BATTLEFORD, Sask. — Retired Capt. Robert Tannahill, CD, is known in the Battlefords and Wilkie area for many things, and on Sept. 10, he was recognized for his many years of service.
Tannahill, who is 87, was recognized for more than 90 years of combined service with six organizations. This includes eight years with the City of North Battleford Police Department, nine years with Corrections for the Province of Saskatchewan, 16 years with the RCMP at the North Battleford detachment, 18 years of part-time work with the Department of Natural Resources and 34 years as a part-time reservist with the Department of National Defence. He was among 204 recipients of the Saskatchewan Protective Services Medal at TCU Place in Saskatoon.
As a young man, Tannahill got his start working in federal agriculture before moving on to the oil industry, working for a few different companies doing seismograph work. Wanting to stay close to home, he then went into business running a service station with a fellow co-worker for a few years. When Tannahill heard about the rerouting of the highway, the service station was sold and he joined the North Battleford City Police.
“There were only 13 of us, and we only had one police car. Everything was going well, but the cost of city policing was rising. When the city police were disbanded, I finished on March 31, and on April 1 I went to the RCMP and worked with them in the office for 16 years,” said the retiree.
Tannahill was asked if he would work part-time as a game warden to help combat night hunting in the large area that was covered by only one warden at the time.
“Our area was from the Alberta border to Spiritwood and down to the Borden bridge. The one member said all the good hunters were not the problem, but the night hunters would shoot the game and leave the carcasses. I was with them for 18 years,” added Tannahill.
He had also taken a position at the young offender jail to help with staff burnout, which lasted 10 years, before he took on a financial position for the government, doing investigations for the entire province. He remained there until the age of 65.
In 2020, Tannahill joined the Search and Rescue Saskatchewan Association of Volunteers (SARSAV), where he remains a volunteer. He began some of the training necessary to assist with deployments, yet his busy schedule has not allowed him to complete the course. In the event SARSAV is needed, Tannahill can help run the command centre.
Although Tannahill has multiple years of service with many agencies, his retirement caused a wrinkle in his opportunity to be recognized.
“I wasn’t aware there was a medal available, so I waited too long after I got out of service. If you’re retired, then you can’t get on board because you can’t get them to nominate you. When I joined the Search and Rescue, a teacher from Maple Creek said she was being nominated for her service with them, so she helped me get nominated as well,” shared the award recipient.
Following the Sept. 10 ceremony, Tannahill said it was wonderful to be part of the event.
“To me, it is a thank you for some recognition. Some people know what I’ve done, some people don’t, and now people can maybe read in the paper and say, ‘Hey, I didn’t know Bob Tannahill had done all this. I’m going to have more respect for him.’ I helped Canada, I helped the world; thanks for giving me a little acknowledgement. It means a lot to me to have this given to me,” he said.
