ENDERBY – After 33 years of volunteering with the RCMP in the North Okanagan as an auxiliary constable, Dale Fennell will soon have to retire.
Fennell says he would keep going but he is required to give up the volunteer position when he turns 70 this fall.
But before he turns in his badge, the Enderby area resident is being recognized by the City of Enderby for his years of work.
Enderby City Council gave him a Lifetime Civic Merit Award this week and the mayor praised him as “a local hero.”
Fennell admits the award took him by surprise. He though he was coming to a council meeting just to speak to officials about his experience as an auxiliary constable.
“It totally caught me off guard,” Fennell says of the award. “It was quite an honour actually.”
Fennell says he was drawn to the volunteer role as a way to give back to the community and do something outside the norm.
In recent years, Fennell duties have focused on speaking to local school children about topics as diverse as anti-bullying and safety on the water.
His auxiliary career has also included foot patrols with regular members and helping with search and rescue duties.
After decades of volunteer work, he kept coming back because he felt he was having an impact.
“I found it interesting and I felt that my little bit helps to make a difference in my community,” says Fennell.
“My little bit helps with some of the kids as they get older to remember some of the advice that I gave them and that the police are there not to be the big bad boogie man but to be helpful and to actually be friends with people.”
Fennell will continue to volunteer as a auxiliary constable till his seventieth birthday.
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