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Jack Whetung will be remembered as a policing pioneer in his home community of Curve Lake First Nation.

Dozens of people gathered at the Curve Lake Church to pay their respect and honour Whetung, who died on Feb. 19 at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre at the age of 77.

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The name Whetung is prominent in Curve Lake as Jack was a well-known and respected member of the community. The successful businessman owned and operated the Curve Lake Marina, but he was also the very first police officer posted to work at his home reserve.

Prior to 1976, it was policed by the OPP.

His former colleague and retired Anishinabek Police Service sergeant Kim Coppaway says Whetung helped foster a better relationship between the those living on the reserve and the police.

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“As the OPP will always say, when they first came out to the reserve, people were scared of them and their authority,” Coppaway said.

“When Jack became the police officer out here, he bridged the gap between the First Nations and the people of authority and police officers. He got a lot of people to understand the police were there to help them.”

As the first Indigenous officer working in Curve Lake, Whetung worked alone for his first few years on the Curve Lake Police Service, which was part of the OPP at the time. Eventually, Whetung recruited more Indigenous officers from the reserve and helped transition the force into the Anishinabek Police Service in 1994.

Jack Whetung was the first Indigenous police officer posted on his home reserve of Curve Lake First Nations. Jesse Thomas / CHEX TV

Among his recruits was officer Coppaway.

“I hung around his marina quite a bit and talked with him,” Coppaway recalled. “He’d come and talk with me when I first applied to be a police officer and we had a good talk about it and he was happy I was able to come on board.”

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Whetung’s legacy will live on in officers like Coppaway, as well as his granddaughter Alicia McCready, who has followed in his footsteps.

She’s also become a police officer with the Treaty Three Police Service in Kenora and was standing with other officers as part of her grandfather’s honour guard.

Jack Whetung with his granddaughter Alicia McCready. Jesse Thomas / CHEX TV

But it’s not just policing for which Whetung will be remembered — many say he will also be missed for his leadership and kindness.

Retired Peterborough OPP officer Jim Fairfield remembered his former longtime colleague as someone strongly connected with his community.

“I’d see him out walking and talking to people on the main street or in community halls like this,” Fairfield said. “He had great people skills.”

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Whetung retired in 2006 and leaves behind his wife Donna, four children and his grandchildren.