AN OLD FOSSILS DREAM REALIZED ! YES ! It is true. Even old fossils like me still have the occasional dream left over from when we tramped about like Godzilla, making rude noises and scaring small kids and the odd squirrel.....and last Friday one of mine finally came true ! ! ! As some of you may be kind enough to recall, I was still an active police officer, (and fortunate to be born in the right place and time), to be able to collect tons of stuff to open a police museum on the same day as our new Central Headquarters Building was officially opened. The date was July 5th, 1977 by the way. This was all accomplished within just two weeks prior to the opening thanks to my dear wife Theresa, our four sons, several close neighbours and very dear friends. They ALL pitched in to frantically put together a museum from stuff I had gathered and hidden in my basement and secret hidey-holes about old Central and Sherman Ave. stations. I even recruited a new police rookie named STEPHEN SKUSE and worked him almost to tears. (However, I DID gave him an imposing and important title of Assistant Curator! Hey, I couldnt pay him and the department brass seemed to ignore all the overtime he donated to the cause). As a matter of fact, Steves father and mother, ROSS & JOYCE SKUSE and even Joyces father, Mr. EARNIE HOTCHIN was pressed into service! (I had no pride when I was under such a time constraint). With some pride, I feel the museum was a success as I was awarded the Leonard G. Lawrence Award in Jan. 1978 for my efforts back then. Anyhooo - time marched on to April-May 1985 when it was deemed that the police museum space was needed for real police work and I was ordered to clean it out. It was left up to me to disperse the junk to wherever I could and I was also transferred to the police radio room. My many fun times, (terrorizing teachers and public school students who failed to kiss my ring), at various regional schools abruptly ended. (To say that I HATED this new duty is a REAL UNDERSTATEMENT, but that is another story). In any event, more time passed, I retired in June 1992 and a couple of new police administrations took over. Eventually, CHIEF HARROLD MOLLEN, (now also retired), eventually was able to find $ from somewhere to obtain a replacement trailer for the old, rather sadly used one that had been put together by the POLICE RETIREES ASSOCIATION for a few years. This Association had gathered much of my old museum stuff together, for a mobile display while I acted just as an adviser when needed. Eventually, as the old, sad trailer fell to rust and ruin, and the RETIREES, under PIETER CIERE found out what I had gone through starting the Police Museum Home in Ancaster AND designing a NEW POLICE MUSEUM TRAILER, which had always been this old fossils dream after I closed up the museum at new Central back in May, 1985. Friday of this past POLICE WEEK, among many other activities, the NEW POLICE MUSEUM TRAILER was officially opened to the public! I was able to attend on my wheel-chair, driven by my ever-helpful bro-in law, GLENN ASTLES. Also present was my dear friend of over 50 years with his trusty camera that has recorded many of my police activities over the years, a civilian named Mr. GODFREY HALL. Indeed, it is GODFREYs photos that he passed on to me just before I began this rambling yarn. I will attempt to add a comment along with each of GODFREYs photos and will look forward to any of your comments and likes
Posted on: Sun, 18 May 2014 22:23:27 +0000
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