John Stolarski’s Old Newspaper Clippings

With the exception of his first two years in the Force, John Stolarski spent his entire career as a Police Dog Services handler.

Throughout this career, John clipped newspaper articles about members who he had worked with.

Despite the fact that John has passed away, his family has agreed for us to re-post these articles for the interest of RCMP Veterans and current members of the Force.

TRANSFER TIME AGAIN AT RCMP

Photograph of RCMP Inspector George Strathdee – OIC Nanaimo Detachment.

It’s transfer time for nine members of the RCMP’s Nanaimo Detachment.  And it’s a case of Nanaimo and District’s loss is somewhere else’s gain, when the transfers take effect at the end of June.

This ‘annual overhaul‘ exercise sees a 10 percent change in the Nanaimo Detachment, though Inspector George Strathdee rates the changes no more than the “occupational hazard” which sees RCMP officers geared up to a transfer after three to five years in one place.

Sgt. Doug Simonson, a leading light in the detachment hockey team, is also the detachment sports coordinator.  He is to become officer in charge at Lytton, in the Fraser Canyon.  Sgt. Simonson has been in Nanaimo since September 1975 and his replacement will be Sgt. Eric S. Dandy, from Chemainus.

Cpl. Jim Gillespie also heads for the mainland, as officer in charge of Terrace Highway Patrol, having been in Nanaimo since July 1975.  His replacement is Cpl. C.E. Riger.

VETERAN LEAVES

Veteran of the men heading for “Departure Bay” is Cpl. Jim Good, who, at only 29, has packed a lot of community police work into seven and one-half years in Nanaimo.  He arrived from Kitchener, Ontario, in October 1970.  For the past two and a half years Cpl. Good has been a link between the public and the RCMP, as the detachment’s crime prevention and community relations man.

And his reaction to transfer is typical of that of his departing colleagues.

Cpl. Good who is to be officer in charge of Bella Coola, 300 miles west of William’s Lake, said, “Nanaimo has been good to me.  Our two children were born here and we have made many good friends.”

Cpl. Good, his wife Susan, from Vancouver, and their children Sarah, four, and Ben, two, live on Elk Street.  Of his spell in community relations Cpl. Good says, “I’ll miss the people here and the friends we have.  I must say people in Nanaimo and District are very conscious of the RCMP role in society and they have always been willing to help.  Mine has been a coordination job, which, without the help of the community in general and my colleagues who present the RCMP plans to the public would not have been possible.”

“Apart from the police aspect in Nanaimo, I will miss watching the area develop during the next few years.  I am sure Nanaimo area’s development is going to be really exciting in the future, especially the Duke Point Project.”

Cpl. Good’s replacement will be Cpl. T.D. Cutter, from Kamloops City Detachment.

Cpl. John Stolarski is also in the transfer “doghouse“…. hardly surprising since he has been one of the Dogmasters at Nanaimo since September 1974 and has been involved with the training of RCMP dogs for some 17 years.  John will remain with man’s best friend.  He has been transferred to the RCMP’s Innisfail Kennels, in Alberta.

Other on the move are – Constable Trevor Foster, to Fort Nelson, having been in Nanaimo since September 1974, (Replacement Constable. G.P. Tourond, Salmon Arm); Constable Chris Faulkner to Bella Bella, after a year in Nanaimo, Constable Peter March to Courtenay Drug Squad, having been in Nanaimo since September 1976; Constable Barry Austinson, to Logan Lake, after two years in Nanaimo; Constable Al Knapp to Golden Detachment, near Banff, having served in Nanaimo since May 1971 (Replacement Constable D.C. Russell, from Enderby).

SUPER DOG VISITS SCHOOL

Students at Departure Bay School were fascinated Monday by a canine visitor: RCMP dog Rebel in the charge of Dog Master Cpl. W. Van Otterloo.  A film on police dog training was shown, and later, the officer was kept busy answering questions about Rebel and his function in the police service.

RCMP GET PAY BOOST

Ottawa – A pay increase for the RCMP averaging 14 percent over two years was announced today by Solicitor-General Pennell.

The increases for officers are effective as of Jan. 1, 1966, and Jan. 1, 1967.

Those for non-commissioned ranks are effective in three stages – Jan. 1 1966, Oct 1, 1966 and Jan. 1, 1967.

A first-class constable with five years of experience will receive a salary at Jan. 1, 1967, of $6,968 a year compared with $5,817 before the pay increase.

This is an increase of about 20 percent.

THREE ESCAPE FROM OFFICERS AT CITY AIRPORT

Three prisoners being transferred to Vancouver for court appearances today attacked and overpowered two sheriff officers at Cassidy Airport, seven miles south of Nanaimo, and escaped in the sheriff department’s car.

Nanaimo RCMP said two of the prisoners produced knives as they boarded a plane about noon today, wounded the two officers, threatened the pilot and then the three dove into the sheriff’s care and escaped.

The prisoner were identified as Robert Moyse, 25, Clair Wison, 19, and Ricky Dale Beeman 23, who were being transferred to Vancouver to testify at the drug trial of Lee Sheppe, 23, of Nanaimo.  RCMP  say Sheppe did not leave with the three escapees and remains in custody.  Two of the prisoners, Moyse and Wilson, had been brought to Nanaimo from the B.C. Penitentiary to testify in Sheppe’s case, originally scheduled to be heard here.

The wounded sheriff’s deputies – Jerry Ockey and former RCMP staff-sergeant Gib Perry, were apparently not seriously wounded, although they are being treated for knife wounds at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.

One of the sheriff’s officers was handcuffed to an airplane seat and beaten.  The other was apparently stabbed in the neck.

Details were still sketchy at prestige, but the unidentified pilot said he had started the two-engine Beechcraft’s engines when he heard a command – he knows not from whom. – to ‘shut it down.’  He said one of the prisoners told him he had killed one man already and would not hesitate to kill another.

Helicopters and armed Mounties are covering the Island Highway and areas south of Nanaimo searching for the car – 1974 golden-brown four door Dodge sedan, with BC government decals on the front doors.  The licence number is LNK708.

Armed roadblocks have been set up along the major roadways, and dog patrols are standing by in case the car is abandoned, said RCMP.

Moyse is described as 5 feet 10 inches, 140 pounds, hazel eyes and slender build.  Wilson is 6 feet 1 inch, 160 pounds, with brown hair and a slender build.  Beams is 5 feet 11 inches, 150 pounds with brown hair, brown eyes and a medium build.  They are being treated as armed and dangerous.