Mason, who died at age 19 in May, was honoured with a certificate of recognition from the RCMP – the policing agency he one day hoped to join along with his fiancée Tracey Denny.
“For Kale, this would be such an honour,” Denny said, after the framed certificate was presented to the Mason family, near a fire hydrant on Stellar Street that was repainted in his memory over the summer.
“He really wanted to help people. Growing up, that’s all we ever wanted to do. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he didn’t care who you were – he was friends with everybody.”
Brian Brennan, commanding officer with the RCMP (Nova Scotia), said Mason embodied the personality type the RCMP strives to recruit.
”Kale represented the type of individual the RCMP is looking for – committed to the community, a volunteer,” he said of Mason, who was a volunteer firefighter and a mentor with Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Pictou County.
In the weeks that followed Mason’s passing, North Nova Education Centre, the high school he graduated from in 2016, created the “88 Award,” which will now be presented annually to two students – a male and a female – who played sports at the school but who demonstrated kindness and friendship.
The Pictou County Junior Scotians retired Mason’s #27 jersey this past weekend, along with Noah Russell’s #25. Former board member Bill Roddick was also honoured by the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League team in a pre-game ceremony.
