MANITOWANING – A long-serving member of the Manitoulin detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Graham Lloyd has received a lifetime membership award from the OPP Veterans Association. Mr. Lloyd has been retired for several years.
“Graham (Lloyd) worked for quite a few years on Manitoulin Island (with the OPP),” said Rick Gjos, a former member of the Manitoulin OPP and a member of the board of directors on the Sudbury chapter #13 OPP Veterans Association, last week. “And in those days, all officers had it hard because they worked a lot of their shifts alone; there was no backup. And the communication system was certainly not as good as it is today for the OPP. It was hard at times to even get through to the OPP communications centre in Sudbury.”
Mr. Lloyd told The Expositor, “I have been retired for 27 years, having retired on March 31, 1994. It only seems like a year or so ago. When a former OPP officer turns 80 years of age, the OPP Veterans Association automatically presents you with the lifetime membership award.”
“Rick had called me a while back about having the certificate and lifetime membership card but with the pandemic he was unable to present it to me,” said Mr. Lloyd. “It is usually presented at one of the association meetings.”
“I made the presentation to Graham on behalf of Tom Randall, president of the provincial association of OPP Veterans and on behalf of Ron Roy, president of the local chapter in Sudbury. My wife (Gail) and I took Graham and his wife Ila along with their daughters (Lori Moggy and Paula Fields) out for lunch at Elliott’s Restaurant where I presented the card and plaque.”
Mr. Lloyd explained, “I joined the OPP on July 9, 1962, starting out in Sault (Ste. Marie), and was there for five years.” From there he served with the OPP in Elliot Lake for 12 ½ years and then was promoted and served at the OPP in Sudbury for five years. “Then Morgan Pitfield promoted me to Staff Sergeant, and he transferred to White River.”
“So, I started in 1984 on the Island, and I was in Manitowaning at the OPP there for the last couple of years of my career. I had worked in Mindemoya and Gore Bay as Sergeant. I was also detachment commander here (Manitowaning) and in Gore Bay. When I started on the Island, I was also a supervisor for the police service in Wiikwemkoong. Art Jacko was over there and the Wikwemikong Police was under our (OPP) umbrella. In those days we did as much policing in Wiikwemkoong as we did in other communities on the Island.”
Mr. Lloyd said, “I always thought I would retire in Gore Bay. My wife Ila and I have two girls who are both from here in Manitowaning. They are all my caregivers with my daughters both being staff at Manitoulin Health Centre.”
“Life’s good and I’m doing fairly well health wise,” added Mr. Lloyd.
