Derek Neary
Northern News Services

NNSL (Jun 12/98) - It wasn't easy, but he persevered.

Yellowknife's Darryl Berube graduated from the RCMP training academy in Regina last month and then returned to the North as a member of the Hay River detachment.

Berube, 25, said the toughest part about the six-month training program in Regina was being away from home for so long.

Another challenge was the running. The cadets are timed on 2.4- and 4.8-kilometre runs. In all, they are expected to accumulate 320 kilometres over the duration.

"I'm not much of a runner so I had shin splints and stuff," he said, adding that he also suffered from a pulled muscle in his left leg.

Other physical tests, including boxing and ground fighting, posed less problems for the six-foot-one, 195-pound Berube.

"You're tugging at somebody's hair, poking in their eyes or grabbing their ears," Berube said. "When I was doing the boxing it was really no problem because I knew how to fight.... I was always fighting in school."

Keeping his bunk area sparkling clean, wearing a uniform without a thread out of place and having to make his bed with the help of a coat hanger (to make straight folds), were examples of the meticulous standards that had to be met daily. He said he, like most of his classmates, staved off the temptation of quitting.

"Sometimes it seems like it's taking so long to get through. You get so frustrated with all the paperwork and with all the little things," he said.

"Some people, like a teacher I had in Grade 6, said I was never going to amount to anything, that I was going to be a bum on a post office step. That thought always crossed my mind and gave me that extra push when I needed it."

Graduation was quite an emotional experience, he said, noting that he had several family members in attendance.

"I couldn't believe I actually graduated. It's a very proud feeling to accept your badge."

Berube decided to join the RCMP after learning of the Aboriginal Cadet Training Program a few years ago. After three weeks training in Regina, he went on ride-alongs and did some work for the Yellowknife detachment. That introduction helped him get accepted into the academy last November.

Upon graduation, he requested a posting to the Yukon, Alberta or Manitoba, but because he had experience with the ACDP, it was decided he would be a greater asset in the NWT.

"... which was good because I'm in Hay River and close to my family," he said.

He worked two evening shifts last week and said there wasn't much in the way of crime.

"It's a quiet town," he said.