Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today, I would like to publicly honour Mel Brown, who passed away at Stanton Hospital on January 26 at the age of 84. Mel, a highly respected long-time Northerner and a proud Canadian, made significant contributions to northern life since his arrival here in 1963. Mel was born to farming parents in Hughton, Saskatchewan, in 1917. After finishing high school, he worked on the farm and did some travelling, looking for work until he was conscripted into the army in 1942. He was a pacifist and not at all interested in going to war, but he had no choice and went on to serve in battle with distinction. Mel served with the Royal Edmonton Regiment in both Italy and Holland, participating in many battles and experiencing the horrors of war until he was seriously wounded and released from his duty.
For the rest of his life, he refused to talk much about his experience of war, and although he received several medals, he never wore them. His youngest daughter, Joanne, with whom he lived for the past several years, says that they were never on display and that he explained that war medals were not something to be proud of. He was far prouder of the pins he received from the Dutch people at the reunions held in Holland for Canadian servicemen in 1995 and the 2000 50th D-Day Celebrations. It was these pins that he wore on Remembrance Day.
After his war service, Mel took advantage of the education available to veterans and went to the University of Saskatchewan, where he received a degree in mining engineering. Mel then worked in mining, including managing mines in Elliot Lake and Renabie, Ontario, before he came to the Northwest Territories in 1963 to be the regional mining inspector. He brought with him his wife. Florence, and their five children. Their youngest daughter, Joanne, was born here in Yellowknife.
Mel travelled widely and worked throughout the North in the following years, playing an important role in the development and inspection of mining in the Northwest Territories. In the early 1970s, he was one of the founding members of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists of the Northwest Territories. He was very involved with this professional association and proudly served as its executive director until 1990. Mel was a spiritual man, a staunch supporter of the United Church. He was also involved with the planning and building of Northern United Place and the Aven Court for seniors. Mr. Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to conclude my statement.