Twenty Four Port Alberni Sea and Army Cadets and staff are going to have one heck of a story to tell upon their return from the Arctic Circle.
The cadet corps. members participated in an eight-day cultural exchange in the Arctic Circle community of Naujaat, NU. They hosted cadets from Naujaat in Port Alberni earlier this year.
The exchange went well, until it was time to fly home: all flights were cancelled on Tuesday, May 23 as a blizzard settled into the region.
Parents and family members on Thursday were still wondering when their children were going to arrive home, as flights were diverted around weather. Rumour had it they finally made it to Rankin Inlet on Thursday and will be home Friday, but the News wasn’t able to confirm that.
Coincidentally, cadets from Naujaat were late arriving in Port Alberni in March due to a blizzard at home delaying their departure by two days.
The northern community held a week of activities for the Port Alberni cadets, including a Cultural Heritage Day, Caribou skin softening, dog sledding, Inuktitut lessons, ice fishing, Inuit drum dancing and more.
— With files from Susan Quinn, editor
