Climax, Sask. was not exactly a hotbed of criminal activity in the '70s.

But when you got in trouble in the southwestern Saskatchewan village with its one-man RCMP post, you would probably end up seeing officer Dennis Schneider, or just as likely, his wife, Yvonne.

The wife of a mountie is never short on stories. That's especially true if they lived in small rural detachments where resources were scarce, ingenuity was key. Wives were not just bystanders, everyone had to be on board to make the tiny detachments work.

Yvonne Schneider was one of four mountie wives honoured for their contribution Friday at the Yukon RCMP's honours and recognition ceremony.

The Second Man award is an RCMP initiative, coordinated for the RCMP by the national veterans office in Ottawa.

It honours wives of RCMP officers, often from smaller rural detachments, who were called upon to perform duties for their husbands that would normally be performed by a regular members — the second man — from the 1950s onward. 

So far 470 women have been identified to receive brooches at ceremonies across the country.

Yvonne and Dennis moved constantly during his more than three decades with the RCMP, spending 25 years travelling around Saskatchewan and the last 10 in Whitehorse before Dennis retired in 1996.

In Climax, where the couple lived from 1971 to 1975, their two-bedroom house — like so many other things — had multiple purposes. The attic was the RCMP office and the basement, the community's only detainment cell.

"The office was in the house, it was part of our house,” Yvonne said Friday. "If he was taking someone to the cell he had to bring them through my kitchen and down to the basement.”

That cell — located next to the home's laundry — was a point of interest for the couple's two small children.

"Our two youngest ones when we first moved down there were two and four and they used to delight going down those basement stairs saying ‘I wonder if there's anybody down there,'” Yvonne said.

Sometimes accused-criminals would end up sitting in the family's living room enjoying Yvonne's baking while waiting to go upstairs during the monthly visit by a justice of the peace.

"There was room (in the office) for the JP, for Dennis and for the accused. So anyone else who was coming to court had to come in and wait in our living room,” she said.

"So you served them coffee and cookies until it was there time to go in. Sometimes, if they enjoyed the cookies, they would come back from whatever they were doing.”

But Yvonne was likely busiest on June 10th, 1972.

That's the day Dennis intercepted a carload full of drugs.

The vehicle was full of pills and bails of marijuana.

"I'm talking bails, as big as hay bails, as many as they can get into the car.”

At the time it was the largest drug seizure in the history of the province.

The bust meant officials from boarder patrol, and both American and Canadian customs and immigration descended on the Schneider's home.

Since the incident took place on a weekend, the village's only restaurant was closed. Yvonne took care of everyone's meals but also became the operations de-facto co-ordinator and tech support.

"The neighbours took our children, our whole house became the office,” Dennis remembered, adding "No one knew how to work the old radios. No one knew how to work anything, so Yvonne had to co-ordinate everything.”

When asked if the detachment could have run without is wife, Dennis laughed.

"No. The community wouldn‘t have stood for it because you needed somebody. When you need help you need help,” he said.

Dennis and Yvonne both agree that working in the small communities, even with all their quirks, were among their best experiences with the RCMP.

The couple will be celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

Even after receiving her award, Yvonne is modest about her contribution.

"We started to date at 15, so I knew that's what he was going to do,” she said. "So I guess I signed up for it. That's just what you did in those days.”

Three other wives were also honoured Friday. They were: May Gudmundson, Susan Moorlag and Nancy Pope.

The awards ceremony also recognized RCMP officers, civilians, public service employees and auxiliary constables for their years of service ranging from five to 40 years.

Among the 20 award winners was newly-retired Staff Sgt. Major Alan Hubley who received his 40-year long service award.