WINNIPEG -- For a guy dismissing his heroism after risking his life to pull a boy from Winnipeg's fast-flowing Red River, Faron Hall has found his rescue making quite a splash.
Two days after jumping into the river and pulling the teen safely to the shore beside the Provencher Bridge, the homeless man was yesterday offered a hotel stay, lunch with Manitoba's culture and heritage minister and tickets for every Winnipeg Goldeyes game of their upcoming season.
As well, Mayor Sam Katz plans to bestow Hall, 44, with a civic medal of valour today -- likely in the riverside park the rescuer has called home for years.
"I just want to acknowledge and thank him for his act of heroism," Katz said after paying a visit to Hall in the Tache Avenue park, just north of the bridge.
"This was a phenomenal thing he did."
But an embrace and offer of "honorary" baseball season tickets from Goldeyes owner Katz and a congratulatory visit to the park from Manitoba's Southern Grand Chief Morris Swan-Shannacappo -- who offered to put Hall up for a night at a hotel -- were not enough to convince the aboriginal former teacher's aide to view himself as heroic.
In fact, Hall insisted he doesn't like the attention.
"I hate it. I'm just a regular Joe, a homeless guy," he said. "I don't need no awards. As long as that kid is safe -- that's my award."
After being homeless for about the past seven years, however, Hall acknowledged the gift of the baseball tickets -- Canwest Park is just across the bridge -- is "pretty cool."
And while sitting on a park bench beside Swan-Shannacappo, Hall did make a request.
"I need some new shoes, actually. I dived in the water with these and they're getting tight on me," he told the grand chief.
"I'm still shivering. That water is really cold. That little boy, at least he's OK. His parents must be happy."
The boy's condition isn't certain, though he had appeared to be recovering at St. Boniface General Hospital following the Sunday afternoon incident.
Following several hours at the hospital, Hall spent Sunday night at the Main Street Project shelter. Monday night, he was back at the park.
"This is my bed you're sitting on," Hall told Swan-Shannacappo and Nahanni Fontaine of the Southern Chiefs Organization, who had sat down on the bench next to him.
Hall was planning to stay last night at the home of Marion Willis, a nearby resident who witnessed the rescue. Willis planned to show Hall newspapers and television newscasts to let him see the magnitude of his efforts.
Katz suggested it may not be difficult to find Hall for today's valour tribute.
"I know where he sleeps," Katz said.
ross.romaniuk@sunmedia.ca
