Real-life heroes commended for bravery

In a situation where other people might freeze, Preston Houle took action.

He recalls being at Delta Beach on July 18, 2025 when he heard a cry for help from a mom in distress, her two-year-old son in the water unresponsive after going under while playing with friends.

“I leaped into action,” Houle said. “I grabbed the young man, took him back to the shore, performed CPR until he kind of came back, and waited until EMS got there.”

Houle’s wife, too shy to speak, agreed that her husband was the kind of man you could rely on.

Houle said he did not hesitate.

“I was there at the right time, at the right moment,” he said, adding he went into dad mode when he saw the distressed mother and child, as he was there with his own children. He encourages other people to step in when they can.

“I would say don’t be afraid to help others,” he said. “Be there to be that superman for everybody and stand up for everyone.”

Houle was among the more than two dozen real-life heroes recognized for their courageousness and quick-thinking by Lifesaving Society Manitoba Tuesday at the annual Rescue & Honour Awards ceremony. Recipients either saved a life in a water rescue or have contributed to life-saving efforts in the province.

“The saying ‘Not all heroes wear capes’ rings especially true tonight,” Lt.-Gov. Anita Neville said at the event, held at Government House.

She commended the recipients’ “deeper, life-changing” heroism, and noted the importance of water rescue skills hits particularly close to home given the recent tragic losses of life in Manitoba.

Many are mourning brothers Aaron and Maximo Au Ramirez, aged 13 and 10 years old, respectively, who drowned earlier this month after being swept into fast-moving rapids on Nutimik Lake.

On July 20, an 18-year-old man died while swimming in a gravel pit near Grunthal. Approximately a week earlier, an man drowned while fleeing police on the Fisher River Cree Nation.

On June 20, a 51-year-old man died after falling into the water during a canoe race on Pukatawagan Lake.

Other people awarded for their bravery included Dan and Knox Nickel, who rescued a stranded paddleboarder at Steep Rock Beach; Brandon Police Service constables Alex Plante and Teegan Nagorski, who rescued a woman who had jumped into the Assiniboine River in July 2025; and several members of the Pinawa Fire and Rescue Service for saving a raft full of people from the Pinawa Channel in August 2025.

Neville said the recipients’ actions reflect the “finest qualities of Manitobans” and that the Lifesaving Society’s work is critical across the province, keeping people safe on the water, where a situation can change in an instant.

Matt Kryschuk and Mike Purtill were presented with the M.G. Griffiths Award for trained individuals who, while not on duty, apply their knowledge in attempting or conducting a life-saving water rescue.

Other individuals and companies were honoured with certificates of thanks and service commendations.

Winnipeg Police Service Chief Gene Bowers said while everyday heroes, like police and firefighters, put themselves last on a regular basis in their work, it’s important to honour civilians who go the extra mile as well, calling their actions “extraordinary.”

“Sometimes people just think, oh what’s the big deal? They think, oh, anybody would have done that. But not necessarily, and I think it’s important to recognize that in a ceremony such as this,” Bowers said. “To show, you know what? You did something. One, you saved someone’s life. But two, you took that step, you put yourself out there, and maybe in some ways, in harm’s way to save somebody. So I think it’s very important we recognize that.”

morgan.modjeski@freepress.mb.ca