A boy who died trying to rescue his friend from a frozen pond in Scarborough last year was honoured at Queen's Park Friday.
11-year old Birunthan Nadarajah, one of several heroes across the province praised for their acts of courage, was awarded a silver medal for trying to save a 15-year-old who fell through ice covering the pond last December.
"I lost my son it's a great loss, but at the same time when his friend was in danger he really sacrificed to save his friend's life," said Muralidaran Nadarajah, who accepted the award for his son.
Local resident Phillip Hall and Const. Mark Tan, who later ended up in the pond trying to rescue the two boys, were also honored with bravery medals from the Royal Canadian Humane Association.
"I think he should be held to higher standards as to what we should be as human beings. He put his life ahead of somebody else's, and that's a pretty amazing thing," Hall said.
The two men, along with help from other officers, succeeded in pulling both boys out, but Nadarajah was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.
Paramedics were able to revive his friend, Koshoban Alakeswaran, and the teen spent a week in critical condition at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children before he was taken off life support.
Muralidaran Nadarajah, who was branded by some as a suspected Tamil Tiger after his son's death, appreciated his son's recognition.
"Everyday I cry for my son. At the same time, when I receive these kinds of medals from the authorities, it gives some comfort," the father said.
A Scarborough park is also going to be dedicated in the boy's name.
With a report from Paul Bliss
