Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Fort Smith (Jan 09/06) - The Fort Smith courthouse has a unique way to remember and honour those who help maintain law in the community.

It's called the Wall of Recall - back hallways adorned with pictures of virtually all judges, lawyers, justices of the peace, police officers and court workers who have served in the courthouse over the past decade.

Harold and Milly Steed, the owners/operators of the Fort Smith courthouse building, stand in a hallway adorned with photos of people who have worked at the court over the years. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Harold Steed, the co-owner/operator of the building with wife Milly, began taking the photos in 1995.

"There were just a lot of empty walls," he says. "I thought I should do something to brighten it up a bit."

Now, the Wall of Recall contains almost 200 images.

"I never dreamed it would take off like that," Steed says.

The courthouse opened in the Tracy Steven Steed Building in 1987. The building is named after the Steeds' son, who died in a vehicle accident in 1985.

All the photos are in back hallways, an area mostly used by judges, lawyers and court workers.

There are no photos in the room where court is held, meaning most members of the public have never seen them.

Milly Steed, who serves as a jury guard, says jury members sometimes get a close-up look at the photos.

She frames the photos and adds names and dates.

"Every one has got a story behind it," Steed says.

Notable photos include those of Justice Elizabeth Heneghan of the Federal Court of Canada, then lawyer and now Territorial Court Judge Robert Gorin, and Joe Mercer, a Crown attorney from Alberta who was stationed in Fort Smith with the RCMP about 20 years ago.

There are separate walls for pictures of Supreme Court judges and workers, the Territorial Court, lawyers, justices of the peace and police officers.

One of the first photos to be placed on the walls was of Fort Smith lawyer Lou Sebert.

"It is interesting because we have such a turnover of police, lawyers, and to some extent judges," Sebert says. "It's a good historical record."

Sebert notes some people have gone on to different jobs, while others have passed away, such as Supreme Court Justice Mark de Weerdt and Yellowknife lawyer John Bayly.

"As time goes by, it's interesting to look back at those people," Sebert says.

While some people have changed dramatically over the years - new hairstyles and perhaps less or more weight - Sebert remains remarkably unchanged from his 1995 photo.

"I was old then, and I'm old now," the 55-year-old jokes.

Steed has no plans to stop taking the photos, noting there are seven more in his camera to be developed.

"We're going to keep on going."