It was with great sorrow that we received the message that Harold Gatensby of Yukon, Canada, is no longer with us. Many of us from different parts of the world are grateful to Harold for his tireless efforts for Restorative Justice: standing up against injustice, seeing and respecting every individual, showing humanity and including everyone. In every way, Harold was a true humanist and benefactor whose warm smile always radiated kindness.
Harold’s commitment extended to all of creation and to caring for the natural world around us. His dedication led him to serve on the Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, which has taken on the task of cleaning up the environmental toxins polluting the Yukon River. His vision was that his children would once again be able to drink water from every part of the Yukon watershed.
As mentioned, Harold was a driving force within Restorative Justice, and together with Judge Barry Stuart he was one of the architects behind Circle Sentencing, where the court, the local community and those affected by the incident meet the young offender in dialogue in accordance with Indigenous traditions.
Harold managed to turn a painful and difficult upbringing into a positive force. As a child of the Indigenous people, he was subjected to harsh assimilation policies at a residential school. Harold aimed to use these painful experiences for something good. He also worked tirelessly to share recognition of, and knowledge about, the rich cultural heritage to help others, not only in his local community and in Canada, but also in other parts of the world.
Together with his brother Phillip, Harold visited Norway several times in collaboration with The National Mediation Service, Norway (NMS), and Indre Finnmark District Court (which serves the area with the highest density of the Indigenous Sámi people in Norway). Furthermore, a collaborative project between NMS and The Albanian Foundation for Conflict Resolution led to work in Albania for Albanians, as well as representatives of several other Balkan countries. The experiences, valuable insights and stories that they shared through these peacemaking circle activities made an impact that continues to inspire.
Harold radiated a presence and a goodness that you could not help but be moved by. He was always listening, always genuinely interested in what you had to say. We are grateful for Harold’s tireless efforts within Restorative Justice, and our thoughts go to his family, children, grandchildren, and to the local community in the village of Carcross, Yukon.
Nina Wroldsen, Board Member, Safe Learning Norway, and Co-Chair of The EFRJ School Group
Knut Petterson, Retired District Judge and Member of Safe Learning Norway’s Professional Advisory Council
Karen Kristin Paus, Senior Advisor at The National Mediation Service, Norway
Image: Nina Wroldsen