Pat Stright was always willing to help out on guard duties while her hubby Larry was busy policing small communities.
In places like Crystal City and Falcon lake, both in Manitoba, Stright was regularly called upon to search the female prisoners brought into the detachments and to act as matron to the girls behind bars.
Marjorie Sutherland was also a supportive partner to her husband Dave during their RCMP posting in Beaver Creek, Yukon, from 1978-1981.
She enjoyed taking part in the community, baked cookies for the children, and provided invaluable assistance to a couple involved in a horrific accident.
Their guys are now retired from the Mounties after their final postings in Campbell River where Larry Stright was the last inspector in charge of the detachment while Dave Sutherland served the community as a constable.
However, last Saturday, the wives of the two former officers were honoured for their contributions to the RCMP with the Second Man Award.
The ladies, along with fellow recipients from Vancouver Island, were presented with certificates and pins by Chief Superintendent Randy Wilson at the Nanaimo Golf and Country Club.
In addition to her unofficial guard duties, Pat Stright answered phone calls, took complaints and radioed the officers when the bank alarm went off next to the police detachment which also had living quarters.
In 1990, at Portage la Prairie, Pat and Larry were out for a walk on their own time when they saw a cyclist hit by a car. As Larry pursued the driver, Pat provided medical assistance to the victim and later received a letter of appreciation from the commanding officer of “D” Division.
During their time in the Yukon, the Sutherlands spent a three-week period in the First Nations community of Pelly Crossing. During their brief time there, Marjorie made many friends and baked cookies for the children.
Another time, she provided much-needed assistance to a California couple who were involved in a head-on accident in the Yukon and then airlifted to Fairbanks, Alaska.
Marjorie provided medical assistance, looked after their belongings and then shipped everything back to the couple’s home.
That year, just before Christmas, Marjorie received a basket of fruit from the couple and a cheque to reimburse her.
The RCMP started handing out the Second Man Award in 2010. There are 468 recipients across Canada and 130 residing in B.C.
