RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT - Through the Years

June 2017

FOREWORD
In this document I thought I’d present, in a nutshell, a story of my life, where I came from, where
I’ve been, some of what I’ve seen and what I’ve done, interspersed with some interesting
historic facts, especially as it pertains to my life in England. It’ll be a pictorial autobiography.
I have been able to do this mainly through scanning our numerous photo albums, the individual
pictures generating memories that led to more long-forgotten memories.
This won’t be a short document, but hopefully will survive as a legacy of mine which can be
passed on to future generations.
R.A. Scott

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN ................................................................................................................................ 1
1948 ........................................................................................................................................................... 1
ABOUT MY PARENTS ................................................................................................................................. 2
MY FATHER .......................................................................................................................................... 2
THE SCOTT NAME ............................................................................................................................... 7
MY MOTHER ......................................................................................................................................... 8
MY FIRST HOME – GRANGE PARK ......................................................................................................... 15
1949 ......................................................................................................................................................... 19
1950 ......................................................................................................................................................... 19
MY HOME IN ENFIELD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND .................................................................................... 20
Enfield Market ...................................................................................................................................... 21
Enfield Palace ...................................................................................................................................... 24
The New River ..................................................................................................................................... 24
35 Lavender Gardens .......................................................................................................................... 25
1951 ......................................................................................................................................................... 32
1953 ......................................................................................................................................................... 33
1954 ......................................................................................................................................................... 38
1955 ......................................................................................................................................................... 40
1956 ......................................................................................................................................................... 41
LIFE-CHANGING MOVE TO CANADA ...................................................................................................... 47
1957 ......................................................................................................................................................... 47
WELCOME TO CANADA ............................................................................................................................ 52
WELCOME TO REGINA ............................................................................................................................. 55
1958 ......................................................................................................................................................... 58
1959 ......................................................................................................................................................... 61
1960 ......................................................................................................................................................... 62
1961 ......................................................................................................................................................... 65
1962 ......................................................................................................................................................... 68
1963 ......................................................................................................................................................... 69
1964 ......................................................................................................................................................... 73
The Band ............................................................................................................................................. 74
1965 ......................................................................................................................................................... 80
1966 ......................................................................................................................................................... 83
A CAREER IN SCARLET ............................................................................................................................ 84
1967 ......................................................................................................................................................... 84
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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Adult Life Begins .................................................................................................................................. 84
RCMP Training .................................................................................................................................... 85
Abbotsford-Sumas Detachment ........................................................................................................... 90
1968 ......................................................................................................................................................... 93
1969 ......................................................................................................................................................... 96
Boston Bar Detachment ....................................................................................................................... 96
1970 ....................................................................................................................................................... 102
Hope Detachment .............................................................................................................................. 102
RCMP Headquarters Ottawa ............................................................................................................. 107
1971 ....................................................................................................................................................... 109
“J” Division Headquarters, Fredericton, New Brunswick ................................................................... 109
1972 ....................................................................................................................................................... 112
RCMP Headquarters Ottawa, “C” Directorate, Physical Protection Branch ...................................... 113
1973 ...................................................................................................................................................... 116
Married… ........................................................................................................................................... 116
1974 ....................................................................................................................................................... 119
1975 ....................................................................................................................................................... 120
…With Children .................................................................................................................................. 120
Langley Detachment .......................................................................................................................... 122
1976 ....................................................................................................................................................... 124
1977 ....................................................................................................................................................... 126
…and more Children .......................................................................................................................... 126
1978 ....................................................................................................................................................... 132
Burnaby Detachment ......................................................................................................................... 132
1979 ....................................................................................................................................................... 135
Surrey Detachment ............................................................................................................................ 135
1980 ....................................................................................................................................................... 137
Surrey Burglary Squad....................................................................................................................... 137
1981 ....................................................................................................................................................... 140
”E” Division Management Services Branch ....................................................................................... 140
1982 ....................................................................................................................................................... 143
1983 ....................................................................................................................................................... 146
1984 ....................................................................................................................................................... 148
”HQ” Div., “V” Directorate, Systems Analysis & Programming Branch ............................................. 148
1985 ....................................................................................................................................................... 155
1986 ....................................................................................................................................................... 158
1987 ....................................................................................................................................................... 160
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1988 ....................................................................................................................................................... 162
1989 ....................................................................................................................................................... 165
1990 ....................................................................................................................................................... 168
”D” Div. HQ, Officer In Charge, Informatics Branch ........................................................................... 168
1991 ....................................................................................................................................................... 172
1992 ....................................................................................................................................................... 175
1993 ....................................................................................................................................................... 178
1994 ....................................................................................................................................................... 182
”HQ” Div., Informatics Directorate, Officer In Charge, Informatics Field Support Branch (IFSB)...... 184
1995 ....................................................................................................................................................... 186
1996 ....................................................................................................................................................... 190
”HQ” Div., Business Systems Process Architect (BSPA) .................................................................. 191
1997 ....................................................................................................................................................... 194
”HQ” Div., Divisional Control Officer, Year 2000 Project ................................................................... 197
1998 ....................................................................................................................................................... 199
Grandchild #1 - Jordan ...................................................................................................................... 199
1999 ....................................................................................................................................................... 201
Into the Private Sector ....................................................................................................................... 201
2000 ....................................................................................................................................................... 203
2001 ....................................................................................................................................................... 206
2002 ....................................................................................................................................................... 208
2003 ....................................................................................................................................................... 210
2004 ....................................................................................................................................................... 212
2005 ....................................................................................................................................................... 214
2006 ....................................................................................................................................................... 216
2007 ....................................................................................................................................................... 218
2008 ....................................................................................................................................................... 221
2009 ....................................................................................................................................................... 223
2010 ....................................................................................................................................................... 225
2011 ....................................................................................................................................................... 228
Grandchild #2 - Hunter....................................................................................................................... 230
2012 ....................................................................................................................................................... 233
Grandchild #3 - Ella ........................................................................................................................... 235
2013 ....................................................................................................................................................... 236
2014 ....................................................................................................................................................... 240
Grandchild #4 – Chloe ....................................................................................................................... 240
2015 ....................................................................................................................................................... 242
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
And Finally, Full Retirement ............................................................................................................... 242
Grandchild #5 – William ..................................................................................................................... 243
2016 ....................................................................................................................................................... 246
Grandchild #6 – Richard .................................................................................................................... 246
2017 ....................................................................................................................................................... 250
The twins are 40 ................................................................................................................................ 250
Tim is 42 ............................................................................................................................................ 250
I’m 69 and Sharon is 64 ..................................................................................................................... 251
June 2017

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
WHERE IT ALL BEGAN
1948
Life for me began on February 25 th. 1948 at this ‘birthing home’ in Grange Park, Enfield,
(formerly in the County of Middlesex – now Greater London), England, during the reign of King
George VI, father of the future Queen Elizabeth II.
Apparently, the building is no longer there…condos instead.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
ABOUT MY PARENTS
MY FATHER
Little is known about my father, John Peter Scott, born March 26, 1924 in Islington, London,
England. He died of esophageal cancer at the age of 61 years, at home in Edmonton, Alberta
on October 13 th 1985.
He was orphaned at an early age and never spoke of his
childhood. He did have an older brother, Charles Thomas
(Tom) Scott, who was about 10 years older and who, it
was said, raised his younger brother. Tom worked in the
government and was a bit of an artist. He died at an early
age in England in 1973. I grew up with this painting that
Tom gave my parents and which hung in their various
living rooms and which now adorns one of my walls.
Tom and John’s
parents were
Charles, a mailman, who died in 1935, and Rachel
(nee Moore) who lived at 140 Downham Road,
Islington, London, when John’s birth certificate was
issued, and who apparently died giving birth in 1932
to Margaret, who did not survive. I know nothing
more about them, but located the address on Google
Street maps: Don’t know if this is the original building
or not. I believe this structure may have replaced
those that were there before the war, as serious
overcrowding had become an issue, with 1.75
persons per room being the normal density.
140 Downham Road
Islington, London
As soon as he was of age, and because World War II was well underway, John joined the Royal
Air Force (RAF), service number 165686. In 1943, at 19 years
of age, he completed his flying training in North Battleford,
Saskatchewan, and Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, graduating as
an Observer and posted to a bomber squadron in Suffolk,
England, where he qualified as a Navigator. The Observer role
was to navigate the bomber to the target using astral navigation,
map reading, and wireless position fixes and then to release the
payload onto the target. An observer
wore a single-winged aircrew brevet
with a wreath containing the letter "O".
He never spoke of his war experience,
but he participated in numerous lowlevel
sorties to drop food, armaments
and communications supplies to resistance groups in Norway
and Czechoslovakia, with his squadron publicly recognized in
Prague after the war. TOM in the late 1960’s
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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He continued to serve in the RAF after the war, flying missions of mercy in eastern and northern
England, where severe weather necessitated the airlifting of supplies to remote areas. He
attained the commissioned rank of Flight Lieutenant (F/Lt).
These are the only photos of my father
during his early years.
TOM (26 years) & JOHN SCOTT (16 years) – c.1940
1943
1943 1943
1944 or 1945
According to his marriage certificate he lived at
515 Lordship Lane, Wood Green, London, I’m
assuming with his older brother Tom. The
photo to the right may be of properties that
replaced those from the 1940’s.
He married Jean Marion Lowen, August 1 st
1946 at the Registrar’s Office in Edmonton,
Middlesex, and was released from the RAF
February 14 th 1947.
According to my math, my sister, Christine,
was at the wedding, being born November 25 th
1946.
515 Lordship Lane,
Wood Green, London - 2016
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Front row: Tom Scott, John, Jean, Nan (Marion) & Grandpa
(Ernest Stanley) Lowen, Peg (Tom’s girlfriend) - August 1, 1946
Back row: looks like Phil Lowen, Ron Lowen, and Stella Lowen
August 1, 1946
In the back garden – 55 Uplands Way, Grange Park - August 1, 1946
After the war, and because of his navigation skills, Dad became a
land surveyor for the Ordnance Survey, Britain’s national mapping
agency. His work took him all over England and Scotland, and as I
recall, he was away from home for a week or 2 weeks at a time.
A jacket, shirt, and tie was the standard of dress at the time, even
for outdoor work. We never owned a car in England, but he used a
government Land Rover for work.
1956
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Since he was often
away from home with
his work, and we
didn’t have a
telephone, he would
send me a telegram
for occasions such as
my birthday, this one
on my 6 th birthday in
1954.
In the mid 1950’s Dad had reached the senior level
of his pay grade and there were no prospects for
advancement (according to a letter of reference that
was written for him), so he sought alternate
employment opportunities, still in the field of land
surveying, and applied for jobs in South Africa,
Australia, and Canada.
The Government of Saskatchewan responded to his
application, so off he went, by plane, in early 1957 to
establish himself in Canada, where we eventually
joined him in Regina in November of that year, and
from where he continued his land surveying with the
Dept. of Highways (and was no longer required to
wear a shirt and tie to work!).
Saskatchewan 1957
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
This photo shows Dad at the dedication of The Surveyors' Monument located north of
Lakeshore Drive on the banks of Wascana Lake in Regina on March 29, 1968. The monument
is dedicated to the surveyors of Canada and Saskatchewan whose skill and industry contributed
greatly to the exploration, mapping, and development of our nation. The Saskatchewan Land
Surveyors Association proposed this project in recognition of Canada's Centennial.
Along the
stairwell of the
monument are
two plaques
listing the
members of the
Saskatchewan
Land Surveyors
Association as
of 1967 and
1985.
Dad - Regina
The lower
portion of the
monument, a
shelter close to
the lakeshore,
has been
designed to
represent the
campsite that early surveyors and explorers would have made every night of their mapping
expeditions. In the centre of this area is a cairn containing a time capsule which was sealed in
1967. The time capsule contains governmental reports, photographs of buildings, personal
letters from Saskatchewan's 1967 Cabinet Ministers and former Premier Ross Thatcher, a 1967
license plate and telephone book, flags of Saskatchewan and Canada, and samples of wheat
varieties, minerals and oil. Newspapers are also enclosed, including one article headlining the
Saskatchewan Roughrider Grey Cup win in 1966. The time capsule will be opened on
Canada's anniversary in the year 2067, 100 years after it was sealed.
June 2017
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THROUGH THE YEARS
THE SCOTT NAME
Growing up, I was exposed to a deep pride by my father that I was a Scott of Buccleuch
(pronounced ‘bewclue’), though there is no evidence to support his
claim that he and I (and my subsequent male offspring), are
descended from that branch of the Scott clan. I assume it must be
true. My father had a tuxedo jacket tailored for him in the Scott
Green tartan, and a waistcoat in Scott Red. Those items are still
in my possession. I had a family crest embroidered for me and sewn onto a blazer when I was
a teenager. I still have the crest.
The Scotts of Buccleuch
Motto: Amo (Latin) meaning “I love”
Coat of Arms
Family Crest
The earliest written ancestral record of the present Scotts of Buccleuch refers to a Scott, living
in Peeblesshire in 1116. Between the 12th and 14th centuries descendants of one, Richard
Scott, were granted lands at the head of the Ettrick spreading thereafter along the Teviot and
down into Eskdale and Liddesdale along the border with England. Life was turbulent marked by
simmering conflict with the ‘auld enemie’ and much internal feuding. Many fortified small castles
or ‘keeps’ – Newark, Aikwood, Kirkhope, Gilnockie, to name but a few – as well as larger
fortresses such as Hermitage or the Scott headquarters at Branxholme bear witness to these
times.
One of the most memorable characters to emerge in the 16th Century was the Walter Scott
knighted by King James VI in 1590 and known as “Bold Buccleuch”. Together with Watt Scott
of Harden he famously rescued another Border brigand, Kinmont Willie from the English
stronghold at Carlisle provoking both the ire and the admiration of Queen Elizabeth I.
The union of the thrones in 1603 in the person of King James VI of Scotland and I of England,
brought peace and the Scotts of Buccleuch became part of the establishment. Their position
was consolidated when Anna, the Scott heiress was married in 1663 to King Charles II’s eldest
illegitimate son James, who was created Duke of Monmouth and 1st Duke of Buccleuch.
Although Monmouth himself was to lose both his head and his title following a rebellion in 1685,
his widow continued the Dukedom and thus it has descended directly through the male line to
the present Duke, Richard, 10th Duke of Buccleuch, a Knight of the British Empire.
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THROUGH THE YEARS
MY MOTHER
Jean Marion Scott was born in England Dec. 6 th 1919 and died in
Sarnia, Ontario, October 26 th 2002, at the age of 82. She was the
oldest of 6 children, with 1 sister; Stella, and 4 brothers; Stan,
Ron, Phil, and Brian.
Phil (& Jean) - 1953
Ron (& Pam) – 1954
Me as Page Boy – age 6
Christine as flower girl – age 7
Brian (& Barb) - 1969
Stan (& Priscilla) - 1956
Christine as flower girl – age 9
Stella – 1940’s
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
The Lowens - Phil, Stella, Grandpa & Grandma, Ron (back), Brian, Jean - August 1, 1946
Missing: Stan
Photo taken in the garden at 55 Uplands Way, Grange Park
Ernest Stanley Lowen, my maternal
grandfather, was born in 1896. We can
trace his lineage to the 1796 birth of his
great-grandfather, James, in Cheshunt,
Hertfordshire. Grandpa Lowen served in
the artillery in World War I, followed by a
career in the Post Office as a mail sorter
on the London to Scotland overnight trains.
Marion Alice Lowen, my maternal
grandmother, was also born in 1896. We
can trace her lineage to the 1848 birth of
her great-grandfather, John White, in
Scotland. Her father’s brother, John Albert
(Uncle Jack), whom I met a couple of times
while growing up in England, was born in
1871, went to sea on sailing ships at the
age of 15, and lived to be 100 years old.
Ernest and Marion were married in June
17 th 1919, so I guess that means my
mother was at that wedding!
Grandfather: Ernest Stanley Lowen
Grandmother: Marion Alice Lowen (nee White)
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Grandpa Lowen standing beside his brother William (Uncle
Bill) whom I knew, in their WW I uniforms.
Grandpa as a young
‘dandy’ on a day’s
outing to the beach.
Grandpa and Grandma in their garden – June, 1941
Grandpa with sons Ron and Phil
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Grandma with Stella and Jean
1920’s
Phil, Stella, Ron, Jean, Stan
Grandma Lowen
Stella and Jean – 1920’s
Grandma Lowen
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
This historic photo from the late 1920’s includes:
• great-grandfather, James Robert White, born 1873,
• great-grandmother, Alice Mary Smith, born 1868, holding Uncle Stan,
• grandmother, Marion Alice Lowen, born 1896, holding Uncle Ron,
• mother Jean Marion Scott, born 1924, standing behind the ladies, and
• Aunt Stella in front.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
JEAN (8 months) – 1920 JEAN (about 2 years) – 1921
7 years old - 1927
In 1927, Jean was a student at Noel Park Junior
School in Haringey, North London, and went on to become involved in sports (netball).
First School Dance
13 years old - 1932
13 years old - 1932
18 years old - 1937
23 years old - 1942
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
In 1943, at 24 years of age, she
enlisted in the Women's
Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) as a
radio operator.
1943
In 1944, she was engaged to Allan Johnson from Calgary (after
whom I have my middle name, albeit spelled differently), who was
killed in action as a flyer in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Canadian
Navy Volunteer Reserve.
After her 1946 wedding to John, the two of them moved into the Lowen family house, a 3-bed,
1-bath semi-detached house at 55 Uplands Way, Grange Park, London.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
MY FIRST HOME – GRANGE PARK
Grange Park is a suburban part of Greater London in
the borough of Enfield. It is served by Grange Park
railway station out of King’s Cross terminus station in
London.
Grange Park was largely built in the early 1900’s on
the site of Enfield Old Park. The Grangeway is the
primary area of the small town, with shopping, the train
station, and a pub - the Gryphon
THE GRANGEWAY
looking down from the railway bridge
THE GRANGEWAY SHOPPING AREA
looking up to the railway bridge
THE GRYPHON
GRANGE PARK STATION
GRANGE PARK STATION
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
GRANGE PARK STATION – 1965
(Ernest Lowen in right corner)
GRANGE PARK STATION - 2015
Type of train that I used to ride in
the early to mid 1950’s
Electric train arriving at GRANGE
PARK STATION - 2015
I don’t remember how long we lived at 55 Uplands Way, but I’m sure it wasn’t long. There
couldn’t have been much room in there! I do, however, remember visiting regularly and often up
until we moved to Canada in 1957. I visited again in 1965 (by myself) and in 1971 (with my
Fredericton friend, Doug Falkenham). The train station is a half mile walk from 55 Uplands
Way. The current value of 55 Uplands Way is £683,000 (pounds), or $1,194,200.
55 UPLANDS WAY, GRANGE PARK - 1965 55 UPLANDS WAY, GRANGE PARK - 2012
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A 1965 view of Uplands Way looking down the hill
from 55. Grandpa had an allotment at the bottom of
the hill. He used to put me in a wheelbarrow and
roll me down so I could play in the brook that flowed
through the little park while he tended his vegetable
garden.
According to my late Uncle Brian, he and a friend
used to push me down the hill in a cart….and
laugh….and see where I landed. Cruel uncle.
Below is the same view of Uplands Way in 2012….
note all the cars on the street now.
Hardly any cars on the street - 1965
55 Uplands Way backed onto a golf
course and had a small brook flowing at
the bottom of the garden.
Me outside of 55 Uplands Way, Grange Park, and the
view uphill – 1998
(Not too many cars on the street)
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
The first-born in our family was sister Christine (25 Nov 1946),
shown here in her pram at 11 months, and becoming the A-
student she always was, with her chalkboard, at about 18
months. She always was smarter than me!
Christine – 18 months - 1948
Christine – 11 months - 1947
At about 3 weeks of age I was diagnosed with pyloric stenosis, hospitalized, and operated on.
Funny I should pass that condition on to two of my three children, Timothy and Robyne.
Here I am at about 12 months trying to keep my head warm, and at 15
months, enjoying the heat (as I still do) and figuring out how to get on
that tricycle….and yes, we were both well-fed!
I did it!! Now what?
Richard – 15 months - 1949
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1949
Too fat to move – 1949.
Me with Uncle
Brian, April 1949,
learning to walk at
55 Uplands Way
(before he started
pushing me down
the hill).
14 months old - 1949
Richard –1949
1950
I remember many family holidays…but not this
one…with Christine at Leigh-On-Sea in 1950. I was
obviously delighted with myself that day.
Notice the knock-knees, which were corrected by
wearing inserts in my shoes for I-don’t-know how long.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
MY HOME IN ENFIELD, MIDDLESEX, ENGLAND
Enfield used to be a collection of small communities
spread around the royal hunting grounds of Enfield
Chase. It is 10 miles north-northeast of central London.
At the time of the Domesday Book the area was spelt
'Enefelde'. By 1572 most of the basic street layout had
been completed. The village green later became the
historic marketplace. Its name most likely came from
Anglo-Saxon Ēanafeld or similar, meaning "open land
belonging to a man called Ēana" or "open land for lambs".
In Roman times, Enfield was connected to Londinium by
Ermine Street, the great Roman road which stretched all
the way up to York. Artefacts found in the early 1900s
reveal that there were Roman settlements in the areas that
are now Edmonton and Bush Hill Park.
Christine and Richard - 1950
In 790 King Offa of Mercia was recorded as giving the lands of Edmonton to St Albans Abbey.
The area became strategically important as East Anglia was taken over by the Danes. In the
790s strongholds were built by men loyal to King Alfred the Great, in order to keep the Danes to
the east of the River Lea.
After the Norman Conquest, both Enfield and Edmonton were mentioned in Domesday Book.
Both had churches, and Enfield had 400 inhabitants, Edmonton 300. Enfield is also described
as having a "parc". This parc—a heavily forested area for hunting—was key to Enfield's
existence in the Middle Ages (see Enfield Old Park). Wealthy Londoners came to Enfield first to
hunt, and then to build houses in the green, wooded surroundings. In 1303, Edward I of
England granted Enfield a charter to hold a weekly market, which has continued up to this day.
The old market cross was removed in the early 20th century to make way for a monument to the
coronation of King Edward VII, but was preserved by the horticulturalist E. A. Bowles for his
garden at nearby Myddelton House, where it remains today.
Enfield Grammar School with its Tudor Old Hall stands next to the Enfield Town Market Place
and St. Andrew's Church, the school having been extended several times since 1586. A new
hall and further additions were completed shortly before World War II.
Nearby historically was the palace of Edward VI, where Elizabeth I lived while a princess,
including during the final illness of Henry VIII. Edward was taken there to join her, so that in the
company of his sister, Edward Seymour, 1st Earl of Hertford could break the news to Edward,
formally announcing the death of their royal father in the presence chamber at Enfield, on his
knees to make formal obeisance to the boy as King. Later Elizabeth held court there when she
was queen (this was remembered in the name Palace Gardens that was a street running behind
Pearsons department store and is still recalled in the name of Enfield's shopping centre).
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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Enfield Market
In 1303, Edward I granted a
charter to Humphrey de Bohun,
and his wife to hold a weekly
market in Enfield each Monday,
and James I granted another in
1617, to a charitable trust, for a
Saturday market. The market is
still in existence.
The parish church, on the north
side of the marketplace, is
dedicated to St Andrew. There is
some masonry surviving from the
thirteenth century, but the nave,
north aisle, choir and tower are
late fourteenth century, built of
random rubble and flint. The clerestory dates from the early sixteenth century, and the south
aisle was rebuilt in brick in 1824. Adjacent to the church is the old school building of the Tudor
period, Enfield Grammar School, which expanded over the years, becoming a large
comprehensive school from the late 1960s.
ENFIELD MARKET
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THROUGH THE YEARS
Looking up the main street in ENFIELD - 2016
Looking down the main street in ENFIELD - 2016
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Looking down the main street in Enfield
(looks like it could have been in my day!)
This bus is of the vintage
that we rode, note the
open rear entrance/exit.
People used to hop on
and off while the bus was
moving. Once on, you’d
find a seat and a
uniformed ticket-collector
would come by, you’d pay
him and he’d issue you a
ticket. The stairs going to
the upper deck were very
steep and narrow. The
driver was in an enclosed
cab.
Green Line buses served rural routes that went outside of London
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Enfield Palace
This was a sixteenth century manor
house, known since the eighteenth
century as Enfield Palace. It was built for
Elizabeth I by her brother Edward. It was
used as a private school from around
1670 until the late nineteenth century.
The last remains of it were demolished in
1928, to make way for an extension to
Pearson's department store (which you
can see in the centre of the above
postcard), though a paneled room with
an elaborate plaster ceiling and a stone
fireplace survives, relocated to a house
in Gentleman's Row, a street of
sixteenth- to eighteenth-century houses
near the town centre.
SHARON on GENTLEMEN’S ROW - 1999
The New River
The New River, built in 1613 to supply
water to London from Hertfordshire,
runs immediately behind the town centre
through the Town Park, which is the last
remaining public open space of Enfield
Old Park. The Enfield Loop of the New
River also passes through the playing
fields of Enfield Grammar School, and
this is the only stretch of the loop
without a public footpath on at least one
side of it.
SHARON on GENTLEMEN’S ROW by the
CROWN & HORSESHOES PUB beside the NEW RIVER - 1999
THE NEW RIVER
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
35 Lavender Gardens
1999
I have no idea when it happened, but I must
have been young when we moved into 35
Lavender Gardens where we lived until
November 1957. This 3-bedroom row-house
was a ‘council house’ or what would now be
known as ‘city housing’. Mum didn’t work, as
Mums didn’t in those days, and Dad’s income
level precluded a house purchase. We didn’t
own a car or a TV.
The breezeway shown in the photo led to our
back garden and to the coal bin…where
sacks of coal were delivered and which we
used in the fireplace for home heating. We didn’t own a fridge but had a ‘larder’ in the kitchen
under the stairs. Our jars of milk we stored in buckets of cold water.
I remember roller-skating in the kitchen with Christine…floors were linoleum over cement, and
the skate wheels were rubber. Skates simply attached to your shoes. I was all over the
neighbourhood with those. Other entertainment was sitting around the radio in the living room
listening to kids’ programs.
Our Christmas trees were decorated with paper ring garlands, tinsel, and REAL candles clipped
to the ends of the branches….no fire hazard there, no sir! On Christmas morning, we found on
the foot of our beds, a stocking full of toys which we could open and play with. Couldn’t get up
before Mum and Dad, and definitely could not go into the living room with the tree and gifts, until
breakfast and dishes were finished.
We were about 3 miles from the grandparents in Grange Park and always took the train there
(see map on page 24).
Shopping in Enfield was about a 1 mile walk, or the train from Gordon Hill station to Enfield
Chase. I became lost one day (don’t remember my age), and was returned home in a police
car...don’t remember where they found me or Mum’s panic level! Perhaps that was the signal
for my career choice.
I remember that regularly along Lavender Gardens came a man
riding a horse-drawn cart calling out “Any old rags and bones?”.
A rag-and-bone man (or totter) collects unwanted household
items (which included rags, bones and various metals) and sells
them to merchants. White rag could fetch 2–3 pence per pound,
depending on condition (all rag had to be dry before it could be
sold). Coloured rag was worth about two pence per pound.
Bones, worth about the same, could be used as knife handles,
toys and ornaments, and when treated, for chemistry. The
grease extracted from them was also useful for soap-making.
Metal was more valuable
June 2017
25

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Looking along Lavender Gardens towards #35
Looking the other way along Lavender Gardens towards Hilly Fields
June 2017
26

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
I played regularly
with friends in
Hilly Fields Park,
where there was a
stream at which I
spent hours
making dams and
looking for
pollywogs
(tadpoles) and
putting them in a
jar of water. I’d be
gone for hours
and hours.
Gordon Hill
Station
USED TO PLAY
IN THIS PARK
train
35 LAVENDER GARDENS
foot
Wouldn’t be letting
little boys do that
today!
I also remember
playing in the
Enfield Town
Park.
GRANDPARENTS’ HOUSE
In GRANGE PARK
Enfield Chase
Station
ALSO PLAYED
IN THIS PARK
Grange Park
Station
Part of HILLY FIELDS
June 2017
27

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
The Gordon Hill train station, looking shabby now, was just around the corner from our
Lavender Gardens house, at the top of the Gordon Hill and Lavender Hill intersection. There
used to be a news shop in the station (where the awning is now), and Christine and I used to
take our six-pence allowance and buy ‘good stuff’ there. I especially remember Palm Toffee, a
toffee strip with a banana or strawberry flavour strip through the centre, and orange popsicles
that tasted like real orange juice – an equivalent today would be Del Monte Real Fruit popsicles.
My mother also reminded me that I threw a stone and broke the window of that shop...that they
had to replace. Probably cost me a couple of weeks of allowances!
GORDON HILL STATION
35 LAVENDER GARDENS
back in here
Access to the train platforms was by way of a long (for a
short-legged person) ‘tunnel’, actually a covered walkway.
WALKWAY
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Many years ago, there were contests between stationmasters
for the prettiest stations. They outdid each
other with flowers in planters, hanging baskets, etc. It
truly was pretty. Now they’ve degenerated into mere
functional facilities. Platforms used to have heated,
closed-in waiting rooms, too.
When we went into London on the train from Gordon Hill,
this is what it was like (in the 1950’s) as the train
approached the end of several lines at King’s Cross
station. Always busy. Smog and smoke were common,
and the train door handles were always sooty.
GORDON HILL STATION – 1965
Inside KING’S CROSS STATION – 1950’s Approaching KING’S CROSS STATION – 1950’s
Inside KING’S CROSS STATION – 1950’s
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Inside King’s Cross station, we would take an
escalator down to the ‘tube’ (subway) and
continue the journey to our destination. In
London, some of the tube train lines are stacked
up to three deep. Long escalators to get down to
the platforms.
KING’S CROSS escalator to tube station – 1950’s
KING’S CROSS STATION tube station – 1950’s
1950’s era tube train
Interior of 1950’s era tube train
June 2017
30

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
35 Lavender Gardens
Gordon Hill Station
Used to walk down a
footpath from home to
school
My old school
June 2017
31

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1951
I finally mastered the tricycle, and at 3 years old
here am I with Christine in front of our home at
35 Lavender Gardens. We must have moved
there from Grange Park in 1950 or 1951.
35 LAVENDER GARDENS - 1951
Below, here we are at 55 Uplands Way. Since
we’re wearing the same clothes in both
pictures, I’m assuming we hopped the train for a
visit to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s house.
55 UPLANDS WAY - 1951
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1953
Don’t know what happened to 1952, but here I am in 1953, my
school photo. I have a vague recollection of crying like a baby
once because I couldn’t tie my shoe laces when it was time to
go home from school!
A look through the photo albums reveals a good holiday every
year, and evidently quite often with Nan and Grandpa Lowen,
and sometimes Stella (poor Dad). Since neither us nor Nan
and Grandpa Lowen owned a car, we must have taken the
train or bus to our destinations.
This 1953 holiday was to Sandown on the Isle of Wight, off the
coast of southern England. The island has resorts that have
been holiday destinations since Victorian times, and is known
for its mild climate (with palm trees!), and coastal scenery.
5 years old - 1953
The island has been home to Queen Victoria, who built her
much-loved summer residence and final home Osborne House at East
Cowes. It has a maritime and industrial tradition including boat
building, sail making, the manufacture of flying boats, the hovercraft,
and Britain's space rockets.
It has some of the richest cliffs and quarries for dinosaur fossils in
Europe.
The Isle was owned by a Norman family until 1293 and was earlier a
kingdom in its own right. The island has played an important part in the
defence of the ports of Southampton and Portsmouth, and been near
the front-line of conflicts through the ages, including the Spanish
Armada and the Battle of Britain.
Sandown, Isle of Wight
June 2017
33

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Another happy day at the beach – 1953
(Knock-knees aren’t fixed yet!)
A happy day at the beach – 1953
(Grandpa in the background)
With Dad – 1953
Stella behind me – 1953
June 2017
34

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Captain of his own ship – 1953
Goofy-looking cricket player – 1953
Christine and Grandpa – 1953
Dad used to dig holes in the
sand and pretend it was a car.
I always drove
As well as being beach bums on our holidays, we
were also exposed to culture in various forms, thus
being appropriately dressed for all venues.
Christine and me. Dressed for success.
Ryde, Isle of Wight 1953
.
June 2017
35

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
We visited Carisbrooke Castle, an historic motte-and-bailey castle located in the village of
Carisbrooke (near Newport), Isle of Wight.
The site of Carisbrooke Castle
may have been occupied in pre-
Roman times. A ruined wall
suggests that there was a
building there in late Roman
times. The Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle mentions that Wihtgar,
cousin of King Cynric of
Wessex, died in AD 544, and
was buried there. The Jutes
may have taken over the fort by
the late 7th century. An Anglo-
Saxon stronghold occupied the
site during the 8th century.
Around 1000, a wall was built
around the hill as a defence
against Viking raids.
From 1100 the castle remained
in the possession of Richard de
Redvers' family, and over the next
two centuries his descendants
improved the castle with stone
walls, towers and a keep. In 1293,
Countess Isabella de Fortibus, the
last Redvers resident, sold the
castle to Edward I. From then on,
its governance was entrusted to
wardens as representatives of the
crown.
In 1377, in the reign of Richard II
the castle was unsuccessfully
attacked by the French. It was
reputedly saved by local hero Peter
de Heyno who shot the French
commander. Anthony Woodville,
Lord Scales, later Earl Rivers, obtained a grant of the castle and rights of Lordship in 1467. He
was responsible for the addition of the Woodville Gate, now known as the Entrance Gate.
Woodville was killed by Richard III in 1483, but his brother Edward Woodville was given control
of the castle on the accession of Henry VII in 1485.
The keep was added to the castle in the reign of Henry I, and in the reign of Elizabeth I, when
the Spanish Armada was expected, it was surrounded by additional fortifications
June 2017
36

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Charles I was imprisoned here for fourteen months before his execution in 1649. Afterwards his
two youngest children were confined in the castle, and Princess Elizabeth died there. From
1896–1944, it was the home of Princess Beatrice, daughter of Queen Victoria, as Governor of
the Isle of Wight.
With Mum, Christine and
Grandma
Carisbrooke Castle - 1953
Feeling sorry for the
‘labourers’ at the well-house
Near the domestic buildings is
the well-house with its working
donkey wheel.
Also in 1953 we visited Danbury, Essex,
The village was built on the site of a Neolithic or early Iron
Age hill fort. Iron Age settlers, then the Romans and
finally the Dæningas tribe of Saxons occupied the
Danbury area.
The place-name 'Danbury' is first attested as
Danengeberia in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name
means 'the burgh or fort of Dene's people'.
Me and Christine
Danbury - 1953
After the Norman Conquest, King William took the lands
and settlement and granted it to Geoffrey de Mandeville,
who was made Earl of Essex.
Queen Elizabeth II was
crowned this year at
Westminster Abbey. Each
school child received a silver
spoon in commemoration of
the event. Still have it.
June 2017
37

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1954
In 1954 we holidayed in Paignton, a seaside town on the
coast of south Devon, England. The area is a holiday
destination known as the English Riviera.
It has origins as a Celtic settlement and was first mentioned
in 1086 in the Domesday Book. Formerly written Peynton
and Paington, the name is derived from Paega's town, the
original Anglo-Saxon settlement. Paignton was given the
status of a borough having a market and fair in 1294.
Paignton was a small fishing village until the 19th century.
Paignton Beach
Paignton Pier
Paignton
With Mum and Christine
on Paignton Beach - 1954
June 2017
38

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
With Christine on
Paignton Beach - 1954
With Christine and Dad
at Paignton - 1954
With Christine at Ron and
Pam’s wedding - 1954
In our back garden at 35
Lavender Gardens - 1954
June 2017
39

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1955
In 1955, Dad borrowed Uncle Stan’s car and we
holidayed in Porlock Weir, a small settlement around
a harbour. Porlock means place of the port and
Porlock Weir is its harbour. Weir refers to salmon
stakes and traps that were situated along the shore.
Many cottages date from the 17th century. The port
has existed for more than a thousand years. The
Anglo-Saxon Chronicle reports that in 1052 Harold
Godwinson came from Ireland with nine ships and
plundered the area and before that in 86 AD it was
visited by Danes. The ‘beach’ consists of nothing but
pebbles (rocks, actually!).
With Mum and Dad at
Porlock Weir - 1955
It was here that Dad tried to teach
Mum how to drive. I remember that it
was on a grassy area near the water.
Christine and I were in the back seat
and scared out of our gourds that
Mum would put us in the drink! She
never did learn how to drive.
I remember that we stayed in a hotel
by the water.
Porlock Weir
June 2017
40

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1956
This year we visited Stonehenge, a prehistoric
monument in Wiltshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) north
of Salisbury. Stonehenge consists of a ring of standing
stones, with each standing stone around 4.1 metres (13
ft) high, 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in) wide and weighing
around 25 tons. The stones are set within earthworks
in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic
and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.
Archaeologists believe it was
constructed from 3000 BC to 2000
BC. The surrounding circular
earth bank and ditch, which
constitute the earliest phase of the
monument, have been dated to
about 3100 BC. Radiocarbon
dating suggests that the first
bluestones were raised between
2400 and 2200 BC, although they
may have been at the site as early
as 3000 BC.
With Mum and Christine
at Stonehenge - 1956
Stonehenge could have been a
burial ground from its earliest
beginnings. Deposits containing
human bone date from as early as
3000 BC, when the ditch and
bank were first dug, and
continued for at least another five
hundred years.
Sharon at Stonehenge - 1999
When Sharon and I visited
Stonehenge in 1999, visitors are
kept at a distance from the actual
stones. You cannot walk into the
stone circle, as we did in 1956.
June 2017
41

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Also in 1956 I remember us meeting Dad for a week in Sanquhar, (a small village in Scotland),
from where we visited Ayr, Cumnock, Dumfries and Kilmarnock, took a tour of my first cheese
factory and vividly remember the awful smell, and ran alongside a pipe band that happened to
be in a parade on the High Street in Sanquhar village. We also accompanied him on some
cross-country hikes across heather-covered
moors as he did his surveying.
The town boasts the world's oldest working
post office, dating from 1712, and Sanquhar
Castle, a ruined thirteenth century castle that
once belonged to the Crichton family. It has
been visited by, amongst others, Robert the
Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots and William
Wallace.
Sister Christine and myself (at 8 years of age -
1956) on a picnic outing in Euchan Glen (near
Sanquhar).
June 2017
42

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
This view of High
Street, Sanquhar
shows the hotel where
I believe we stayed.
June 2017
43

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Christine and me with my trusted Teddy – 35
Lavender Gardens - 1956
A proud cub – 1956
Uncles Stan, Ron and Phil were all
involved in the scouting movement
From the start of school in 1953, until leaving for Canada in 1957, I attended Chase Side
Primary School.
Chase Side Primary School
Enfield
School photo – 8 years old
1956
June 2017
44

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Playground at Chase Side Primary School, Enfield
No shortage of skinned knees and elbows there!
Chase Side Primary School,
Trinity Street, Enfield in 1999
Class photo
Chase Side Primary School, Enfield - 1956
Me
Teacher – Miss Redding
Neville Sweetman – always
used to pee his pants and
smell!
Christine Straw – used to
have a crush on her
Best friend – John Ward
(still correspond)
My February 1956 report card has the comment “He seems to take life a little too seriously for
his age.” I haven’t changed.
My last report card (July 1957) from Mr. Thorp shows three “A”s, one “B”, a “B-“ (math) and a
“C-” also in math (problems)…he writes “Richard should do better than this. More care and
concentration is required.” HA!
June 2017
45

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Christine and me in our school uniforms.
In our garden at 35 Lavender Gardens
Sept 11, 1956
There was a sweet shop
(candy store) not far from
the school where I
remember going with John
Ward and loading up on
“junk” with our meagre
supply of pennies.
One day (in 1956), for some
reason, John and I were
walking in this park along
Chase Side to Enfield town.
It was here where John and
I discovered a hoard of
farthings (1 farthing = onequarter
of a penny) in a
drain in the railway
embankment which you
can’t see but is on the right
of this photo.
We thought we’d died and
gone to heaven. The
sweet shop beckoned!
John kept a couple and
when I visited him in 2011
he gave me one (which I’ve
since unfortunately lost).
Chase Side park in Enfield where John
and I found the farthings
June 2017
46

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
LIFE-CHANGING MOVE TO CANADA
1957
This would turn out to be a busy year for us.
Dad left for Canada, ahead of us, to start his new job in Saskatchewan. I remember Mum
having to pack up our household, which filled a small crate, for shipping to Canada. It wasn’t
very large, so we must have ‘disposed’ of a fair amount before leaving.
Here is a photo of Dad and I
at Kew Gardens in front of
Kew Palace, the smallest of
the British royal palaces. It
was built around 1631 and
later purchased and
occupied by George III.
Kew Gardens is a botanical
garden in southwest
London founded in 1840
and can be dated as
formally starting in 1759. Its
living collections include
more than 30,000 different
kinds of plants, while the
herbarium, which is one of
the largest in the world, has
over seven million
preserved plant specimens.
The library contains more than 750,000 volumes, and the illustrations collection contains more
than 175,000 prints and drawings of plants.
Kew Gardens has its own police force, Kew Constabulary, which
has been in operation since 1847.
In the south-east corner of Kew Gardens stands the Great
Pagoda, erected in 1762.
Dad and I at Kew Gardens
April 22, 1957
June 2017
47

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Cricket with Ian Poll (with whom I
still correspond) and Christine
August 18, 1957
I’m thinking that this is our going-away party before immigrating to Canada in November, 1957.
Christine
Ian Poll
John Ward
Avril Cowell
Christine Straw
Nerdy me in 1957 – and
others I can remember
June 2017
48

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Easter - 1957
Ian Poll
The photo below is of Christine, Grandma and
me getting ready to board the London to
Liverpool ‘boat train’ in November, 1957. On that
train journey I remember eating Planter’s salted
Peanuts for the first time, and am still addicted to
them. I was wearing short pants and school cap!
Looks like a birthday party
(mine?) 1957
June 2017
49

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
In the late afternoon of November 1 st 1957, Mum, Christine and I boarded the Canadian Pacific
steamship Empress of Britain with Nan and Grandpa who had travelled to Liverpool with us from
London, and who would return home that evening.
Empress of Britain
The 25,516-ton vessel had a length of 640 feet, and her beam was 85.2 feet. She had one
funnel, one mast, twin propellers and an average speed of 20 knots. The ocean liner provided
accommodation for 160 first class passengers and 984 tourist class passengers
As we sat at the dock eating dinner, I remember Mum already feeling sea-sick as the ship would
rise and fall at the pier. She would be confined to our cabin for the entire 6-day crossing, sick
as a dog. Christine and I were sick for a couple of days, but then with the help of a steward, we
were able to eat the recommended cold chicken sandwiches and drink Canada Dry ginger ale.
We were up and running around the ship by ourselves for the remainder of the journey. While
the ship had a first-class section (blocked off from the rest of ‘us’ by metal grills), we were in
‘tourist’ or third-class, probably an inside cabin with no porthole.
Crossing the North Atlantic in November was no picnic. In fact, we were delayed a whole day
due to heavy weather. Mum was not amused. There were no stabilizers on the ship in those
days, so we were tossed about like a matchstick on the ocean.
Tourist class library
Tourist class card room
June 2017
50

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Tourist class 4-berth cabin
Tourist class enclosed promenade
June 2017
51

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
WELCOME TO CANADA
In the afternoon of November 6 th 1957, we sailed past the Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City,
then on to an evening docking at the port in Montreal. Processed through Immigration as
Landed Immigrants, we then boarded an overnight train for Toronto. I vividly remember looking
out of the window and seeing the transport trucks lit up ‘like Christmas trees’ with all their
running lights.
Getting off the ship in my shorts in November exposed me to the Canadian cold that I have
never grown accustomed to.
In Toronto, we stayed
for a week with Phil
and Jean Lowen who
had been in Canada
for several years, and
who took us shopping
for more-appropriate
winter clothing, and
showed us Niagara
Falls.
With Christine on Lakeshore
Promenade (note my hat with
ear flaps, and lined pants!)
9 years old - with Christine and
Mum in Toronto - Nov, 1957
June 2017
52

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
With Christine and Mum at
Niagara Falls – Nov 10, 1957
It was then onto the Canadian Pacific
Railway (CPR) passenger train “The
Canadian” for our trip to our new life in
Regina, Saskatchewan. I don’t
remember how many nights we spent
on the train, but we each had an upper
or lower berth, and when I was on the
bottom I was looking out the window all
night. Lower bunk converted to seats.
“The Canadian”
Steward making up bunks on
“The Canadian”
We met and sat with
a Turkish Air Force
pilot by the name of
Ilhan Tezer, who was
on his way to the air
force base in Moose
Jaw, Saskatchewan,
for training. Mum
corresponded with
him for some years.
Interesting fellow.
June 2017
53

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
We spent a lot of our time in the dome car
watching the country go by…not much to see
on the Prairies in late November, and cold,
but an adventure nevertheless. There was a
dome car at the end of the train also, the
Club Car, but we weren’t allowed in there…it
was for first class passengers only. There
were men’s and women’s ‘lounges’ at the
ends of the sleeper cars, where we would
have to line up to wash and brush our teeth
(and go to the bathroom!).
“The Canadian” Dome car
“The Canadian” Club car
Below the dome car (“our” dome car) was a coffee shop where for
$1.60 you could get a full breakfast….and that was expensive in
1957! A cup of coffee was 15 cents, tea or milk 20 cents. Mum
saved a menu from the coffee shop.
June 2017
54

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
WELCOME TO REGINA
I don’t really remember arriving at Regina’s Union
Station (now a Casino) or at our new home…I was
probably frozen and miserable.
Union Station - Regina
This vintage aerial photo of Regina is about how it looked at the time.
First home in
this area
CENTRAL
COLLEGIATE
2 other homes
over here
Natural History
Museum
WASCANA
PARK
WASCANA LAKE
(Man-made)
Legislative Buildings
June 2017
55

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
This wreck of a house below (looks like a crack house!) is where we first lived in Regina, in a
rented two-bedroom apartment on the second floor. I believe the house owner lived on the
main floor, and there were two single women up in the attic (nurses I think) with whom we
shared the bathroom on our floor. Kitchen was on the left, living room on the right, and 2
bedrooms in the rear.
2230 Retallack Street - Regina
I was pretty excited as we had our first
TV! In England, our immediate neighbor
had a TV and we were invited once or
twice to see special broadcasts.
Christine and me (10 years old) in front of
2230 Retallack Street – Regina – May 11, 1958
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
School was only 2 blocks away and
when I arrived I was put into Grade 5
as the English education system was
deemed to be further ahead than the
Canadian system. Remember my C
and C- in math?...even though we
were doing fractions in England, but
not here, I still had a hell of a
time…which continued right through
Grade 12 and beyond!!
Close to the school was a corner
store where I remember buying my
first glazed donuts and strawberry licorice.
Of the 4 schools that I attended in Regina,
Davin is the only one still standing. The
other 3, including my high school, were all
demolished and replaced with housing.
My first school in Regina- Davin Elementary School – Gr.5 1957/58
Enjoying the heat in Wascana Park – July 1958
June 2017
57

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1958
We took full advantage of the nice weather in the Spring and Summer to find our way around
Regina, going to the Natural History Museum, RCMP to see the Musical Ride, and the
Qu’Appelle Valley.
I’ve always considered Regina to be a pretty little city, but then you have to come from Regina
to like Regina. Almost everyone I grew up with now lives in B.C. somewhere.
Regina pretty much emptied out after high
school!
Qu’Appelle Valley – July 1958
We moved in the summer of 1958 to a 2-
bedroom house, with a 3 rd
bedroom in the basement –
mine.
That year I went to Wetmore
Public School for Grades 6 and
7, about a mile from home.
I had a friend who delivered
newspapers and for 25 cents I
would often help him with his
route. One day returning home
from delivering, I had to pass by
a group of bullies, with a dog.
One of the bullies set his large
dog on me and I was bitten on
my ‘privates’. It was winter so I
was wearing thick trousers,
2750 Edgar St. Regina – Aug, 1958
which happened to protect me
somewhat. Anyhow, I limped
home crying. Dad was home and ‘lost it’, going immediately to the dog-owner’s home and
doing/saying I-don’t-know what. He also called the police and the dog had to be put down!
June 2017
58

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
I started cubs that year and stayed with the scouting movement until my teen years. Note the
decline in attitude as I progressed through the ranks – I mean, who wants to knock on doors
selling oranges when you’re a cool teenager?
A young Cub
Note the smile
Now a sixer (pack leader)
Not smiling so much now
As a Scout
Just plain miserable
As a Scout, I remember doing a winter camp
on the front grounds of the city hall (on the right
in this picture), in a canvas tent, for some
purpose or other. My God it was cold. The
canvas froze solid from the condensation of our
breath inside.
Later, in high school, as part of our art classes, I painted murals in the Simpsons department
store windows. (on the left in this picture).
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The Army and Navy store in this photo is where my
mother used to buy most of my clothes. That and
the Simpsons catalogue.
There was a
skating rink just up
the road from our
Edgar street
house where I
learned to play
hockey. I was
never very good
and really ticked
off some of the
guys ‘cause I kept
diving with my
stick to try and get the puck. I was never any good!
Pretending to be warm – Jan, 1959
Don’t remember this choir practice, but here I am belting out
a tune.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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1959
In the summer of 1959 we had our final move, this
time to 2919 Quinn Drive, which certainly was better
cared for than the dump it currently appears to be!
Again, it was a 2-bedroom rental with me in the
basement. There was a little opening beside the
back door where we used to get milk delivered. And
that was accomplished with a horse-drawn wagon,
the milkman simply whistling for the horse to move up
a house as he delivered.
This is what the place looks like now. Dreadful.
Never used to look like that, and never used to have
a driveway in the front. The property seemed much
bigger when I had to mow (and not with an electric or
gas mower!).
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THROUGH THE YEARS
1960
This winter photo is me and Dad trying to shovel a way into the garage off the back lane….
impassable. Plus, it was about 25 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. No such thing as snow
shovels then…we used a garden shovel and a broom!
Bloody cold – Dad 36 years old and me
11 years old - Jan, 1960
It was on Quinn Drive that I met
my best friend, Bill Daniels, who
was in my class, was a year older,
and who lived just a few houses
down the street. Needless to say,
we spent most of our waking
hours together. He lived in a very
fancy, modern, split-level house,
as his father was quite well-off.
He had a fountain in his front hall,
a sunken living room, fish pond in
the back yard, and 4-bedrooms
(but 3 other brothers/ sisters).
Our budgie “Poopsie” got out of
the house one winter day, and
ended up on a window ledge at
Bill’s house, where they were able to ‘nab’ him and return him to us. Poor little dickie-bird froze
one of his feet and ended up with ‘club-foot’ for the rest of his very long life (17 years I think it
was).
Me and Bill Daniels - 1984
My house
Bill’s house
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Dad used to return home on
the weekends with an
absolutely filthy (government)
car from all his driving on
dusty/muddy gravel roads,
which is all there pretty much
was in Saskatchewan at that
time, other than main
highways. We didn’t like to
have a disgusting looking
vehicle parked in front of our
house, so we did our best to
‘make it right’.
In July of 1960, at the age of 12, I was ‘sent away’ for a
week at the YMCA Camp Tawasi, in the Qu’Appelle
Valley, a very picturesque area with a string of lakes.
Sounds tend to echo in the Qu'Appelle Valley (that’s
why that call it “Qu’Appelle” – who calls) and sometimes
you will hear a sound that was far away but it will have
echoed off the valley wall closest to you leaving you to
believe that the sound came from the exact opposite
direction of where it really came from.
At camp, I was visited by the family. I seem to recall that I wasn’t
too happy to be there. The tent behind us, is the same type as I
mentioned earlier in which I froze on the front lawn of City Hall in
the middle of winter as a scout.
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Peart Elementary School (since demolished to make way for housing) was my home for grade
8, and where I came in first place in a grade 5 to 8 city competition for a Fire Prevention
poster…my prize was $15!!! Whoopee!! In another school art contest, I came in first and won a
book!
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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1961
In the Spring of 1961 I made
my first effort at organized
sports – softball, playing in
the purple and yellow
uniform of the Cosmos
(same colours as my future
High School). I was
atrocious and got relegated
to right field where I could do
the least damage. I seem to
recall that the coaches would
yell “you’re not playing
cricket”. Don’t remember
getting a hit, and definitely
not a home run. Pretty sad.
This was the year I started using hair ‘products’ (known as ‘grease’ to the
boys). It gets worse.
Grade 8 class - 1961
Bill Daniels
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I remember our
‘graduation lunch’ in that
we each brought
sandwiches and ‘goodies’
to school one day and ate
in the classroom! The
ceremony was on another
day, with parents and
siblings able to attend.
Grade 8 Graduation – Jun 9, 1961
Christine was a guest
My second attempt at formal sports was tennis
lessons with my sister in the summer of 1961 at a
club on the grounds of the Legislative Buildings. I
continued to play tennis off and on into my early
30’s.
Our summer holiday in 1961 was to a rented cabin
at Kenosee Lake in Moose Mountain Provincial
Park, southeast of Regina. We did it again in 1962.
A skunk got under our cabin one night and
ruined the rest of the holiday, having ‘let
loose’ with its stink. We all smelled like
skunk as did all our belongings. How
embarrassing. And this is how strongly I
felt about it! Count the ribs.
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In September of 1961, at 13 years of age, I entered
Grade 9 and the hallowed and stately halls of
Central Collegiate Institute (CCI), which is no longer
there. Bulldozed for houses. It was about a 2km
walk (no school buses for city dwellers in those
days), and a tough walk in the winter, let me tell you.
And we didn’t have backpacks or school bags. All
our books were stacked under our arms. Made for a
heavy load some days when we had a lot of
homework (every day to me).
Note the fluorescent pink narrow tie that I’m wearing, a gift from my Uncle Brian in England I
believe, and the Charlie Brown Christmas tree with so many gifts under it!
Christmas 1961
Mum-42 years, Christine 14,
and me 13
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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1962
Remember I said earlier the ‘hair style’ gets worse…well here it is, a fullblown
‘greaser’ for my school photo in 1962. I think I had bad acne at
the time as well! Nice shirt by the way.
Is that the same tree as last year?
Christmas 1962
Dad 38 years, Christine 15, and
me 14
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1963
A highlight of 1963 was
my selection for a
scouting regatta in
Montreal. And from the
looks of this photo, I
know I intimidated my
partner! Just how I got
the nod for this trip is
beyond me.
The extent of my
expertise was that I had
canoed a few times at
YMCA camps (on one
occasion at that camp I
figured I was going to
drown as we tried to
make landfall in a very
strong wind, and
weren’t getting
anywhere, just tossed
around severely). Also, I had canoed with a friend of mine on
Wascana Lake, Regina, and at Regina Beach. This guy was very
inventive. He built a drop keel into his canoe, put in a mast, and had a
small sail. That was fun for the few times we got out in it.
For this trip, we got to take a cross-country train, which I always enjoy,
and if memory serves, the porter on the left of the photo is the same
one we had when we first arrived in Canada and took the train from
Toronto to Regina.
Boarding the train in Regina – 1963
(he’s staring at me again isn’t he?)
The highlight of the sailing
was getting dumped into the
water, which was the
sewage outlet for the city of
Montreal. We had to scrub
ourselves when we came
ashore after every time we
got wet. Nice. Didn’t win
anything either.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
I recall that our train stopped
for a few minutes in Ottawa.
Not enough time to get out
and wander around this
place I’d never before been
to. Here is a photo of how
the station area looked at
that time.
The tracks are now gone with the area taken up by Colonel By Drive and new buildings, as in
the picture below.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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I believe it was in
1963 that I started
music lessons on the
guitar. I took lessons
in a basement studio
of a music store in
downtown Regina. I
think it was on this
street. I know there
was a record store
and men’s clothing
store along here that
Bill and I frequented
quite often.
My parents bought
me an impressive
hand-made Spanish guitar (from
my music teacher), with nylon
strings. My lessons were
classical music. I quit my
lessons about the time I was
mastering a very difficult
classical piece (I forget the
name of it). Also at that time I
was starting to skip my paid
lessons…which Mum and Dad
never knew about! I did,
however, perform once at a
talent showcase sponsored by
the music school at the
auditorium of the Natural History
Museum.
Natural History Museum, Regina – 1958 photo
Instead of music lessons, Bill Daniels and I would go to a kind-of-rough basement pool hall (also
on this street I think), which became a regular occurrence for us after school, and which was
about 6 or 7 blocks straight down the street. We also hung out at one of the cafes seen in this
photo, enjoying a plate of French fries with ‘friends’. It was a long walk home.
The tall office tower in the picture is the Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SPC) where I
worked for about a month in 1967 in the accounting department. My boss was my former music
teacher!
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In the left-hand photo is Christine and myself on Christmas Day, 1963. Note the painting by
Uncle Tom on the wall. And that’s ‘Poopsie’, our budgie, on my knee, and my little fish tank in
the corner, which, shortly after the novelty had worn off, Mum had to keep clean.
Christmas Day – 1963
Mum and Dad
New Years Eve – 1963
Mum 44, Dad 39
Used to call themselves
the Duke and Duchess of
Regina
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1964
I include this photo of mum in our kitchen on Quinn Drive, Regina in March of 1964, for its
extremely ‘retro’ look…or is it just Mum? Can’t believe we had pink cupboards.
June 1964
Standing outside my basement room
(he’s staring at me again isn’t he?)
My music lessons over time
obviously paid off as I was
one of the guitar players in
“The Couriers”, a folk group
shown here performing
before a packed audience
at Central Collegiate on
November 13 th 1964. We
were good. The other
guitar player was
impressively excellent!
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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The Band
It was in 1964 that our band, The Shandermen, came together, and our mop-top hair grew in
tribute to the Beatles.
Richard Scott
Backup Vocals
Tom Warner
Lead Vocals
Gary Taylor
Bass Guitar
Bill Daniels
Drums
Jim Middleton
Rhythm Guitar
Doug Rusu
Lead Guitar
For a bunch of high-school students from different parts of the city, and who practiced in Bill’s
basement, we were phenomenally successful in an age when local bands tended only to be
instrumental. We were the only band in the city to have not one but 2 vocalists. We of course
emulated the Beatles and many other British Invasion groups, and it didn’t hurt that I had an
English accent! We went on to win back-to-back ‘Battle of the Bands’ contests for two years in
a row (1964 and 1965), beating out established, popular groups. Those contests were held in
high-school gymnasiums and were something to behold.
It wasn’t very long before the Regina radio station CKCK approached us to ‘sponsor’ us, which
meant that we got free radio advertising and added “Club 62” to Bill’s bass drum (62 was the
position on the AM radio dial for CKCK). We had posters made and distributed far and wide,
with bookings coming in at an alarming rate for dances. Every small town in Saskatchewan that
had a high school. It was crazy. Either Jim or the radio station would take the bookings. Most
Saturday afternoons were committed to playing at dances in the Regina YMCA, which were
packed and broadcast live with a radio personality hosting, quite often, Terry David Mulligan,
who went on to become a Canadian actor. Often, we would play there that evening as well. If
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
not, we’d have another ‘gig’ and load up the trailer, all squeeze into Doug’s car (he was the only
one with a car) and head out to whatever little town had booked us for that night. I think we
made about 10 bucks apiece for those ‘appearances’. Sometimes a radio-station DJ would
accompany us at the dances as it would be aired in real time. We were fortunate not to have to
join the musician’s union, as others did.
The picture appearing
on our poster (and on
the previous page) was
taken at a live
performance at the
CKOS TV station in
Yorkton,
Saskatchewan. This
was one of the places
where we had to stay
overnight (all of us in
one room!). I
remember there were
some dicey moments in
our drives due to
unfavourable weather
conditions (like
whiteouts in the winter).
Some real nail-biters.
It was for the Yorkton
trip that I had to ‘run
away’ from home as I
had been grounded (I
think because I wasn’t
doing so well in school
– plus my attitude) by
Mum and Dad. I sure
caught hell when I
returned, but don’t
remember the
consequences. They
couldn’t have been too
bad.
As our popularity grew, my school work suffered and declined proportionately. I was having the
time of my life!
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
On TV in Yorkton, Sask. - June 1965
In the summer of 1964 we were
an opening act for Terry Stafford
(1964 hit record: Suspicion),
playing at the Armouries in
Regina. It was an afternoon
performance and I kid you not,
we had girls screaming for us!
What a riot.
Our stage attire consisted of a
‘branded’ sweat shirt with white
dickey, striped white pants (as
seen in the previous photo) and
black ankle boots. More formal
Regina Armouries
wear, which I really liked, was a
grey jacket with black felt collar,
white shirt, black tie, the striped pants and boots. Just like the British bands.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
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Also in 1964
and I think 1965
as well, we were
the backup
band for Jerry
Palmer (1963 hit
record: Come
Along With Me)
during his
Saskatchewan
tour.
This poorquality
photo is
of us and Jerry
at a practice
session in the
basement of the
CKCK radio
station.
Jim Middleton - Gary Taylor - Me - Bill Daniels - Tom Warner – Doug Rusu – Jerry Palmer
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
We each received an autographed copy of his 45-rpm recording. He was a good guy to work
with.
In 1965, we opened at the Regina Exhibition for Bobby Vinton. Another hoot!!
The band
members
have
maintained
close contact
with each
other over the
years. Here
are 3 of us
yucking it up
in Vancouver
in 2015.
We’ve all lost
touch with
Jim Middleton
though.
Gary Taylor and Doug Rusu Tom Warner and me in Regina - 1992
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Being a year older than me, Bill
Daniels got his driver’s licence in
1964 at the age of 16, and being
from a well-off family, was lucky to
be able to drive one of their two
family vehicles. The one we used
to regularly go ‘cruising’ in was a
1960 Lincoln Continental Mark III
(pictured here) with a push-button
transmission. It had electric
windows all around, including the
rear window. Poor Bill was quite
short, so looked pretty small in the
driver’s seat of this behemoth.
Although Dad at that time had a standard,
column-shift,1961 Ford Fairlane, I didn’t
have my driver’s licence, and he needed the
car, as by this time he was no longer with
the government, but self-employed.
I did manage to get my driver’s licence just
before graduation the following year (1965).
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1965
This was to be my
‘coming of age’ year.
I was 17 years old, in
my final year of high
school, not doing well
academically, but very
much loving the band
scene. For a reason I
cannot fathom, I,
partook of school
activities such as being
the ‘business manager’
for the school
telephone directory. What was I thinking?
I did, however, excel at art, and during this year painted
a large, precise watercolor picture of the Legislative
Buildings which was displayed in the school, and was
painted from an angle similar to that in this photo. I
also built a balsa wood scale model of Shakespeare’s
1599 Globe Theatre, a replica of which currently sits
beside the River Thames in London, England. For this
project, I got at least an “A” in art, and the model was
put on display at all the high schools in Regina. It was
hard to build, very delicate, and I never saw it again.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
I’m sure art was my saving grace as I believe I was
lucky to graduate from Grade 12…with a D minus
average, after writing the horrid provincial exams.
Poor Bill Daniels didn’t make it through Grade 11, and had to repeat his year. I dodged the
bullet.
As a reward for graduating, or perhaps as a way to keep me out the band and from following the
‘wrong path’ in life, my graduation ‘gift’ was a 3-week, all-expenses paid trip to England. I had
never had a part-time job, or otherwise worked (other than the band), and consequently had no
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
money of my own. So, for parents who were never well-off, I was quite spoiled over the course
of my life thus far.
I had to leave the band due to my prolonged absence and their
schedule. It was a sad day.
Still being a British subject and not a Canadian citizen, I
obtained my first British passport and began the adventure.
My chipped front tooth happened
when I was 8 years old. I
whacked my face on the steering
wheel of a bumper car at a fair in
England while driving with my
aunt Stella, just like in this photo.
Luckily it didn’t quite reach the
tooth nerve, so stayed intact until I
was able to get it capped when I
was 19 or 20 (and it was covered
by my dental plan!).
17 years old - 1965
Flying for the first time in my life out of
Regina on August 31 st 1965 on a little 4-
propeller Trans Canada Airlines
Viscount, I flew to Winnipeg, and from
there to London, England, this time on a
DC-8 jet. My trip was described in nerdy
detail in a 6-page, typed ‘diary’, most of
the details of which I had completely forgotten until re-reading it. Amazing the number of people
and old school chums I was able to connect with. And I certainly dragged my grand-parents
around…out every day…they must have been exhausted and glad to see me leave…after all
they were 66 years old!
Back home in Regina on September 21 st . 1965 it was time to get serious with my thus-far
pampered life and get out there in the big world to earn my keep. I couldn’t go to University as
my Grade 12 marks were too bad for entry and besides, my parents could not have afforded it.
Even though Christine was on a scholarship, they still had to support her at McGill.
So…what to do…17 was considered quite young to seek a serious job, but Dad did his best with
his ‘cronies’ to find me employment. I applied for a position at the Regina Leader-Post
newspaper, but didn’t get the job, so I worked as a labourer for a while with Dad and his landsurveying.
Hated it. I was not cut out for manual, outdoor work, and to be successful in
surveying one needed very strong math skills…something I was very definitely without.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Next came an application as a Manager-Trainee with the Hudson’s Bay
Company, Northern Stores Division. The position entailed the
requirement that I move around northern Canada for years to gain
experience for eventually managing my own Hudson’s Bay store. I was
accepted. What was I thinking? I think it was November that I was
flown out of Regina to Edmonton, where I changed to a small plane
(Douglas DC-3) for a flight to Fort
McMurray, Alberta. There were no
roads – it was a fly-in post. From
there I was driven (all gravel roads) to
Waterways, Alberta, a tiny, almost
completely native community just outside of Fort Mac.
The place wasn’t
much more than this.
I went into immediate
depression. The
store that I was to
work in had living
quarters for the
manager and his
family, and an attic
room for the
trainee…me. Didn’t
have a much of a
commute every day.
I learned to become
a butcher, as much
of the meat for the
store was delivered
in ‘large pieces’. The store’s main purpose was to feed the natives and buy their trapped
beaver pelts…which I became quite proficient at. I remember that they bought pig’s feet in
great quantities. A top seller. I learned quickly…ordering, stocking, cleaning, etc. and did get
along with the customers. I even had a pair of mukluks hand-made for me by one of our elderly
native clients.
As for entertainment, there was another store in Fort McMurray where a handful of young men
like me were working. I would take a taxi from my store to theirs where we would hang around
and drink. Nothing else to do…especially in winter! By the time January 1966 rolled around I
had had enough of ‘roughing it’, and being frozen, so I pleaded with Mum and Dad to fly me
home…it was at their expense since my contract called for a specific period of service before I
could be released. God bless them…they “got me the hell out of Dodge”, and home to comfort
and security in Regina. Now you know why I appreciate Regina.
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1966
Now what the hell do I do? I made a mess of that
potential career with the Hudson’s Bay Company. For a
while I tossed around the idea of joining the Navy or the
Coast Guard, as I had a love for the sea, and aspired to
a commission in either of those services. Dad had been
an officer in the Royal Air Force and always had that
special bearing and demeanor. He also socialized with a
group of similar stature and who were often at our home.
They included senior NCOs of the RCMP, including S/M
Bob McRae, S/Sgt. Ed Hill (Reg No. 14813), the crusty
riding instructor at Depot Division in Regina made
famous with his picture plastered over all manner of
touristy trinkets and recruiting material…and a decorated
war veteran, S/Sgt. Bill Pomfret, S/Sgt. Shane Kirby, the
RCMP Armourer, and Sgt. Bob MacKeracher, an
academic instructor. All three lived in Force housing on
the grounds of Depot Division (since demolished), and
with whom we often visited.
Dad was a member (and eventually the President for a
term) of the Royal United Services Institute in Regina,
where Officers from all services socialized.
During this period of ‘discovery’ I again worked for Dad, but not at all enjoying it. I don’t know
how many small prairie towns and Chinese/Canadian restaurants we frequented during the
course of my employment (eg: Punichy, Carrot River, etc…ugh!), all the while braving the
elements to survey lands for road development. I was never so dirty, what with Saskatchewan
gumbo stuck to my boots, constant mud and dust….and bug bites…but a steady pay cheque,
and no expenses!
In July of 1966, at the age of 18, I applied to the RCMP, undoubtedly due to the unconscious
impression left by Dad’s friends. I wanted to be a part of that world. I was found ‘fit for
engagement’ in August 1966. Yahoo!! A real career awaited…although I couldn’t join until I
had turned 19. The recruiting literature at that time showed that my starting salary would be
$4800 per year. Financial independence!
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A CAREER IN SCARLET
1967
Adult Life Begins
While ensuring that my medical and dental pre-engagement
appointments are completed before my 19 th birthday in
February, I took employment in January in the accounting
department of the Saskatchewan Power Corporation (SPC)
head office in Regina…working for my former guitar teacher.
I remember checking numbers on reams and reams of
computer printouts…boring.
SPC Building - Regina
I could walk to work as it was the same distance that I had to
cover returning from those many after-school pool games
with Bill Daniels downtown. So, no big deal. I had no wheels.
Unfortunately, SPC
went on strike about a
month after I had
started work. I quit.
And it was a good
thing I did, as I was
told as I was joining
the RCMP, that had I
stayed and picketed,
my career may have
been jeopardized.
Who was I to question
that!
I received notification
from the RCMP that I
could report to Depot
Division on my 19 th
birthday, February 25 th .
In my room – anxiously waiting - 19 years old - 1967
That was, however, a Saturday, so I begged for a deferral until Monday the 27 th just so I could
have one last hurrah as a civilian…not that I can recall any spectacular events that weekend.
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RCMP Training
Monday February 27 th 1967, I was driven with my little suitcase to Depot
Division, all set for my future and scared out of my wits, and signed in as a
3 rd class Constable and a part of “U” Troop 1996/97.
At that time, training was for 6 months, with the first 3 months undertaken
in Regina and the last 3 months in Penhold, Alberta, (near Red Deer) at
an old air force base (food was better there).
Didn’t take long to settle in
to a 32-man dormitory, but
took a while to get used to
locker-room type washroom
facilities. I had led a
cloistered life until now.
One of our first duties was to
try on our issued kit. Red
tunics would be provided at
some point in the future, but
before graduation.
On my bed – 32-man dorm - 1967
I found training, especially the physical part of it…which was a lot…rather
difficult, but coped and did my best, swigging a spoonful of liquid wheat germ
before Physical Training (PT), as someone suggested for stamina. Tasted
like crap and I don’t know if it even worked…was too afraid of repercussions
by the instructors to quit. “Punishment periods” of gym were given over to
duck-walking for as long as we could before collapsing to the floor, or
climbing a rope up to the gym ceiling (no short distance). Swimming was
another form of agony for me. One of the instructors used to carry a bamboo
cane and rap us hard on the
knuckles if we dared to touch the
side of the pool, and that after
having stood in line in a freezing
hallway, with snow drifts inside the
fire exit door, to get into the pool
area. Foot drill was another energy-sapping period,
with 50 minutes of almost constant marching and
getting screamed at. Then try and shower, change into
drill uniform, march to the drill hall, and be in formation
all within 15 minutes. A challenge.
Drill Hall
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All of this to turn a boy into a man.
It worked.
Driver training was the most relaxed class of all. Three of us would go out in an unmarked
police car with an instructor, and take turns driving around the city for half a day. Loved it!
Once the instructors were comfortable that we knew what we were doing in standard columnshift
cars, they took us out into the country where we practiced driving off the highway into the
ditch at 70 mph and back out, plus overtaking and stopping (another training car). Some scary
moments. But it was like a day off for us.
All of my Dad’s RCMP friends were still serving and 2 of them were my superiors. There were
no favours, believe me.
For the 3 months we were in Regina, we got one 11PM Friday pass and one 1AM Saturday
pass per week. Usually at least one, if not both of those was rescinded regularly due to some
minor misconduct by any 1 of our 32...be it lint on a jacket, late for a class, talking, you name it,
they found a reason to kick our ass. I was brought before the S/M on several occasions and
lost my privileges. Other times, we were scheduled for a ‘duty-weekend’ where we couldn’t
leave…we had to do 24-hour security checks of the property, and care for the horses which
were still all stabled there. We had to clean them every morning but didn’t have to ride. That
was enough though to stink up your uniform and get stuck up your nose. Riding as a part of
training was cancelled in 1966. The horses were awaiting auction.
Lunch ‘hour’ was short as we had
to be on parade in spit and polish
condition. I was a drummer in the
recruit band so had to get over to
the drill hall quickly and form up
with the band. Consequently, I
usually only had time for dessert
every day before having to get
ready. I was a slow eater
then…and remain so to this day.
Because I was in the band, we
didn’t have to clean the stables in
the morning. We had band
practice instead. There was a
method to my madness.
Noon Parade - June 1967
When we were lucky enough to leave Depot for an evening out, we had to dress in jacket and
tie, and trilby hat. No exceptions. Everyone in Regina knew who/what we were. Some of the
rougher element in town resented it, so you stayed away from their haunts. Since I came from
Regina, I usually managed to take my laundry home for Mum to do (bless her heart) as I
enjoyed my time off in my rented car – a weekend cost $25, and that was for a 1967 Mustang!
On March 1 st 1967, we got a raise from $4800 per year to $5000!! No stopping us now! Off of
that, however, came taxes, and all kinds of deductions, including one for room and board. Not
much left over.
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In early June, we were bused to Penhold where part two training was completed. And who was
there to greet us but now-S/M Bill Pomfret, another of my Dad’s RCMP friends. Oh, oh, I said.
It was in Penhold that I felt the need to have a car, so off I went to the local Ford dealership,
slapped down a small deposit for a new Ford Fairlane, then, upon considering that I wouldn’t
have enough income to support payments, plus, potentially, living accommodation and food, I
returned to the dealership to cancel the deal…lost
my deposit! I’m sure they suckered many recruits.
On one weekend day, four of us drove to Banff for
the day. I was absolutely gob-smacked with the
mountains, never having seen anything like them
before. Love at first sight.
Before a recruit would leave training, he was able
to choose 2 or 3 Provinces where he would like to
be posted. You could not return to your home
Province, and had to be at least one Province away
from it. That ruled out Alberta for me. I chose B.C.,
never having been there, but now loving
mountains.
Banff Springs Hotel - June 1967
Physical Training Display – Sep, 1967
Glad it’s over – Sep, 1967
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Precision Drill demonstration – Sep, 1967
Our training in
Penhold was a dream,
4-man rooms instead
of 32, good food, not
so much punishing
physical ‘stuff’, and so
on.
Graduation day was
September 5 th 1967.
The precision drill
demonstration was the
highlight of the day,
intricate marching for
about 15-20 minutes
without any verbal
commands. All done
by count. Hours and
hours of practice to
get it right.
All 32 of us made it through training and then scattered to all corners of Canada. I graduated
second in my troop.
I was posted to Abbotsford Detachment,
Chilliwack Sub-Division, “E” Division (British
Columbia)
Never been there, never heard
of it, but happy to go.
Graduation - Sep 5, 1967
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Abbotsford-Sumas Detachment
This 6-man Detachment was a great place
to learn and talk about an eye-opener for a
young fellow who had led a pretty cloistered
life. We were definitely now in the gutters
with the type of people we had to deal with.
Since I was only 19, I had to get written
permission from the Officer Commanding
Chilliwack Sub-Division to be able to drive
police cars, and get an endorsement to that
effect on my driver’s licence. To familiarize
myself with the Detachment area, the Sgt.
gave me a handful of court Summons’, and
one of the two police cars, and told me to go
find the places and serve the documents. My investment in a map was a good thing. In those
days, there was no ‘training program’ for rookies. Newbies just got on with the job, and if they
needed help hopefully a more senior member was on shift as well. You learned fast.
I couldn’t go into bars (off duty), or even vote, yet here I was doing a ‘grown-up’ job; breaking up
domestic fights…people my parents’ age, wrestling with drunks and other obnoxious fools,
arresting prominent people, and the list goes on.
Above the office were 2 apartments, rented to
members by the Municipality for $35 a month.
They were both occupied when I arrived, so
one of the members offered me a camp cot in
his living room. Not at all comfortable, and he
was quite the boozer, so sleep was whenever
he passed out and kicked out his
acquaintances. Fortunately, the other tenant
was soon transferred so I got my first, very
own (furnished), 1-bedroom apartment. This
is the view from my living room window
looking south down South Fraser Way to the
US border about 2 miles distant.
To the left in the above photo, but not in it, you can
take in this view of Sumas Prairie and Mount Baker,
an extinct volcano in Washington State. It’s a view
I’ll never grow tired of.
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This is the same view as the photo on
the previous page, taken in December.
Single members were expected to work
Christmas and take New Years off. Our
shifts were 9 hours in length, 6 days a
week. Did a week of dayshift, a week of
afternoons, and a week of midnights.
Being in ‘learning mode’ and still without
a car, I spent most of my waking hours
downstairs in the office and driving
around with the on-shift members, both
Detachment and Freeway Patrol, who
had their office beside my apartment
upstairs. With the Freeway members, I
was introduced to ‘speed’…on a number of occasions burying the speedometer needle at 140
miles per hour…in an unmarked police car…what a thrill that was. And stopping a very large
pack of bikers Hell’s Angels on their annual ‘ride’. Now they were intimidating, but the fellows I
was with took absolutely no guff and were (mostly) professional, accidentally kicking over just a
few of the bikes, writing a copious number of tickets, arresting those with outstanding warrants,
and generally harassing them all. With the speed limit of 70mph on that highway, accidents
were deadly. I went out with the Sergeant-in-charge one night to a fatal on a bridge over the
Vedder Canal – where we proceeded to pick up chunks of flesh that had been torn off a
catapulted driver (seatbelts weren’t mandatory) and throwing them into the canal. The streak of
bodily fluid along the roadway from the driver was a long one. Accidents in those days didn’t
close roads for days as they do now. Traffic was diverted around accident scenes,
measurements and photos were taken, causing as little disruption as possible to normal traffic
flows. If a serious accident happened at night, additional photos and measurements were
obtained the following day. I still don’t understand why all the closures these days.
I didn’t cook (at least I wasn’t interested in it), so ate at a
motel restaurant across the street from the office. They
charged a flat rate of $35 a month. Very nice people.
Here I am, on duty, enjoying Christmas Dinner with
them.
Christmas Dinner – Dec 25, 1967
Our Detachment policed an area with a population of
about 7,000. The more populous neighbor, Matsqui,
merged with Abbotsford in the early 1990’s, and now
has a combined population around 140,000. Hardly
recognize the place.
In my first week there I took a phone call in the office at
lunch time (myself and the Sergeant in charge were the
only ones in the office) from a very distraught woman
saying her husband had just shot himself. I got the
address, and not yet knowing the area too well, shot
over there, only to discover that it was about one block over our boundary and into another
police force’s jurisdiction (Matsqui Police) (thank goodness). When we opened the front door
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we could smell the blood and gore. Guy had blown half his head off with a shotgun in the
basement. “Stuff” was hanging and dripping from the floor joists. Nasty memory, the first of
many. I also remember having a “tussle” with a drunk I had arrested, and while in the office with
him, and trying to put him in the cells, he ripped the shirt right off my back. After a more senior
member ‘took care of him’, I didn’t recognize his face the next morning, and the ‘hanging’ judge
we had in the court room next door didn’t even blink an eye when he fined him for being drunk
in a public place. He was great.
We worked closely with Matsqui Police members, backing each other up on calls, regardless of
jurisdiction. There were just too few of us on a shift to do everything alone. One night, I
assisted one of their members, a crusty Scot who had served both in Scotland and in the
Vancouver Police force, with the arrest of a particularly nasty drunk. This fool was causing so
much trouble and since he constantly was insisting on a cigarette, the Matsqui member let him
have one, but not before stuffing one of those miniature fire-crackers in the end of it. When he
lit it, ‘boom’, his face was black! We fell over laughing and lo and behold the drunk became
quite complacent. Justice was served.
Being close to the US Border, and with a Customs port within our jurisdiction, we were often
called there to assist with drunk drivers mainly, but many other matters, including ‘border
runners’, those who didn’t stop for inspection. They were simply turned around and escorted
back, where they faced heavy penalties. Quite a number of draft dodgers came to our attention
during those years (Vietnam War), both trying to cross into Canada, and having ‘snuck’ across
the line. We unceremoniously dragged them back to the US border post where they were
promptly arrested. I suppose we shouldn’t have been doing that, but hey, too bad, so sad.
The little town of Sumas, Washington, right at the border, had a sheriff of some renown. He
reportedly had notches in his gun, but I never saw them. He was one heck of a character and
we shared a great mutual respect for each other.
We were normally a pretty quiet town, but on one occasion had the ‘ace investigators’ from
Vancouver with us for a while. There was a doctor who lived up on Vedder Mountain, a rather
remote area of our Detachment, down along the US border. He was performing abortions at a
clinic he had established up on the mountain. Highly illegal at that time. The investigation was
at its end by the time the plainclothes ‘guys’ from Vancouver arrived, so we were there to assist
in the arrest of this notorious doctor. Abortion was decriminalized shortly thereafter.
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1968
Heading out on patrol - 1968
Late in 1968, having shown some capabilities with the
paperwork of the job, I became the ‘court clerk’ with
responsibility for all scheduling, document preparation,
reporting dispositions, and liaising with ‘His Honour’.
Everything had to be typed…without errors, no
computers in those days.
Annual assessments back then consisted of one page
with a bunch of check boxes with 6 columns, the first
column being the highest level. My Sergeant completed
mine showing almost all checks in the first
column…well…the Sub-Division Officer-In-Charge
(OIC) bounced it with the notation that no member with
only one year of service could possibly be that good.
The Sergeant was ordered to reduce my scores. He
refused. Pretty soon thereafter, the OIC arrived for a
Detachment inspection, where we were all called in,
individually (I think it was a formal red serge inspection),
and grilled on our knowledge of laws, etc., and had our
‘daily diaries’ inspected (we had to transpose our
notebook contents to a legal-size, hard-cover diary,
which the Sgt. had to review also). Other than sweating
bullets in front of this disciplinarian Officer, I survived.
Me in the police car, the red roof
light simply flashed, front and
rear, and the siren was one of
those wind-up ones applied by
pressing the horn ring on the
steering wheel. Oh yes, and AM
radios and air-conditioning, if it
was available in particular models,
was removed from the vehicles
before delivery as police cars!
But police dog cars got air
conditioning. Summer uniform
was long sleeves and tie, winter
dress was the brown serge.
Shirts were like canvas and
wrinkled as soon as you looked at them. Had to spray them with starch when ironing.
Impossible to appear neat.
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One of the Matsqui Police members, with whom we worked
closely and were all good friends, was the pipe major for the
Abbotsford Legion pipe band. I joined as a drummer and
proudly wore the Fraser tartan. This kind of drumming is
significantly different than what I was used to, so the learning
curve was steep, and practice intense…and I still couldn’t drink
in the Legion!
This year Dad was kind enough to lend me his car…my first
wheels. So off I went to Regina, slapped BC plates on it and
drove it back. Having ‘souped’ it up a bit by having bucket seats
installed in the front, which turned to the side when you wanted
to get out (we had good relations with a wrecker/tow truck
operator we used), Dad needed the car back, so out they came
for a visit and drove it back to Regina.
First car - 1961 Ford
Abbotsford Legion Pipe Band - 1968
To the rescue came one of my co-workers who sold me his
1967 Ford Cortina. Again, being underage, my Sergeant
had to co-sign for my bank loan.
1967 Ford Cortina
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Sister Christine was married in September 1968 in Regina, so off I went to enjoy my vacation.
In November, 1968, I became a
Canadian Citizen, it having been
suggested that it would be better for my
future in the RCMP. Eventually, all
applicants for the Force had to be
Canadian citizens.
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1969
Boston Bar Detachment
In April of this year I was transferred to Boston Bar
Detachment. Population was only a couple of
hundred, if that. It was a 2-man posting in the middle
of the Fraser Canyon.
I later learned that I had been moved there by the
Sub-Division OIC to ‘test me’, to see if I really was as
good as my Abbotsford boss reported.
The original settlement in this area was the First
Nations' village of Koiaum, located on the west side of
the Fraser River. By the 1860's, the area had
become known as Boston Bar because of the large
numbers of Americans that settled in the area during
the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. When the building of
the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in 1885,
the town's name was changed to North Bend, while
Boston Bar began to be used for the
community on the east side of the
Fraser River. An aerial cable ferry was
built to connect the two towns in 1940,
and ran until 1985.
My room
This detachment was in a house right
beside the Trans-Canada Highway. It
housed the office, married quarters,
and single room above the office for its
single Constables – me. The Corporal
in charge of the Detachment worked
straight days, and I worked straight
nights…for a year! My shift began at
4PM and ran until 8AM the next
morning, although I could usually go to
Boston Bar Detachment – 1969
bed around 2’ish or later, and then be
on call. I was often aroused from my sleep. You could
hear the tractor-trailers coming down the hill with their ‘jake’ brakes on and you just knew it was
going to stop at the office to report some horrendous accident or something. Happened quite
often. All of our calls were taken by Hope Detachment and we were contacted by radio.
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Part of my responsibilities, other than fighting crime and/or evil was to (weekly) polish the office
floors (paste wax and a polisher), and also the floor in my quarters, as well as wash the police
car. Slave labour.
In the summer of 1969, the
Corporal left the RCMP (I
wasn’t disappointed to see
him leave)…and he wasn’t
replaced until well over a
month had passed. It was
me, all alone, as the only
law ‘in town’…actually our
area was huge and
stretched from just outside
Yale, B.C. to almost Kanaka
Bar, a north-south distance
of about 75km. It also
Inside the curved China Bar tunnel
stretched east and west for
some distance, into
secluded mountain logging
areas, which I didn’t get to
see much of. Each night
before I went to bed I drove
the entire stretch to ensure that there were no landslides
blocking the highway, or rocks on the road, or cars off the
road. It was a tricky bit of highway and included 7 tunnels
constructed from the spring of 1957 to 1964 as part of the Trans-Canada Highway project. The
shortest tunnel is 187ft; the longest, however, is about 2,000ft) and is one of North America's
longest. They are situated between Yale and Boston Bar. Had a particularly nasty tractor-trailer
accident inside this tunnel one night. Closed the whole Trans-Canada highway for hours and
hours. The spilled diesel on the road was like trying to walk on ice.
Another particularly gory accident involved a
motorcycle, riding down the highway on a
dark, rainy night without a tail light. He was
hit from behind by a car and the motorbike
seat was buried in the front grill of the car.
Bike rider – well, he was a mess…and very
dead.
As I lay sleeping in my cot (couldn’t call it a
bed) one day, the Corporal woke me to go
to the scene of a small, single-engine
airplane crash just up the highway. Seems
the pilot ran out of gas before he made it to
the short, grass runway beside the highway.
He hit the trees and destroyed his plane,
and didn’t survive.
2 of the 7 highway tunnels - 2014
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This is the view coming out of one of the tunnels.
Spectacular. With the sun setting over the mountains in
late afternoon, we were pretty much in perpetual gloom,
even more so when the weather was bad. Once again, I
befriended one of the local restaurant owners and for
$35 a month had my meals there. Many suppers of
chicken-pot-pie and strawberry ice cream for dessert.
Many were disturbed by calls though, so had a hot plate,
toaster, and small fridge in my room to ‘tide me over’.
While alone at the Detachment, I was scheduled for an
inspection by the Section NCO. Well, it happened that
during the rainy night before, a car had left the road and
gone over the side into the canyon. A family was in it.
Recovery efforts were lengthy, and the Section NCO, on
his way up to see me happened across the accident
scene and had to stay and help direct traffic while we
pulled the wreck up. While on the scene, another vehicle
came barreling around the corner, even though we had
flares out, saw us, hit the brakes and skidded over the
edge, barely missing me as I was standing behind the
police car. Took all day and he never did get to do his
inspection.
As well as doing all the ‘police work’ I was responsible for the administration of the office, which
meant monthly reports on every single activity in the office. And to top it off, and I’m not
complaining, ‘cause it was company, the Highway Patrol boys from Hope would come up for
part of shift a few times a week and conduct enforcement…that meant that when they were
done, they’d drop off books and books of tickets for me to process (which meant a file folder and
index card for each one, a ledger entry and a diary date entry so they could be tracked – a
mean amount of work – all on a typewriter).
In the summer of 1969, we had copious
numbers of tourists to Hell’s Gate, now
equipped with a cable car to the bottom. It was
about a 500-foot sheer drop from the highway
to the river below, and the only access to the
fish ladders down there was a restricted gravel
switch-back road that only Fisheries people and
us could use. No guarantee though that a
police car would make it back up the steep
grade. Even though there was a fence to
Old CN Rail ‘jigger’
prevent people from falling, they’d hop over and
down they’d go. There was no end to the body count that summer. Had to recover the bodies
by taking a railway ‘jigger’ along the tracks from Boston Bar. The CN passenger train stopped
in Boston Bar to change crew. Often, I had to go onto the train to remove unruly passengers,
travelling from Vancouver, as well us drunks off the Greyhound bus.
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Our lockup in the Detachment consisted of a metal cage in the basement with a bucket for
‘relief’. We never used it as we (I) would have to clean it! Prisoners were instead taken,
handcuffed, to Hope.
In those days, there was no protective screen between the front and back seats in the police
cars. One day a Greyhound bus stopped in front of the office, the driver running in to report a
‘disturbed’ person on his bus. I rushed out to find this nutcase on a rampage inside the bus, the
other passengers just sitting there dumbfounded. I arrested him and handcuffed him on the
spot (under the Mental Health Act), and took him into the office where it was quite clear that he
was unbalanced. He was an older gentleman. Advising Hope Detachment to look after my
area until I returned, I started driving this man to the mental hospital in Coquitlam, a good 2½hour
drive from Boston Bar. Still in the Fraser Canyon, he managed to move his handcuffed
wrists from behind him to the front. The Detachment didn’t have a straight-jacket. Then he
whacked me on the back of the head, on the bone behind my ear, with his fist. I’m sure he
cracked my skull as I had headaches and a sore spot there for many months. Then the nutcase
started playing with himself in the back seat when we hit all the traffic in Coquitlam and
everyone could see. So happy to turn him over to the ‘white-coats’ at Riverview mental hospital.
To get across the Fraser River to the
Indian Reserve, CP Rail station, and back
country of North Bend, we had to take a
one-car aerial ferry, pictured here. A
bridge has since been constructed.
Had to dress up for a parade or something
one day, so this is me…hoping I don’t get
a call.
During my posting in Boston Bar, the
RCMP was going through a period of
“austerity”, and their solution to save
Boston Bar to North Bend aerial ferry
money was to limit police vehicles to a
certain amount of mileage every shift…so
everywhere everyone sat in the office
waiting for calls, instead of proactively
patrolling. How absolutely absurd. I
ignored it.
Boston Bar - 1969
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On my one day off every week, Thursdays, I would try
and sleep Wednesday night and then as soon as the
clock struck 8AM I’d hop in my car and drive to
Vancouver, at least a 2½ hour drive one way (in good
conditions). On one of my return trips, very late at night
(or early in the morning) I fell asleep on the freeway,
and drove into the median, waking up as I bumped
down the embankment. No damage to me or the car. I
could see my tire tracks on the wet road as they left a
long, straight trail right off the highway. I don’t
remember how, but the tow truck driver we used in
Abbotsford came to my rescue, got me out of my
predicament, and didn’t charge me a penny. Lucky.
Map showing size of
Detachment areas
And this is what it was like in the winter,
looking north and taken on the highway
near the top of the hill at Hell’s Gate.
Pretty, but deadly.
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My vacation at the end of the summer and when the
replacement Corporal arrived, was a relaxing drive to
Regina to see Mum and Dad in their new home…an
apartment.
Sometime after that, since my Dad’s surveying business
was not ‘making it’, he took a job with a large surveying
firm in Edmonton, so off they went, and lived in a rented
apartment close to downtown. Mum got herself a job with
the Provincial Government, as a secretary. She’d had a
similar job while in Regina. Both jobs to ‘make ends meet’.
Mum and Dad – Regina - 1969
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1970
Hope Detachment
On March 1 st
1970, I was
transferred to
Hope, so
terminating my
one year of
penance in
Boston Bar.
After a couple of
months on shift
work, I found
myself back in a
‘court clerk’ role.
The judge was
another great
fellow who often
signed a bunch
of blank arrest
warrants and
other legal
documents so
we wouldn’t
have to travel up
to Yale, where
he lived, for a
signature. Worked well.
Detachment was in here
To Vancouver
I lived in here
Hope, B.C.
While I didn’t spend long doing ‘real police work’ at
Hope, for the few months that I did, I managed to
arrest the local mayor for impaired driving (didn’t
know who he was!), pull ‘floaters’ out of the Fraser
River at Yale, where they’d get caught in back
eddies, and earn a question from our Chilliwack
Sub-Division ‘readers’ (they were experienced
members – usually Corporals who checked
submitted reports on reportable incidents – and
there were many – for completeness, legality, etc.)
as to the meaning of a word (coitus) I used in my
report of a rape that I had investigated. Seems I
stumped them. Talking of fishing bodies out of the
river…you had to be very careful since they had
usually been in the river for a long period of time
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(having floated down from way up north normally). Pulling them with any force would quite often
separate flesh from bone….not a pretty sight. Also, they were usually swollen and gross. They
could explode. We got the coroner to attend the scenes, stick a huge needle in them to deflate
them (the smell was absolutely putrid) and then put them in a metal box.
During the hot summer months when forest fires were a potential or real problem, we used to
arrest hitch-hikers who had no admitted purpose in life other than to travel and live off of food
and accommodation vouchers they knew they could obtain from police offices wherever they
went. We solved that dilemma for them by ensuring they had good meals and quarters as they
were ‘press-ganged’ into the employment of the Forestry department and sent to hot spots as
required.
Being at the confluence of the only 2 highways out to the ‘rest of Canada’, we saw just about
every size, make and model of criminal possible coming through our area. Made for very
interesting searches, seizures, arrests, and iinformation-gathering.
That year, our RCMP Commissioner had the bright idea that all members would look nice in
long boots and spurs, breeches, and a stetson. How absolutely bloody impractical. Try getting
out of a car in a hurry without getting your spurs tangled. And in the rain, your stetson just sags
and is hard to get back into shape. No rain covers in those days.
Here I am so dressed in front of the old
Hope Detachment (since demolished) with
a couple of Mum’s friends from England (I
still don’t know who they are!). My
moustache has sprouted.
The same Commissioner later gave us the
horrid purple police cars.
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In Hope I had to find my own accommodation, after years of having it provided for me…so I got
my own ‘place’ – a 1-bedroom unit of a triplex not far from the Detachment. Looks run-down
now (2014), but was in a pretty good state when I lived there. Unit #3 in the back. Think I paid
about $75 a month.
#3
#3-456 Hemlock St., Hope, B.C.
This picture of me beside the police car is me,
obviously outside my place, before we had to dress
in boots and breeches.
Place is now a dump - 2013
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THROUGH THE YEARS
At yet another parade, Dale Pinchin
and I had the honours of leading
this one through Hope. Behind us
is the ‘hot’ Plymouth highway patrol
car with the radar head hanging
from the rear window.
Unfortunately, I was not to stay there long. In an
interview at Hope with a Staffing Officer from
Vancouver, in November, it was suggested that I
accept a transfer…in fact it was suggested that I
accept all transfers henceforth, for the benefit of my
Brigade Days - Hope, B.C. – Sep 12, 1970
career. I had been selected to go to Headquarters
Ottawa for a rotation within Records Management
because of my ‘administrative capabilities’. So I packed my little car with all my earthly
possessions and prepared for a hard winter drive through the mountains and across the
country. At that time, a single member could still only ship one steamer trunk at public expense.
My car was so full that I had to push the stuff in the driver’s seat with my elbow to be able to
properly work the stick shift.
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THROUGH THE YEARS
While living in B.C., I visited Regina friends of my
parents, Willy and Wilma Young, who now lived in
West Vancouver, in a beauty of house hanging on the
side of the mountain overlooking the water. He was
an ophthalmologist and doing very well. He owned
this sailing boat which was moored at the Eagle
Harbour Yacht Club. On several occasions, he would
take me out for a day or an overnight with his wife and
daughter and we’d sail around Howe Sound. My
sailing skills from my Boy Scout days actually paid off.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
RCMP Headquarters Ottawa
Originally erected to
accommodate a Roman
Catholic seminary, the
RCMP HQ building was
instead leased and later
sold to the Force. HQ
has since relocated.
I arrived in Ottawa at the
end of November, 1970
and found
Former RCMP HQ, Ottawa,
Main Door – HQ Ottawa
accommodation in the Headquarters barracks.
Had to live in an 8-man dorm as all of the single
rooms were taken. What a shock after having
my very own apartment! And I quickly found out
that the Sergeant-Major was (although I didn’t
know it) to be my father-in law in a few years’
time. I happened to be in my bed one morning,
under the weather with a very bad cold (or
something), when the S/M came into the room
and demanded to know why I wasn’t at work...
and on and on! Made me wish I was back in
B.C.
Couldn’t bring booze into the barracks, and access was strictly controlled, so no
‘companionship’ either. We had to enter through the front door and pass by watchful security
personnel. One good thing about living just down the hall from the cafeteria was that at
10:45PM every night, a commissionaire would come down and unlock the place so all as hungry
animals could raid the kitchen, make toast, get drinks, etc. Saved going out and spending
money. Many evenings were spent having ping pong tournaments or playing Monopoly. Less
than thrilling times.
One of my first duties on arriving was to be immediately
transferred to Embassy Patrol. It was the height of the
FLQ Crisis, and they needed more bodies to protect
embassies and VIPs. That had to be the most boring
job I’ve ever experienced. Driving around the small
village of Rockcliffe within Ottawa, and where most
foreign Ambassadors maintain their extremely
lavish mansions, such as the one pictured here.
Rockcliffe is also home to the Prime Minister, and
just about every rich person in Ottawa.
Residence of Apostolic Nunciature (Pope’s Ambassador)
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Rockcliffe is located in the east-end of Ottawa and was
established in 1864 as an independent village, which
status it maintained from 1926 until it was
amalgamated with the rest of the city, on January 1,
2001. In 1977 the entire village of Rockcliffe Park was
designated a Heritage Conservation District. It is one
of only three surviving nineteenth-century communities
of its kind in North America. The other two, in the
United States, are both recognized as national historic
places.
Residence of Prime Minister
My duty, on 12-hour shifts, was to ‘patrol’ the streets of the village to ensure the security of the
VIPs living there. Some embassies and Ambassador’s residences were outside of the village,
in the city proper, so I could get a change of scenery. But this was a mind-numbing job, and
one I could not come to terms with. I absolutely hated it, and wished even more that I hadn’t left
the West.
After about a month I was transferred back to my original assignment within Records
Management. That again was a disappointment. I ended up on a rotational training program,
spending time in the various records offices of the RCMP in HQ. It was interesting, however, in
that the Security Service records (this is before Security & Intelligence was taken away from the
RCMP) contained files on a number of fellows I went to school with in Regina! Interesting
reading. Another section I rotated through was Forms Design…which I was quite good at. The
Sergeant in charge asked me to stay there, and although I enjoyed the creativity and design
work, I couldn’t think of a good reason, as a uniformed police officer, to stay in such a position.
Other than sight-seeing and going out drinking on the weekends, I can’t think of anything that
sticks in my mind for this period of time, other than my sheer disappointment in leaving B.C.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1971
“J” Division Headquarters, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Once my 6-month rotation through the different records offices in Headquarters was up, I was
again transferred, this time to Records Management in Fredericton, New Brunswick. That was
definitely in the wrong direction to where I wanted to go!
Regardless, at the end of May 1971 I packed up my little Cortina again, shipped my one trunk,
and off I went. The Sergeant in charge of the Section looked after the administrative records,
and my position was to oversee the operational records. At least I could read about real police
work.
“J” Div. Headquarters was
housed in the former Lt.
Governor’s 1829 mansion on
the banks of the Saint John
River. Lovely spot. Again,
there were single-men
barracks on the top floor, and a
small cafeteria in the
basement…so didn’t have to
leave the building at all…if I
didn’t want to.
I had nothing but problems with
my car on the trip down, and
only barely made it to HQ. I’m
sure I was running on about 1
cylinder. I vowed to get rid of it
as soon as I could. It wasn’t
long before I found a dealership and a bank that would talk to me. I became the proud owner of
my very first NEW car, a 1971 Mercury Cougar. A beauty!
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THROUGH THE YEARS
Don’t have much to say about the work I did there…pretty mundane stuff…in operational and
administrative records. Every morning though, I had to put on my brown serge, walk the mail up
to the Commanding Officer’s office, come to attention, and when he said ‘at ease Constable; I
had to open the envelopes and place the contents on his desk. He was definitely ‘old school’.
Every moment I wasn’t working, I was out in my new car. Always was one to sightsee wherever
I was. I happened upon a bar in town, “Cosmo”, which very quickly became a ritual and where I
met Doug Falkenham, with whom I chummed the entire time I was there. Great place, a
members-only establishment with a barn motif, and great music. Oh my, did we go through the
beer. I think I left Fredericton with less money than when I arrived.
One of the single fellows in barracks
with me had his pilot’s license, with
the hopes of joining the RCMP’s air
services. Anyhow, one weekend,
during the Moncton Air Show, he
invited me to join him in renting a
small plane (this one) and flying to the
show…if I would help him with gas
money. What an opportunity. He
went on to become a pilot with the
now-defunct Eastern Provincial
Airways (EPA).
In September of 1971 I decided to
drive to Regina in my new car. About 3700 kms, but what a pleasant drive. Driving back to
Fredericton I went 1100 miles on the first day, just loved
driving the Cougar. I went through the States, and arriving
at the Maine/New Brunswick border had a miserable
Canada Customs agent who made me take my car apart.
Should’ve flashed my badge instead, but since I hadn’t
requested formal permission to be in the States (which you
did at that time – it was a foreign country), I didn’t want to
get myself into any more trouble.
Here’s me at home in Regina in my disco, polyester suit and
shiny silk tie, and 1970’s hair…at least what I could get
away with being in uniform at work. What a laugh. I’m sure
my Dad was embarrassed taking me out looking like this!
During my stay in Fredericton I thought my spare time could
be better spent improving my education, so I enrolled in an
evening University class for accounting. Thought it might
lead to other classes and a boost to my career. Seems my
heart (and brain) wasn’t into it as I found it very difficult and
gave up before the course was completed, and got back to
having fun with Doug!
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THROUGH THE YEARS
This year, after a
parade, all us “J” Div.
HQ types assembled in
the Corporal’s Mess to
welcome and
congratulate the 1971
Miss Canada winner,
Caroline Amelia
Commisso, from
Thunder Bay, Ontario,
who was on a crosscountry
tour.
The boys were falling
over each other trying to
charm her, and win her
graces, etc. Didn’t work.
She was 18.
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THROUGH THE YEARS
1972
After surviving an incredible amount of
snow during the winter, Doug and I took
a trip to England in May/June, 1972,
stayed with Nan and Grandpa, borrowed
Uncle Brian’s car, and drove to Estartit,
Spain, on the Costa Brava, for about a
week. Had a hoot. Started out camping,
got soaked, met a couple of English longhairs
and ended up renting a ‘villa’ with
them for the remainder of the holiday.
Beaches were patrolled at night by
armed police. Not that we had time to go
there. Had beer to drink, instead.
With Miggles and Mack
Estartit, Spain - 1972
We travelled to Calais, France from Dover, England, on a large carcarrying
hovercraft, Took about 45 vehicles and was like travelling
by plane in turbulence. Couldn’t see anything as the spray whipped
up was so great that the windows were perpetually covered with
water. The service
no longer exists.
We returned on a
regular, gutchurning
ferry
across the rough
English Channel
Passport photo
23 years old - 1972
June 2017
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THROUGH THE YEARS
Upon returning to work, I had a staffing interview at which I was asked what I want to do with my
career. I expressed a desire to return to general duty policing in British Columbia. A short time
later the Staffing Officer indicated that the closest west he could get me would perhaps be
Niagara Falls, Ontario, and a job as an investigator in Organized Crime. I said sure, but shortly
thereafter I was advised that I didn’t have enough investigative experience…I knew that.
Another option was a return to Headquarters.
RCMP Headquarters Ottawa, “C” Directorate, Physical Protection
Branch
At the end of June, 1972, I again shipped my one trunk, packed
up my nice car and drove back to Ottawa where, on July 2 nd I
started work in Physical Protection Branch, and then VIP
Protection Section.
Yet again, the Force became my surrogate parents, feeding me,
clothing me, and providing accommodation as I moved into the
HQ Barracks upon my arrival, and got my own room. And I was
closer to B.C.
My duties there were to read and analyze reports of subjects
who were under surveillance across Canada as being likely to
embarrass or cause harm to VIPs. There were many of them.
We regularly ‘carded’ them and sent out these cards, which
contained their photos, histories, and potential questionable
activities. Other jobs were coordinating visits of VIPs. Our lucky
boss, a Sub-Inspector (the entry-level Commissioned rank that has
since disappeared in the Force), was the RCMP Travel Officer, accompanying the Prime
Minister and Governor General on all international visits. Boy, did he see the world…not once
but twice each time as he had to conduct pre-visit liaison meetings with the various security
agencies in the countries being visited.
24 years old - Ottawa - 1972
Had a run-in with a Sergeant (whose last name funnily was Major) over my refusal to contribute
to the United Way Campaign that he was canvassing for. Was quite nasty actually, but I didn’t
capitulate or contribute! A year or so later I reserved a cottage on Big Rideau Lake for a week,
that was to be the honeymoon spot for Sharon and I. It was owned by Sgt. Major! The rental
was cancelled due to Sharon’s illness after the wedding.
With many young, single members in HQ, and if not more young, single female civilian
employees, relationships were inevitable. “Sexism” was alive and well in those days, as
witnessed here by a beauty pageant in the cafeteria, with one of the contestants being Sharon
Janet Marie Camm, a finalist.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Coffee break
every morning
in the cafeteria
was an
opportunity for
the members
(not just the
single ones) to
ogle the girls.
Sharon and I
had eyes for
each other, with
her taking the
first step by
coming over to
my table and
introducing
herself. And
that’s how it all
started.
Sharon
Disco fever was alive and well, with
Sharon and I eventually and regularly
going ‘clubbing’ in our finest ‘Saturday
Night Fever’ outfits. Wish I would have
kept these…could have made a fortune
in the consignment stores today.
19 years old - Ottawa - 1972
Was supposed to fly home to
Regina for Christmas this year, but
Ottawa was snowed in, so spent
the season, and Christmas dinner
with Sharon and her family, her
brother flicking peas at me from his
plate at the table. He hasn’t
changed.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
This was my ‘oh shit’ moment, picking Sharon up
at her home and reacquainting with her father,
retired S/M Bob Camm (who still imposed a
curfew) whom I had met during my first swing
through HQ in 1970.
18 years old - Ottawa - 1971
And here’s Sharon with her work group in Identification
Services, RCMP.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1973
In April of 1973, Sharon was first introduced to my mother,
here at the old Ottawa airport (since demolished). Shortly
before this event, Sharon had whacked her eye on her car
door…so was introduced with a black eye. Nice first
impression I’m sure.
Late 1972 and early 1973
went by quickly as Sharon and
I were busy running away for
weekends all over the place.
She lived at home, I lived in
barracks…where else was
there to go? One weekend
was a trip to Kingston, where I received a phone call to
advise me that my Uncle Tom had died. Sad, he was only
59. Another was to a weekend at Lake-of-Bays in cottage country where we stayed with Uncle
Phil and Jean, and Sharon first met Grandma and Grandpa Lowen, who were visiting from
England.
Married…
In January I think it was, I asked Sharon’s
father for permission to marry his daughter!
I had to explain that I could support her.
I submitted my application for permission to
marry, in which you had to list all of your
intended wife’s relatives, and your assets
and liabilities (I had a net worth of
$2416.23 – damn near broke!). Had to
have a minimum of 2 years of service, also.
Having attended ‘classes’ at St Patrick's
Basilica, Ottawa and me promising to have
any children
raised in the
Catholic faith,
Sharon and I
were married
on July 21st
1973. I was
25, Sharon
was 20.
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Perhaps the stress of being stuck in a crowded elevator the night before at my parents’ hotel,
and needing the fire department to free us, was a contributing factor to Sharon’s malady on our
wedding day. Or perhaps it was the thought of getting married.
She managed to make it through the ceremony, only throwing up once in the church.
The beautiful bride - 1973
We made it from the church to the photo shoot and then
the reception, but she was whisked away right after our
toast, and
ended up in
hospital for
several days.
Food
poisoning or
a nervous
breakdown?
Not sure.
Anyhow, a
day to
remember.
The wedding party – from left to right: Ray Ethier, usher; Sharon’s sister Debbie; Doug
Falkenham, best man; Cindy; Jane Naus, maid of honour; Bobbie; Charlie Gagnon, usher.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
The families –
from left to right:
Nan and Grandpa
Lowen, John and
Jean Scott, Bob
and Lorraine
Camm, Henry and
Dora Legere.
We got Sharon all set up (by herself) in a 2-bedroom apartment prior to the wedding, nice new
furniture and everything. A brand-new apartment and townhouse complex/area on Baycrest
Drive in Ottawa, and which has degenerated into low-income city housing…an area that is now
pretty much a ‘no-go’ zone.
#701
We hadn’t planned an immediate honeymoon, so deferred it until later in the year, when we
spent a few days in Freeport, Bahamas, where I immediately got burned to a crisp, complete
with sunstroke.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1974
In the summer of 1974, Sharon and I bought a
Boler trailer which we could tow with the
Cougar, and move around by hand. Off we
went on a tour of the Maritimes, visiting
Sharon’s grandparents, PEI (first time for me),
and Doug Falkenham in Fredericton.
We picked up an old wicker crib at Sharon’s
grandparents’ house, that had been used by
countless family members. Perhaps we were
thinking ahead.
This year we
acquired our first
pet – a budgie we
named “Poopsie”
after the one I had grown up with in Regina. He came
everywhere with us in the apartment, even the bath tub.
While away in New Brunswick, our apartment was
broken into, we believe by the building super with a
key, as there were no signs of forced entry, and my
Force-issued revolver was stolen, along with a ‘billy’
(non-issue). I was exonerated of all fault since it was,
in those days, ‘securely’ stored (hidden in the closet).
It was never found, and I still remember its serial
number, as those things were absolutely drilled into
you in training. Don’t remember the numbers of
subsequent weapons though.
June 2017
119

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1975
In late Spring, Prince Charles visited Ottawa on a
Canadian tour. I had to provide security in red
serge, and Sharon was lucky enough to have a few
words with him as
he passed her by
on the sidewalk on
Parliament Hill.
She was very
pregnant, and in the
front row, so the
Prince came over
and said a few
words to her.
…With Children
With Sharon at just 22 years of age (and me 27),
Timothy Robert was born on May 30 th , at the Riverside
Hospital in Ottawa.
Riverside Hospital - Ottawa
And this was the year that I got my wish – a transfer
back to British Columbia. I was scheduled to report for
duty July 2 nd at Langley Detachment.
Couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Timothy - 4 hours old - Ottawa -
1975
Shortly after birth, Tim was plagued by projectile vomiting after every feeding. He was
diagnosed with Pyloric Stenosis and operated on. Pyloric Stenosis is essentially an
overdeveloped gastrointestinal tract that causes muscle overlapping. Pyloric Stenosis causes
extreme vomiting in infants, which leads to dehydration and sickness. Males are more likely to
get it than females. And I had it as an infant…so obviously genetic and inherited, and Robyne
subsequently had it also.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
While Sharon was attending to Timothy in Ottawa, I took a house-hunting trip out west and
found us a little place in Abbotsford (actually Matsqui)…at 33561 Holland Avenue. Couldn’t
afford Langley. Of course we didn’t have enough money for a down-payment so had to seek
some financial assistance from Sharon’s Dad…whom we eventually paid back after about 25
years! I bought this house, a 3-bedroom, 1-bath, which, with the help of a neighbour, we later
painted bright yellow. Had a couple of pear trees in the back garden, plus a hazelnut tree. It
was almost a double lot and cost us I think $37,500.00 (equivalent of $167,500 in 2017 dollars).
Had a dirt-floor basement, and mice in the walls.
The house, in fact the whole block, has since been demolished, with a strip mall now occupying
the site.
What we purchased - 1975
July - 1975
Re-painted
Boler trailer
Back yard
Since Tim was only a couple of months old, and had recently had surgery, I had to drive by
myself, with the trailer, to Abbotsford, after the movers had packed up our apartment. Sharon
and Tim moved into Sharon’s parents, and would fly out after I was settled in the house. I
stopped in Edmonton to pick up my mother who would briefly help us all get settled when
Sharon arrived, and before her mum came for an extended stay. Had my only ever flat tire on
that trip.
June 2017
121

RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Langley Detachment
I was very happy to get back to operational police work in
Langley, although with 8 years service I was the senior
Constable on a shift and had to work hard to reacquaint
myself with all the statutes and procedures that had
changed since I left in 1970 so that I could properly direct
more-junior members. At least now the shifts were only 8
hours long…days, evenings, and my worst, midnights, of
which we had to do 7 in a row. Hated that. Langley
Detachment was headed by a crusty old Staff-Sergeant,
but then became an Inspector’s Detachment, with a
young Inspector parachuted in over the S/Sgt. They
didn’t get along well…with the S/Sgt. transferring and
then retiring. Was kind of tense in the office.
July 1975
As the senior Constable on the shift, I unfortunately got saddled with a recruit on his Recruit
Field Training Program…something we didn’t have when I started. He would accompany me on
all shifts until I was satisfied that he had the skills and knowledge to be on his own….and I was
able to positively ‘check the boxes’ in his book. Well, this guy was something else. He was a
university graduate, and thought he was better than most of us, and was somewhat insulted that
me, a simple Grade 12 graduate, was telling him what to do. After several extremely frustrating
months, I was able to check those boxes and get him the hell out of my police car (I much
preferred working alone!). I understand that he didn’t stay in the Force for more than a couple
of years. It just wasn’t for him, and I’m sure the citizenry with whom he dealt weren’t sorry to
see him go either.
One event that comes to mind occurred on a dayshift, when I was asked to provide uniform
backup to our plainclothes and drug investigators (we only had one of each) as they conducted
a drug raid in a downtown Langley apartment. One of the fellows knocked quietly on the door
and when an answer came “Who’s there?”, he responded “Well, it sure as f--- ain’t Mary
Poppins” as he hammered the door with a large sledge hammer and we ran in and were able to
prevent those inside from flushing the drugs. The drug member, Cst. Larry Campbell, is now a
Senator!
Had my first and only police car accident in
Langley. Myself and an Auxiliary Constable
who was riding with me that night, Gord Parrott,
the funniest guy I’ve ever known, were taking a
curve a bit too fast on a snowy night on our way
to Fort Langley. We were laughing like idiots,
and where the road curved we kept going
straight….and into a gully. We were OK and the
car sustained only minor damage. The Corporal
came out to investigate and take photos and we
convinced him that it was because the roads
weren’t plowed or salted…not my fault!
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THROUGH THE YEARS
Anyhow, that’s the way it got reported, and in those days if there was any fault assigned to the
driver, then a portion of the cost of repairs would be deducted from your pay. I was lucky.
This year I had my first RCMP helicopter ride. What a thrill. But the circumstances were kinda
grim. We were looking for someone who had gone into the Fraser River and drowned. For
public relations purposes and, for the family, to search as thoroughly as possible, a slow flyover
of the river shore was necessary. The shore was lined with log booms, so it was impossible to
search by foot and a helicopter was more efficient (but costlier) than a boat. No luck in locating
the drowning victim. Probably showed up downstream some time later.
Dad’s introduction to Tim was during a visit in
September. Three generations: John Peter Scott –
51 years, Richard Allen Scott – 27 years, Timothy
Robert Scott – 4 months….and the ever-present
poopsie.
Abbotsford, BC - Sep - 1975
Abbotsford, BC - Sep - 1975
Abbotsford – Sep. 1975
First Christmas with Tim.
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1976
This year I was assigned the role of Crime Prevention/ Community Relations Coordinator for
Langley Detachment. Straight days, Monday to Friday. Thought I’d died and gone to heaven.
Crime Prevention was a brand-new phenomenon in
policing. Been done for years informally, but now it had
become formalized, and the concept took off like a
rocket. It was almost a contest who could have the best
programme.
Local politicians and business people got on the
bandwagon, and I was very fortunate in being provided
by a local car dealership with my very own vehicle (a
small 4-banger), complete with logo. Unfortunately, that
didn’t last much longer than a year, as the RCMP
eventually took a dim view of ‘freebies’, so the car had
to go back, and I was once again forced to try and get a
police car when required…which was often. Nice while
it lasted though.
I was constantly busy with presentations on a multitude
of topics to a variety of schools and community groups,
and my creative juices overflowed as I created and
pumped out pamphlets etc., by the ton, compliments of
the Municipal printing facilities.
It was late in the year, while I was away on a course,
that Sharon phoned me after finding out that she would
be having twins. Copious quantities of beer were
consumed that night.
Favourite place to watch TV –
in an empty diaper case
Abbotsford – 1976
Driving a real police car
Langley Detachment – 1976
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
3 Generations - Edmonton – 1976
Abbotsford - May 1976
Introduction to Pic-A-Pop - June 1976
Tubby time - May 1976
Sampling a pear from our tree
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
1977
…and more Children
On February 11 th Christopher John and Robyne Ann were born at the Matsqui-Sumas-
Abbotsford (MSA) District Hospital in the Municipality of Matsqui (now Abbotsford)…actually just
down the street from where we lived.
I accompanied Sharon to the hospital and faithfully timed her contractions, but after many, many
hours, we decided I should go home to bed….so I did….and along came the twins without me
there, in the early morning hours, about 1½ hours apart.
Sharon’s mother kindly gave up many
weeks of her life to be with Sharon just
before and after the birth. Here are the
twins at 4 days old with Lorraine, and just
hours after they were brought home from
the hospital in a pink and a blue, pretty
cardboard box…in the back seat of the car.
There were now 2 Scott boys to carry on the name.
Lorraine Camm with Christopher and Robyne
Abbotsford – February - 1977
Me, 29 years old, holding Christopher,
Dad, 51 years old, holding Timothy
Abbotsford – Easter - 1977
Me, 29 years old - 1977
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Sharing with Poopsie
Abbotsford – 1976
Dreaming with Susie
Abbotsford – 1976
I realized that my beloved Cougar could not accommodate 3
car seats…I tried. Now I had to get a ‘sensible’ family car,
and not worry about my image. We got a 1977 Dodge
Station Wagon that plagued us with no end of problems
from the day we got it out of the showroom until we could
finally dump it for something better…which was to be many
years down the road.
Mum meets the twins
Abbotsford – Easter - 1977
Looking at the pictures - Timothy
Abbotsford – Easter - 1977
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Good work mummy! I was lucky enough to still be on straight dayshift, so was home to help in
the evenings, unless I had a presentation to do…and there were quite a few.
Christopher and Robyne
Abbotsford – 1977
Christopher and Robyne – 4 months
Abbotsford – 1977
Visit from Great Grandma and
Grandpa Lowen
They were 79 years of age
Abbotsford – October, 1977
June 2017
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RICHARD ALLEN SCOTT
THROUGH THE YEARS
Sharon 24 years old
Me 29 years old
Abbotsford – 1977
Christopher, Timothy and Robyne
Abbotsford – 1977
Christopher, Sharon and Robyne
Abbotsford – Christmas, 1977v
Christopher and Robyne
Abbotsford – October, 1977
I re-joined the Abbotsford Legion Pipe
Band this year, which was pretty much
the same crew I played with in 1970.
They couldn’t afford to maintain the
fancy uniforms of 1970 so switched to a
‘formal’ look. Got a third-place trophy for
drumming at a competition in June.
Whoopee!
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During this year my Crime Prevention Unit went from just me to 4 additional staff, including a
civilian, Rita, shown here with me in our own office in the Detachment. I also had a couple of
summer-students, funded by a special programme, engaged on different projects. One of those
projects was the development of a Kindergarten to Grade 12 program that addressed a variety
of subjects at the various comprehension levels. It was such a hit that it was distributed
nationally to police forces by the federal Solicitor-General’s office.
Had my 10-year ident. photo taken – and got a note back from HQ saying “…moustache may
require some attention”. Starting to rebel!
I created and delivered numerous presentations/
training on a variety of public safety topics (e.g.: Rape
Prevention, Child Molestation Prevention, Home and
Business Security, etc.) to a vast range of audiences,
including children, adults/parents, service club
members, elected officials, and peers. Also, I created,
published, and publicly distributed letters, brochures,
booklets, and advertising material pertaining to Crime
Prevention and the program offerings. Even got my
own poster!
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I had a weekly spot on the local radio channel,
wrote a weekly ‘blurb’ on crime prevention for the
local paper, and had all kinds of newspaper
articles on the various initiatives.
The Unit received recognition at the Municipal,
Provincial and Federal government
levels.
I was a founding member of the
British Columbia Police Crime
Prevention Association, which is still
in existence (minus the word ‘Police’
in the title).
I was also assigned to manage a complement of
civilian, Auxiliary Police personnel and developed
and supervised their training.
Here I’m being presented with an expensive film projector by a service club. I must have had a
library of over 30 films that were purchased for me by various organizations.
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1978
In April of this year, the Officer
In Charge of Langley
Detachment, presented me with
this Certificate at a formal
presentation in the Langley
Municipal Council Chambers.
Nice.
In August of this year I
published a catalogue
describing the 22 implemented
Crime Prevention and
Community Relations programs
and the 10 proposed programs
that I had developed during my
time in Langley. All were a
raging success.
Before leaving Langley, I had established close relations with McDonalds for their sponsorship
of various ‘things’, and was in final negotiations with General Motors to build and outfit a traffic
Safety Village in Langley. That concept died when I left, unfortunately.
Burnaby Detachment
With 11½ years of service, a bit more than the average for a promotion to Corporal, and a bit of
anxiety over my future, I was fortunate and did get that promotion, which necessitated a transfer
to Burnaby Detachment, about an hour’s drive west of Abbotsford, where I reported for duty with
my new Corporal stripes on my uniform on September 1 st It once again entailed shift work.
Tough to get used to again, and it was especially tough staying awake on the freeway on the
way home after midnight shifts.
The little old English ‘clunker’ that I had purchased for the commute to Langley had to go. It
was more than unsafe for a major hike into Burnaby…I could see the road pass by through the
floorboards, and on a rainy day got wet feet. And it had to be nursed continually. What a wreck
it was. Thank goodness there was no mandatory vehicle
inspections back then. Definitely wouldn’t have passed.
Ended up selling it to a local villain ‘known to the police’
whose cheque bounced and I had to hassle him for months to
get my $200. Lesson learned. I found a second-hand
Volkswagen Rabbit, looked something like this, except grey
and red, that served the purpose. I think it was an insurance
write-off, as it never did run properly and had a pretty nice
new paint job when I got it.
At that time, Burnaby was pretty much a ‘bedroom community’ of Vancouver. I found it quite
boring actually, and as a Corporal supervisor I simply had to provide backup to other members
as they attended calls, or take ‘easy’ calls. There was a lot of ambulance and fire-truck chasing.
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A few suicides, by shotgun to the head, and hanging...rather grizzly. Also, there were a lot of
sudden deaths to attend, given what I found to be quite an aging community. I was also
responsible for ‘community relations’ in one particular zone that had a continuing problem with
errant youth. Had to set up a multitude of community meetings to try and ease the tensions
between the young people and older residents. I wasn’t there long enough to see if anything
worked, as I was transferred to Surrey Detachment in March of 1979 (thanks to a kind Staffing
Officer who was trying to get me back closer to home).
With a penchant for ‘forms design’, and a requirement for investigating and reporting to the
Coroner the intricacies of sudden deaths, I created a form that could be used by both police and
ambulance personnel. It was sent to the B.C. Coroner’s office where it was acknowledged with
thanks, but I wasn’t there long enough to see if it was adopted.
Drugs were a ‘big thing’, magic mushrooms, marijuana. Every young person detained or
arrested was searched for traces of drugs, and inevitably a ‘seed’ could be find in a trouser
pocket. That led to charges of possession, very serious criminal offences in those days that
could land a person with a criminal record for life and in jail for years.
I do remember falling asleep one midnight
shift, in the police car, in a mall parking lot,
right by a bus stop, where I was quite
obvious to the commuters. How
embarrassing. Tough time staying awake
on the drives home after midnight shifts.
With space in our little yellow house
becoming limited as the kids grew, we
moved into a newer house at 33156
Hawthorne Avenue, just across the
freeway from where we were. Had 2
baths and a finished 1-bedroom suite in
the basement.
Our well-maintained home
33561 Holland Ave
Back garden like a park
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Mortgage rates at that time were crippling…and criminal…almost 18% when we had to renew in
1984. We were mixing the kids’ milk with milk powder – couldn’t afford not to.
The old place is now a rental and looks like a welfare house. Disgusting.
Tim, Christopher and Robyne
Abbotsford – Christmas - 1978
Christopher and Robyne
Abbotsford – Feb, 1978
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THROUGH THE YEARS
1979
Surrey Detachment
With a commute reduced by half, I was posted, in March
1979, to Surrey Detachment, the largest RCMP Detachment
in Canada. Best place I’ve ever worked. Non-stop action
and adventure. I was one of 2 Corporals on a Sergeant’s
watch, working 12 hour shifts, 2 days, 2 nights, then 4 off
(‘cept the first one was spent sleeping). I particularly
Detachment
enjoyed the night shifts as there was always so much going
on, and the time passed quickly. And I didn’t have to take
calls (but I did anyway – those that could be concluded
immediately upon my attending a scene. That way the other
members were free to take the more serious calls. More
often than not, calls were backed-up awaiting dispatch to
available members. I provided backup on many calls that I thought needed it (most of them),
and otherwise patrolled myself, looking for trouble and doing bar walks with other members, just
to let people know we were there, and preventing ‘bad things’ from happening… not always
successful there.
The night life in Surrey was hopping…every night, and until late. I was guaranteed a knockdown,
drag out fight once in every set of 4 shifts. Had to make an arrest one night on a busy
thoroughfare, and needed backup. A crowd had gathered on the sidewalks and were
sympathetic to the fellow I was arresting. Backup arrived and the two of us struggled to get this
guy on the ground. He was massive, towering over us, and was a semi-pro hockey player –
young and in top shape – but drunk. The other member helping me took out his ‘billy’ and
started smacking this guy, but happened to get me on the back of my hand as it was wrapped
around his head. That hurt. Finally subdued the monster and took him (and me with what I
thought was a broken hand) to the hospital for a quick check-up and stitches before booking him
into the cells.
Working in Surrey provided a member with experience in every possible type of event you could
think of, from murder to a cat up a tree. Absolutely loved it! And we had fun…seeing who could
get the police car, from a stop, to burn rubber for the longest distance up a steep hill on the King
George Highway…at about 5 in the morning when no one was around.
Because of the size of the Detachment area, arresting someone and returning them to the cells
at our office in Cloverdale (since demolished and relocated) could take you off the road for at
least an hour. Impaired drivers were the worst, taking twice as long to process, so a lot of 24-
hour suspensions were handed out instead. Most nights, especially weekends, you just couldn’t
afford to take a man off the road for that length of time…just too busy. I must have driven over
100 miles every shift.
I took my friend Bill Daniels on a ride-along one Friday night, after he had signed a waiver. It
was a busy Friday night. Got a call to an out-of-control bush party, so off we went to back up
the Constables. Arrived to find a fire truck attempting to douse a bonfire, and being pelted with
beer bottles. Sustained quite a bit of damage. Bill and I got out of the police car, and bottles
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flew our way too. After a bottle landed very close to Bill he jumped back in the car. A close call.
At another out-of-control event, a dance in a community hall, I was first to arrive on the scene as
everyone else was tied up on calls, and my car was immediately surrounded by a large group
who started rocking it trying to turn it over. This was the one and only time I feared for my
safety and pressed the ‘panic button’ – a red button on our radios that signaled the
communications centre of an immediate emergency. Glad I had been good to my Constables,
as many of them showed up almost immediately to provide backup. Out-of-control house
parties, bush parties, bar fights…you name it, we had it. It got so rough that I, as a ‘road
supervisor’, brought out the shotgun that only the supervisor’s vehicle was equipped with, on
numerous occasions and had it ready at many calls. It was a bad crowd in Surrey, and getting
worse.
My annual performance appraisal this year recommended me for full-time University training,
and for the “High-Potential-Development” program (long-since discontinued). This program was
designed to recognize the high level of performance of members, their willingness to undertake
any type of duty (and posting), and were desirous of a Commission. That was me, and I stayed
in that program for as long as it existed.
I started taking University correspondence courses in Criminology. Very difficult (for me) in that
I was working shifts, had the three kids, and had to submit numerous essays on numerous
topics…all handwritten of course. I did about 3 of those courses over the next year.
Regardless of the extra-curricular school work I had burdened myself with, we always did a lot
with the children, taking them hither and yon. There was so much to see and do in that part of
the country, so after I’d cut the grass and done my ‘chores’ on my days off (garden, wash and
wax the cars, etc.), we were gone…somewhere…anywhere…hikes in the woods, lakes, parks,
the ocean, you name it, and we’d usually splurge on McDonald’s or White Spot for supper on
the way home.
Tim, Christopher, and Robyne
On a road trip - 1979
Christopher, Tim and Robyne
Abbotsford – Christmas - 1979
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1980
Still in Surrey, I was assigned as a squad leader of about
10 members to attend a riot at the Matsqui Prison, which
was a couple of blocks from our home in Abbotsford. The
inmates had destroyed the inside of the prison and were
now all camped in the yard area (nicely grassed) outside
of the cellblocks. We were assigned to provide security
so that they wouldn’t come over the fences, etc. Other
members were assigned inside. I do remember that the
inmates were provided with hot meals from another part
of the prison, while us poor sods got catered lunch boxes
with lousy sandwiches. Nothing’s changed.
Robyne wearing my riot troop
helmet and gloves (backwards)
Surrey Burglary Squad
I was transferred in July from General Duties to General
Investigation Section (GIS), in charge of the Burglary
Squad…5 constables plus me as the Corporal In Charge.
A plainclothes job. Our job was to investigate all property
crimes (Break and Enters, Thefts) with a value of over
$5000 (which is over $15,000 in today’s dollars). We
were busy, and the guys working for me were incredibly
talented investigators and interrogators. Our solve rate
was extremely high. We worked in pairs on 10-hour
shifts ending at about 2AM (most nights), and provided a
lot of backup to the uniform members.
Christopher wearing
the gas mask
In the office by myself one day, I was requested to assist
other plainclothes members in their attempt to arrest an
escaped convict who they had been following for some
days in our area. He was reportedly armed and
dangerous. They had tracked him to a rural house and
were expecting him to get picked up by a taxi, which
happened and which they started following. I had
positioned myself close by and happened to be in the
direction in which the taxi was headed. Listening to the
talking on the radio I knew that the taxi was getting very
close. It passed me and I was the first police car
(unmarked of course) behind it now. I threw up the
portable emergency light on the dash and turned on the
siren. The taxi started pulling over onto the gravel
shoulder of the major road it was on and I skidded to a stop immediately behind it. I was out of
the car before it had even stopped. I just threw it into park and was out, running up to the front
passenger side, my snub-nose revolver out and pointing into the escapee’s face, and ordering
him out of the car. I pushed him against the side of the taxi and frisked him, finding a loaded .44
magnum in the back of his belt. Upon getting him back to the Detachment, and sitting down
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with him for ‘a chat’, he told me he wasn’t going to be ‘taken alive’ and had every intention of
using his gun on anyone who tried to return him to prison. He had been serving a ‘life’ sentence
as an habitual criminal. That was a pretty exciting day.
Our Unit worked very closely with Delta Police Department plainclothes members as we often
‘shared’ the same criminal element who worked our areas without regard for boundaries. Great
success was had by all with this relationship.
Robyne and Christopher
3 years old - Feb - 1980
Last day in uniform –
with Tim - June - 1980
With Poppa John –
Father’s Day - 1980
First day of pre-school
Sep, 1980
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The Training Wheels Gang
Abbotsford - Oct, 1980
The 3 Muskemounties 1980
Ferry to Gibsons Landing
Oct, 1980
Look at the hair on this hippie
32 years old - 1980
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THROUGH THE YEARS
1981
”E” Division Management Services Branch
Midway through 1981 I became an ‘administrator’ and ended my ‘operational policing’ career.
The High Potential Development program was put in motion, with a transfer to “E” Division
Headquarters Policy and Planning Section, and my selection for a one-year, non-degree, fulltime
University program. This move was preceded by an interview with the Superintendent in
charge of the section at his home in Port Moody. He was a very well-educated man and spoke
to me of the roles and responsibilities of his unit. I had no clue what he was talking about, and
was absolutely lost. He agreed to ‘take a chance’ on me and I said ‘OK’. On the drive home I
thought ‘what the hell have I done?’ I was missing police work already. This was not going to
be easy.
In July, I started at the Policy and
Planning office (later to become
Management Services) in
Vancouver, in temporary “E” Div
HQ at an office tower by the
Vancouver Airport. Shortly
thereafter the HQ moved to West
37 th Avenue and Heather Street,
just down the street from the old
RCMP Fairmont Barracks,
pictured here.
Old Lower Mainland District (LMD) HQ
New Lower Mainland District (LMD) HQ
It was a long drive, taking, on a
good day, at least 1½ hours one
way. I took back roads, and
once ended up getting a
speeding ticket from an idiot
traffic member in south Langley,
even though he knew I was also
a member. Quotas were alive and well back then.
My work, until September, consisted of some in-house computer familiarization (never used one
before – never even seen one!), tabulating police statistics, and assisting at Mission
Detachment with statistical research. Pretty dry and mundane stuff.
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In September, I started my one-year program at Simon
Fraser University (SFU), a fairly new and nice campus
located on the top of Burnaby Mountain about an hour’s
drive from home in Abbotsford. I took a total of 9 courses
over the Fall and Spring
semesters. Not only
was I the oldest student
in all the classes, but
even the profs and
teaching assistants
were younger than me.
I found it stressful and
very difficult, with loads
of homework. But I
passed, just, and got
back to work at the end
of April 1982, taking an
additional two
correspondence
courses through 1983. A sucker for punishment.
This year we invested in a second-hand tent trailer, paid for with all the overtime money I had
made in the Surrey Burglary squad. After a couple of “practice” weekend campouts, we spent
the first two weeks of August at a campground (Walton’s Mountain Resort) beside the lake in
Osoyoos. At that time the
campground was in a peach
orchard, and was affordable
for us. Now, it’s a paved,
luxury motor-home spot for
the very rich, and called
Walton’s Lakeside Resort.
Pad rentals are in the
thousands of dollars. Mrs.
Walton used to run the place and the kids used to take their spending money and buy ‘junk’ in
the little campground store. We went there for the
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THROUGH THE YEARS
next 2 years. Temperatures regularly exceeded 100ºF. We didn’t know what sunscreen was
then…don’t even think it existed.
Transfer party – June 20, 1981
One year I got heatstroke so bad that Sharon
had to tow the trailer all the way home, through
the mountains and passes…quite the drive.
Christmas, 1981
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THROUGH THE YEARS
1982
I started back to work in Vancouver at the end of April. Then commenced work on some major
research projects concerning the minimum-required levels of policing, in terms of manpower,
throughout the Province.
Jet Ranger
King Air
We often flew on RCMP helicopters and airplanes to our destinations, which was always a treat
and a thrill.
On a helicopter flight from Vancouver to Victoria one morning we overflew a pod of killer whales,
and not being on a schedule, were able to follow them for a short period of time. Also got to see
firsthand what it was like to fly ‘blind’ where there is no horizon…freaky… the sea just melts into
the sky. Wow, you don’t know what’s up or down. Thank goodness for instruments and good
pilots.
This year I commenced a major research project: a statistical analysis of Police Dog Services in
B.C. There were 43 RCMP police dogs in the Province in 1982. A political question as to the
need, value and cost of police dogs started this exercise, with a view to reallocating dog
handlers to general policing duties. After many months, I generated a 150-page report that, in
short, fully substantiated their value in policing. My findings were supported and 13
recommendations accepted following a presentation by very nervous me to the Division
Executive Committee (DEC), which was comprised of the Commanding Officer (an Assistant
Commissioner), and his management team; C/Supts., Supts., and Inspectors. Intimidating.
With Nanna and Poppa - 1982
April - 1982
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THROUGH THE YEARS
Scout-Legion Parade - Feb 1982
My 34 th Birthday – Feb 25, 1982
Honour Guard and Ring Bearers at Brian
Scott’s Wedding – April, 1982
First day of school – 5 years old - 1982
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THROUGH THE YEARS
Muffin as a puppy
Christmas - 1982
With all of the children in school,
Sharon started a part-time job at an
Insurance agency.
Office Christmas party - 1982
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THROUGH THE YEARS
1983
In March of this year, Queen Elizabeth II was in Vancouver to officially launch construction of
the Expo 86 site. I was assigned to the security detail in the harbour front hotel where she
attended a formal dinner. These close pictures of the Queen were taken by a lady in front
of whom I was standing and who offered and in fact did, send copies to me. Pretty close I’d
say! It was a long evening as we had to be there hours before she was due to arrive, and
stay until she left. Feet were killing me.
The next day, Sharon and I piled the kids in the car and took them to the site to see the Royal
Yacht Brittania, now decommissioned and a tourist destination in Scotland.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau
Royal Yacht Brittania
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THROUGH THE YEARS
Continuing the Scouting tradition - 1983
Mini-Mountie – Dec, 1983
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THROUGH THE YEARS
1984
”HQ” Div., “V” Directorate, Systems Analysis & Programming Branch
Still on the High-Potential-Development program at work, I was approached in the Spring of
1984 by Staffing and Personnel Branch for a transfer to Headquarters Ottawa, which, for the
benefit of advancement in my career, I (we) took. As my time in the Vancouver Management
Services Branch had provided me with considerable exposure to computers (we used the
backup Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) computer for word-processing and programming), and
I had completed a course in the PL1 programming language while at University, I was to be
transferred to the Application and Development Section of CPIC Services (now Informatics).
This was an opportunity for Sharon to ‘go home’ after 9 long years away from her family. And I
was not going to miss the now 4-hours of commuting daily into Vancouver.
Christopher and Robyne had turned 7 and Timothy 9, and graduated into grades 2 and 4.
Graduates - 1984
We listed our house for $69,900 but
had to reduce it to $68,000 (and
accepted an offer at less than that).
Real estate was very sluggish, and
we’d just had to renew our mortgage at
a crippling rate of about 18% I think it
was.
Our going-away parties in Abbotsford
were never-ending. Here’s one with
Gord Parrott (Big Bird) and his nowdeceased
ex (Dianne). The jokes he
could tell used to cripple me with
laughter. It hurt.
Going away cake - 1984
Gord Parrott (Big Bird) – the only guy
who could put me in stitches - 1984
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THROUGH THE YEARS
Finally selling, Sharon and I flew to Ottawa in August for our house-hunting trip and were
immediately discouraged by the fact that prices were so much greater than Abbotsford. With
only a week for our trip, we rapidly searched in ever-increasing concentric circles to find
locations with (barely) affordable prices. Boy, did we ever see some dumps…but in our price
range!
With only one banking day left with which we could apply for a mortgage, we finally found this 4-
bedroom, 1½-bath century stone house in Winchester, about 30 miles south of Ottawa. The
closest we could afford, and still $10,000 more than what we sold for.
538 Main Street, Winchester, ON
After moving in, we painted the shutters a bright
yellow, and planted a hedge of cedars and
Sharon’s favourite, a birch tree. After a couple of
years of yellow, we went to marine red and added a
trellis to the front porch.
Kids each had their own bedrooms finally and
were very happy.
It was a great home, but in need of some major
renovations, which we could not afford. Another
transfer saved us from reno bankruptcy.
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THROUGH THE YEARS
This is what the place looks like
now…overgrown and scary - like
a Halloween house.
My “commuter” going
on the moving truck
We completely filled a 54’ trailer, and in those days,
we could put our second car on it and not have to
ship it by train. They built a frame around it and
loaded more ‘stuff’ on top of it!
On August 28 th we left
Abbotsford, 3 kids (loose
in the back of the wagon),
1 dog (Muffin), 1 budgie,
suitcases for a week of
motels, and pulling the
trailer.
Pulled into Cache Creek,
B.C. for lunch that day,
and when we stopped for
the night, found that our
trailer had been broken
into and my suitcase
stolen. All I had for the
next 5 days on the road
was what I was wearing.
Heading out
Aug 28 th 1984
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A number of my identification papers and extra credit cards were in that suitcase…which we
later tracked and found that the thief travelled north from Cache Creek…the credit card
purchases showed us that. We were insured, so it was only a massive inconvenience…and
cold…until I could get some more clothes.
We stopped for an overnight in Brooks, Alberta, and met Mum and Dad who had driven down
from Edmonton. This would be the last time Sharon and the kids would see Dad.
We didn’t venture far off the Trans-Canada Highway, but the kids certainly got a good look at
the country as we made it East. My saddest part was leaving B.C.
The kids weren’t confined to any kind of booster seats or seat belts, so had the run of the back
of the wagon, could lay down and nap, and amuse themselves all together. Much better way to
travel than we’re restricted to nowadays. Didn’t have air conditioning in the wagon either, but a
good breeze! And the kids learned a lot about Canada…we stopped often…and did not have
those insufferable ‘devices’ that are so prevalent today…where a kid has no idea where he/she
is going or where they’ve been…never looking out the window.
We stopped in Saskatchewan for a night to visit Sharon’s aunt and uncle…who was kind
enough to provide me with another pair of shorts, a shirt, and a jacket. We had been travelling
on a long weekend, so absolutely nothing was open. We stopped one night in Wawa, Ontario,
and after many hours of continuous loud noise, we asked for our money back and kept driving.
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Seems all the loggers had gathered and were letting loose. Not
good with kids. The next night was spent in Mattawa, where it
really was cold. From there on to Ottawa. We stayed at the
Camm’s since we couldn’t immediately take possession of our
Winchester house.
When the day
came for
possession
and noon
arrival of our
moving truck,
we drove to
Winchester
only to find
that the
elderly couple
whom we
bought from, hadn’t even started packing. What a nightmare that was, helping them pack, trying
to move them along. Nothing went right for us. Then our queen-size bed didn’t fit up the stairs,
so had to cut out a section of the ceiling.
Almost immediately upon starting work in
the CPIC Building in HQ, I was assigned
security duties for the Papal Visit of John
Paul II. My uniforms weren’t even
unpacked, so had to really scramble to try
and find most of my kit. Never could find
the rank badges for my shirt collars…had
to get new ones. That duty was
awful…standing on Wellington Avenue in
front of the Parliament Buildings for about
CPIC Building within HQ complex - Ottawa
12 hours. We were relieved once to get a crappy
sandwich at the back of the Parliament Buildings. All of that just to see him scoot by for a
couple of seconds in the Popemobile. Not impressed. Another great welcome to Ottawa. For
the next 5 years I was to find out, the hard
way, that I was one of the few ‘fit for duty’
members thus available to attend all
demonstrations on the hill where
manpower was required, to sit around in
buses all day, get a ‘box lunch’, and never
see action. Many, many other members
had long-ago seen the light and had
themselves declared ‘medically unfit’ for
these types of duties. I was not impressed
and remain thus to this day when it comes
Christmas
1984
to members not pulling their weight.
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THROUGH THE YEARS
In “V” Directorate I was assigned
to work on the Visual and
Integrated Crime Analysis
Reporting System (VICARS),
intended to become a crime
analysis and graphic display
system. This 2-man unit was led
by an ex-member, Dr. Angus F.
Dalley, who had returned to school
after less than 5 years of service,
for a Doctorate in statistics. He
returned to the RCMP in the
civilian position as Statistician. A
brilliant man. A newfie with the gift
of the gab, and the ear of the
executives.
I first immersed myself in every
available on-line computer course
that was offered within the
Directorate. When those were
completed I began the task of
Dr. Angus F. Dalley - Ottawa
learning how to work the only
computers that the RCMP had at the time, mainframe IBM machines. I learned another
computer language (SAS and SASGraph), and quickly applied my new-found skills to creating a
variety of maps over which crime data was displayed. I was fortunate to have one of the very
few colour monitors, and access to the single, colour tractor-feed printer.
The following photos show me diligently creating my output. Those photos appeared in an
article “Geographic-Based Reference Files” A Utility for Police in Vol 47, No 7&8, 1985 of the
RCMP Gazette. Picture of me was on the front cover of the Gazette.
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All of the computer equipment was located in a
single room, shared by all of the programmers
in the building, all working on different
programs and activities. There were no
desktop computers at that time…anywhere.
As an interesting (or not) aside, the shoulder badge on my shirt in the photo above, was the
fourth type issued during my service. Here are the ones I’ve worn, in order of issue:
Currently, this badge in now worn:
We had a house-warming (open-house) party in the Fall of 1984. Must have been about 100
people show up. Loads of friends, and loads of locals just checking us out and seeing what
we’ve got and what we’re like. The house held significant numbers of people very well indeed.
The children always used to like when we hosted parties. They would play ‘bartender’, eat junk,
get to know their elders, stay up late, and then attack all the leftover junk food in the
morning…’cause we were still in bed.
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1985
In March of this year, and with 18 years of service, I was promoted to Sergeant, but not without
grievances filed by other members in the Directorate, as I had not been there long. More than a
few noses were out of joint.
In the same month, a civilian security guard
Guard shack
was shot and killed at the Turkish Embassy in
Ottawa. The storming of the embassy began
shortly before 7AM., when three militants in a
rented moving truck arrived at the embassy
gate. They scaled the security gate and
began shooting at the bulletproof security hut.
A 31-year-old student from the University of
Ottawa, was on duty. As soon as the attack
began, the guard called in the emergency
code and left the hut to confront the gunmen.
He fired four shots at the gunmen and took
Turkish Embassy and Residence - Ottawa
two shots in the chest, which killed him
instantly. Using a powerful homemade bomb, the gunmen blasted open the heavy front door of
the two-storey, Tudor-style home and embassy office. Once inside, they began rounding up
hostages, including the wife of the Turkish ambassador, his teen-age daughter and embassy
staff members – at least 12 people. The Ambassador escaped by leaping from the second-floor
window at the back of the embassy, breaking his right arm, right leg and pelvis. Within three
minutes, police were on the scene. Four hours later, the gunmen released all hostages and
surrendered. With the blood still wet on the driveway, I was quickly mobilized and sent to the
guard shack for midnight shifts. The only TV station with reception in the guard shack went off
the air shortly after midnight. You can only walk around the building so many times. Once the
RCMP had organized their logistics, I was returned, after about a month, to my assigned duties
in HQ. What a huge relief that was.
Later in 1985, Angus managed to convince the
executive of his requirement for a standalone
desktop computer, an IBM Personal Computer
AT, more commonly known as the IBM AT and
also sometimes called the PC AT or PC/AT. It
was IBM's second-generation PC, designed
around the 6MHz Intel 80286 microprocessor
and released in 1984. The name AT stood for
"Advanced Technology", and was chosen
because the AT offered various technologies
that were then new in personal computers. I
believe the cost was around a frightening $25,000. And I was the one who got to ‘play’ with it
pretty much all the time. We even convinced the mainframe techies that security was not an
issue and so were able to ‘plug it in’ to the network. Jealousies in the Directorate were extreme,
to say the least. This was the only desktop in the Force. Plus, I had a desktop colour plotter, to
make ‘pretty pictures’.
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With that machine, development of VICARS rapidly progressed, with the assistance of a
contracted development resource. Angus and I went on a ‘selling’ spree, giving presentations to
other police departments across the country.
Sadly, Dad passed away in September of this year from esophageal cancer. He was 61 years
old. I had the opportunity to see him before his demise by taking a ‘compassionate’ military
flight from Ottawa to Edmonton. At least he saw me in uniform with my Sergeant stripes (had to
travel in uniform on those flights). The second flight, in October, was to collect and scatter his
ashes in Astotin Lake, Elk Island National Park, just outside of Edmonton. He loved the call of
the loons on that lake. Mum would join him there many years later.
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Christopher and Robyne – 9 years old, Tim - 10 years
old, Sharon – 32, me -37, and Muffin - Winchester
November 11 th parade - Winchester
Xmas with Nanna - Winchester
With Uncle Phil and Aunty Jean living in Rhode
Island, USA, just about a 10-hour drive from
Winchester, we made our first visit to them for 10
days in the summer of 1985.
Kids on the Beach in Rhode Island, USA – Jul 1985
Sharon and I tried our hand at curling
this year. Not very successful and didn’t
pursue it as a hobby…but certainly
participated in the social activities!
Curling Club New Years Party - Winchester
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1986
Still on the High Potential Development program, and after 1 year in the rank of Sergeant, I
qualified for the Officer Candidate Program, and in April, after a thorough ‘grilling’ at the “miniboard”
(Directorate Advisory Committee) it was recommended that I be permitted to pursue my
candidacy. Requirements for the process consisted of a very tough set of exams, a research
paper, and, once it was determined that a candidate was successful in all exams and received a
passing grade on a research paper, an appearance before the Officer Candidate Board. I
passed everything, after many months of studying, and was scheduled to appear before the
Officer Candidate Board in early 1987.
My research paper was entitled “The Role of Computer Graphics in Executive Decision Making”,
scored a pretty good 44.99 out of 50, and was reviewed by HQ Exec. Services Branch in their
development of proposed strategic issues for the Senior Executive.
My VW Rabbit died this year, so had to
invest in a new, reliable commuter
vehicle, a 1986 Pontiac Sunbird (standard
transmission) which would be the car the
kids eventually learned to drive in and
wear out clutches. Had to finance its
purchase via the “Bank of Mum”.
With Christine and Mum in Sarnia –
Aug, 1986
My new Poopsie – who managed to escape one
winter never to be seen again
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Xmas – Winchester - 1986
Me 38, Robyne 9, Sharon 33, Muffin 7, Chris 9, Tim 11
Xmas Eve – Winchester - 1986
Our trees got bigger every year and
presents consumed more floor space
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1987
Bilingualism was rearing its ugly head, so I ventured to write a Letter
to the Editor in January, under Sharon’s name, of course, to express
my 2-cents worth. I had been recommended for French Language
Training, but it never happened, not that I was sorry, relieved
actually.
In February, I nervously appeared before the Officer Candidate
Board and was soundly rejected. What a crushing blow that was.
Perhaps my naivete was to blame, as I went into the interview
without any clue what to expect, and had not had the benefit (as
some had) of pre-interview ‘practices’ on potential questions that
could be posed. Anyhow, one’s future boiled down to this single
interview. 20 years of history was for naught, and there was no
appeal process. I did, however, write a lengthy memo to my Director
(Informatics) to which he was sympathetic and forwarded to Officer
Staffing. I nevertheless had to follow process and wait 2 full years
before I could apply to go through the whole process once again.
Wow.
After several miserable months of feeling sorry for myself (let alone
the embarrassment of rejection), I eventually put my head down and
buried myself in work, fully intending to try again when I could. A
couple of members with whom I had worked and were successful in
the process, barely acknowledged me. Not nice…I was not
impressed.
Life went on.
Hopewell Cape, NB - July 1987
39 th birthday – with
Muffin
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This year I received my Long Service Medal (20 years of service), presented by my Director
(Informatics), Assistant Commissioner Phil McLellan, a prince of a fellow who was brought into
the Force just a few years previously and then appointed an Assistant Commissioner. His
whispered words to me when he pinned the medal on me was something to the effect that “How
do you get one of these?” My response was simply “Time in, sir”.
Xmas - 1997
Xmas Eve – Winchester - 1987
Big tree – gifts are starting to creep
into the middle of the room now
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1988
Work progressed on the VICARS project, with me having responsibility for supervision of a
contracted programmer, reconfiguring and testing hardware modifications, data base form and
data cleansing, downloading into the workstation, and loading into the application. I also
developed a manual outlining the step-by-step approach to structuring the database.
It was recommended that I try again for the Commission process in early 1989.
I turned the magical 40 years of age in
February, and had a huge party in our house
with probably close to 30 or more people.
My 40th
In March, our old Dodge wagon was on its last legs, so we
sold it to a friend who was in dire need of ‘something,
anything’ and purchased a lovely Chevrolet Caprice Estate
wagon from my sister Christine and her husband Vance in
Sarnia, having taken the train to get there, another first for the
kids. This wagon had electric windows and air conditioning.
Figured I’d died and gone to heaven. First time ever with
those features.
This was also the year that a tornado came through
Winchester. Uprooted centuries old trees, one across the
street from our house, another the house behind us. Both
trees crashed through the roofs of those houses, but we,
funnily, were not affected one little bit. Our tent trailer was
even up in the back garden and wasn’t touched…so obviously
it just jumped right over our house. We were in the
basement…and I’ve no idea
where the twins were…they had
the run of the town by this time.
Very safe, never concerned.
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And another summer visit to Phil and Jean’s in Rhode Island.
Kids with their Awful Awful at Newport Creamery
Rhode Island – Aug, 1988
16 th Anniversary
To celebrate Winchester’s 100 th Anniversary, the town held a
fancy-dress Ball. So large it had to be held in the skating arena.
Big band sound and everything.
Our ‘group’ (too many to count) all dressed in period costumes,
and I borrowed a North West Mounted Police (NWMP) outfit from
HQ. Off we went. Don’t remember much after that, except that I
had to dry-clean the trousers – they had grass stains on
them…obviously from where I had fallen and been unable to
immediately stand up. A terrible example.
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Phil and Jean would celebrate their 35 th
anniversary in Toronto this year, so Aunt Pam and
Len, plus Tracey and Paul (now ex), came to us
from England for a visit before we drove to
Toronto for the celebration.
In November, with 21 years of service, I was promoted to
Staff Sergeant (S/Sgt), and upset another few individuals
who grieved my promotion (they lost). In those days, you
didn’t apply for vacant positions, you were selected, based
upon all manner of criteria. Unfortunately, I had to transfer
to another Section within Informatics (Client Services) to
secure that rank. My role consisted of planning and
coordinating the acquisition and relocations of all computer
devices across Canada connected to the RCMP network.
Didn’t like that job at all, especially not after what I had
been doing for 4 years. But beggars can’t be choosers, and
it was my intention to
climb as many rungs of
the ladder as possible.
Sharon had a job at the local bakery (Sweet Sisters), so we
often had home-made bread on the table.
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1989
On January 26 th, I appeared before the Officer Candidate Board, having repeated the exam
process but gaining an exemption from writing another research paper.
So almost 2 years to the day, I was successful on this outing, and although not scoring highly on
the interview, was found eligible for placement on the list for promotion to Inspector. Yippee!
The rules of the game had changed, and now they took into account the past 10 years of
performance scores which helped my overall score considerably. Now all there was to do was
wait until an Inspector position came available and for which I was deemed qualified. Quite a
crap shoot actually.
In June, Sharon and I went for a weekend visit to Prince
Edward Island, with neighbours and good friends, the
Drewerys…from whom I had purchased my Pontiac
Sunbird. They owned a home on the Island, so off we went,
and 12 hours later were there!
This summer was the last time we would see Aunt Stella,
who visited Mum in Sarnia, and us in Winchester.
Visit from Aunt Stella – Aug, 1989
Chris and Robyne – 12 years, Tim 14
years, Sharon 36 and me 41 - Ottawa
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In June, Tim graduated into High School, and the twins into
Junior High. Throughout their school years to date, all three
of them attained honours, ribbons, awards, newspaper
coverage, you name it, for their academic and athletic
achievements. Far too many to be mentioned in this
document.
Grade 8 graduation - June, 1989
First day of school - Sep, 1989
On September 21 st with 22½ years of service, I was commissioned as an Inspector.
My dream had finally come true. Greatest day in my career for a long time. Wish Dad
had been around to see it. Of course, a transfer was involved. This time to “D”
Division Headquarters (Manitoba) as the Officer in Charge, Informatics Branch. The
Commanding Officer wanted me there almost immediately.
In October, I was assessed for French Language Training… which I had been
requesting for the past 15 years and been ignored. Talk about the left hand not knowing what
the right hand was doing. The timing was absolutely stupid.
We put our house on the market
immediately for $134,900. I was in
regular contact with the CO’s secretary
in Winnipeg to keep him updated on
the house-selling situation. He was
not impressed and strongly suggested
that I precede the family. In
preparation for that I shipped one of
our vehicles and a trunk full of my
clothing and uniforms. Finally, just
before I was due to leave, the house
sold…on Dec 22 nd – and for less than
$124,900. I’m sure the kids were
upset to leave – especially half way
through a school year, and leaving
their friends of many years.
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As Officer uniforms were
undergoing significant changes
at that time (brown to blue), I
had the HQ tailor shop working
overtime to create my uniforms
so that I could have them ready
in the event of the inevitable
‘precede the family’ situation.
Last Xmas in Winchester home – Dec, 1989
Tree is shorter, gifts are way out in the living room now
Xmas 1989
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1990
”D” Div. HQ, Officer In Charge, Informatics Branch
It was New Years Eve that Sharon and I started our house-hunting trip to Winnipeg. Neither of
us knew the city, so spent the cold, dark evening driving up and down streets in what looked like
reasonable parts of the city…trying to look in people’s windows and check out houses…and it
was bloody cold. Our ‘duty agent’ real estate fellow certainly earned his money on that trip. We
must have looked at 50 houses that week. Not a good time of the year to either sell or buy.
We ended up buying this 4-bedroom, 2½bath
house, with a finished basement at 29
Tunis Bay, in the south end of the city. Of
course it cost us more than what we sold for
in Winchester. The 2-car garage was a
blessing in winter.
We finally arrived in Winnipeg in the dead of
winter, and absolutely froze as the movers
removed the front door to get everything in.
The couch cushions were so frozen solid that
we could not sit on them for days. It was so
cold across northern Ontario that the I-bar on
the moving truck cracked. We’re lucky we
didn’t lose the load. Started painting the whole house inside immediately after we moved in.
Remember painting at night while the family was trying to watch TV in the living room…I was
painting around them. Notice those big tire tracks in the photo? Well, Winnipeg used to send a
huge bucket to clear the end of peoples’ driveways. What a wonderful thing. I’ve never seen
that level of service anywhere else.
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Upon reporting to the Commanding
Officer in Winnipeg, in my new blue
uniform, he actually made me turn
around in it so he could see it all!
Weird. But then he was an Assistant
Commissioner and I was just a brandnew
Inspector.
My role as “D” Division Informatics
Officer was to plan, design, and
deliver the multi-million dollar
Telecommunications, Information
Technology and Information
Management programs of the RCMP in the Province of Manitoba, which included the successful
presentation of a then-$50 million communications system requirements plan to senior RCMP
executives and Provincial Government Ministers.
I had a team of approximately 60 personnel including civilian and uniformed specialists,
analysts, functional experts and police technical specialists and was responsible for the
technical, budget, scheduling, performance, and training of those personnel.
Over the course of the next 4 years, I planned, designed and managed the rapid
computerization of the RCMP in Manitoba. There were no desktop computers in the Division
when I arrived, and when I left, there were too many to count, and almost everyone was happy!
I created solutions specifically addressing transformation from a paper-based to paperless,
electronic operational records system, which was to be one of the most successful in the
country.
I introduced the RCMP’s first use of electronic mail within a Province, and created a selfinstructional
training manual which was deployed and utilized Province-wide.
I produced and implemented strategic and tactical plans in human resource and materiel
management that were presented and adopted nationally. This was to keep our
telecommunications technicians busy by training them to provide computer hardware/software
support.
I was a member of the Regional Executive Committee responsible for total RCMP service delivery
within the Province, and as a member of that Committee ensured the service levels and service
delivery of the RCMP were in keeping with the policing agreements in effect between the Force
and the Province.
I composed and distributed a monthly Informatics newsletter within the Division, which was also
shared nationally.
I was busy, and invariably brought work home with me every night.
As a junior officer, I was assigned many less-than-prestigious duties, such as having to go to
the liquor store and stock up the Officers’ Mess bar (no cheap stuff, either…only the best), be
the Mess Secretary, manage the Division’s United Way campaign…which wasn’t too successful
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and generated a complaint from the federal coordinator that I wasn’t doing enough to get
donations!
With such a large staff of both Regular Members and civilians, there were more than a few interpersonal
squabbles that I had to deal with. Not only that, but I had senior Regular Members
who objected to my management decisions. Those members were quickly put in their place,
not kindly I might add, and with the full support of the C.O., who noted my ‘firm and capable’
management style.
Got myself yet another little feathered friend for Father’s Day. He
was to be the last.
For three weeks (Sep-Oct) I had to attend the Inspectors
Orientation and Development Course (Baby Officers Course as
the rank and file called it) in Depot Division, Regina. Instead of
barrack accommodation, we were all allotted private rooms in the
Officers’ Mess. Don’t remember what we had to learn, but the
highlight of the course was ‘taking’ the noon parade, where you
would be the Officer on the parade square taking the salute from
the recruit troops.
After the 3 weeks, had a sore arm from all the saluting we had to
do. Recruits avoided us at all costs. In the photo below, I’m
standing beside
(on my right) a
newly-commissioned RCMP jet pilot…who
was a great resource for being able to use
the plane.
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There were many ‘command performances’ that, as an Officer, I had to attend with Sharon.
This one was Police Appreciation Day at the Salvation Army church in November, 1990. I got a
parking ticket in the parkade beside the place…and wrote the company a nasty letter and
refused to pay it. Didn’t hear anything further. So much for police appreciation.
The kids quickly settled into their
respective schools and continued with
their athletic achievements and made
friends in no time. I must say they
were superbly resilient.
In December, we attended the Beausejour Sub-
Division Regimental Ball, with the CO and
Commissioner, Norm Inkster.
Mum joined us for a brief visit in June and at
Christmas again this year.
Beausejour S/Div Regimental Ball with the CO and Commissioner
Christmas morning breakfast – Dec 25, 1990
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1991
New Years Day was a ‘command performance’ no
matter how badly you felt after New Years Eve. The
Officer cadre was required to attend all the military
levees held at the various Officers’ Messes throughout
the city. There were many. Since drinking was
involved, we were each provided with a car and driver.
Off to the Levees – Jan 1, 1991
My jello cake – 43 years old - Feb 25, 1991
The C.O., Assistant Commissioner Dale Henry retired
in June, and was replaced by Assistant Commissioner
Dick Bergman. A formal dinner followed the public
Change of Command ceremony.
Watching the parade
Timothy, Christopher, and Robyne all were
servers at this and subsequent formal affairs
throughout our stay in Winnipeg.
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The social life was non-stop. In October, we attended a ‘do’ at
Government House, residence of the Lieutenant Governor of
the Province, where the Corps
Ensign of the RCMP in Manitoba
was presented to the C.O.
Government House
Tim turned 16 this year and received the keys to the
car and the house!
In November, the RCMP jet was scheduled to fly
from Winnipeg to Ottawa, and return, so I booked Sharon and the twins on it for a free trip to
see their grandparents in Ottawa.
Had a great flight there, but were told just prior to
their departure for home that the plane wouldn’t be
flying as it had developed a malfunction.
Many hundreds of dollars and days later, and with
horror stories galore, they arrived back in Winnipeg
on the Greyhound bus, unimpressed.
Keys to the Kingdom
RCMP jet and pilots
Christmas - 1991
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On December 14 th, we had our Officers’ Christmas party, with the kids once again plying their
trade as excellent servers.
Mum was with us for Christmas.
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1992
There was a total of 18 Officers, plus 2 civilians with Officer status (the Division Medical Doctor,
and the Food Services Officer) in “D” Division, and about 1000 members.
“D” Division Officers
Yet another Ball, this in Winnipeg to celebrate Canada 125.
Received my 25-year bronze bar from the C.O.
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At 15 years of age, Christopher and Robyne graduated into high school this year, and at 17, Tim
purchased his first ‘clunker’, a Honda Civic, which I remember towing home more than once.
Sold our tent-trailer this year…kids were no longer interested in camping.
Graduation
Winter came early (November) and with a pile of
snow this year. One year (I forget which) we had
snow on Sharon’s birthday, May 17 th . Shocking.
“D” Division Officers Mess Regimental Dinner
Serving and Retired Members and Dignitaries
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The best office I ever had was
in Winnipeg, the north-west
corner on the top floor.
Massive.
In my 1992 performance
appraisal, the C.O. wrote “…the
Informatics program plans in
this Division are second to none
across the Force.” Pretty good
tribute if you ask me!
We continued our tradition of
big Christmas trees, but my
God they were expensive.
Must have cost us over $100
every year. Got sticker shock
the first year we purchased
one, and then learned they
were trucked in from Nova
Scotia. What did we know?!
For a measly 25-30 bucks, we
used to cut our own in
Winchester, and they were
massive.
Christmas - 1992
For New Years Eve this year we attended a
formal function at the Air Force Officers Mess.
Very fancy indeed.
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1993
Mum “popped in” for a couple of weeks, just in time
for the twins’ birthday…sweet 16.
Each of them received a set of car and house keys.
My little black car would never be the same. About
this time, I was lucky to be able to utilize an
unmarked police car for going back and forth to
work, so that freed up the Sunbird, which the twins
took to school almost daily…even though it was
only ‘down the block’.
Keys to the Kingdom for the twins
Tim turned 18 and graduated from Fort Richmond
Collegiate high school with all kinds of honours
and awards.
And we
chaperoned his
night’s
festivities…all
night long.
Grade 12 Graduation
Sharon got herself a job at the University of Manitoba book
store.
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In discussing his postsecondary
options, we
landed on the military
and thought he would
be a great candidate
for Military College.
He was accepted as a
Reservist, with a
commitment to serve
for 5 years following
his RMC graduation.
I was able to present
him with his
recruitment certificate
and we both shared in
his special day at the Air Force Officers’ Mess in Winnipeg.
In October, he was off to Army camp in Chilliwack for 2 months of
hard slogging. We were unable to go and see him there, but
Robyne made it.
Poor little Muffin had to be put down this June…she was having bad
seizures. Couldn’t be without a dog, so Sharon came home with
not one, but two…free ones…Molly and Penny. Schiatzu-Poodle
cross.
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In October, Sharon and I took an Armed Forces flight to
Trenton, rented a car and drove to Kingston to see Tim,
now newly but fully ensconced in his military schooling
and all that it entailed. Four years of tough academics
and physical training, a week in English and a week in
French.
Royal Military College – Kingston, Ontario
Opened in 1876
Tim used to sneak phone calls to us
at night (cadets weren’t allowed to
call home) looking for moral
support…which he got lots of.
This year, I finally took a trip to Thompson, Manitoba,
having put off that travel for some time. Sharon and I
both went, via the noisy RCMP Twin Otter. We had to
make a scheduled stop at an Indian Reserve (First
Nation) I think at Gods Lake Narrows, a fly-in spot about
1½ hours flying time from Winnipeg. From there it was
about another 45 minutes to Thompson. Not a place I’d
ever want to be.
In November, we bade farewell to our
Commanding Officer who had been promoted to
Deputy Commissioner with a posting to Ottawa.
RCMP Twin Otter
CO’s Farewell Dinner – Nov. 1993
Me with A/Commr Bergman
The twins did their duty admirably once
again. Always lots of nice comments on their
bearing, demeanour, politeness, efficiency,
etc.!
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In March of this year, before he left, he asked me if I would consider a transfer back to Ottawa in
Informatics Directorate, and mentioned in my performance appraisal that I would be well-suited
for a senior level. As usual, I said ‘sure’! Again, Sharon would be going home.
The twins were not that enthusiastic as it would entail an additional school year, Grade 13.
Tim came home December 18 th for Christmas for a
well-deserved rest. We invested in our first fake
tree, an 8-footer, and went crazy on gifts as usual.
Our first fake Xmas tree - 1993
Welcome home Tim
And yet another
formal New Years
Eve at the Air
Force Officers’
Mess.
New Years Eve - 1993
Christmas - 1993
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1994
New Years Day brought with it the
tradition of levee hopping. This year I
was able to bring Tim, as an officercadet.
We parted ways with our Chev station-wagon this
year, and purchased a 1991 Pontiac Grand Prix LE
from friends. This was to be the first of 3 Grand
Prix’s.
Christopher and Robyne graduated from Grade 11 at Fort Richmond Collegiate high school with
all kinds of honours and awards. Sharon chaperoned their night’s festivities…all night long.
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Our transfer to Ottawa came this Spring, prompted by A/Commr Bergman, my former CO in “D”
Division, so we put the house on the market for $135,900. If memory serves, we once again
had to drop about $10,000 to sell it. The Winnipeg real estate market went neither up nor down
during our time there…not uncommon for that part of the country. So once again, we didn’t
make enough money to transfer to the higher Ottawa market without a serious mortgage. In
April, we had our house-hunting trip and after loads of searching found this one for $169,900
and which we luckily purchased for $160,000. Kids were happy – it had an inground pool.
Wasn’t a pretty house, and needed a lot of work, inside and out, plus new windows, plus it didn’t
have air conditioning… which we couldn’t now live without.
1192 St. Moritz Court, Orleans - 1994
By this time, I was well into the morphine tablets to
kill the agonizing pain of a pinched nerve/ slipped
disk in my upper neck that affected my entire left
arm. In fact, the month before we left Winnipeg I
was unable to work at all. Had many tests done
and a medical package forwarded to Health
Services in Ottawa ready for when I arrived
there…and an appointment made for surgery.
Both Winnipeg and Ottawa Health Services were truly efficient and effective on my behalf.
‘Cept I was now seriously addicted to morphine, and coming off of that was pure hell. Plus, it
got to the point where it wasn’t doing any good. I was cradling my left arm all the time. It
eventually atrophied considerably. I’m convinced that years of computer work on nonergonomic
chairs and desks was the cause.
Being on sick leave and unable to drive any distance, we shipped our two cars and flew to
Ottawa once the moving truck had left. Had a problem at the Winnipeg airport though, in that
only 3 of us (plus 2 dogs) could get on the plane. Seems there was no room for the fourth
person of our family (Tim was off doing his ‘summer job with the military’ thing I believe). I
absolutely lost it (I was on drugs, remember) and if that had been today I would have been
arrested and thrown in jail. Long story short, Christopher elected to stay behind for an extra day
(I’m sure so he could have a good time with his friends…which he did).
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”HQ” Div., Informatics Directorate, Officer In Charge, Informatics Field
Support Branch (IFSB)
We arrived in Ottawa in time for July 1 st
celebrations, in a downtown hotel close to all the
action for the kids…whom we didn’t see.
July 6 th our moving truck finally showed up, and it
was so stinking hot and humid that the kids just
lay around and watched. That’s Robyne laying
on the moving blankets!
Up to the date of surgery we made some major
changes to the appearance of the house with
painting and landscaping. Yep, I was stoned and
up a ladder painting. It ended up like this.
Took a quick drive down to Kingston to see Tim at RMC before surgery.
222 Nepean St., Ottawa
My arm hurts
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I was officially on ‘sick leave’ upon my arrival in Ottawa, and awaiting a scheduled surgery date.
Finally went to work around mid-September, commuting by bus (in uniform) to a downtown
office block, whose prime tenants were the military, at 222 Nepean Street. We maintained our
offices there for about another year before moving to HQ.
My responsibilities as the OIC IFSB were to provide leadership, guidance and advice to RCMP
Divisional Informatics Officers concerning strategic delivery of the corporate Informatics
program within their jurisdictions. Some of my other duties included:
Responsibility for planning, budgeting, and management of computer hardware and software
research projects, including requirements gathering, for potential national implementation in the
operational policing environment, and establishing models, processes and procedures for the
development and implementation of delivery solutions.
I managed the creation, presentation, and maintenance of
Memoranda of Understanding between the RCMP and
numerous law enforcement agencies across Canada with
respect to their utilization of an RCMP operational reporting
system.
I was an Executive Committee member of the RCMP’s national
Information Technology program, an inter-disciplinary team
with shared responsibility for the program’s multi-million dollar
capital and operations/maintenance budgets.
I composed and nationally distributed a monthly newsletter.
222 Nepean St., Ottawa
Going into his second year at RMC, Tim switched from
Army to Navy. Here he is in his summer whites.
Chris and Robyne reluctantly proceeded to Grade 12 at
Carine Wilson, a
nearby school, and
were again deeply
involved in sports,
Robyne with
volleyball, and Chris
with football and
rugby.
I must admit that it
was not a good time
for a move given they had an additional year of school
(Grade 13), which has since been done away with.
Christmas 1994
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1995
And Tim and I are off to another New Years’ Day levee.
Not nearly as good in HQ Ottawa as they were in
Winnipeg. Here we are with the grandparents. Lorraine
and Bob Camm after we’d finished our ‘duty’.
Sharon and I managed another trip on the RCMP jet in
the Spring, this time to Halifax for about 3 days…and
back without incident this time.
We also took a drive to see Mum in Sarnia.
And for the second time in as many years, and now 18 years of
age, high school graduation once again, this time from Grade 12.
If it wasn’t for me, they would have been done with school. Our
move added Grade 13 to their lives. They weren’t happy, and
skipped a lot of school that year!
With Christine and Mum – Sarnia– April 1995
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This summer we went to see Tim, who had just
completed his 2 nd year, participate in the graduation
parade. A massive and impressive display of redcoats.
Sharon and I decided to visit Phil and Jean in Rhode Island
once again, so off we went for our 22 nd anniversary.
On the boardwalk at one
the beautiful beaches one
day, as we were leaving, I
remember getting a bug
bite on my foot.
That evening I was not
feeling good at all, and by
the morning was in pretty
bad shape. So much so,
that Sharon had to put
me in the car and drive
me straight back to
Ottawa. I slept most of
the way. She took me
straight to the hospital where I was immediately
admitted and ended up staying for about a week.
Not certain, but we think it was Lyme disease. My
foot swelled to the point that the skin split…gross.
Being an Officer I got my own private room!
I was off work for a couple of weeks, and during
my “recovery” took up a hobby that had been
dormant since I was in school….painting.
So began what has become my hobby, now in its
22 nd . year.
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With good eye glasses and a
penchant for ‘little things’, I started
painting (with enamel) miniature
landscapes, seascapes, country
scenes and cottages, most with an
English flavour, on wooden
plaques. Called my ‘business’
“Light from the Past”. Sharon sold
quite a number of the paintings
before I smartened up and started scanning them before
selling them. Missed an awful lot, though.
From my now hundreds of paintings, I create blank greeting and note cards, ideal for any
occasion.
Chris went out to Winnipeg to see all his buddies, and came
home with 2 earrings and blond hair. Where did we go wrong?
I think he was working at Pizza Hut by this time, where his
nickname was “The Dancing Dish Pig”…nice.
This year, the Informatics Directorate annual conference was
held in Whitehorse, Yukon. A great opportunity to see that part
of the country. One of our arranged ‘tours’ was boarding a
motor coach at the White Pass Depot in Whitehorse for a trip
along the scenic South Klondike Highway to Fraser, BC, where
we connected with the world famous narrow gauge White Pass
& Yukon Route Railway built in 1895 for the Klondike Gold
Rush. It’s a 28-mile rail excursion down over the White
Pass
Summit and
into
Skagway,
Alaska,
where we
were able to
spend the
afternoon.
Quite the
neat, tiny tourist town, where the gold rush began.
Skagway, Alaska
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THROUGH THE YEARS
This year I was finally forced to go on full-time French language training. When I had initially
been transferred from Winnipeg to Ottawa, my position there was deemed ‘bilingual nonimperative’.
By the time I was able to go to work after my back surgery, the position was
declared ‘bilingual imperative’, meaning I had to be trained within 2 years. The Director was
kind enough to send me to a private school, downtown, where I had private lessons…one-onone.
This was at the time of the Quebec Referendum, the second referendum to ask voters in
Quebec whether they should proclaim national sovereignty and become an independent
country. Naturally, the instructors were Quebecers, and very nationalist in their fervour to
promote French. Me, with an English accent, well, we didn’t see eye-to-eye on that topic, so it
was difficult for me, and exhausting at my age to try and learn the language under those urgent
conditions. I almost finished the course, but left the school in disgust before my verbal learning
was complete. I did pass the reading and writing tests, but didn’t bother to go for the oral. I
figured if I had to be transferred out of my bilingual position, then so be it. After years of trying
to get the Force to send me to school, and even taking a course on my own dime while I was in
B.C., to attempt it now, so late in my career, was a disaster. I wasn’t happy.
For November 11 th the
RMC cadets were brought
to Ottawa for the large
parade. It was cold, but at
least the snow held off.
Christmas - 1995
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1996
In February, I was
invited to Tim’s
squadron mess
dinner in Kingston.
The twins finally,
and happily,
graduated from
high school. Got a
good photo of Robyne, but no Chris!
Chris was so good at football, that
he was chosen for the Eastern
Ontario All Stars.
He bought himself his first car, a
1985 Nissan Pulser, in April…and
which he smashed up in May.
Robyne’s high school volleyball team
played exceptionally well, making it to
the city finals.
Sharon turned 43 this year.
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In May, Robyne started a one-year Travel Counselling program at Algonquin College, with the
purpose of becoming a travel agent.
Christopher got a job with Sharon at
the RCMP, where she had previously
acquired a Temporary Civilian
Employee (TCE) position back in the
fingerprint criminal history unit.
”HQ” Div., Business Systems Process Architect (BSPA)
In May, I was promoted to Superintendent, to fill a newly-created position “Business
Systems Process Architect” (BSPA) working directly for a Deputy Commissioner. This
promotion put several noses out of joint amongst my peers, but it was not grievable.
My role was to ensure appropriate integration of automated information systems. One
of my first jobs was to have to beg for a desk (I got a nice, big, new one), a computer,
office space, and stationery, including pens. I had no budget and had to rely on the
goodness of the Commissioner’s steno pool to supply me with the basics. What a
departure from what I was used to.
One of my first jobs was research and writing of a full Corporate Information Architecture
Framework document which was distributed nationally and also shared with Provincial contract
partners and Municipal police officials.
Having now over 12 years of experience in Informatics Directorate, with over 6 of those being in
management positions, I was intimately aware of the internal situations, and was tasked with
reporting to the D/Commr. concerning my findings and concerns related to the Informatics
program.
I fully realized that what I was reporting, on paper to the D/Commr, was also being shared with
the Commissioner and his Executive Committee. My briefing notes always contained options
and recommendations, and this biggest one of my career was subsequently sent to all Division
Commanding Officers with the classification “Top Secret – Eyes Only”. To say the least I had
opened Pandora’s Box. Since the C.O.s’ distributed this document to their Informatics Officers
(my previous peers) for advice and input, my name immediately became mud to some of
them…those few who did not agree with my assessment of the situations. At an Informaticschaired
executive committee meeting, at which I had observer status, I was asked to give a
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presentation on my role as the BSPA. Well, since my direction from the D/Commr. to review the
Informatics program had taken precedence, I was unable to expound on accomplishments as
the BSPA. Instead, I provided an update on my Informatics Directorate review findings. The
Director, Informatics, for whom I had previously worked, went ballistic. In front of all the
attendees (C/Supts. and Assistant Commissioners), he went up one side of me and down the
other as I stood before them. They were incredulous at the outburst. The Director then
demanded that I accompany him to see the D/Commr, in the next-door office. I did so, and
upon hearing from the Director, the D/Commr. asked me to leave the room, whereupon I could
hear my new boss yelling at my old boss. He had my back. After that, I had to question my
status as a ‘lifer’. I had recently been recommended to appear before the Board for promotion
to Chief Superintendent, but my heart was no longer with the Force. I had taken several
beatings since becoming a Superintendent and was mulling career options. My ‘Career in
Scarlet’ would now wind down. Guess I would be called a “whistleblower” these days, but at
least it was sanctioned by the Senior Executive.
Shortly after my promotion Sharon was subjected to some serious mistreatment by the boss in
her unit, who pretty much questioned why she was working when she was married to a
Superintendent. The work environment turned toxic for her. Things deteriorated to the point
where we made a formal complaint, which ended up with me yelling in our agreed-to ‘arbitration
hearing’. Sharon of course left her job and received some compensation for that. My feelings
toward the Force were on more of a downward spiral.
Tim was home for the school break as I had found him
summer employment in the logistics area of an Armed
Forces office in my old building on Nepean St.,
downtown. One of the regular forces fellows I used to
ride the bus with, a Lieutenant Commander (navy),
was glad to offer Tim a position. Kept him in pocket
money. He also got a job bartending at the Chateau
Laurier hotel. (He also did some bartending in
Kingston while at school in order to earn some extra
cash).
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In September, we received a call from Tim saying that he’d be in Prescott the next day, on
board the navy frigate HMCS Toronto, on which he’d sailed, as a familiarization trip, from
Kingston…so off we went to visit him on board. What an opportunity for him.
Tim on the bridge
HMCS Toronto in Prescott
Christmas - 1996
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1997
This Spring, Sharon and I,
along with a staff writer from
The Quarterly RCMP
magazine, put together an
article concerning her
grandfather, Frederick Camm,
and her father, both of whom
were Sergeant-Majors in the
Force. It paid tribute to the
memorabilia Sharon has
collected over the years. It
was published in Volume 62,
No 3, Summer 1997.
This was Timothy’s big year. Graduation from
the Royal Military College of Canada with a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Business
Administration, with 2 nd class honours, and a
commission as a Sub-Lieutenant.
Mum flew in for the day, bless her heart, she
was 78 years old, and Bob and Lorraine also attended the
degree awarding ceremony.
Tim was posted to a
Reserve unit in Toronto,
so would have to find a
job there. Shortly after
that, he was advised
that there were no
Reserve positions
available (the Armed
Forces was going
through a draw-down),
so his 5-year
commitment was null and void, and he
was free to carry on with his life…he’d just completed the
hardest 4-year University training in the country for free! You couldn’t even begin to buy the
network that he had developed.
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The parade was an awesome sight. This photo shows Tim’s dorm building in the background,
directly on the parade square.
Here we are awaiting the big parade and awarding of commissions. I
got to go on the parade square and present Tim with his commission.
At the formal evening ball. We didn’t stay so the kids could go crazy
without the parents gawking at them.
Chris had to work during the
day, but attended the evening’s
festivities. Robyne braved the
whole day.
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I reached 30 years of service this year, with Commissioner
Phil Murray pinning my silver bar on my Long Service Medal.
Robyne graduated from
Algonquin College and
started working as a
travel agent. She was
also bartending at
various popular Byward
Market premises.
Chris applied for the
RCMP as a Regular
Member, and to Peel
Regional Police, and
completed his application
for policing Ontario-wide.
He also moved from Ident
to a new position with the
Tainted Blood Task Force
in “A” Division.
Meanwhile, he was working part-time at a group home to
increase his experience. He also bartended and eventually
‘bounced’ at downtown pubs.
It was apparent this year that my role in the position of Business Systems Process Architect was
not as successful as had been hoped by the creators of the position. The main reason, in my
opinion, was the fact that the managers I normally had to deal with were 1 to 2 ranks above
mine, they were very protective of their ‘turf’, and were change-averse. Basically, it wasn’t
working as intended. The position was cancelled. That left me at the mercy of Officer Staffing.
I wasn’t bilingual, didn’t have a University degree, and therefore my options were extremely
limited.
I did, however, take solace in the fact that as a result of my Informatics ‘review’, changes were
ordered from the highest levels, and my D/Commr. boss wrote in my last performance appraisal:
While Supt. Scott’s recommendations have caused some consternation within
the Force Informatics area, by and large he has been recognized as being
insightful and with reason...He is a person of high integrity and forthright in
manner, thought and not afraid to say what he believes. He has played a very
important role in moving the Informatics agenda forward and played an essential
role in the area realigning priorities in a far more realistic manner. Some have
not appreciated his work and these people have tended to be defensive about
the Informatics program. The resistance has not dissuaded Supt. Scott but I
believe it did cause him to reconsider his future in the Force for a period of time.
He was right. And it was not just for ‘a period of time’, either.
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”HQ” Div., Divisional Control Officer, Year 2000 Project
As the world’s problems with the millennial change were coming to the fore (and this was one of
the topics I had raised in my Informatics review), the RCMP decided to create a project team to
address our response to the expected crisis. Mid-way through the year I was appointed as the
Deputy Project Director and Division Control Officer, with responsibilities as follows:
Managed the Regional co-ordination and implementation of Year 2000 strategies/models across
Canada through the co-ordination of a team of specialists, analysts and functional experts.
Developed structured Business Continuity and Contingency plans at the local and regional
levels to ensure guaranteed operational police service delivery across the millennium change.
From a training perspective, delivered presentations to newly-appointed Regional coordinators
providing them with the appropriate knowledge necessary for the performance of their duties.
Authored a Business Continuity Planning framework, which included guidelines for risk
identification and analysis and comprehensive contingency planning to be followed by
approximately 800 RCMP jurisdictions across Canada. This framework document was posted
on the Internet and accessed by police organizations internationally, resulting in recognition
through a formal Certificate of Appreciation from the then RCMP Deputy Commissioner,
National Headquarters.
Co-ordinated the identification and resolution of all Year 2000 legal issues surrounding the
delivery of policing services by the RCMP.
Determined requirements and developed the RCMP’s initial Year 2000 communications
strategy/model/plan which included the authorship and national distribution of a twice-monthly
newsletter and a Year 2000 employee information and preparedness handbook.
Conducted an analysis of RCMP systems/applications for the purpose of identifying and
designating those that were mission critical.
Had functional responsibility for the
collaboration between the Project
Office and the distributed, national
working group of resources assigned
within each Region to develop
local/regional Year 2000 contingency
plans.
The Lowens - Barb, Brian, Jean, Phil, Jean, Pam, Stan, Priscilla
Mum had her last visit to England this
year, visiting with her brothers and
sister Stella.
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Christmas 1997
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1998
I was busy enough, but not really happy. One of the perks of
the job, however, was cross-country travel with the Project
Manager to every Province to give presentations on the Year
2000 issue.
25 th Anniversary
Since being assigned to the project I was questioning my
future. It took a few months, but then I decided that I would
seek alternate employment opportunities outside of the Force.
I started looking in earnest. In July, I wrote a memo to the
D/Commr in which I stated “I am concerned with the general
malaise I see at all levels within the organization.” So you see,
the troubles that plague the Force today were seeded at least
20 years ago.
In May, Sharon and I took a trip to England, my first since
1971, and Sharon’s very first, ever. So many sights and
relatives seen. Our favourite locations were in the Cotswolds.
Tim found employment in Toronto at Whitehall and Robbins as a trade marketing analyst and
became established and comfortable, Robyne was plying her travel agent trade at various
businesses in town, and Chris again applied for the RCMP.
Grandchild #1 - Jordan
Chris with Jordan
at 4 months
year, a 1998 Pontiac Sunfire.
Christopher presented us
with our first grandchild in
August of this year, Jordan
Elizabeth Hailey Scott-
Holmes. She lived with her
mother and grandparents,
but after a few months we
were able to get her on the
weekends.
He also invested in
new wheels this
4 Generations
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THROUGH THE YEARS
I was successful in securing employment outside the Force as a Consultant, with HVR Canada
Inc., a British firm with an office in Ottawa, and which specialized in risk management.
My last day of work with the RCMP was December 4 th 1998, although I was still ‘on the books’
until May 1999, having accumulated pension retirement leave. Kept getting my pay cheques for
that additional time, as well as salary from HVR. Good deal. Could finally open a Registered
Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) both for me (with my severance pay, which they don’t give
any more) and for Sharon.
Over the course of my 32 years with the RCMP, I had 13
physical transfers. I was not sad to leave the service,
though I never thought I’d utter those words. I asked not to
have any ‘going-away’ functions because, for one thing, I
doubt if anyone would have attended, and given my state
of mind, I probably would have said things that should best
be kept to myself. Instead, I received a gift from the Year
2000 crew late in 1999, and my Officers’ Mess gift of my
rank badges, was delivered to my house by the member
who made those mementos.
I left quietly, without fanfare or remorse. I was 50 years old.
The one thing I did for myself was buy a new
car as my retirement gift. A 1998 Pontiac
Grand Prix. Made me feel so much better.
Had to go out and buy civilian clothes also,
since I had been in uniform for so long.
Christmas - 1998
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1999
Into the Private Sector
I started in my private sector life right after New Years, staying with HVR for a year and 4
months. During that time, I worked on risk management contracts at Foreign Affairs, Year 2000
project at National Defence, and the world-wide Price-Waterhouse Coopers Year 2000 project,
which garnered me a couple of nice jaunts into the U.S., though the first did not go smoothly as I
was ‘detained’ by U.S. Immigration prior to boarding my flight (first class I might add!). They
didn’t like that I was going into their country to do a job (for an English firm) that an American
could do. Also, since I did not have a University degree I was not admissible. After a couple of
hours in seclusion I brought out my retired RCMP ID and the agent said that he’d let me pass
‘out of professional courtesy’. I thought I was done.
I was very fortunate to be sent to HVR’s English
head office in the Fall for some meetings and a
formal evening at a lovely gathering at a country
inn. From there, Sharon and I rented a car and
saw a lot of England once again, staying (on the
company expense account) at a lovely spot in the
Cotswolds (Stowe on the Wold)…the Stow Lodge
Hotel, and visiting Bourton-on-the-Water (our
favourite), and Bibury, and places in between.
Also, with Pam and Len in Barnet, who showed us
around considerably.
The Stow Lodge Hotel
Stow-on-the-Wold, originally called Stow St. Edward or
Edwardstow after the town's patron saint Edward, probably Edward the Martyr, is said to have
originated as an Iron Age fort on this defensive position on a hill. Stow was built as a
marketplace on the hilltop nearer to the crossroads, to take advantage of passing trade.
Originally the small settlement was controlled by abbots from the local abbey, and when the first
weekly market was set up in 1107 by Henry I, he decreed that the proceeds go to Evesham
Abbey.
Sharon
Along the main street in Stow
The Swan Inn - Bibury
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The earliest evidence of human activity
within the Bourton-on-the-Water area was
found in the Slaughter Bridge gravelspread,
where Neolithic pottery (dated c.
4000 B.C.) was discovered. Excavations
give evidence of almost continuous
habitation through the Neolithic period, the
Bronze Age and throughout England's
Roman period (c. 43 to 410 A.D.).
.
Bourton-on-the-Water
Mum’s 80 th birthday
Uncle Phil passed in October, so Sharon,
Christopher and I made a quick visit to Rhode
Island to attend his funeral.
Robyne abandoned us for Christmas in
Australia. Staying in hostels, she had her
belongings stolen, including, of course, the
money. So, we had to bail her out. Think she
found it a bit long down there and was happy to
get home.
Tim joined Nestlé in November 1999 as a Route
Planning & Performance Manager.
Made a flying visit down to Sarnia in December to see Mum
for her 80 th birthday, and Christine.
I forgot that yes, we did get another bird (“Birdie”), a
cockatiel…this one belonged to Christopher who acquired it
when he was living in an apartment with friends, but then had
to move back home…so
we adopted it. It became
a prolific egg-layer, so
we found it a new home.
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2000
In April, I left HVR Canada Inc., as the company was going to close its Canadian operation.
Since I was the last one on, I’d be the first one off, so to speak, so I found employment at
another tech consulting firm, APG Solutions and Technologies, in May. While I was busy
working on potential contracts, none actually happened…I wasn’t bringing in revenue for the
firm, and so was getting kind of anxious. I stayed busy by being ‘creative’ and putting together
documentation that would be of benefit to the firm internally.
Not to worry though, in September they were bought out by CGI Group Inc., a very large
Canadian high-tech firm. They absorbed all of us APG’ers and put us at desks in hallways as
they didn’t have space for us in offices. We weren’t expected to sit at those desks for very
long…we had to hustle for contracts and generate revenue. They didn’t want us in the office at
all, but at client sites.
CGI at that time was going through a massive acquisition of smaller firms, and those who came
over to CGI were not especially welcomed by the existing CGIers, in my opinion…not very
friendly. I managed to get a good contract in the RCMP where I identified a governance
structure model for business continuity management within the RCMP and performed an allencompassing
risk assessment and business impact analysis across all business lines,
concerning the delivery of national RCMP services from and within the National Capital Region.
A big job that took me about 4 months. I presented the RCMP client with a couple of ‘bricks’ –
large documents containing findings, options and recommendations…and walked off into the
sunset.
One nice thing about this consulting business. You ‘did your thing’, presented documents, and
then disappeared, without worrying about what they did with them! A little hard to get used to
since my life up until then had been all about implementing solutions. I quickly got used to
walking away without worrying.
Robyne started as
a customer service
agent at First Air in
the Ottawa airport.
Tim was appointed
National Logistics
Effectiveness
Manager for
Nestlé.
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THROUGH THE YEARS
We had Jordan on the weekends while Chris
was away, so she got to phone him
regularly.
Graduation was on November 6. Tim,
Sharon and I stayed in the Officers’ Mess at
“Depot”, while Mum stayed with an old friend
in Regina.
This was the year that Christopher finally made it into the
RCMP. He first had to have his eyes ‘fixed’, so had laser
surgery to remedy the problem, then it was off to “Depot”
Division in Regina in June. At that time, the RCMP, in its efforts
to reduce costs, introduced the stupid policy that recruits did not
get paid, and had to purchase all their needs during the 6
months of training. They were trying to treat it like University.
That policy was eventually eliminated, but not until after
Christopher was through. We had to subsidize him while he
was there, and he also got himself a loan…so he could continue
his lifestyle in the manner to which he had become accustomed.
Taking the salute from Chris as I presented his badge
Looking at his badge
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The Commanding Officer of “Depot” was a girl who was a Constable when I was a Corporal in
either Burnaby or Surrey, can’t remember which.
At the formal evening dinner
Being presented with his certificate by the C.O.
Christopher was posted to Banff, Alberta. What a gem of
a spot for a first posting! At first, he lived in barrackstype
accommodation with other members, then moved
into a condo in Canmore with a bylaw enforcement
friend of his who owned it.
Sharon and Christopher in Canmore
Four Generations
S/M Fred Camm, S/M Bob Camm, Cst. Chris
Scott, Supt. Rick Scott
27 th Anniversary - 2000
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2001
In January, I received a phone call from the Ottawa office of Siemens Business Services (SBS)
Canada Inc., who wanted to engage me as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the establishment
of the Police and Public Safety practice for SBS Canada. The salary being offered was, for that
time, phenomenal, ($100,000) so I jumped at it, and started work in February.
In January, Sharon and I had our first holiday in the Caribbean, a week in Puerto Plata. That
was the start of annual winter treks to the heat.
Immediately upon our return, we jumped on a plane from Ottawa to Toronto, then to Zurich,
Switzerland, as SBS had arranged for me to visit a software company there to evaluate a
program they were developing for policing in Europe and elsewhere. There was no rest…from
the airport in Zurich, after an overnight flight, I had to attend their office for a full day of talks.
Sharon got to see all of the sights during the day, accompanying my boss’s husband. We did,
however, get shown around to places like Lucerne, by our host in Switzerland, and got to enjoy
local sightseeing and meals at company expense. A grand trip that was. Later that year we got
to go to a resort at Stone Mountain just outside Atlanta, Georgia, for an SBS ‘retreat’ with the
U.S. office. Bit of a joke that was, but we were entertained very well. I avoided the ‘bonding’
games.
SBS was not to survive in Canada. It closed its doors later in the year and left me out on the
street. Not really. I was on a contract at Foreign Affairs, having established a good relationship
with that Department from a previous contract (with HVR). I simply got them to cancel the
contract with SBS and then continued with the work they needed me for under the auspices of
another company.
Robyne began her flying career as a flight attendant
with Skyservice airlines.
Robyne and I
went shopping
for her first car
and came home
with a lovely
2002 Mazda
Protege5. She
had some
choices to make,
get her own apartment and ride the bus, or live at
home and buy a car. Couldn’t afford to do both…so
the car won. Unfortunately, the monthly payments
became overwhelming, so it had to go…traded in for a
cheaper vehicle a few years later. A sad day for
Robyne.
In March, Tim was appointed Ontario Distribution
Manager for Nestlé.
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Chris got his very own ‘trading-card’ at Banff Detachment.
4 generations
Mum – 82, Me – 54, Chris –
24, Jordan - 3
Christmas - 2001
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2002
I started my own business early this year, federally
incorporating as 4040180 Canada Limited. The
Provincial department that manages business
incorporation was on strike, so I had no option but
to proceed federally.
I continued with a contract at Foreign Affairs, which
kept me busy until December performing the
following functions:
• Conducted a high-level review of business service delivery activities, processes and models
employed within the Client Services Division of the Information Management & Technology
Bureau.
• Conducted a high-level review and modelling of business service delivery activities and
processes employed by the two categories of employees engaged in technical support roles.
• Designed templates for the reporting of Client Services Division performance to division
management personnel.
• Provided a consolidation of metrics and a gap analysis, leading to requirements mapping for
a unified position category, and subsequent organizational realignment.
• Performed an in-depth analysis of global and Ottawa-based computer support personnel
workloads and service models and defined options for change, resource optimization, and
organizational realignment throughout the Client Services Division.
• Defined, developed and implemented a project acceptance methodology by re-engineering
the department’s support personnel to user ratio, and developing a support personnel to user
range, which permitted the client to determine the point at which added users will result in
reduced service levels and support personnel efficiencies, and identifies the risks associated
with inaction.
In July, Robyne and I went for a quick visit to
see Mum in Sarnia. Tim and Chris went in
September.
One of our prettiest front gardens
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Christopher came home for a friend’s wedding in August, at
which Jordan was a flower-girl.
Sadly, Mum passed in October at the age of 82.
Robyne started with Zoom Airlines in
November as a Flight Attendant.
Christopher and Josée became an
‘item’ this year in Banff.
Christmas - 2002
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2003
After another fine holiday on the beach in Punta Cana, I came home to rest some more. Didn’t
get a contract until May of this year, but my days, every day, was filled with looking for potential
opportunities. That was my full-time job, for which I didn’t get paid.
In April, Sharon and I flew
out to see Chris in Banff,
attend a Regimental Ball at
the Banff Springs Hotel,
and meet Josée for the first
time.
We stayed at both the
Banff Springs and Rimrock
Hotels.
At work in Banff - 2003
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Starting in May, for 3 months, I had a contract with the RCMP to conduct research of RCMP pay
systems activities, processes and organizational structures. That was it until December, when I
got a 2-month contract at Industry Canada to produce a high-level user requirements document
for an automated, private-sector radio and television broadcasting licence application system.
Traded in the 1998 Grand Prix for a 2003 Grand Prix.
In October, Robyne started work at Expedia.ca travel as a
telephone agent.
Coming up on 3 years at Banff Detachment, Christopher
decided that he would rather be in Ottawa with Jordan, not matter how much he enjoyed
policing, so he applied for the only transfer that would most likely get him back here. That was
to the Musical Ride. He’d never been on a horse before, but that’s the way the Ride likes its
candidates, then they can teach him their way of riding (and horse care). He was successful in
his application.
30 th Anniversary - 2003
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2004
For five months this year I was on contract at Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to produce a
Business Continuity Strategy document for the “to be” state of the payroll solution of their
Compensation Services Delivery Renewal Project (CSDRP), a $50M initiative to design and
implement an integrated service delivery model and employee payroll solution. I also created a
Contingency Strategy and a framework Memorandum of Understanding and Service Level
Agreement for consideration by senior executives of CRA and PWGSC relative to their shared
responsibility for the delivery of net payroll for 40,000 CRA employees.
Christopher came to Ottawa for a successful month of equitation
training in January and moved back here in May to begin his 4-year
posting on the Musical Ride. We would often go and watch them
practice. He would
spend the next 4
years travelling the
country and into the
U.S.
Robyne’s career with
WestJet began in
March of this year,
with a position as a
Customer Service
Agent at Ottawa
Airport.
Sharon got herself a part-time job at Curves, but was let go because she was having too much
fun! They didn’t ‘let her go’ properly, so we took them to the Ontario Labour Board…and Curves
had to pay.
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The classic pose on Parliament Hill - 2004
Tim started his Executive MBA this year in
Toronto. Over the next year, the course would
take him to China and Hong Kong for a certain
portion of his studies which, although his
employer picked up a ¼ of the tab, cost him a
fortune, but would pay off in spades in the long
term.
Christmas - 2004
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2005
I wasn’t successful in acquiring a contract this year until November, so pretty much had the
whole year off. Kind of got used to semi-retirement. When I did get a job, it was for 4 months,
taking me into February 2006. It was with National Defence, for the Director, Learning and
Professional Development Programs and Services (DLPDPS). I researched and reviewed
existing competency resource guides and competency profiles within DND and the public
service applicable to the Computer Systems Group of employees at the CS-03 and -04 levels
for the development of a proposed training model.
I developed a Competency Resource Guide, Self-Assessment Tool, Personal Learning Plan,
and Learning Framework and Timetable to support the implementation of a Middle Management
Professional Development Program which would serve as management monitors for work
against the Program.
Christopher and Robyne turned 28 this
year.
Robyne traded her little yellow car in for
this one, a red Hyundai Accent, with
payments much less of a burden for her.
Here she is as a
stunning bridesmaid
at a friend’s
wedding.
This summer, in Toronto,
we met Laura for the first
time, and, who was to
become Tim’s wife.
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Poor little Molly sadly had to be put to sleep in
September. She had untreatable diabetes and was
not in good health. She was 12 years old.
Now that the Alpha female had departed, Penny
came out of her shell and became very close to us.
Sharon and I spent 3 lovely weeks in
England, travelling around and
enjoying time with the uncles, aunts,
and cousins, but not before our
annual trek to Punta Cana in the
Dominican Republic with friends Hank
and Pat Nielsen, with whom I worked
in the RCMP in Ottawa, and have
known since before 1990.
32 nd Anniversary
With Pat and Hank in Punta Cana
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2006
Starting in March, I had a one-year contract at Agriculture Canada, where I was assigned
numerous and varied tasks:
• I assisted in the review of the Department’s internal IM/IT organization and processes,
• Prepared a draft Official Languages policy for the IM/IT organization,
• Developed a Human Resource Management Action Plan based upon their corporate HR
Strategic Plan and their IT employees’ responses to the Public Service Employee Survey
2005.
• Identified learning products and/or activities available to the public service, including their
costs.
• In liaison with Corporate Services, Human Resources, and Training, and to address Official
Languages training of employees within the IM/IT organization developed a strategic and
dual-option tactical plan.
• Developed a Competency Resource Guide and Learning Framework for the Computer
Systems (CS) Development Program, a career enhancement strategy for computer systems
personnel.
• Developed a Change Management Implementation Strategy and Communications Plan.
Then their money ran out.
In October, I was able to get a shot
of the entire family at an event in
Brockville. From left to right: Cindy,
Debbie, Bob, Sharon, Lorne,
Lorraine, Bobby, and Greg.
In November, Sharon and I flew down to Florida to visit
Tim and Laura at her parent’s home in Naples. Nice to
escape the oncoming winter in Canada.
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For 6 months, from July until December, Timothy became an Internal Operations Consultant for
Nestlé, in High-Performance Logistics, working on projects at various locations in Canada, the
U.S., and Europe.
He and Laura were engaged in October.
He graduated with his
Executive Masters of
Business Administration
from the Kellogg-
Schulich School of
Business in Toronto,
having visited China as a
part of his program.
On the Great Wall of Chine
Christmas - 2006
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2007
Finishing my last contract in April, I started another in September, for the Department of
National Defence (DND). I was engaged as the Lead Business Analyst on the $30M
Distribution Resource Planning (DRP) Project, within the Materiel group, to assess project
planning requirements in support of this new information system. I developed a Project
Acceptance methodology and plan, a Project Close-Out Framework and Plan, and a Project
Completion Report template.
Robyne started as a
Flight Attendant with
WestJet, her dream
come true, and still
manages some
bartending on the
side for extra cash.
Timothy accepted an appointment with the Dreyers Ice Cream
Company based in Oakland, California as the Manager,
Continuous Improvement – Supply Chain, to focus on the optimization of the freight component
of the Dreyers business. That was in January.
Now, because he was single (although he was living with Laura at his house in Toronto) the
company was only prepared to move him alone to California. So…very quickly they arranged a
civil marriage at city hall in Toronto, and therefore had to be moved together, lock, stock and
barrel, including U.S. Green Cards for them both.
Christopher and Robyne turned 30.
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By the Golden Gate Bridge
Sharon and I flew down to see Tim and
Laura in April at their home just outside
San Francisco, and spent a week
taking in the sights.
They had a ceremony just outside Toronto
in July.
Chris finished his
tour on the Musical
Ride and was lucky
enough to get
posted the National
Emergency
Response Team
based in Ottawa,
where he is to this
day.
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In the Fall, I traded the Grand Prix in for a new Buick
Lucerne…wanted a Cadillac...I’ve always wanted a Cadillac, but
couldn’t afford it, so settled for a top-of-the-line Buick.
An article about the 4 generations of our family in the RCMP
appeared in the internal magazine Pony Express (Number 3,
2007).
Christmas - 2007
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2008
I completed a contract from 2007 in February, and was idle for the rest of the year (workwise).
Did a fair bit of travelling instead. Which I much preferred.
I turned 60 this year and started collecting my Canada Pension
Plan (CPP). I decided to take it before the age of 65, and thus
incur a penalty, because Dad died at 61 (his brother quite a bit
younger), which raised my longevity as an issue with me.
Sharon and I took a whirlwind trip to Las
Vegas with Robyne for a couple of days,
had beginner’s luck, won a little pot of
money and came home!
Then we were off for a week to Daytona
Beach, Florida, with Sharon’s Mum and
Dad.
And of course, a week in Punta Cana in March of this year.
Perfect….and
Spring came
early too!
…and here comes Bo Derek
just like in the movie ‘10’
Ladies of leisure
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Near Carmel-by-the-Sea
Yosemite National Park
Went to visit Tim in
California again
and saw a load
more sights.
In the Fall, we took a trip to B.C. to visit friends and to attend a
Regimental Ball in Whistler, staying at my sister Christine’s
chalet.
In September, Robyne went with her
‘new boy’, Geoffrey Drover, back to
his parent’s home in Newfoundland
to meet them for the first time.
Sharon had her first knee
replacement this year, right before I had my ‘incident’, mentioned
below. Incision was about a foot long, with over 30 staples. I had
to play doctor and give her anti-rejection injections every day.
At the end of October, we had a bit of a scare with me and
Angina. I was having some discomfort, so the doc sent me for a
stress test. I failed. Went directly by ambulance to the Heart
Institute in Ottawa where they inserted one stent in “the
widowmaker”. I was freed on the 3 rd day. Have been fine ever
since.
Josée found
herself in a great
Government job,
as a transcriber in
the RCMP. So,
we’ve now got two
of them in one
family pulling in
the big bucks, and
both with
pensions and
medical coverage.
Christmas Dinner - 2008
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2009
Starting in March, I was hired on a contract as the Organizational Change Management Team
Lead on the $27M Education Information System (EIS) project within the Education Directorate of
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). Once again, I was busy ‘pumping out paper’ and
completed the following:
• Developed an Organizational Change Management Strategy and tactical Plan.
• Developed and executed a Communications Strategy and Plan.
• Developed leadership education material.
• Developed and disseminated newsletters, communiqués, letters, and surveys.
• Developed a Training Strategy.
The job lasted 9 months (was supposed to be 3 years) at which time I was replaced by a
Department employee, which would have been a lot cheaper for them. Perhaps, though, I was
‘let go’ because I really didn’t ‘play well’ with one of the elderly women who was also on the
project and was very close to the female Director responsible for it. I’m certain they conspired
to get rid of me.
While still in California, Tim was headhunted (that process never ends for him) for the position of
Regional Director of Supply Chain and Customer Service in Western Canada for Coca Cola.
He would be moved to Calgary from California in June where he would rent a nice home, which
I didn’t see (work got in the way) but Sharon managed to.
Tim was an Olympic Torch
runner this year, selected by
Coke, so was one of the
privileged few (many!!) in the
country. He ran a short stretch
in Nanaimo, B.C. and was
cheered on by Laura and
thousands of his fans!!
Chris is keeping exceptionally
busy in his ERT career and
was fortunate enough to get a
one-week training visit to Paris
where an international group of
‘men in black’ ran around
playing good cop/bad cop and
generally having a lark (but working nevertheless – no tourist
stuff!!). He has been kept busy (always late at night/early
morning) with high-intensity ‘kick-ins’ of the ‘residences’ of
the criminal element, mainly in Montreal. Josée continues her gainful employment as a wiretap
transcriber and so also helps keep us all safe and sound from the morons that abound in our
population.
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October was saddened by the demise of our best friend of almost
17 years. Little Penny just couldn’t go on any longer. Great
sadness.
With my vow never again to ride public transit in Ottawa (they
went on strike for 53 days, and once it took me close to 3 hours
to get home in a snowstorm – could have walked it quicker), we
invested in a little car, a 2007 Hyundai Accent, for Sharon. It
had absolutely no bells or whistles, and took forever to heat up
inside, but was in relatively good condition with low mileage.
That quickly changed with Sharon now free to come and go as
she pleased.
36 th Anniversary - 2009
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2010
Starting in March for 4 months, I was engaged to evaluate the existing organizational structure
of the Competency Centre providing operational support for SIGMA, the integrated
departmental financial and materiel management and reporting system based on SAP
technology within Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). During this
project, I performed the following:
• Designed an employee questionnaire and interviewed all (≈ 50) SIGMA Operations
Directorate managers and employees.
• Developed, proposed and refined a new organizational structure.
• Developed a Directorate physical foot print to address accommodation requirements of the
new organizational structure.
• Developed a Change Management Strategy document.
• Developed a Communications Plan and material for internal employee consumption.
• Developed a reorganization Action Plan and an Issues Action Plan to address issues
surfacing from interviews, and Human Resource Management requirements.
• Developed and implemented next steps in pursuit of the reorganization, including the
requirements for role and responsibility definition, development of specific position work
descriptions, recruiting needs, greater employee engagement and satisfaction, and
departmental rebranding of SIGMA.
• Developed an Employee Input Analysis document and Action Plan.
• Developed a Leadership Awareness document.
The Directorate was managed by a woman who was not well-liked by her employees. This was
evident during the course of my interviews with all of the employees. Since there were
organizational ‘issues’ that were easily identified, I created a separate report for the Director’s
benefit in managing the ill-will in her Branch. She didn’t like it, and was very critical when I
presented my final deliverables to the Director-General, who was new but very receptive to any
change that would be for the better. I raised my voice more than once during that meeting. All
of my deliverables were accepted by the Director-General, following which I walked away and
awaited my pay day. Once again, a woman tried to mask the truth of my findings. Also, this
woman wouldn’t allow me to utilize any of their stationery/supplies…so I had employees bring
me what I needed!
Sharon and Robyne conspired in February to get me a replacement for
Penny, so home they came with this little package…a Lhasa Apso/Yorkie
cross we called Peanut.
Sharon again had knee surgery this Spring to correct an out-of-alignment
knee cap. Crippled her when it slipped out of place (and I wasn’t home!),
but the surgery was not as bad as previous knee surgeries…but rough
nevertheless.
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In August, Tim managed to get himself and Laura back to Toronto, this time as the Director,
Logistics Operations Canada, for Kraft Foods.
Christopher was busy at the Winter Olympics in
Vancouver and the G8 and G20 Summits this year.
I managed to slip down to Sarnia for a
quick visit with Christine, then back to
Tim’s new house in Toronto.
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At Chris’s friend’s wedding
The Camms
Christmas - 2010
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2011
In March of this year I had a 1-month contract (the contract from hell) at Public Works and
Government Services Canada (PWGSC), where I was engaged to evaluate PWGSC’s Three-
Year Change Management Action Plan (FY 2008-09 to 2010-11) by reviewing and assessing
the implementation of the plan and associated change management framework, process, tools
and templates and other related aspects raised in the plan. The job had to be completed by the
fiscal year-end, March 31 st .
The agency through which I had been contracted, instructed me to report, on a specific date, to
the Acting Director for whom the work would be performed. I arrived at the office tower and
reported to the security guards who called this woman. I spoke with her and she advised that
she was too busy to see me, and for me to make an appointment with her secretary. I would be
looking at probably 2 weeks before I could be scheduled on her calendar. That would be 2
weeks into a 4-week contract! She was impossible to reason with, therefore I had to report this
to my agency for resolution.
A couple of days later (which I billed for) I was advised that I could attend the government office
where I saw this Acting Director. It was then she advised me that she didn’t really have time to
speak with me, I would not be provided with office space, and verbally rhymed off a number of
names of people I should speak with. No contact information or even spellings. I got the
distinct impression that she was trying to subvert this contract, which must have been ordered
from higher up the food chain.
Once home with a list of names, that I had to query in the Government Phone Directory to make
sure I had it right, I started making phone calls. Of the number of people with whom I spoke,
one was most obliging….and now in Montreal. He had been the author of the Plan which I was
to evaluate, and his comments were not glowing…his Plan had pretty much been abandoned
and caused him no end of grief, so he had requested a transfer! Another person on my list was
a Deputy Minister who, (bitch that she was) started asking me questions about what I thought I
was doing…well, that didn’t go well. I ended up speaking rather harshly to her, at which time
the ‘interview’ was over! God, I hate female ‘bosses’ in the government. They all seem to be
the same! I had run across others from day one of my private-sector consulting life.
Anyhow, I performed my tasks, presented a fairly large document, based mainly upon the only
useful information I had received, and left it for the Acting Director. When I did get the chance
to speak to her, she went ballistic, and totally rejected the report.
Back again to my agency and none other than the company President (with me in tow), had to
present ourselves before this woman and substantiate my document…which I had previously
done with the President (herself a woman). In the meeting, you could tell that the company
President was valiantly trying to restrain herself. I simply told the Director that I had nothing
nice to say so I would not say anything, would not change my report as she wanted (she would
not tolerate any criticism of her department’s role in this Action Plan), and the contract is over,
so pay me!
I was several months before I was paid by the agency that hired me, as they had also not been
paid by the client. I sent them a bill for interest which later was rejected anyway. I eventually
had to phone and talk with this Acting Director’s boss, a Director-General, who sounded
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disturbed about what happened (I had also interviewed him on this task). The cheque followed
quite soon thereafter.
My view of the state of government management was again in rapid decline.
Being a sucker for punishment I took another contract in May which lasted for approximately 2
years. This one was a pleasure, with the exception of my 1 km. walk to and from my car to the
office every day, rain, shine, or blizzard (had them all). I must say though, my health was top
notch thanks to that twice-daily trek…uphill in the morning, downhill at the end of the day.
Since the contract was at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), you couldn’t take
work home, or bring anything in. So…it was simply turn your mind on in the morning and off at
night. No pressure, no stress. Loved it.
My role was as a business analyst and business architect.
As a Business Analyst, I had the following responsibilities;
• Created numerous project management documents (e.g.: Communications, Risk, Issue
Management, Change Management, Organizational Change Management strategies and
plans, etc.).
• Edited and re-designed a technical User Manual.
• Created Business Cases, Project Charters, Roles & Responsibilities documents, high-level
Requirements documents, Workflow Process charts, etc.
• Conducted interviews to derive user functional requirements and confirm workflow
processes.
• Prepared user stories and Use Cases.
• Created program and project roadmaps.
• As the Business Architect, my responsibilities were as follows:
• Created Business Architecture Model and Conceptual Business Model.
• Conducted business process modelling.
• Identified Key Performance Indicators and performance measures/metrics.
• Rationalized identified work products/outputs.
• Identified and documented current business rules.
• Documented Business Functions, Services, and Activities.
• Identified and documented Business Enablers.
• Created an extensive RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) matrix.
• Identified and documented workflow approval chains.
• Created the Business Architecture domain component of the Solution Design Document.
The work environment at CSIS HQ was excellent, though I’m sure there were undercurrents of
differences beneath the surface, as in all HQs. For the most part, I found the staff there
extremely professional and dedicated to their roles of ‘keeping Canada safe’.
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Grandchild #2 - Hunter
Tim and Laura gave us grandchild #2, Hunter Levi Scott, in January, 2011. There’s a Scott
tartan tuxedo jacket and waistcoat awaiting this last of the Scott dynasty.
Easter - 2011
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In June, Sharon and I managed another getaway to England, and for the first time in our lives
(and probably the last), we lucked into a free upgrade to first-class on the overnight flight to
Heathrow, and so had a fairly decent night’s rest in our ‘pods’. Fabulous (only) way to
travel…an experience never to be forgotten.
We were very lucky to be shown around all over the place, castles, mansions, villages, seaside.
Even took the train to see my old friend from my English school days, John Ward, who lives in
Norwich and is the mayor of his local town, Thorpe-St-Andrew. On one of our outings he took
us to a 2000-year old Roman fort, which lost a couple of pieces of stone to our collection.
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Cromer – on the North Sea
Old Norwich
Also got to see my two remaining uncles,
Stanley and Brian, for the last time. They
have both since passed.
38 th Anniversary - 2011
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2012
More big happenings this year with Robyne and Geoff
getting married in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in
March. They officially were married in Ottawa at City Hall in
February before going to Punta Cana, as it was much
easier to manage.
Kraft Foods split their organization into
two parts, Kraft, with groceries, and
Mondelez with confections. Tim was
appointed as the Director of Logistics
Operations (Canada) for Mondelez in
October, and was able to remain in
Toronto.
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Chris had some extensive travel this year, with
a trip to India with stops in Cologne and
Kuwait with enough time for some brief sightseeing
(like the Taj Mahal no less). The travel
itself was in the belly of an Armed Forces
transport jet, along with armoured limousines
for the Prime Minister’s use over there.
Cologne Cathedral
In the belly of the beast – Zero comforts
Taj Mahal
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Grandchild #3 - Ella
Christopher and Josée produced a baby girl, Ella Mackenna, in July.
This year I couldn’t resist trading
in the 2007 Buick Lucerne for a
2012 Buick Lacrosse…so it
seems I like to have a new car
every 5 years. The payments,
however, I could do without.
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2013
My 2-year CSIS contract finished this year, but I was assured that another would be
forthcoming… which it did not until 2014. In the meantime, I had been asked by the Director-
General for whom I worked if I would consider becoming an employee of CSIS. Anticipating
that another contract would likely be coming (which paid a lot more than an employee salary), I
respectfully declined, but was nevertheless impressed that at my age I would be asked. As it
happened, that Director-General took a promotional opportunity to another agency, so I would
have been left stranded!
For Sharon’s 60 th . birthday in May, we visited B.C. once again, flying into Vancouver and taking
the ferry to Victoria for a few days of sightseeing and killer-whale-watching.
On the Harbour – Victoria - 2013
Vancouver from the Nanaimo ferry
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Then it was up to Kelowna for a couple of days, meeting up with Bill and Christine Daniels and
Gary Taylor, from our Shandermen band days, and Gord Parrott (Big Bird) from my Langley
Detachment days.
With Gary Taylor and Bill Daniels – Kelowna - 2013 With Gord Parrott – Kelowna - 2013
From Kelowna, we drove back down to the Lower Mainland to stay with the old Abbotsford
crowd. Weather couldn’t have been better. A lovely trip.
Okanagan Lake – Kelowna - 2013
With Chris and Bill Daniels – Kelowna
Horseshoe Bay - 2013
Cultus Lake - Chilliwack - 2013
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Sue and Dave Jeffrey
Chris and Rick Davidson
Mark and Barb Davison
Gillian and Pat McWhinne
Harrison Lake - 2013
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In September, Sharon and Robyne surprised Geoff and myself with a bi-plane flight in Ottawa,
where we were crushed side-by-side in this thing, looking like the “Red Baron”.
40 th Anniversary - 2013
Not really travelling to ‘exotic’
locations, here is Chris with his team
in Mogadishu where they went on an
advance security detail…to there and
Kenya, and had to be protected by
locals.
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2014
For me, it was back to CSIS in late February as a business analyst, working
for…wait for it…a woman! She was young, bright and full of energy, but not
highly thought of by many. Why do I always get these people? She was in
the process of replacing contractors (like me) with employees, but with
security clearances taking so long it was a slow process. But I knew my days
were numbered… especially being an ‘old codger’ in a young-persons’
environment. Just look at my happy face on my ‘contractors’ badge!
In January, Tim was
appointed the Director of Distribution for North
America with Mondelez, a position he held until
October when he was appointed as the
Director of Logistics Operations for all of North
America. He was able to continue to work out
of Toronto, but head office was in East
Hanover, New Jersey, so he accumulated a lot
of air miles with his frequent travel.
Grandchild #4 – Chloe
In April grandkid #4, Chloe, came along, compliments of Josée
and Chris.
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Christopher made the cover of MacLean’s magazine (that’s
him on the right) as his team was on Parliament Hill to
secure the property during the terrorist attack.
Sharon and I decided to go find some sunshine in
September, after a lousy summer, even though we’d
had a week in Mexico early in the year, so took a leisurely back-country drive down to Cape
Cod where we stayed for a week, doing the usual tourist ‘stuff’ – whale watching (humpbacks
this time), harbour cruises, Martha’s Vineyard, Boston and Newport, Rhode Island.
On Martha’s Vineyard
In November, we ‘snuck away’ for a week
in Punta Cana with Robyne and Geoff to
warm us up in preparation for winter…and
what was to come for Robyne.
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2015
And Finally, Full Retirement
What was to have been another multi-year contract came to an end on March 31 st I think it was.
The claim was that there was no more ‘discretionary’ money for contractors. I was not sorry to
leave as the work had become more and more menial. I even declined to attend a ‘going-away’
lunch for a couple of us in the same boat. Even the company that placed me in there on
contract never bothered to call me when I was terminated to thank me for the years I had
provided them with a good revenue stream. The work ethic has definitely changed over the
years. Seems nobody gives a damn any more.
I’d had enough of working anyway, and was pleased to take that final walk to my car, knowing
that I didn’t have to set the alarm for the next morning. My working life was over.
I’d been at it for 50 years. I was done, fini.
Tim left Mondelez in March, and secured a position as Vice-
President, Order Management for GENPACT, a global business
process management and services, and IT corporation. Head office
is on Times Square in New York City, so Tim, being the only
company executive in Canada, was often in New York. He also had a
great deal of travel to India. They would call him on a Friday to be at
a business meeting on Monday…in India. Poor guy spent more than
enough hours (albeit in a first-class pod) on planes. And now he as
well as Chris has been to the Taj Mahal.
Laura’s wedding-planner business continues to be a great
success…constantly on the go, and so good she’s now in demand
and in magazines!
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Grandchild #5 – William
And this is what Robyne needed to get away for in November 2014. Out popped William
Richard Scott Drover in January, at almost 10 pounds.
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In September, we took a 2-week break and flew to Calgary, rented a car, and did a big figure 8
drive through BC – seeing sights we had never seen before and repeating drives we did when
living there in the early 80’s…weather was perfect. Put a lot of miles on.
Duffy Lake
Rogers Pass
Robyne and Geoff twisted our arm into accompanying them, again, to Punta Cana in November,
leaving William with Geoff’s mother in Ottawa. Robyne needed another ‘last hurrah’ before
what was to come in the summer of 2016.
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Josée had to go back to work this year…her maternity leave ran out. Jordan,
now 17, has her own car and a couple of jobs to pay for it.
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2016
February saw us
again in the
Dominican
Republic (Punta
Cana) for
another round of
defrosting.
Always a
pleasure to feel
the heat.
Mid-year, Tim accepted the position of Vice President Logistics and Operations – Ontario – for
Metro Inc., a network of more than 600 food stores in Quebec and Ontario, with annual sales of
over $12 billion. Founded in 1947, it is the only major Canadian food distribution company to
have its head office in Quebec, and along with its affiliates and franchisees, employs in Quebec
and Ontario over 65,000 people. At least now he is close to his office, and travel is limited, so
he can once again be a ‘family man’.
Grandchild #6 – Richard
And along comes the final grandchild, Richard Geoffrey
Howard Drover, born in July.
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Chris did some more globetrotting
this year, with a trip to
France and the shores of
Normandy.
Jordan graduated from Grade 12 and started University in
the Fall.
With the Prime Minister
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Sharon’s ten-plus year old Hyundai Accent was in need of some
work, so rather than sink money into it, we bought her a new
2016, in the colour of her choice. Now she has a car with airconditioning,
electric windows and locks, a good radio and no
rust.
Having been West for a number of visits,
this year it was time to do the East, so off
we went on a ‘tour’ to places we have
never been before, and places we have
both seldom and often been. Nice to see
everything. Also great to visit Sharon’s
side of the family in New Brunswick.
We once again found the house that Sharon grew
up in (for a couple of years) in Riverside, New
Brunswick. It has obviously been lovingly restored
to its former splendor.
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The family is complete - Christmas - 2016
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2017
The twins are 40
Robyne got
me a
helicopter
ride in June,
compliments of a WestJet pilot friend of hers who lives
in Ottawa and owns this toy.
Christopher was promoted to Corporal this
year, taking charge of a team of his killer coworkers.
Robyne is now flying wide-bodied jets from Canada to
Gatwick, UK. Long flights but she finds the time
passes quickly as the crew is busy. She has no set
route, but flies from any of the Canadian ports, and
often returns to a different airport than the one she left
from.
Tim is 42
Tim continues with Metro, but still receives calls from
head-hunters for a variety of positions. At 42 years of
age, he’s still young enough to make several more
‘jumps’ up the corporate ladder. Laura’s reputation as
a wedding-planner continues to grow and flourish.
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I’m 69 and Sharon is 64
Now at 69½ years old, with 70 rushing up on
me, I shall simply enjoy what we have as a
family, and be satisfied with my lot in life…but
continue to buy lottery tickets on the off
chance that I could win big and be even more
satisfied!
I have a lot of ‘dreams’ yet to fulfill, particularly
travel, so can’t waste away in misery. Always
have to look to the future.
This story may be at its end, but I’m certainly
not.
For now, though, I’ll just sit back and enjoy our property and our family.
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The End
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