Ontario

Art Ravensdale was born on January 5^th, 1911 in Bolton, a town in Greater Manchester in England. At some point, Art made his way to Cobourg, attending the Cobourg Collegiate Institute (CCI), where he was an academic and athletic standout. His name appeared regularly in results from track meets at CCI and other schools. The Ravensdale Trophy was created in his honour and was presented to the top all-round male athlete each year until 1960. In 1929 Art won the 120-yard hurdles at the Canadian Championships in Banff. He won again in 1930 in Toronto, 1931 in Winnipeg, 1932 in Hamilton, 1933 in Fort William and 1934 in Montreal. 

Art's career was almost tragically derailed when he broke his hip while playing rugby at CCI, but with a combination of determination and hard work, he recovered completely. In 1930, in addition to winning the Provincial and Dominion Interscholastic Championships Art competed for Team Canada at the British Empire Games, held in Hamilton. Art graduated CCI in 1929 and took up studies at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Representing Marquette, he ran the 120-yard low hurdles in 13.2 seconds, giving him a share of the World Record. The Milwaukee Journal stated “Ravensdale, a hurdler… set municipal records that will probably stand for years.” He also set a new Canadian record at the Dominion Championships, beating the previous record by 4/10’s of a second in the 120-yard low hurdles. 

In 1932, Art took home first place at the Canadian Track and Field Olympic Trials in the 100-meter hurdles and with that, he went on to represent Canada at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics later that year. In 1934, Art once again represented Canada at the British Empire Games in London, finishing fourth in the 120-yard hurdles. One year later, Art retired after being recognized as the Canadian Hurdling Champion for seven consecutive years (1928 to 1934) and returned to where it all began, CCI, where he coached the next generation of track and field youngsters. Years later, Art received a very special honour from the Town of Cobourg, when Ravensdale Road was named after him. 

In his 1990 induction to the University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame Larry O’Connor was cited as “the outstanding hurdler in Canada during the 1930’s setting many Canadian records”. “Larry” was born in Toronto on September 22, 1916. When Larry was 13, his father was appointed to the bench as County Court Judge of Northumberland and the family moved to Cobourg where Larry enrolled at Cobourg Collegiate Institute (CCI). Larry’s reputation as an extremely talented athlete preceded him and he immediately began training with fellow Cobourg resident Art Ravensdale – a hurdler already setting records. Larry was chosen for further training at the Ontario Athletic Commission Camp on Lake Couchiching where he distinguished himself by being the first boy to swim to an island one mile away. He competed at track meets in the area. 

After graduating from CCI in 1934 Larry attended the University of Toronto. He joined the Toronto West End YMCA Club and the Varsity Blues Intercollegiate Track and Field Championship Team where he trained alongside Jim Worrall. Both competed at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Summer Games. In the 110m hurdles Olympic final Larry would finish in sixth-place establishing a personal best time of 14.8 seconds. After the Olympics, Larry’s career took off as he went on to set Canadian records in the 110-meter-high hurdles, the 120-yard-high hurdles, and the 220-yard low hurdles. In 1937, at the annual Maple Leaf Gardens Track Meet, Larry set a new world indoor record in the 60-yard-high hurdles. At the 1938 British Empire Games, held in Sydney, Australia, Larry was a gold-winning member of the 4x110 yard relay team and a silver medalist in the 120-yard-high hurdles with a time of 14.2 seconds, the third-fastest in the world that year and a Canadian record that stood until 1963. 

A year later, Larry raced to a time of 14.8 seconds in the 110-metre-high hurdles, setting a new Canadian record that stood until 1964. Larry was awarded the Norton Crow Memorial Trophy (for the Canadian Amateur Athlete of the Year) and the John W. Davies Trophy (for the Outstanding Track Athlete of the Year). He was inducted into the Canadian Amateur Athletic Hall of Fame in 1967, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1968, University of Toronto Sports Hall of Fame in 1991, and Athletics Ontario Hall of Fame in 2013.

Fran Jay never played a sport, but it would be impossible to tell the story of Baseball and Hockey in our community without her. In our community and beyond, she played a critical role in the growth and acceptance of woman’s hockey. A lifelong resident of Cobourg, Fran married Ron Jay on October 26, 1963. Ron was heavily involved in Baseball locally, and it didn’t take long for Fran to gravitate towards the administrative side of the sport. Joining the executive of the Cobourg Baseball Association, Fran took on countless tasks; organizing tournaments, running fundraisers, housing and feeding visiting umpires, arranging accommodations for visiting teams, working the canteen to name but a few.

 In 1987, after many years of service, she was awarded the “Curtis Products Award”, given to the person judged to have contributed the most to the Cobourg Baseball Association. While attending a Toronto Blue Jays game, Fran and Ron were featured on the stadium Jumbotron in recognition of their contributions to Baseball and were referred to as “Mr. and Mrs. Blue Jay from Cobourg”. Fran and Ron had two children, Brian and Brenda. When Brian played hockey, Brenda always tagged along. When Brenda was old enough to play in Cobourg, she wasn’t allowed a chance to play with the boys and there was no girls team. So began Fran’s legacy as an advocate for girls’ hockey. 

Although she didn’t start girls’ hockey in Cobourg, she spearheaded the creation of the United Counties Hockey League (later known as the Lakeshore League) which provided girls’ teams a chance to play against girls’ teams in other towns. In 1982, Fran became the first ever Girls Governor on the CCHL executive and brought her administrative talents to her newest passion. Later she would be elected a Life Member of the CCHL in recognition of her efforts. Eventually, Fran would join the Ontario Women’s Hockey Association executive as a Regional Director. A board member from 1993 to 1999, she was the team liaison for international teams and organized the 1997 and 1998 Senior AAA Women’s Provincial Championships that were held in Cobourg. She also helped to organize the 1997 Women’s World Championships, held in Kitchener, and was involved with the Canadian Women’s Olympic Hockey Team. 

One would be hard-pressed to find an athletic pursuit – Hockey, Softball, Basketball, Football, Track & Field – that Al Fenton did not excel in. A regular competitor at Kawartha, COSSA, OFSSA throughout his high-school career, Al’s athletic talents were on constant display. In 1967 he established six new records in six Junior events at C.D.C.I. West’s Field Day. He followed that up by winning 3 races at the Kawartha meet in Peterborough. Then in Oshawa he took home the COSSA championship in the 100- and 220-yard sprints. At the OFSSA championship in Hamilton Al ran a personal best in the 100-yard sprint. 

Al was also a valued member of the West’s Junior Harrier team, regularly competing in Kawartha Cross-Country events. He was one of three Cobourg runners chosen in 1967 to compete at the first Central Ontario-Maritimes track & field meet, held in St. John, New Brunswick. That same year – in team sports – Al was the top scorer on the Bantam ‘A’ Basketball team and was voted the Outstanding Junior Football Player by his teammates. Surprising no one and considering his many accomplishments, a just-turned 16-year-old Al was chosen as Cobourg’s ‘Athlete of the Year’ in 1967. 

Outside of school athletics, Al also played both All-Star Hockey and Softball. In 1968, along with many of his teammates, Al made the jump from Midget All-Star Hockey to the Junior B Cobourg Cougars, where he would be a prolific centreman for the next two seasons. In Softball, his talent at the plate and on the mound, helped his Dairy Queen team capture Provincial OASA championships in 1970 and 1971. Thanks to his athletic and educational prowess, Al received a four-year Division 1 Hockey scholarship at Colgate University, graduating with a BA in 1974. 

Upon invitation, he attended the Toronto Maple Leafs Rookie Camp that fall before returning to Cobourg to work at General Foods, play Fastball in the summer and Mercantile Hockey in the winter. At the same time he studied for his MBA from Western University. Upon receiving his MBA in 1978 Al, along with his young family moved to Wooster, Ohio where he settled into his life’s work, and was instrumental in introducing the sport of hockey to a generation of youngsters through the development and organization of Wooster’s Youth Hockey Club Program.  

One could not begin to write about the history of fastball in our area without at least devoting a chapter to Ewart Timlin.

Ewart was 15-years-old when he got the tap on the shoulder to take the field for the Cold Springs Men's team and in just five years he held the dual positions of player-coach, a position he would keep for the next two decades (after which he commenced a 25-year Slo-Pitch playing career). In that time Cold Springs would emerge as a fastball powerhouse.

After spending the 1960's and early '70's as a part of the Ontario Amateur Softball Association (OASA) and the Hamilton Township League, and in search of a higher level of competition, Cold Springs petitioned to join the Peterborough City League for the 1975 season. Despite misgivings about their ability to compete, Cold Springs was reluctantly added. A subsequent first place finish in the league and the OASA Intermediate C championship put those initial doubts to rest.

The following season, 1976, saw them repeat the accomplishment and then four years later, in 1980, the “Cats” captured the Ontario Senior “A” fastball championship. Still guided by Ewart, the “Cats” took home the OASA Intermediate B championship in 1989 and then came the establishment of the Masters level by the OASA in 1996.

Over the next fifteen years the reunited “Cats” participated in more than 20 Masters events, winning 2 Canadian Masters Championships, an Eastern Canadian title, plus 3 gold, 2 silver, and 3 bronze, OASA Masters Championships. In addition, the “Cats” dominated the North Bay World Senior Men's Fastball Championship in their ten appearances, winning 7 gold medals, and 2 silvers.

Along with all of the team success a multitude of individual honours have been bestowed on Ewart; Cobourg Legion Giving Back Award (2012); Honorary Vice-President of the OASA (2011/12); Ontario Masters Fastball Hall of Fame Inductee (2014) and the Hamilton Township Senior Citizen of the Year (2018).

Ann & Dick Raymond

Dick and Ann Raymond have devoted a considerable amount of their lives to fulfilling a single desire, to make their beloved Grafton a better place and as a result of their tireless work and organizational skill they have forever changed, and enhanced, their community. Dick Raymond’s lifetime of volunteerism can be traced back to 1962, when as a 19-year-old, and still not old enough to drive, he started coaching a team in the Cobourg Community Hockey League (CCHL). As a coach, Dick would lead three teams to provincial hockey championships, in addition to a Provincial Women’s Softball Association (PWSA) Bronze Medal with the Cobourg Bantam Angels in 1989. But it is as an organizer and administrator that Dick has had the largest impact. In addition, to a five-decade long tenure with Grafton Minor Hockey, which saw him at various times serve as the organization’s President, Vice-President, past President, coach, equipment manager, bingo organizer, fundraiser, etc.., Dick was one of the founders and lead organizer for the Grafton Fastball Tournament for its four-decade long existence, while also serving on the Grafton Arena recreation committee for forty years, thirty-five of which saw him operate the Grafton canteen. And then there was all the hours put in to construct the Grafton facility itself, 5 ball diamonds, all the backstops, the scoreboard, fencing the diamonds, the playground, score keepers’ benches, etc. all bear the handprint of Dick Raymond. But Dick was never alone in his efforts, in fact he represented one-half of a formidable team. Every step of the way, at every event, every fundraiser, was Dick’s wife Ann. A true team, Dick and Ann would not only work together, but complement each other, so while Dick was organizing, it was Ann placing the calls and answering the phone. Despite both holding full-time jobs, and raising a family, and despite being tired most nights, both Dick and Ann Raymond always found the energy and the time to give of themselves for the greater good of their community and the people of Grafton.

Gail Johns-Rees

Gail Johns was born in Cobourg on February 10, 1955. Upon her arrival at CDCI West in 1969 she was sought out by Jerry Lawless, whom having been made aware of her running exploits in elementary school, insisted that she attend the track and field training being held on the back lawn of the high school. It was as an encounter and an opportunity that changed the course of Gail’s life.  Over the next five years, Gail, competing as a sprinter, would set records in the 200M and 400m races at Kawarthas and COSSA, in the 60M, 100M, 200M and 400M at South Kawarthas, and as a result became the first female athlete from Cobourg to ever qualify for OFSSA. In 1972 CDCI West dedicated the “Johns Trophy for Outstanding Track Performance” in recognition of her accomplishments. After high school Gail started distance running, competing in 5K’s and 10K’s, and running marathons in Toronto, Ottawa, Washington, and Boston. In 1994, Gail and her family moved to New Hampshire, and at the age of 47 she returned to sprinting with the Masters Track and Field program, which is devoted to adult runners divided into designated age categories. As the first female member of the Mass Velocity Track Club, Gail has been a nationally ranked masters sprinter for the past two decades, competing in 50M, 60M, 100M, 200M, and 400M races, earning 17 US National Masters Tracks medals, setting 13 New Hampshire state records, along with being recognized with the “Best Performance by a New Hampshire Athlete” five times. In 2006, at the USA Masters National Meet in Charlotte, North Carolina, Gail represented her home country, running a leg in the 4x100 relay, and helping Canada win a gold medal. A pioneer, a pacesetter, a record-breaker, a champion, and still competitively running, Gail Johns has enjoyed a life of excellence on the track.

Elaine Devlin

Born in Indian River on July 27, 1964, Elaine Devlin resided in Cobourg, Colborne, and Grafton for a decade and has maintained her athletic connections to our community ever since. Before moving to our area Elaine had already established herself athletically as an all-star goalie and a member of numerous OWHA (Ontario Women’s Hockey Association) gold medal teams and as one of the best softball pitchers in the province winning ORSA (Ontario Rural Softball Association) Midget and Junior provincial titles in 1981, 1982 and 1983 with Douro and Keene; two OCAA (Ontario Colleges Athletic Association) Silver Medal’s with Fleming College and numerous Peterborough Women’s City League titles. In 1985 she attended Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas on a scholarship where she played in the NCAA softball circuit. Still the holder of seven school records she was Gulf Star Conference Female Athlete of the Year; Most Outstanding Player and won a Conference Championship. Recruited to play for the Cobourg Angels, by Paul Currelly in 1984, over the next five years Elaine and her teammates medaled 9 times at the provincials, including three golds, a period of sustained excellence that was due in large part to Elaine’s pitching prowess, which didn’t go unrecognized by the opposition as she was recruited by other teams 3 different times to represent Ontario at the Canadian Championships. Since her time playing in Cobourg, Elaine has continued to contribute to the sport by coaching and attending pitching clinics during the off-season to help the next generation of hurlers hone their techniques. It would be hard to imagine an honour, accomplishment in Softball that has eluded Elaine. Beyond pitching a countless number of no-hitters and perfect games, Elaine Devlin has competed in a total of 34 Provincial championships (14 gold, 12 silver, 4 bronze), 17 Canadian championships (4 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze), and at least 5 World Championship/International competitions (1 gold, 1 bronze) and has coached at 20 Provincial championships (5 gold, 2 silver, 5 bronze), 12 Canadian championships (2 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze) and 3 World Championship/International competitions, winning gold each time.

Al Burnham

Born on August 31, 1952 in Cobourg and raised on the Burnham Family Farm, like many children of the time, Al Burnham was first introduced to bat and ball in elementary school during the recesses and lunch hour that helped break up the day. Coincidentally, the Cobourg Legion Minor Softball Association was formed in the late 1950’s, and Al was part of that first group of youngsters who signed up. And thus began a two decade long playing career that saw Al Burnham become one of the top Fastball players; in the area, in the province, in Canada, and ultimately, in the world. A member of the Cobourg Juveniles that captured the Ontario “B” Championship in 1971, Al, now playing with the legendary Cold Springs Cats, would be part of three more provincial championship teams, OASA Intermediate C titles in 1975 and 1976, and in 1980 an Ontario Senior A fastball championship. Thanks to his proficiency at the plate Al quickly gained a reputation from teammate and opponent alike as a clutch hitter, and when combined with his understated demeanor, he was christened with the nickname “The Iceman”. From 1984 to 1992, Al Burnham was an integral part of five more Senior “A” Ontario championship teams, 4 Canadian Senior A championship teams, and in 1987 and 1988 he was named to the All-World second team both years at the International Softball Congress championship. At the 1991 ISC championship, held in Sioux City, Iowa, and playing for Owen Sound, the World Championship runner-up, Al Burnham was named All-World first team … the culmination of a lifetime spent on the diamond all the way from Cobourg to the World Championship.