August 5 2022 by Thompson Citizen

Nickel Belt News

Volume 58 Number 11

Friday, March 16, 2018

Thompson, Manitoba

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Friday, August 5, 2022

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A sexier version of Thompson is the setting for CBC series about medevac pilots, flight nurses Puckrin says. The series also relied A slightly glossier and on the expertise of the sexier version of Thompson two people who inspired is the setting for a new CBC it to make sure it rang true drama that focuses on the for those with experience personal and professional in northern medicine and lives of medevac pilots and aviation. other medical personnel. “[My sister and brotherSkyMed, which prein-law] were actually realmiered on CBC July 10 and ly involved,” Puckrin said. can also be streamed via “They were giving feedCBC Gem, is the brainchild back on everything from of Toronto-based TV writer what the flight seats would and series showrunner Julie look like, and what the inPuckrin, who first got the side of the plane would idea from experiences her look like. And they were sister and brother-in-law teaching the actors how to went through while living do all of the aviation stuff.” in the real Thompson. Now that she has reached Her sister is both a nurse the stage of having a comand a commercial pilot, pleted season of SkyMed says Puckrin, noting that airing, Puckrin says it the she is the only member of series sort of took on a life her family who doesn’t of its own that she didn’t have a pilot’s licence. initially envision. “She moved up to “You always have an idea Thompson to fly air ambuin your head of what you lances,” Puckrin told the think the show will look Thompson Citizen in a like and feel like. And the phone interview a few days finished product is, I would after the first episode of the say, different in some ways, series aired. “When she was but I'm very proud of it. there, she met my brotherAnd I feel like there are Thompson Citizen photos courtesy of CBC in-law, they met and fell in moments in it that are better love. He was a pilot, flying Julie Puckrin is the showrunner of the CBC series SkyMed, which was inspired by her sister and brother-in-law’s ex- than anything I could have air ambulances. I spent a periences living and working in Thompson. imagined.” lot of time hearing their Particularly transformastories about the kind of tive is watching actors turn adventures they were getthe characters from descripting up to at work and the tions on a page into living, kind of things they were breathing beings. doing when they were not “It’s hard for me now to working.” remember how I imagined The SkyMed Thompson, those characters when I just like the real one, is a was writing them versus place where young pilots how they actually turned go to build up their flying out because they really did hours and various profescome to life with the cast. sionals spend time in to And in my mind, now the gain experience before characters have become moving on to bigger places. those actors.” “So many of these pilots Puckrin says she hopes Nickel Belt photo by Ian Graham and nurses that are doing theNews series exposes people Addictions Foundation of Manitoba northern director Gisele deMeulles has written a book about her experiences growing up, mostly in Churchill. this job are also not from to a world that many never Thompson,” Puckrin said. knew existed. BY IAN GRAHAM For all the harsh weather to write things that you have ‘Oh, I’m just as bad, right?’ was not a very safe thing swallow when people say “That creates some really “It just felt like a part EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET to figure out. It’s pretty clear I have all these stories and to do but I jumped at it. I that Churchill residents and the dangers of polar interesting character storof the country that a lot Though she’s now written when I get through.” I need to capture them for thought that was exciting should just find somewhere bears, deMeulles said if it ies. I always though that it of Canadians don’t reala book about her experienDeMeulles said she wrote my grandchildren really until the plane landed and easier to live. had been viable she would would make a really great ly know a lot about,” she ces growing up in Churchill, her book, titled Whispers in because they will be lost if they started throwing the “To say, ‘Those people have moved back to ChurchTV show.” says, thinking back to her Addictions Foundation of the Wind: Stories from the I don’t.” fuel off and I realized, ‘Holy choose to live there. They ill in a heartbeat. Puckrin accompanied her first glimpse of ThompManitoba northern director North - Life in Churchill for She also has a reputation cats, I was probably sitting should just leave,’ is quite “I miss the shoreline, I sister to Thompson when son. “There was certainly Gisele deMeulles said writ- a couple of reasons. as a storyteller herself. on a bomb.’” simplistic. It’s quite disre- miss the rock, I miss the she moved here and resomething about that feeling wasn’t something she “I just sort of thought, “I had such a varied hisAnother thing that spectful. If we were in the polar bears even though members being struck by ing when you come out of always thought she would you know what, this history and I would tell people spurred her on was the same boat in another area they’re very dangerous and how remote it was and how the trees and you arrive do. tory, this stuff that’s in my stories and they would go, hard times facing Churchill I think we would scream I really miss the Hudson much more remote places in Thompson that excited “In my youth I never head, it’s going to be gone ‘That’s not true, is it?’ I’d go, since the Hudson Bay Rail- about that so why don’t they Bay,” she says. “When I go could get. my imagination and that Actor Morgan Holmstrom portrays Crystal Highway series SkyMed, whichhave focuses medevac felt good at writing,” she if I don’t write it down,” she ‘Yeahnurse it’s true.’ They’d go, in the the on option to do pilots that? back home, standing on the wayCBC suspended operations “You kind of slowly be- and other medical professionals and is set in a fictional version of Thompson. stuck with me. There’s this said. “But when I moved said. “My kids are not go- ‘You didn’t do all that, did north of Gillam last spring. I think right now they’re Hudson Bay looking out on come aware of how big feeling of adventure in the to Thompson to get into ing to get it if I don’t do it you? You’ve got to be really “It used to be a really feeling like they’re pawns the bay, it just gives you an When it comes to the scale film production with- north. It can be really hard the country is and how far basically a must when it of the North and trying to the school of social work, and it’s something I’ve al- old.’ I was like, ‘No, actually thriving large community in a political game and that’s incredible sense. You feel so reflect those experiences medical and aviation as- out a lot of added expenses. in the north because you north you’re going,” she re- comes to making TV. at that point I had to write ways wanted my mom to I did all that before I was and it’s just dwindled down really sad for them because I small and you feel great.” “We call it aspirational of what it feels like to live pects of the show however, The cast went through don’t have the resources called. “That always really for university and realized, do. My mom’s an elder and 27,’ and they went ‘What?’” to such a small population think the people of ChurchNow that she’s got stuck with me, that feeling Thompson,” Puckrin ex- in a place like Thompson, SkyMed aims to be as real- an “aviation boot camp” that you might have in the ‘Holy, I’m not bad at this, she’s an artist, she’s got so Looking back, some of now,” deMeulles says. ill really want to thrive. one book under her belt, of just how far north you plains. “Because it’s a TV but the bar they go to on istic as possible, even if to learn to act like pilots. south or in a bigger city right?’ I certainly developed many wonderful stories be- those experiences are things Though she’s not there They’ve built their worlds deMeulles says she may try “We took them up for a but there’s also a certain are and realizing that it’s show about sexy, young the show is probably a little was filmed mostly within a lot of skill in university cause she always tells her she might not do again. any longer, her parents and there. How would we feel to produce another. just the beginning of the people, we sort of did a bit more maybe than some a few hundred kilometres of flight as well, so they would amount of freedom and and came out of there with stories at Parks Canada in “I did some pretty bizarre her sister and other family if someone came to you and “I have another book in sexy, young version of of the bars that you have Winnipeg rather than near feel what it’s like to be in adventure and excitement North.” a very strong skill in my Churchill and I’ve always stuff like fuel hauls into the members still are. said, ‘I’m sorry, you have to me,” she says. “It’s a darker Inspired though it was by Thompson. We were trying in Thompson. It’s just the Thompson itself, which a King Air and, for many to that and so we tried to writing and confidence in hounded her, ‘Please, just high Arctic at -35,” said “My cousin owns the leave your home community story, more about personThompson, the series takes to be faithful to the spirit slightly glossier version of is simply too small and of them, it was their first capture that feeling in the my writing. I write very put it on tape, I will write it deMeulles. “It didn’t dawn hardware store there,” she and we’re going to displace al growth and struggles. remote to support a large- time in a plane that small,” show.” creative liberties that are of Thompson and the spirit Thompson.” BY IAN GRAHAM

EDITOR@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET

Book a way to preserve and pass on memories of growing up in Churchill

clear and that’s it. It’s there. Some people say it’s kind of blunt or direct. I don’t tend

for you because your story is going to be lost,’ and she’s never done it and I thought,

on me until after. That was a very dangerous thing to do. Being on a plane full of fuel

says. Because of that, deMeulles ﬁnds it hard to

you somewhere else and all your loved ones and your history is gone?’”

Maybe in the next ﬁve years it’s something I’ll focus on doing.”