Saskatchewan citizens rewarded for heroism and acts of bravery

WATCH: The Royal Canadian Humane Association handed out its annual bravery awards at Government House on Friday. Jacob Carr has more.

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Bernadette McIntyre was on hand at Government House on Friday to present bravery awards for deeds of heroism.

“These are people who came on a situation, for the most part, and had to take action on moments notice to save someone else’s life. So, there are the pinnacle of almost giving their lives to save another life,” she said.

The awards are handed out by the Royal Canadian Humane Association.

Regina RCMP Cpl. Donna Davies received an award for a water rescue back in 2023, when her and two other RCMP members, David McClarty and Jeffery Ball, saved a mentally ill man from drowning at Last Mountain Lake.

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“I feel very honoured,” Davies said. “This is just something that I showed up to do on my day-to-day job and it’s not something that I expect to receive. However, I am certainly honoured and appreciative of the award.”

Will Rodwin was recognized for rescuing a civilian from a burning vehicle in August of 2022 near Guernsey.

His experience as a volunteer firefighter helped him in knowing how to handle the situation.

“I kind of knew what I was walking into, but I had no tools, no safety, no nothing like that. To me, it was just get him out of there because I’d rather save a life than watch somebody burn,” he explained.

Mark Dmyterko’s rescue attempt unfortunately did not have a happy ending.

In October of 2024, he came across a vehicle that had slid off the highway near Langham and into a slough.

There was an unresponsive person in the front seat, who Dmyterko and another citizen, Dana Ahenakew Andres, attempted to save, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

“We did what we could try to get them out, so I can live with that. But to have seen it and watched it just go down and done nothing, I don’t know that I’d be comfortable living with that,” Dmyterko said.

There was a common thread among those honoured on Friday, as they did not have to think twice about risking their own lives to try to save another.