Two dozen sea and army cadets from the Alberni Valley arrived home Friday afternoon weary but ecstatic following an extended visit to Naujaat, Nunavut last week.
The cadets were on the second half of a cultural exchange that began in March when a group from Naujaat (pronounced “now-ee-at”) came to Port Alberni for a few days to visit the Alberni Valley and central Vancouver Island.
The Port Alberni group was due to return at the end of the May long weekend, however a blizzard kept them in Naujaat for two extra days, Capt. John Cloke said.
“There was a series of blizzards both in Rankin Inlet and Naujaat,” he said. The community of Naujaat put the Port Alberni cadet corps. up in the local high school in an unused room, and they were able to stay the extra days at the school before spending their final night away from home in Winnipeg, MB.
“It was a great experience,” Cloke said of the trip. “It was an eye-opening experience, is the best way to explain it.
“Lots of first for these guys: first time experiencing real winter, camping out in below-zero temperatures, first time on a snowmobile, first time being pulled by a dog sled. We camped out on the land and we were pulled out on quamutiiks (sleds) pulled by snowmobiles.”
Naujaat—known until 2015 as Repulse Bay—lies directly in the Arctic Circle, inside the 66th Parallel. There are more than 700 residents, and within a day all of them knew that the Port Alberni cadets had arrived, Cloke said.
“We were the talk of the town. We rolled in and everyone knew we were there.
“The kids, as soon as they were done school would come and find us.”
Sea Cadet Emily Hunt said the trip was fun, and she’s glad she had the experience. “We went on dog sleds. It was cold there and now it’s really hot,” she said as the cadets spilled out of their rented bus back at their home hall.
“We got to go out on the land and we got quad rides and skidoos. They have a few cars there but not much.”
Hunt made a close friend with a fellow cadet, Kendra, while in Naujaat. Kendra wasn’t part of the northern group that visited Port Alberni, but the two still clicked in the brief time they had together up north, Hunt said.
“She’s really nice. She always gives me a hug.
“It was sad leaving because they’re really nice and we really connected with them.”
Chief Petty Officer First Class Taylar Czeczei said the warmth from all the residents of Naujaat was something she found quite different up north.
“They have such an amazing community up there. They were so welcoming and open,” Czeczei said. Children from four to 10 years old would come up and start conversations with the visitors, and hugging was a big thing.
“My favourite part was when we went out on the land,” said Czeczei, who had never been to Canada’s north before (each of the cadets will receive their 66.6 degrees latitude Arctic Circle certificates, Cloke said).
“I hate the cold here (at home in Port Alberni) and I didn’t mind it up there at all. I wasn’t dying of being frozen. We went in their spring and I adjusted really fast.”
For Cloke, the cold was a brisk reminder of the years he spent growing up in Ontario.
“As soon as I got off the airplane it took my breath away,” he said.
There was still snow on the ground on the May long weekend, even though it is spring. The cadets had the opportunity to go ice fishing while out on the land, and “the ice was eight feet thick,” he said.
Cloke is no stranger to cultural exchanges with cadets, but said he’s gone to places like Winnipeg. Going north to Nunavut presented its own unique challenges, but he would do it again.
“Absolutely,” he said.
We brought back some memories.”