Many Christmas trees carry special meaning.
The beautiful 21-foot fir gracing the rotunda at the RCMP’s Richmond detachment on No. 5 Road, however, is of particular significance to the hearts and minds of local Mounties.
The tree, which was grown at a nursery in Langley, was donated by a local landscaping company which has a connection to a pair of fallen officers in Richmond, constables Tom Agar and Jimmy Ng, who died in the line of duty in 1980 and 2002 respectively.
Richmond RCMP’s media relations officer, Cpl. Dennis Hwang, said the company didn’t want any recognition and didn’t want to go deep into its connection to Agar and Ng, whose photos are on the tree.
Suffice to say, the donation has had a profound effect on Mounties at the detachment, some of whom know more than others about their fallen comrades.
“(The tree) kind of took some members back to that time and it certainly has more meaning now,” said Hwang.
“And a lot of the newer officers might not have known too much about (Agar and Ng), other than the pictures on the wall; so now there’s a connection.”
The back stories don’t stop there, though.
“A worker (at the landscaping company) that made the tree stand used to work at the docks in Steveston, way back in Const. Agar’s day,” added Hwang.
“He recalled how Const. Agar used to go around the docks during his night shift to check on him. He still remembers that and recalls how he appreciated that at the time.”
Ng was killed when his cruiser was broadsided in 2002 by another car running a red light in Richmond. The driver was sentenced to 18 months in jail for criminal negligence causing death and an additional six months for leaving the scene of an accident.
Agar was shot and killed at the Richmond detachment in 1980 by Steven Lee LeClair, who had driven to the detachment in a stolen car. Moments earlier, he had been kicked out of the Palace Hotel bar, but then returned and shot three people.
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