Tom Ouellette (submitted photo/Charlie Conner)

By Nicole Reis

Memorial Dog Sled

Memorial sled race honours well-loved local man

Jan 28, 2020 | 6:03 PM

The Tom Ouellette Memorial Dog Sled Race is coming up in Loon Lake and Makwa Lake this weekend.

Charlie Conner, race organizer told meadowlakeNOW, Tom Ouellette was a friend to many in the community and the memorial race is a way to honour him through one of his passions.

“This is the third year of the memorial. We didn’t have it the first year. Tom passed away four years ago and he was our good friend. We decided to do the memorial to remember him and celebrate his life,” Conner said.

Conner said Tom Ouellette was from Meadow Lake and grew up in the Bear Creek area. Ouellette was nearly 50 when he was diagnosed with cancer and he passed away one month after his diagnosis. His death was a great loss to those who knew him.

(submitted photo/Charlie Conner)

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To abide by Cree culture customs, Conner said a memorial is conducted for four years, beginning on the second anniversary of the person’s death.

“Tom was a big-as-life character. He loved his family, his friends. He was always excited about life and he worked hard. He loved the outdoors, hunting and dog sledding and he was the biggest jokester ever. He loved to laugh,” Conner said.

The organization collected nearly $10,000 in donations for dog mushing prize money for this weekend’s event. First place prize is $1,000 to 20^th place is $50 for the six-dog races.

The dog races will take place on Makwa Lake and everyone in the community is invited to watch. Conner said people are welcome to ice fish while the races are in progress.

Ten-dog races begin at noon, the four-dog race is at 1 p.m. and six-dog races begin at 2:30 p.m. on both Feb. 1 and Feb. 2.

The memorial dinner begins at 6 p.m. at the Loon Lake Recreation Centre.

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nicole.reis@jbpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722