Taking the Red Serge to new heights

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Submission by Staff Sergeant Shaun Begg

Staff Sergeant Shaun Begg always dreamed of becoming a Mountie. After spending six years with the Delta Police Department, he enrolled in a lateral troop of experienced police officers interested in joining the RCMP. When he graduated, he was posted to Surrey, British Columbia, then to the mountain town of Kaslo. Begg shares the backstory of the iconic Canadian image of him playing hockey in his red serge on a frozen glacial lake.

Kaslo is a picturesque town of approximately 1,000 people situated on the west side of Kootenay Lake, nestled between the Selkirk and Purcell mountain ranges of Eastern British Columbia. During my time in Kaslo, there wasn't all that much to do in the winter other than skiing, skating and sometimes snowmobiling. I wanted to get involved in something on my weekends, so I decided to join a recreational hockey league called the Kaslo Afterburners. Every Saturday night, we would play pick-up hockey, hang around the dressing room, prepare meals for one another, watch Hockey Night in Canada, and be social.

One night, one of my teammates - a helicopter pilot - told us about a remote glacial lake where he was contracted to fly people and equipment as part of an advertising initiative. It included some NHL players who he had taken to skate on the lake, along with another national symbol - the Stanley Cup. This lake, Shamrock Lake, is situated 9,000 feet above Invermere, British Columbia, in the Purcell Mountains on the east side of the Kootenay region.

With about a month remaining in our 2015 season, that same pilot and teammate approached us during one of our infamous Saturday night hockey events and suggested that we all go and play on that frozen lake. How could we say no?

As weight is an issue in a helicopter, we didn't bring much padding, except our gloves, helmets and skates. I had a thought to bring my red serge with me, for a photograph to forever remember my time at this Kootenay posting.

Once we started playing, the opposing team noticed my Stetson on our bench and asked, “Who brought the Mountie hat up here?” My teammates encouraged me to take out my red serge that I had stuffed into an equipment bag and play a few shifts in the iconic uniform. We ended up playing for four hours that day. My friends, and the opposing team, snapped a few photos of me, which I sent to my boss when we returned to a lower elevation.

Not thinking much of it, I got home and was told that my photo had been retweeted nearly 3,000 times and was being dubbed “the most Canadian photo ever.”

I've always maintained that there is magic in the red serge. It symbolizes unity and national pride. It honours those who have worn it before me. I'm glad I got to wear it that day and represent what being a Mountie means to me.

Today, I'm in my fifth posting and still have so much pride in my uniform and in the RCMP. Many of the finest men and women I know are Mounties - and I am proud to be a part of such a great family.