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On a perfect day to be in a park, Indian Head dedicated a park to a fallen RCMP officer Saturday.
More than 400 people gathered as a parade of 70 RCMP members and the Regina RCMP Pipe and Drum band marched through the Cst. Shelby Patton Memorial Park.
“This is a happy place,” Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, the commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, said during Saturday’s event. “It is a place where Shelby’s love of life and people will permanently live on.”
Patton’s father, Ashley Patton, said he was “overwhelmed” with the turnout of the event.
“This place is, I’m thinking, (someplace) that Shelby himself would be very proud,” Ashley said.
The entrance of the park is decorated with an archway leading directly to a memorial to the late RCMP officer.
The memorial to Const. Shelby Patton. (Gillian Massie/980 CJME)
The park has a focus on fitness and health, a passion that Patton pursued in his spare time. The park is equipped with a walking path, gym equipment and children’s playground equipment.
“The people of Indian Head and Saskatchewan came together to create such a wonderful tribute to Shelby through their hard work, dedication and generosity,” Ashley Patton said.
On June 12, 2021, Shelby Patton was struck and killed after responding to a stolen vehicle call in Wolseley.
He was a part of the Indian Head detachment at the time. It was his first posting, and one which he held for six years.
When the parade stood at ease Saturday, Kaela Patton — Shelby’s younger sister — took to the podium to sing O Canada.
Indian Head Mayor Steven Cole said he was pleased to see the park come together so quickly.
“One of the most beautiful aspects of this park for our town has been the way the community came together to see it completed,” said Cole, “from the public requests to have the park named for Shelby to the outpouring of support in the form of funds, time and equipment.”
The pipe band played “Amazing Grace” as Blackmore laid a wreath at the memorial saluting Patton.
Blackmore said Patton represented “everything an RCMP officer should be.”
“Shelby’s park is so much like him. (It) is the place to celebrate life,” said Blackmore. “(It’s about) being outdoors, fitness, health, community and family.”
Lt.-Gov. Russ Mirasty, who was an RCMP officer for 35 years, saluted all officers in the line of duty who put their lives on the line every day.
Mirasty complimented the community’s efforts to put the park together so quickly.
“I guess it’s really a testament to the commitment of the group that came together to say, ‘You know, we need to do something to recognize and acknowledge Constable Patton’s contributions,’ and thus the creation of this park,” Mirasty said.
The emotionally charged day had many moved by the community support. Funding that originally aimed to hit donations of $150,000 reached $225,000, mostly organized by community-based volunteers.
“There’s no doubt that Constable Patton had a deep impact on his community,” said Regina-Qu’Appelle MP Andrew Scheer. “He wasn’t just fulfilling a job. He wasn’t just going into the office or going into work. He was a part of the community of Indian Head.”
Insp. Devin Pugh — Patton’s first commander and now with the RCMP “F” Division support services — said seeing the community utilize the park prior to the grand opening made him feel incredibly proud.
“It’s just going to live on and be a real legacy for Constable Patton,” Pugh said.
Pugh said he has never seen the community put so much energy into one park before.
“I am feeling tremendously proud of our development team,” he said. “We put it together incredibly quickly.
“I am incredibly proud of what we were able to accomplish in a 12-month period. It was incredible to see the amount of energy that was channelled into this park.”