Star of Courage

• Awarded on: January 10, 1983
• Invested on: March 04, 1983

In the mid-afternoon of 8 August 1981, Jim Fehr, while on duty at the Hague Ferry Terminal on the South Saskatchewan River, saved a woman from almost certain death. Moments after the canoeists saw the ferry cable bouncing on the surface of the water, they were swept sideways and overturned. A woman drifted downstream with the canoe, but another clung helplessly onto the cable. Three attempts by Mr. Fehr to launch a small powerboat in the strong current failed, so realizing that the woman was rapidly losing strength, he went hand over hand along the cable. On the way back, bearing the woman's full weight, he lost his grip and both were carried away by the current. The undertow dragged them under many times, but in spite of fatigue Mr. Fehr struggled to keep the victim afloat. Meanwhile, the other woman had righted the canoe and paddled toward them. Mr. Fehr then lifted the exhausted woman half-way aboard and swam toward shore, staying near the boat to ensure her safety.