Submitted by Mayor Mary Giuliano
I recall listening as Mike Casault taught the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program at Isabella Dicken Elementary School (IDES). Friendly and approachable to children and parents, Casault said hello when passing by in his police car and spoke to individuals in. Casault is admired and respected for his consistent community work, his friendliness, his compassion towards those that got in trouble and his understanding of how this affected parents. Casault truly is the policeman you want in your town, the one you look up to, the one you feel is there to protect and help you. He’s someone you can trust.
On Friday, May 1, a get-together was hosted to honour Casault on his retirement from the police force. It was great to see several retired officers and spouses as well as current officers and friends come to pay tribute to Casault.
Staff Sgt. Lorne Craig said, “Thank you for coming to this dinner in honour of Mike who has retired from the RCMP after 25 years of service. Staff Sgt. Mike Casault Regimental #41287 first became exposed to the RCMP in 1986 when he was hired as summer student constable in McLennan, Alberta. After this experience Mike decided to volunteer as an auxiliary constable and focus efforts on his application to the RCMP. He was officially sworn as a member of the RCMP on September 11, 1989 and became part of Troop 6. Prior to attending depot division in Regina, Mike opted for language training in Montreal for seven months. On arriving at depot division he spent some time waiting for the other members of Troop 6 to arrive and start training. After six months of training Mike graduated in December 1990 and was sent immediately to Fort Nelson. In April 1994 he was posted to Fernie. He was promoted to corporal in July 2005 and voted in to a Staff Relations Representative (SRR) position in April 2007. This entailed a transfer to Kelowna and Mike and his family chose to stay in Fernie where he continued to work as the SRR representative. He was promoted to sergeant in January 2008 and given a much larger area of responsibility within the “E” Division. Another promotion came on January 2010 to the rank of staff sergeant and a transfer to Ottawa in October 2011. Another promotion and more responsibility, Mike was now in charge of the National Health and Safety portfolio as the SRR. Mike left this position January 2014 and took annual leave until April 1, 2015 when he officially hung up his stirrups.”
Over the span of 25 years of service, Casault was recognized with the Queens Golden Jubilee medal, the Queens Diamond Jubilee medal, Long Service medal in recognition of 20 years of service, Bronze Clasp for 25 years of service and also received a Saint John’s Life Saving Award for delivering CPR and using a defibrillator on a retired member who had a heart attack. Casault was credited for saving his life. Casault was also a member of the Nelson Emergency Response Team in 1995 and was deployed to the Gustafson Lake standoff. He was in the mix of the standoff and shoot out on September 11, 1995.
Staff Sgt. Lorne Craig’s joke to Casault drew laughter when he said, “There must be something to September 11, sworn in on September 11, involved in a shootout on September 11, did you happen to be in New York City in recent years? He then added that it was no wonder that Mike was recruited by the ERT Team, he is a very good marksman, earning the Crowned Crossed Revolvers, Crowned Crossed Pistols, and Crowned Crossed Rifles badges due to his exceptional marksmanship.”
The RCMP saddle blanket called “shabrack” was then presented on behalf of those attending. This is the traditional design dating back to 1887 when “MP” was registered as the horse brand of the North West Mounted Police. With few variations, the design of dark blue cloth, singlewide yellow border, “MP” brand and crown has been the traditional appointment and is still used today on the horses of the RCMP’s Musical Ride. The scale reproduction of the saddle blanket adorned with the various badges and decorations that Casault has earned over the span of his career will be a reminder for him of his time with the RCMP.
Letters of congratulations were read from friends and co-workers unable to attend and also from the Commissioner and then Fire Prevention Officer Tom Hopkins spoke about the years Casault spent as a volunteer firefighter in the Fernie Fire Hall with Alex Crawford and Gerry Dyke telling funny stories.
Congratulations and best wishes to you and your family in your retirement Mike!