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Hampton press
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| Foreword to Overalls, Red Serge, and Robes by Paula Simons, October 1st, 2004 |
| On
the cover of this book are two pictures; one of Harry Aimé as a
straight-ahead, no-nonsense cleared-eyed Mountie, the other of Harry
Aimé as a straight-ahead clear-eyed judge. They are two images that
perfectly illustrate this no-nonsense memoir of a life lived on the
last Canadian frontier.
As a young RCMP officer in the far North, Harry Aimé bore witness to the lives of the Dogrib, Metis, and Inuit people, as their ancient traditions collided with "modern" Canadian culture. Later as a Judge, Aimé brought his passion for law and order and his deep respect for aboriginal culture to the work of establishing a formal court system in Alberta's north. His recollections serve as valuable testimony of a way of life that's already vanishing from our collective memory. Overalls, Red Serge, and Robes isn't a work of grand sweeping prose or complex cultural analysis. This is a book without literary pretensions or artistic arrogance. It is, instead, a simple, honest story about a prairie farm boy whose life intersected with history. When I was a little girl, my father, Norm Simons, was one of the first lawyers to practice in fort McMurray. he often told me of the courtly, gentleman judge who used to be a Mountie. I was honoured when that same man sought me out, 30 years later, to write an introduction to his book. As Alberta prepares to celebrate it's 100th birthday, Harry Aimé has given us all a valuable birthday gift - a gift of our past, remembered by someone whose work helped shape our future. Paula Simons, Columnist with the Edmonton Journal |
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