True and Fascinating Canadian History
Vet of the Month: November 2012
Reg.#57673, Constable Adrian Oliver
RCMP Vets. Ottawa, ON
At this hour, my sole companion is Him, my comfort, as I pray for Adrian’s parents in the still of a very early morning after hearing of the tragic death of their son RCMP Constable Adrian Oliver in a traffic accident on November 13, 2012 in Surrey, BC. The RCMP mourns.
My thoughts, though imperfect and insufficient, are these.
In every corner of the world, few people would dispute that the scientific notion of time follows precise laws based on the earth's rotations around the sun; 60 minutes in an hour and 24 hours in a day. As a result of the tic tic of the c-phone, our lives are regulated so that order exists in our daily activities. It matters little whether one is in Surrey or Singapore, lunch is expected to be taken about noon and supper is served about six. Afterwards, small children go to bed for rest and the same ritual is followed by parents all over the world. And hours later, another new day begins.
But, learned astronomers, in my opinion, approached the study of time only from a positivistic viewpoint. Scant coverage was given to the consequences of time -- that is, time and its impact on our personal lives. Without any doubt, the single effect of time and its measurement which impinges sadly on our lives is this; children are supposed to outlive their parents. Or, to turn time over on its end, one can say that parents are supposed to die first rather than to bury their children.
Time in this sense is an upheaval -- a personal and unexpected infliction of pain which strikes at parents and grieves everyone. Under no other circumstance, does time cut so deeply, so coldly, so cruelly. The arrival of death and its appointment with children is a painful crisis to every parent around the world.
RCMP Constable Adrian Oliver died on duty on November 13, 2012 in a motor vehicle accident in Surrey, BC. He was a young police officer in thestarting block of his career. Adrian joined the Force in 2009 and he, along with his twin brother Ben was posted to Burnaby, BC. Both intended to follow their careers in the RCMP like their Dad, Chief Superintendent Joe Oliver who's presently serving as an Officer in Ottawa, Ontario.
Adrian had already proven his higher than average ability in law enforcement in Surrey, BC -- a large Municipal Detachment of 750 RCMP members just east of Vancouver. Adrian had recently been chosen to become a Field Training Coach for a new recruit who was undergoing training at 'Depot' in Regina, SK. The recruit graduated in Regina the same day that Adrian was killed.
Very little can be said by friends to console Adrian’s parents in the time of their grief after losing him. A parent’s grief is inconsolable anddeep.
Death casts a shadow. Yet shrouded behind death's shadow are consolations; namely hope, trust and faith in God. Every boy and girl born is a miracle for parents from God. The Spirit of God tells us not when a child will be born or when it will die – our full trust in God is this; He gives us children to love and he returns them to Himself when He wants them closer to Him. The tragedy of Adrian’s loss can only be lessened when,after death, the parent’s find themselves united with Him and him.
Death is a mystery. In one story, an old man watched a little boy on the beach playing with a pail. The boy had dug a hole close to the water’s edge. The boy ran persistently from the sea with his pail filled with water and poured it into the hole. Time after time the boy filled his pail and dumped it into the hole. Time passes. Finally, the old man walked over to the little boy. He asked ‘Why do you go to the sea and fill your pail with water and empty it into the hole? 'I want to fill the hole with the sea' replied the little boy. The old man answered, 'It is as impossible to fill the hole with the sea as it is to comprehend the ways of God.'
For parents, the death of a child is as impossible to understand as the obstacle facing the little boy as he tried to fill the hole with the sea.
Reporting from Fort Healy,
J. J. Healy
November 20, 2012
Adrian Oliver's funeral is set for November 20, 2012 at 1PM. PT at the Peace Portal Alliance Church in Surrey, BC
My prayers and thoughts are with Adrian's parents, family and friends. R.I.P.
Photos were kindly provided by 'E' Div. friends; Vancouver Vets Ric Hall & Sheldon Boles
