Koffee Klatch: Comradery

RCMP Veterans are members of large extended family of past and serving members of the Force.  The extended family started by attending and graduating from “Depot” Division’s  basic training program.

As a member of a troop, each member developed a comradery with other members which in many cases extended for 30 to 50 years later.  As members left ‘Depot’ Division, they would be transferred to many areas within Canada.  At their new and subsequent postings, the comradery would continue to develop throughout their careers and be extended to members of other police agencies.

Photograph of RCMP members in training (Source of photo – Ric Hall’s Photo Collection)

Despite being retired from the Force, RCMP Veterans are proud of their contributions and enjoy the fellowship of old colleagues.

Many RCMP Veterans take the opportunity to visit “Depot” Division and connect with the new members in training.  On a recent visit to “Depot”, two Veterans sat down with a troop of Cadets approaching graduation.  Both Veterans received the ultimate compliment from the troop members when they said “are you two here on a refresher training course?”  Veterans responded, “no we graduated from here 45 years ago – we’re here walking the streets and recalling past good memories of Depot.”

For RCMP Veterans, Koffee Klatches are a convenience way to re-connect with old friends and colleagues.  These Koffee Klatches are not isolated to local Veterans.

On May 27, 2013, three RCMP Veterans visiting “Depot” Division for different purposes decided to attend the Southgate Mall Koffee Klatch.  These Veterans were: Joe Healy (from Ottawa), Jim Simpson (from White Rock, B.C.) and Sheldon Boles (from Surrey, B.C.).

Despite being from different parts of the country, the new visiting Veterans are welcomed and quickly discover mutual friends.

To all present, it was clear that the comradery is still alive and well within the RCMP Veterans.

When planning a trip any where in Canada, we courage all RCMP Veterans to plan on visiting one of the many Koffee Klatches across Canada.

The best method of determining the date and time of a Koffee Klatch in a specific city – it may be best to contact the appropriate Veteran Division President.  Check out the National website for Contacts for each Veteran Division

Photograph of the flags in the “Depot” Division Drill Hall (Source of photo – Sheldon Boles)