and that’s it. It’s there. Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend
said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really “It used to be a really and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” to such a small population she’s an artist, she’s got so Looking back, some of now,” deMeulles says. many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things Though she’s not there Contact Nelson 204-307-0281 cause she always tells her atshe might not do again. any longer, her parents and stories at Parks Canada in “I did some pretty bizarre her sister and other family pruderspropertyservices@gmail.com Churchill and I’ve always stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. hounded her, ‘Please, justproperty high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the to discuss your needs! put it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she for you because your story on me until after. That was a says. is going to be lost,’ and she’s very dangerous thing to do. Because of that, never done it and I thought, Being on a plane full of fuel deMeulles finds it hard to
Yer snow gotta go!
I think right now they’re feeling like they’re pawns in a political game and that’s really sad for them because I think the people of Churchill really want to thrive. They’ve built their worlds there. How would we feel if someone came to you and said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to leave your home community and we’re going to displace you somewhere else and all your loved ones and your history is gone?’”
Hudson Bay looking out on the bay, it just gives you an incredible sense. You feel so small and you feel great.” Now that she’s got one book under her belt, deMeulles says she may try to produce another. “I have another book in me,” she says. “It’s a darker story, more about personal growth and struggles. Maybe in the next five years it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”