David Calnan

David Calnon was born near Grafton, Ontario and he came to Whitehorse in 1984 as a heavy equipment operator and truck driver. He worked in the Arctic on drilling rigs and then moved to Dawson in 1992. He ran a back-hoe digging the first community’s first sewer and water lines. He started Midnight Sun Landscaping and beautified the town until a slumping economy in 2000 caused him to move on to Ft. St. John.1)

In July 1999, David played a part in rescuing Carrie Fair from a bear attack that happened near her tent in a campground across the river from Dawson. David distracted the bear, who was chewing on Carrie, by throwing firewood at it. The bear backed off and left the area when arriving RCMP officers shot at it. Carrie survived the attack, although she was severely wounded, and the bear was never found. David received the Yukon Medal of Bravery, the Canadian Medal of Bravery, the Stanhope Medal of Bravery in London, England, the Carnegie Medal of Bravery from the United States, and the Royal Canadian Human Society Medal of Bravery. He maintains that Carrie was the bravest of all.2)