Medal for Bravery Past Winner 2007
Joseph Louis SikoraColeman, AB
“For great bravery displayed in the McGillivray Creek Mine on November 30, 1950.”
On November 30, 1950, an explosion at the McGillivray Coal Mine in Coleman, Alberta, set off a coal and rock fall that buried George Riapos. George's partner, Joseph (Joe) Louis Sikora, ran for help and then, knowingly risked his life by returning to where Riapos was buried. In a valiant effort to save his partner, Joe attempted to dig him out. When a second explosion occurred, Joe was entombed. Rescue teams later recovered the bodies of the two miners. The inquest concluded that Joe made a valiant effort to save his partner's life and in doing so gave his own.
Born and raised in Coleman, Alberta, Joe was known to be a kind and generous man, who was always willing to help a friend in need. It was only natural that he would not leave his partner behind; to have done so would have been contrary to the way he lived his life. His family remembers him with a quiet pride and subdued admiration. Joe's example of private valour in his dedication to his partner's life at the expense of his own is a genuine act of courage and heroism. His tale is an inspiration.