ATHABASCA – Small town roots, lots of life experience, and a desire to uphold the laws of the land; three qualities all three of Athabasca’s newest RCMP recruits possess.
All three are straight out of the RCMP training academy in Regina, also known as depot, with Rachel Dorrington arriving here in September; Cody Bishop in January; and Billy Kelly has been here less than two weeks. They’ll learn the ropes of the job here, in what all three hope will be the start of a long and fulfilling career in law enforcement.
Dorrington is from a small town in Nova Scotia and wanted to enter the force as early as 19, but started a family instead, and now that time and life have moved on, she’s ready to devote herself to the law.
Kelly actually has a law enforcement background, working as a community peace officer in Edmonton for a number of years before applying to be a Mountie. He’s from a small town in Alberta.
Cody Bishop is actually a rarity in that he is from Athabasca. You may recognize the name, as his father was stationed at the local detachment for more than a decade. Cadets are very rarely stationed to their hometown, especially as their first post.
“I put (Athabasca) on my list as kind of as a joke. And when they said I was going to Athabasca I said, ‘That has to be a typo, I’m from Athabasca,’ but sure enough, here I am,” said Bishop, who is a Red Seal certified carpenter by trade.
“I was young and I wasn't sure if I was what the RCMP was looking for, so I figured I might as well get a background somewhere in case the RCMP didn't pan out.”
All three were at depot at the same time, but in different classes, which was a longer than usual process with COVID-19 causing a hiatus of several months in training.
Bishop likened depot to a college campus, but a lot more regimented. Kelly also noted it became even more so due to the pandemic precautions that were put in place.
“Everything became a lot more scheduled … but they’re doing a good job of pushing through,” he said.
A big part of training was also bonding with fellow cadets, as officers rely on their colleagues in the field to have their backs, and vice-versa. Becoming a part of the larger RCMP family is key to training.
My experience at depot was awesome. I loved it,” said Dorrington. “Everything about depot I really enjoyed and I was brought up in a strict military family, so depot didn't bother me, I knew what to expect.”
Kelly has barely finished all the paperwork required, but feels he has a good base of knowledge and looks forward to expanding on it in Athabasca, and he’s happy to be back in a rural setting that has so much to offer in terms of outdoor recreation.
Growing up in a small town, Dorrington said she’s also glad to start her career in a smaller setting, and she’s enjoying the town so far.
“I really love it. It’s a cute little town and everybody is so pleasant, and of course they are fully aware when there's somebody new in town, but everybody's been super nice,” she said.
Bishop is glad to be back home in Athabasca too, and being able to serve the community.
“I just never realized how busy and important the RCMP was here. We have a fairly high call volume and I didn't realize that coming into town. Growing up, you’re kind of blind and not paying attention, but I’m glad to be here.”
