Cobourg

Robert Clarke Sommerville was born in Toronto, on December 5, 1930. Playing hockey in his early life, he worked his way up to the Junior A ranks, spending 4 years as a goaltender for the Galt Black Hawks. The following two years were spent in the American Hockey League, playing with Philadelphia and Washington.

In 1952, Clarke purchased a small retail business in Cobourg that evolved into Sommerville’s Sporting Goods. Upon arrival, he got involved in the local sports community. He played for the Intermediate hockey team, joined the golf club, pitched in the Town Softball League and joined the executive of the Cobourg Church Hockey League. Quietly, and with a small group of other local sportminded men, a lacrosse league for kids was formed, which operated out of Cobourg’s Memorial Arena. In the mid 1960’s, Clarke, Dick Robinson, Jeff Rolph and Layton Dodge were instrumental in starting and funding a local Junior “B” hockey team, the Cobourg Cougars. Clarke was a Cobourg Cougars’ lifetime executive member. He served in many roles with the team, including General Manager. Clarke was also involved with minor softball.

In 1972, Clarke and his son David coached their “Sinclair  Mustangs” to an Ontario Softball Championship. The sporting goods store was a gathering spot for people to discuss current issues. Many important decisions about local sports were made around the store’s famous pop cooler. Clarke was proud and humbled to be involved in the successes of the Cobourg Cougars, the Cold Springs Cats and countless other local teams and organizations.

Throughout the decades, Sommerville’s Sporting Goods has been a staunch supporter of many sports and athletes in various ways behind the scenes. His support of athletes was truly profound.Clarke Sommerville was a good athlete but his true legacy is as a builder of sport. His contributions will have an everlasting impact on our community.

Margaret Anne Matthews was born on May 15, 1960, in Cobourg. From a very young age, Margie was an abundantly talented, multi-sport athlete who consistently demonstrated exceptional leadership. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

She was very skilled, was the ultimate team leader, and always gave 100%. Margie burst onto the provincial softball stage at the age of 12 when she played for David and Clarke Sommerville’s “Sinclair Mustangs”. They captured the Ontario Novice Championship in 1972. At 14, Margie Matthews joined Paul Currelly’s Cobourg Angels softball Juvenile team and competed against players that were 18 and 19 years of age.

While playing with the Angels, she won 2 more Ontario titles at the Junior ‘B’ level in 1975 and 1976. Paul Currelly remarked that, “When you are talking about Margie, you are talking about one of the best juvenile ball players, anywhere. Her desire and hustle keep the entire team moving.” Margie Matthews won 7 Ontario Softball Championships in her career. While attending high school at CDCI West, from 1974-79, Margie was a multisport outstanding athlete. In 1978, she was voted Most Valuable Player of both the basketball and volleyball teams, received a coaching award and was selected as Cobourg District Collegiate Institute West’s Athlete of the Year.

Margie was also named Cobourg’s Athlete of the Year. In 1979, the West dedicated an award in recognition of her contributions - the “Matthews Award” for performance and leadership. Margie continues to display exceptional athletic skills as a golfer. In 2004 and 2011, she was a member of Team Ontario. Both teams went on to win the Canadian Inter-provincial Golf titles at their respective national golf championships. She has won 18 club championships, 16 championships at the Stratford Country Club and 2 titles at Woodstock's Craigowan Golf Club.

As a member of the Ontario Women’s Amateur golf team in 2004, Margie won the Canadian Championship. In 2009, she won the Golf Ontario Women’s Mid-Am title with scores of 73-75-69. Margaret Anne Matthews, one of Cobourg’s best-ever all-round athletes.

Gord Brooks was born in Cobourg on September 11, 1950 and has the distinction of being Cobourg’s first National Hockey League player. He played his minor hockey with the Cobourg Church Hockey League and spent the 1967- 68 season with Cobourg’s Junior ‘B’ Cougars where he collected 21 goals, 26
assists and 44 minutes in penalties.

Gord played his major Junior ‘A’ years with the Hamilton Red Wings and the London Knights. At the end of the 1969-70 season, Gord Brooks was drafted 51st overall by the St. Louis Blues and spent his first professional season with their farm team, the Kansas City Blues.

From 1971 to 1975, Gordie played 70 National Hockey League games with both the St. Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals. From 1975 to 1980, he played in the North American Hockey League and the American Hockey League where he truly made a name for himself. He played for both the Philadelphia Firebirds and Syracuse Firebirds, averaging 93 points a season for a total of 464. In 1977, his team won the Lockhart Cup as American Hockey League champions.

In 1978, Gord won the John B. Sollenberger trophy as the American Hockey League’s scoring champion and was named to the League’s first All-star team. In 1980, he played part of a season in Klagenfurt, Austria until a knee injury forced him out.

The next year he joined the Saginaw Gears winning an international league championship. Two years after retiring as a pro, he came back to play Senior hockey for Brantford, winning an Allan Cup. Today, Gordie Brooks and his wife Beth live in London, Ontario, close to their children and grandchildren.

Fred Dufton was born in Stratford, Ontario in 1886. After public school, his family moved to Toronto where he attended Jarvis Collegiate. In Toronto he went to work for Clark and Clark Tanneries. He became the manager of the Strollers Baseball Team, a semi-professional team that played their games at Christie Pitts Park. In 1926, he moved with his wife, three sons and three daughters to Cobourg, to join the Edwards and Edwards Tanneries.

Fred became interested in football when his sons started playing in high school. He got involved and then became the manager of the Cobourg Collegiate Teams. When the boys left high school, Fred decided to start up an Intermediate football team. The year was 1935 and the team was known as the “Red Raiders.” However, in 1937, with the goal of revitalizing the team, the name was changed to “The Cobourg Galloping Ghosts.”

Over the years he earned the nickname “Ferocious Fred” because of his tremendous desire to surmount all obstacles and bring home a winner. The Galloping Ghosts won a total of eight Ontario Championships and became Dominion (Canadian Amateur) Football Champions in 1946, 1948 and 1950. Fred Dufton managed the team for its full 13-year existence. Layton Dodge, Cobourg’s most distinguished sportswriter ever, proclaimed, “The Galloping Ghosts were, and continue to be, the most famous of all teams in Cobourg’s history”.

This legacy was a direct result of the work ethic, commitment and passion of Fred Dufton.