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AKLAVIK
Mabel Brown says her father risked his life during his work for the RCMP in the 1940s, and he deserves a headstone reflecting his contributions to the force.

Mabel Brown holds a photograph of her father Alfred Kendi, right, and Const. Ivan Tuey from around 1949 when Kendi was a special constable for the RCMP. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

This week, Brown's mother, Mary Kendi, will be presented with a Certificate of Northern Service of recognition for the work she and her husband, Alfred, performed while Alfred was a special constable with the RCMP. Alfred died in the 1960s.

But while Brown and Mary, who is now 98 years old, said they value the certificate, they believe Alfred deserves the same gravestone awarded to other special constables in Canada, recognizing him as a member of the RCMP.

"I believe the RCMP really appreciate that, but for me, it's OK for a certificate, but I think the headstone is more memorable and is going to be more lasting," Brown said. "My father did a lot of work for them and at times risked his life for that kind of work. They're only presenting a paper certificate to my mother for that."

Brown said she began asking for a gravestone for her father after attending a gravestone presentation ceremony in 2003 for other special constables in Aklavik.

She said she asked why Alfred was not included. After taking down her father's information, an officer looked into it and faxed Brown information stating that her father had only worked for the RCMP from 1947 to 1949.

But Brown said her mother told her that while it might not have been continuous, the couple both began working in 1940.

During his time as a special constable, Brown said her father played a vital role in RCMP operations in the area, guiding officers on patrol, setting up camp and feeding dog teams.

"My dad would be all the time setting up tents and gathering branches for the floor to keep them dry and warm," she said. "He would cook dog feed for all the dogs. Each team would be four or more dogs in a team."

Alfred and other special constables also taught officers recruited from the south how to hunt, fish and survive on the land.

"They looked after those men and brought them safely back to town," Brown said. "They would talk about things out there, they learned a lot about things while they were out there, the weather, snow and ice movements. They would hunt along the way, that's what they ate."

Brown said her father, and others like him, put their lives in danger to assist officers on patrol.

"There is a lot of work and a lot of risk, also," she said. "That's what makes it so (good) to recognize them. Not much is said about them."

Alfred's work is also documented in the book, The Lost Patrol. His name is listed as one of the guides who accompanied RCMP officers on the final official patrol from Fort McPherson to Dawson City, Yukon in 1945.

Brown said it was not clear why RCMP records did not include her father's earlier work, or whether it affected his eligibility to receive a gravestone.

Brown said since 2003, she has been in contact with RCMP in both the Northwest Territories and Ottawa about the situation.

Brown said with her mother getting older, she worries about running out of time.

"This is something I would like to see happen for my mother," Brown said. "I would like her to be happy and settled with that issue because they did a lot of work."

Insp. John Bennett, with the RCMP G Division in Yellowknife, said he has been in contact with the family and RCMP officials to determine if Alfred is eligible for a gravestone.

He said generally, if an officer has worked enough hours to be entitled to an RCMP pension, he is also entitled to a gravestone.

Bennett said while Alfred might not fit those specific qualifications, he has been working to determine other ways Alfred might be able to receive one.

"I'm trying to see if there is some way around that or not," he said. "As of yet, no decision has been made."

Brown said Mary also did work for the RCMP, sewing clothing to keep officers warm while travelling in frigid conditions.

"They have certain clothing, winter clothing the people up here make them for them.

They make the mukluks, they make the parkas and mitts," she said. "They just can't wear a jacket when they're going out, they have to have parkas when going out on the land. They would travel by dog teams in those days."

Brown said because of her father's job, the family also lived in the RCMP compound in Aklavik for a few years.

"Even when I was a small child, I remember living in the police yard. I remember the house, what it looked like," she said. "They gave our family a house there because he was special constable. We lived right in the compound with the other police families."

Brown said receiving a gravestone for her father in time for her mother to see it will ease her mother's heart and mind - as well as her own.

"I think it would really bring a lot of peace in my heart, too," Brown said.

In the meantime, she said she looks forward to hearing more tales of the couple's adventures during their time with the RCMP.

"There could be lots more stories that I haven't even heard from my mother yet," Brown said. "I'm interested in the work that they did."

Interview requests from the RCMP were not returned by press deadline.

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