Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 20, 2002
• Invested on: June 13, 2003

On June 15, 2001, Arthur Leonard Murdock lost his life while attempting to rescue his son and another fisherman from their stranded boat during a severe storm on Lake Winnipeg, in Manitoba. Most commercial fishermen had abandoned their activities earlier in the day due to the imminent storm. Although he too had made it safely to the harbour, Mr. Murdock turned around when his son radioed that he and his colleague were in difficulty, about a kilometre away. Braving high winds, Mr. Murdock managed to reach his son's broken craft but the rolling six-metre waves made it dangerous to come alongside the powerless boat. Undeterred, Mr. Murdock managed to manoeuvre his vessel close enough to help the men aboard. He then radioed for help but search parties were unable to locate the missing boat and the three men were sadly drowned.