Cobourg

On April 19th, 1907, the Cobourg Horticultural Society recommended the establishment of a bowling green east of the Elms where the old drill shed was located, in Victoria Park, and on April 26th less than 7 people met to organize a club. A meeting was arranged for April 29th when a large group met to decide where the grounds should be. The Treasurer, Mr. Jones, favoured Victoria Park.

A committee was formed as follows:
President – J. E. Skidmore
Vice President - Stanley Barr
Treasurer – G. E. Jones
Secretary – G. S. Chatterton
Committee – E. W. Hargroft, J. D. Hayden and James Bulger.
There were 68 members.

The Executive Committee was authorized to decide the location of the green and they chose Victoria Park. There was no club house at that time. The membership fee was $4 which included the use of the bowls which were kept in a long wooden box by the fence. Four rinks were enclosed by a chicken wire fence and the green was lit by a string of gas jets each way. The caretaker was paid the handsome amount of $40 for the season.

In 1908, ladies were invited to join at a fee of $8 with bowls supplied and 21 did so. Ladies were allowed to bowl every morning and evening unless a tournament was being played. A league was set up to include Bowmanville, Colborne, Oshawa and Port Hope. Whitby later replaced Colborne. Only singles and fours were played.

The 1909 season opened on June 21st with the men’s and ladies’ sections being run separately. The ladies section chose Miss Eyre as their President. Both sections would continue to be run separately until 1988.

The archives record a number of large tournaments held during each season in the 1920’s. By 1936, membership had fallen to 35 members and funds were very low so it is surprising to find that in 1937 it was decided to build an addition to the club house at a cost of $2,500. In 1941, it was recorded that doubles play started. Up to that point play had still been singles or fours. There would be no further changes until 1957 when trebles were introduced in place of fours.

In 1952 fees were increased to $9 and that included the use of a locker. This appears to be the first time fees had increased for a number of years but after such a long period without increases the fees went up again in 1956 to $12 and again in 1960 to $15. By 1980 they had increased to $35 and to $65 by 1992. There followed relatively large increases over the following years to $100 by 1996 and $120 in 2000.

In 1990, Dorothy and Paul Allen formed the club’s junior section which has proved very successful and continues to this day. The club celebrated its centenary in 2007 with a tournament, dinner and entertainment at the Legion. Also, about that time there were discussions with the Town about possibly moving the club from its Victoria Park location to the planned new Cobourg Community Centre.

However, that plan did not materialize and the club remains an integral part of Victoria Park and the waterfront area of Cobourg. In 2017, the club celebrated 110 years in Victoria Park with the traditional anniversary tournament followed by a celebratory dinner at the Mill restaurant.

At the 1923 AGM, there was discussion about erecting a club house. A committee was formed to solicit subscriptions but membership had declined and it was hoped that when membership increased to 60 a club house could be erected. In 1924, the tennis club contributed $500 and the Cobourg Lawn Bowling Club (CLBC) borrowed $1000 from Victoria and Grey for the building of a club house. The loan was repaid by July 23rd, 1925.

The specification was for a simple frame cottage; large gauge shiplap siding; a centre door with small single sash windows either side; the roof was extended over a porch to the south with square wood columns supporting the overhang. At an added cost of $525, a substantial fence and dome lights were added.

In 1937, it was decided to build an addition to the club house at a cost of $2,500. Another front door, side windows and extension of the porch overhang were built. The addition doubled the size and the result was essentially the club house as it is at present.

There are no further records of changes but in 1961 a new roof was put on the club house at a cost of $800 and then, in 1981, it is recorded that the roof was patched and that there was a special levy of $10 per member to pay for it. In 1983, a small shed was put on the North West end.

Until 1947, the tennis club still had an involvement with the lawn bowling club but for whatever reason the then CLBC President, Mr. Holland, wrote to the tennis club President suggesting that they had relinquished their involvement in the CLBC as they had left and made no further contributions. That suggestion was apparently accepted.

When the club was founded there were four rinks. In 1909, another four rinks were added to the north of the existing rinks. It is thought that this forms the basis of the 8 rinks of today’s south green. In September of 1914, the Town council granted land to the East to square off the plot. Unlike the club house, which is owned by the club the land is leased from the Town.

In 1928, drains were laid round the club house. In 1929, the Town granted land for 3 more greens at a cost of $1,000. There is little record of development of the greens and grounds until 1952 when the club borrowed an unspecified sum to pay for new lights. In 1961, the east end of the greens was re-sodded at a cost of $505.

In 1973, 200 yards of turf was bought from a golf club for further refurbishment. In 1975, the club received a New Horizons for Seniors grant of $4745.65 for new lighting on both greens. In 1976/77 a new sprinkler system was installed with a grant of $4418.72. By 2001, the light standards were declared dangerous and new lights were installed early in 2003. The total cost was $29,835 and a Trillium grant was received of $25,000 towards the cost.

In 2002, the sprinkler system was replaced and a new control system installed at a cost of $6744. In 2012, much of the greens-keeping machinery was replaced following a New Horizons for Seniors grant of $16,000. This allowed the club to purchase a second mower, a polisher/roller, a new Verticutter, a compressor and other minor pieces of equipment.

In 2018, the club received a grant under the Horizons for Seniors program which was used for new greens keeping equipment (a multi-purpose mower, ride on tractor and self-propelled surrounds mower) as well as several sets of new lawn bowls. At the end of the 2018 season, a new equipment garage was built following successful fund raising by members and augmented by a $10,000 donation from the Rotary Club of Cobourg.

In 1974, a proposal was made by the Ladies section that the club should have its own Pin. The Ladies President at that time was Jean Rutherford and she took on the task of designing the Pin. The centrepiece of the design is a white rose which was the flower of the Cobourg Centennial.

In 1994, the then club secretary, Shirley Fraser, initiated the production of a club crest, based on the pin, which was available for members to purchase, either as an individual crest or directly sown on to shirts and jackets.

As part of the 110th anniversary celebrations, it was decided that the logo should be updated to a more modern style. However, the Executive Committee wanted to retain the traditional Cobourg white rose. After much discussion and refinement, the new logo was introduced in 2017.

There are many familiar and notable names that appear in club records and on the numerous trophies in the club house. Too many to mention here and apologies to the many who have made significant contributions to the club but are not mentioned.

Victor Foxhall and Helen Cane won the Ontario mixed pairs title in 1987. Vic was an English singles champion in 1951 and he became a member at Cobourg in 1955. He held many positions in the club as well as at District and Provincial levels. He was President of the Ontario Lawn Bowling Association in 1974 and in 1975 he received a special achievement award from the Government of Ontario.

Vic won 3 gold medals at the first Canada Summer Games and was successful in tournaments at provincial, district and club level. Vic's son, Martin is also a Cobourg member and has followed in his father’s footsteps and enjoyed success at all levels, most recently as a member of the Ontario Fours team which won silver at the 2017 Canadian National Championships in Victoria, BC.

The Milligan family have long been associated with lawn bowling and the Cobourg club. Ron and Trudy Milligan were members for many years and their children, Dan and Sharyl Ann are current members. Dan has won many awards in the Ontario games, as a member of the Canadian National team and in the Commonwealth games. In 1994, Dan and Sharyl Ann were at the Commonwealth games in Victoria BC, Dan as a coach and Sharyl Ann as an umpire.

Sharyl Ann was also a member of the Canadian national team and in the 1990s represented Canada in New Zealand and Scotland. Sharyl Ann is currently the Ontario representative on the (Umpires) National Officiating Committee and still finds time to run the successful Cobourg junior program as well as being a member of the Executive Committee. Dan runs his own business, MVP Sports which supplies bowls and equipment throughout Canada. Dan was inducted into the Cobourg & District Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.

Although no longer members Jim and Ruth Gordon have contributed much to the club over the years in bowling and serving on the Executive Committee, including a number of terms as President. Jim continues to support the club through sponsorship of the Open Men’s Pairs tournament.

Doug and Muriel Moore have also been long time members of the club. Unfortunately, they had to give up bowling a few years ago but were made honorary members. Doug, who looked after the greens for many years, died in 2014. Muriel, together with her sister, Doris (a past President), served the club in many ways over the years and the club was saddened by her passing in January, 2019.

Alma McKendrick was the last President of the Ladies club in 1987. Alma has served the club in many capacities. Unfortunately, Alma has now had to retire from bowling.

The names Carol and Harry Knapper can be found on many trophies and in many photos in the club house. Although Carol was not able to bowl in 2013, she remained a full member of the club and was often on the veranda watching the action. Both Carol and Harry have been active in the club serving on the Executive Committee in different capacities over the years and Carol will be missed following her death in December, 2013.

More recently siblings Ben and Baylee van Steijn have enjoyed major success at junior level. Ben has twice won the Ontario gold medal and Baylee won Ontario bronze and silver at the Canadian junior championships. Baylee is a member of the Senior Canadian Team for 2019 and 2020.

https://cobourglawnbowlingclub.weebly.com/

Reviewed August 2020

Dennis Francis O’Brien was born June 10, 1949 in Port Hope. He learned his hockey in the Beaver Athletic Association and earned a spot on the 1967-68 Cobourg Cougar team that won the Eastern Junior B Hockey League championship. 1968-69 saw Dennis with the St Catharine’s Black Hawks of the OHA as a 19 year old. He played defense in 52 games with 235 penalty minutes.

Dennis, a 6 ft, 195 lb, left-handed defenseman, was chosen 14th overall in the 2nd round of the NHL draft by the Minnesota North Stars. He played 72 games in 1969-70 with the Iowa Stars of the Central Hockey League. He set a league record with 331 penalty minutes. Dennis started the next season with the Cleveland Barons of the American Hockey League.

He was called up and made his NHL debut for Minnesota on November 11, 1970 vs Los Angeles. Six days later he scored his first NHL goal against Glenn Hall at St. Louis. He played a further 27 regular season games and 9 playoff games.

Out of training camp at age 22 in 1971 Dennis was the youngest player to make the Minnesota roster. Over the next 5 seasons Dennis was a stalwart on defense He missed part of the 1974-75 season with torn ligaments in his knee and a broken thumb.

In 1973-74 he led the team with 166 penalty minutes. In 1975-76 he set a team record with 187 penalty minutes. In 1976-77 he led the team with 114 penalty minutes. That year he led team defensemen with 6 goals and 24 points.

On December 2, 1977 after 13 games Dennis was claimed off waivers by the Colorado Avalanche. He played 16 games until January 12, 1978 when he was traded to the Cleveland Barons. He played 23 games and on March 10, 1978 he was claimed off waivers by the Boston Bruins.

He played 16 regular season games and 14 playoff games for the Bruins. Dennis thus became the 1st player in NHL history to play for 4 different teams in the same season.

In the 1978-79 season Dennis played 64 games for the Bruins. On June 13, 1979 he was left unprotected in the NHL Expansion Draft. He was re-claimed after Bill Bennett was selected off the Bruins roster. The next season he played only 3 games for the Bruins and 6 with AHL Binghamton. His last NHL game was October 20, 1979 with Boston vs Los Angeles. He did not win a Stanley Cup but did get to the finals with Boston in 1978

Dennis O’Brien, Obie to his teammates, retired in 1980. He played in a total of 592 NHL regular season games and 34 playoff games. He scored 32 goals, 93 assists for 125 total points. He had 1,118 total penalty minutes.

Dennis joined the workforce at the Brookside Youth Centre in Cobourg. In 2002-03 he served as Assistant Coach of the Port Hope Predators of the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League. He is uncle to NHL player Shane O’Brien.

Reviewed August 2020

Cliff Hie had a homebred colt that showed him promise as a race horse. The colt’s name was Thor Gratton. Thor Gratton was a special breed, a harness horse, a horse that was steered by a driver in a light cart that trailed the horse, not ridden under saddle. It was the late 1940s and Cliff, a farmer and owner of Hieland Farm just north of Cobourg, had caught the bug of harness horse racing. Cliff was not unique.

Many farmers and local rural residents shared the passion for harness racing. Their common problem was they had no suitable place to train their steeds other than township roads and rough tracks through farm fields.

Harness racing formally known as Standardbred racing evolved from the informal competitions that were common among the early rural residents of southern Ontario and Quebec. Prestige and bragging rights were at stake in the friendly races that took place among horsemen in buggies and light carts on the way to town or the road home from church. As the informal competitions evolved into sanctioned race meets, standards were established for the type of horse that qualified to race as a harness horse.

The standards were very strict and the horses that met the standards became known as Standardbreds and by those standards were differentiated as a breed from Thoroughbreds, the type of race horse that was ridden. One of the standards that had to be met to qualify as a Standardbred was gait. The Standardbred horse had to stay on gait; either trotting (opposite legs forward at the same time) or pacing (legs on the same side forward together). Galloping like a Thoroughbred was not acceptable.

Cliff Hie knew that for Thor Gratton to be competitive on the tracks at the local fairs the colt needed to be trained on an oval track. The solution was to build a proper training facility and in 1950 Hie along with Basil Samons, also from Cobourg and Jack Gordon of Cold Springs put up $300.00 to purchase 28 acres from Clarence Giddings. The land was located west of Baltimore and north of Dale Road at the corner of the present-day Racetrack and Ferguson Roads.

The dry sandy soil of the acreage was not particularly suited for farming but as the land was flat and treeless it was ideal for the development of a Standardbred training track. A track was soon laid out. Topsoil from the footprint of the oval was easily removed using farm tractors and scraper blades to expose hard-packed sandy soil which was perfect footing for horses. Training then began in earnest. The three partners either drove their horses to the track or trucked them in to train at top speed over the half-mile oval.  

With a track in place there was no reason not to have a race meet. A judge’s stand was built in the infield and the first formal race meet took place in the summer of 1951, a Field Day as it was called, at Hamilton Township Raceway. The men raced the horses and their wives and other local women prepared and sold hotdogs, drinks and home baking. Five double dashes, 10 races in total made up a card of racing. Six to eight horses competed in each mile-long race. Horses came from as far as Orono, Peterborough and Norwood.

The start of each race was controlled by a mobile starting gate provided by the Mitchell family from Brighton. The starting gate consisted of a small truck with a set of folding wings mounted on the back end of the truck box. On the backstretch, drivers would line up their steeds behind the wings of the gate spread to the width of the track.

Gradually the starting gate accelerated as it rounded the top end and on to the straightaway accelerating further as it approached the starting line. Drivers coaxed their skittish horses to nose up to the gate trying to find that sweet spot of having the horse reach maximum speed at the moment the gate reached the starting line and sped away from the phalanx of thundering hooves.

“Annnnd their off” was the call of announcer Murray Noble, ‘first off the gate is Mt Orab Boy followed closely by Hollyrood Richard as Ivan Thackeray tucks Londa’s Girl into 3rd place behind the leaders’. The race was on. The horses tore into the first turn, the tails of the driver’s silk uniforms fluttering behind them and back of that a rolling cloud of rising dust. Twice around the track to make a mile long race and hopefully a three-a-breast finish for the entertainment of the cheering fans.

Typically, a race was completed over the mile-long distance in 2:20 (2 minutes 20 seconds). A fast race went in 2:10 and the track record of 2:08 was set by Mount Orab Boy. Purse money was minimal. Sixty dollars was typically split among the top finishers of each race. Each entrant paid an entry fee and the rest of the purse money was generated from spectator admission fees of 75 cents, hot dog, sandwich and coffee sales.

Costs of staging the Field Days were minimal as the food and coffee were donated and the announcing, track maintenance and race starting services were provided at no charge. Needless to say, no one was getting rich but the horsemen received their rewards from the pleasure of participating and satisfaction of pursuing their passion. Those who did it loved it.

For the spectators at the time when television was in its infancy, the Field Days provided a local source of drama, excitement and entertainment. A festive atmosphere prevailed. The races were sanctioned by the Canadian Trotting Association. Clerk of the Course Bruce Haligan submitted records of race times, order of finish and purse money won to the Association.

A highlight of the Field Days at Hamilton Township Raceway was participation in one of the race meets by renowned Standardbred driver and trainer Keith Waples from Victoria Harbour, Ontario. Waples was later named a member of both the Canadian and US Harness Racing Halls of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. The last field Day was held in 1960.

The real benefit of the track to the horsemen was the training facility. The coarse gravel of township roads and rough tracks over farm fields were at best poorly suited for bringing a trotting or pacing horse up to full speed. With the conditioning attained by training on a real track, many local horses were able to be competitive at fall fairs and the best of them went on to be winners at Toronto and larger centres. With the conditioning achieved by training on the Baltimore track Thor Gratton went on to reach the potential Cliff Hie recognized and won recognition as one of the best horses in Canada in 1951 when he won 34 races.

Shortly after construction of the track, a barn was built so horsemen could stable their stock at the track eliminating the efforts of trucking them in for training. Bleachers were added so racing fans could be comfortably seated to watch the race meets. Occasionally, Thoroughbreds raced at the track and in the 1960s the track intermittently hosted chuck wagon races.

As the popularity of harness racing grew in the 1960s and 70s, more barns were built and more horsemen began to use the Baltimore track as a training base. In addition to the original owners, Jack Ball, Osler Burrison, Ivan Thackeray, Everett Adams, Len Calacott, Gord Sherwin, the Reid brothers, Ken Johns, Horace Davey, Rick Clapperton, Gail Finney, Don Budd and many others kept stables at the track or nearby farms. Tom Gratton set up a blacksmith shop on the grounds to service the need for keeping the horses properly fitted with racing shoes.

Veterinarians visited on a regular basis to doctor the horse’s aches, pains and injuries. It was during the 1970s when one visiting horseman who noted the proliferation of grasshoppers in the dry grasses surrounding the track nick-named the facility Grasshopper Flats, an affectionate name by which the track is still known today.

Grasshopper Flats was used as a training ground to prep horses for fall fairs at Colborne, Roseneath, Warkworth, Port Hope and Campbellford as well as weekly race meets at Orono, Belleville, Kingston and the new track at Kawartha Downs in Peterborough.  Several horses trained at the track went on to the big leagues at Greenwood, Mohawk and Garden City Raceways where there was stiffer completion but larger purse money.

Prominent horses trained at the track during this period were Johnny Dale owned and trained by Jack Ball who was the winningest Standardbred horse of the year in 1961, Superior Richard owned by Cliff Hie, trained and driven by son Carman who frequently beat the top class of horses at the big tracks and owned the track record at Garden City Raceway for a period of time, Homestead Dan a trotter owned by the Burrison family of Harwood, trained and driven by Jack Gordon who set the Canadian record for 3 year old trotters in 1958 and competed with the best at the major tracks in Ontario, Quebec and the United States, and Sal Harbour trained by Roger Hie and driven by brother Carman who garnered the honour of 3 year old Filly of the Year in 1989 and won purse money of over $400,000.00.

Some local horsemen used the facility to train their horses during the spring and then would move their entire racing stable to the major tracks for the summer race meets. Although it never seemed like work, the track supplied employment and business opportunities for many men and women and a career starting point for others.

Jack Gordon’s son Garth, Basil Samons’ nephew Murray and Cliff Hie’s sons Carman, Roger and Doug all went on to have professional careers as Standardbred trainers and drivers. For others, Grasshopper Flats was simply a place of pleasure and relaxation as they chased their dreams of developing the next great horse.  

In recent years the popularity of Standardbred racing has declined. Nevertheless, Grasshopper Flats is yet being used as a Standardbred training centre. A few trainers still base their stables at the track and good horses are still being developed there.

Ideal Jet owned and trained by Craig Barss competes regularly with the best class of horses at Woodbine Raceway in Toronto, has won purse money of over $400,000.00 and owns a race record of 1:49.2, a far cry from the times of 2:20 that won many races at the Grasshopper Flat’s Field Days.  

Ownership of the Grasshopper Flats passed from the original three partners to Cliff Hie and now is owned by Cliff’s sons, Carman and Doug and grandchildren Scott and Susy. It was Cliff Hie’s wish that as long as the track was being used to train Standardbred horses that it not be sold. The love of the sport by horsemen and women no doubt means that horses will continue to train at Grasshopper Flats for the foreseeable future.

By Jay Sherwin

Updated August 2020

In the late 1960s members of the Cobourg Golf and Curling Club began the process of deciding whether or not they should join forces with the Port Hope Golf Club to establish a new 18-hole golf course to be located halfway between the two towns. The proposed location of the new course would be on Theatre and Dale Roads.

At the time, the Port Hope Golf Club leased land on the west side of Port Hope for their 9-hole course. Port Hope purchased 200 acres of land at a cost of $90,000 with an eye to constructing their own course at the site of the Posnikoff and Philp farms.

The Cobourg 9-hole course was located at the corner of Division and Elgin Streets and, if offered for sale, would be much sought after for residential and industrial development.

The Cobourg committee was chaired by Dick Jeffery and members included Burnet Harden, Don Grant, Bob Bradford, Barry King, Don Markle, Harold (Tooter) Blow, Boyd Hendry and Harvey Brent. They recommended to the membership that the union with the Port Hope club be approved and that the net assets of both clubs should go to the new 18-hole golf course to be built and hopefully be ready for the 1973 season.

The committee reported that the current Cobourg course had become crowded to the point where the directors had to consider closing the membership to further new members and restricted the junior members. The inability of the club to expand was due to the high cost of adjoining land and future changes to the Ontario Assessment Act which would tend to assess property on the basis of its market value.

The membership vote took place on Wednesday, May 17, 1972 and the Cobourg Sentinel Star reported on May 19, 1972 that the vote to support the new golf course was near unanimous. There were 243 ballots cast and the vote was 228 in favour of amalgamation while only 15 opposed the motion.

The costs for constructing the new “Dalewood Golf Club” included $100,000 to purchase the land, $126,000 to develop the golf course, $120,000 for a new four sheet curling rink and $476,000 for a new 6000 square foot club house. The club house would have a bar area, lounge and dining facilities, locker rooms and club storage. The cost for the investment totaled $822,000.

Seeding of the tees and greens of the C E Robbie Robinson designed course was started the first week in May, 1973. Dalewood Golf Club, under club pro Stan Morris, was ready for golfers on July 2, 1974. It opened as a par 71, championship style course with many natural and man-made hazards built on a very picturesque setting. Robinson designed, redesigned, or expanded more than 100 courses worldwide.

The course itself has matured nicely since its opening with not much changing in the layout itself, but many upgrades such as paved cart paths, improved irrigation and a bunker renovation have made it a much sought after course to play by both members and non-members alike. The course offers a well-groomed picturesque setting with over 50 bunkers and 3 ponds located on the course, with Gages Creek coming into play on 8 holes.

It has hosted many Ontario Championship events such as the Ontario Juniors and the Ontario Senior’s Championship. In addition, the Club has a fully equipped pro shop, club storage facility and locker rooms with shower and changing rooms.

Dalewood Golf Club is a semi-private club and year-round facility. The clubhouse boasts one of the largest venues in Northumberland County to offer in-house catering for up to 175 people. This makes it ideal for weddings, banquets, meetings and parties. The restaurant bar & lounge has dramatic panoramic views of the golf course, a barbeque patio area, balcony and meeting room. One does not need to be a member to take advantage of the services and facility.

Back on Top
Layton Dodge
July 30, 1986 Cobourg Star

THE MOST DOMINANT PLAYER IN THE history of Dalewood Golf and Curling Club is back where he belongs - on top.

Chris Markle, 25, of Cobourg earned his fifth Dalewood club championship Sunday with a seven-shot victory over defending champ Bob Laronde. When all the "A" Flight contenders had completed the final round of the 72-hole competition, Markle was first with a total of 292. Laronde, who played in the same foursome as Markle, had led the field by one stroke at the halfway mark of the championships two weekends earlier but Markle pulled ahead on Saturday to carry a two-shot advantage over his chief rival into the final 18 holes.

"I was still up after nine and I was four up after 10," said Markle in discussing the closing round. Laronde faded out of the picture on Sunday to wind up second at 299. Ironically, Markle wasn't driving the ball up to par but he scrambled out of trouble effectively to make the shots he needed the most. “I was way in the rough sometimes but I hit the greens," Markle remarked.

Markle, who maintains golf shoes are not for him and wears running shoes instead is happy with his game these days. "I'm playing good golf right now and I'll be traveling more and entering other golf tournaments."

Andy Murray was a distant third at 309. Pete Fitzsimmons posted 310, George Brackenbury Jr. 313. Don Roy and Tim Haynes 314, Bob Finkle Jr. 319, Glenn Miller 321, Garth Miller 322 and David Davies 329.

Reviewed August 2020

By Layton Dodge

Cobourg Sentinel-Star September 25, 1963

One of the most illustrious and most successful sportsmen this community has ever known is dead. He is Fred Dufton, Cobourg's Mr. Football of a glorious bygone era.

For thirteen years - five before the war and eight after it - Fred was the colourful manager of Cobourg's renowned intermediate clubs which became a legend of the gridiron by winning three Dominion championships and numerous provincial titles.

Roy 'Scotty' Black, the excellent trainer of the team from the day it was organized in 1935 as the Red Raiders to the day in 1937 it was renamed the Galloping Ghosts by John Hayden, the present-day CDCI administrator, until that fateful day in 1953 when it folded, reminisced upon hearing of Dufton's death that the deceased was known affectionately as 'Ferocious Fred' in his heyday because he was a perfectionist himself and demanded nothing but perfection from his players.

Scotty recalled that the Red Raiders didn't win a single game in their inaugural season but improved greatly in 1936 to earn one victory, that made possible when George 'Bus' Edwards scored the decisive touchdown in Belleville. However, with the hard work of defeat came experience and the club annexed ORFU intermediate 'B' titles in '37 and '39 and an 'A' championship in '38 before the world was turned into a battleground by a German dictator named Hitler.

Seven years later, the club was revived. It was a dynamic, prolific renaissance, making the Ghosts nationally known and a household word locally. They marched to Dominion championships in 1946 and 1948, losing nary a game in the process, added another in 1950, grabbed provincial runner-up honours in 1947 and 1949 and copped Ontario intermediate 'B' crowns in 1951 and 1952. Scotty swears that the greatest team of them all was the 1950 aggregation.

Fred Dufton, who thought likewise, played no small part in achieving this remarkable string of successes. He was, as one admiring player put it, 'the whole show’. Home field for the club over the years was at Horseshow Park (later changed to McClelland Park and more recently to Donegan Park) except for 1946. Ghosts won their first Canadian championship on the fifth hole of the Cobourg Golf Club that year.

Galloping Ghosts were known far and wide as the best equipped intermediate football team in Canada. They were the first team in Canada to wear aluminum cleats and the second team in the land to wear white uniforms. Their boots were especially made in Montreal with leather supplied by Edwards and Edwards, the club's financial benefactor.

It was a standing rule that players had to be bandaged properly and their shoes shined before they trotted out for each game. Yes, the Ghosts did everything on a first-class basis or not at all.

Players such as Chuck Henderson, Archie Spooner, Ken Cooper, Milt Benson, Charlie Schrumm, Tom Brewster, Tommy Bulger, Alec Pratt, Bill Woods, Chuck Johnston, Joe Dufton, George Dufton, Jack Newton, George Galbraith, Hank Haynes, Bob Lucas, Robert Brown, Reg Stuart and Gus Bambridge of the old guard and Bob Cooper, Glen Connor, Eagle Hircock, Homer Seale, Bill Jamieson, Marty McGuire, Gord Burdick, George Campbell, Bill Irvine, Art Jones, Ken Medhurst, Red Alexander, Bob Bevan, Junior Haselton, Tommy Lewis, Paul Currelly, Jack Jamieson, Bernie Flesch, Darcy Campbell, Jim Irvine, Boyd Hendry, Vern Lees, Jim Poynton, Chub Downey, Art Brandwood, Rye Holman, Bill Jarvis and Bill Douglas of the post-war regime were just some of the names on the honour roll of Cobourg's most famous sporting fraternity.

A few of them are gone now but those who remain must have felt a twinge of nostalgia on learning that Mr. Dufton had crossed the goal line for the last time.

Fred Dufton, a one-time Cobourg intermediate baseball manager; Fred Dufton, a past president of the ORFU; Fred Dufton, a former coach of Cobourg's intermediate hockey team; Fred Dufton, a championship rose grower; Fred Dufton and the Galloping Ghosts, names synonymous with the very best in football,

Reviewed August 2020

The most famous Club in Intermediate O.R.F.U. history was born in the living room of the late Fred Dufton in 1935.

The Club that was to win eight Ontario Titles and three Dominion C.R.U. Titles between 1935 and 1953 with the war years excluded was the brainchild of "Ferocious" Fred Dufton, very aptly named for his tremendous desire to surmount all obstacles and bring home a winner.

With a number of good players just out of Collegiate, Dufton decided the time was right to start Intermediate football. With a $150.00 loan from the bank, and with the Cobourg Collegiate Coach the late T.H. McClelland, Cobourg entered the O.R.F.U. in a league with Lindsay, Belleville, Oshawa and Peterborough. The "Red Raiders" as they were originally called went through the complete season without winning a game, but did establish a core of good backfielders such as Ken Cooper, Chuck Johnston, Joe Duhon and Chuck Henderson, and a line of Spooner, Schrum, Pratt and Woods.

1936 was a banner year as the "Red Raiders" scored their first and only win one sunny day in Belleville, as Bus Edwards scored the winning touchdown to give Cobourg their first win, and the start of good times to come.

By 1937 Red Grange "The Galloping Ghost" of Illinois, was tearing up the gridirons in U.S. College Circles and the late John Hayden one of the Clubs Executive Members proposed the Club change their name to the Cobourg Galloping Ghosts and discard their red sweaters for basic white sweaters with red numerals.

The new look "Ghosts" also lured "Chuck Peck" out of Queens to do the coaching. Bob Lucas was now the quarterback with a backfield of Cooper, Edwards, McIlveen and Johnston. Schrum, Spooner and Pratt still anchored the line, however, it was in the kicking department that showed the most improvement. This was due to the acquisition of Graham "Mike" Meikle who had tried out with Balmy Beach, but who decided to come to Cobourg and led the Ghosts to their first O.R.F.U. “B” Title in a thrilling win over Stratford.

1938 saw the Ghosts go on to bigger and better things: Still coached by Chuck Peck and led by Meikle, the fiery Jack Jacobs and of course Lucas, Cooper, Johnston, Newton and Bagnell, the Ghosts waltzed through Belleville Panthers, Kingston Garrison, Toronto Eastsides and Toronto Oakwoods to finally meet Sarnia Wanderers in the Intermediate "A" Championships which they won 12-7.

In 1939 the Ghosts' fortunes slipped a little. Meikle had gone to Sarnia, several players had already enlisted and the Ghosts had to be content with the “B” Crown with wins over Oakwood Indians 8-2 in the semifinals and Smiths Falls Trojans 27-0 in the finals

The Club disbanded for the war years; however, in 1946 they came back stronger than ever to win their first Dominion Crown. Chuck Peck and Bob Lucas did the coaching. Chub Downey was the quarterback along with Ross Gilbart, Ireland Quigley, Pud Jamieson, Bus Edwards, Chuck Henderson and Chuck Johnston in the backfield. The line of Jim Poynton, Bill Jarvis, Homer Seale, Gord Beatty, Vern Goyer, Bob Campbell and Bill Douglas gave the Ghosts all they needed in a League with Peterborough, Trenton, Oshawa and the Orillia Silver Bombers with Milligan, White and Bond.

In their League Final they defeated Oshawa 25-1. Then came the two game total point Ontario "A" Finals with Niagara Falls, where they defeated the Dynamos 23-2 and 9-0 and finally the Dominion Intermediate Championship game with Montreal Eastwards and a 16-5 win for the Ghosts.

This Club set the pattern for years to come winning two more Dominion Crowns in the next four years, all led by the determined Fred Dufton.

The Central O.R.F.U. in 1947 consisted of Peterborough Orfuns, Oshawa Red Raiders, Orillia Silver Bombers, Queens Intermediates and the Cobourg Galloping Ghosts. In the League Final the Ghosts played the Silver Bombers in a two game total point final, winning 15-11 in the snow, in Orillia and played to a 6-6 draw at home to take the total 21-17. Then in the Ontario Finals, Niagara Falls came to town and this season surprised the Ghosts on a snow covered frozen field 13-6.

1948 was certainly one of the Ghosts most outstanding seasons. First the Central League dismissed Cobourg who had raised their ire by drawing several players out of Peterborough and Oshawa. Not to be denied, Fred Dufton immediately went to work and formed an Eastern League with Trenton, Trenton R.C.A.F. and Queens Intermediates.

The team consisted almost entirely of Cobourg and Port Hope players with only Bob Cooper and Rye Holman out of Varsity, Russ Boyd an ex-Argo and Glen Connors being imports. Cooper was an excellent leader and with a backfield of Quigley, Jamieson, Connors, Currelly and Medhurst, and a line of Poynton, Jarvis, Austin, Lees, Brandwood, Douglas and Boyd, the Ghosts roared through the Eastern League and into the Ontario Semifinals against who else but the Orillia Silver Bombers in what was supposed to be a sudden death game in Orillia.

With the Bombers leading 16-5 at the half, it seemed to be all over for the Ghosts, but they came back to end regulation time tied at 16. With darkness descending the League Officials ordered another game to be played on Wednesday of that week in Peterborough. The injury ridden Ghosts scored early in this one and hung on for a 6-0 win and a berth in the Ontario Finals with London Falcons, who had demolished Niagara Falls 21-2.

The Falcons came to town loaded with ex-Western Mustangs, but it was the Ghosts who prevailed 17-5 after a very tough game. In the Dominion C.R.U. Final, the Ghosts met Montreal Rocklands, a big hard hitting club featuring the running of Danny Johnston (who went on to the Alouettes) and Jim Chambers (later to the Eskimos), however the Ghosts scored early and surprised the Rocklands 10-0.

It is always hard to repeat and even though the Ghosts added a number of outstanding players, including Jake Edminston late of the Argo's who also coached the club, Andy McConvey from 0.A.C., Bob Bevan, Art Jones and with the return of Homer Seale and Jack Newton things looked promising. The League consisted of Trenton Mustangs, Queens Intermediates and Cobourg. The Ghosts romped through the schedule undefeated and then met the Orillia Silver Bombers in a two game O.R.F.U. Semifinal.

The Ghosts prevailed 29-18, winning 15-6 in Orillia and 14-12 at home. Then it was the Dundas Bombers led by Dutch Holland, Granby•and Steeves, the Bombers ousted an injury riddled Ghost crew 15-6 in Cobourg and 8-3 in a very muddy field in Dundas. Dundas were a strong club, but must have peaked against the Ghosts for they lost to•Montreal in the C.R.U. Final.

The 1950 Central O.R.F.U. League was extremely strong -  Oshawa had Davey West, Burkhart and Art Skidmore, Peterborough had Huntly, Scriver, Beatty and the McGillis brothers, and of course Orillia had Jim Milligan throwing, Mush Bond and Dave Ross running. The Ghosts had their full crew back, plus two excellent lineman in Gord Burdick and Bob McNally, along with Hawkins, Don Smith and a great running back in Ernie Darrah later to go on to the Alouettes.

Jake Edminston was a tower of strength at centre and Brandwood, Lees, Jarvis, Burdick, Seale, Douglas, Holman and Smith gave great protection to quarterback Cooper. The backfield had Medhurst, Bevan, Darrah, McConvey, Currelly, Quigley and Jamieson. This season the Ghosts were loaded with strength. They won the League losing only one game, that to Oshawa, but several games were won in the dying moments in a very exciting season.

In the Ontario Semifinals they met their old nemesis, the Dundas
Bombers. The first game in Cobourg was a terrific struggle with the Ghosts winning 3-0 on the strength of three singles by Bob Cooper.

Back in Dundas on another terrible field the game was a defensive struggle. The Ghosts line was outstanding particularly Don Smith and Bob McNally. Coopers kicking kept Cobourg in the game and late in the fourth quarter led 8-6 on the round even though they trailed 8-3 in the game. With the flag up, the Bombers kicker Mancini tried a field goal from 20 yards out, however, Ernie Darrah somehow deflected the ball and Cobourg recovered to win the round 8-6.

The O.R.F.U. Finals with London Falcons were almost an anticlimax. The Ghosts rolled to a 13-1 win in Cobourg and an 18-11 win in London. However, London did tie the game in the second quarter 11-11 before Art Jones took over and kicked two field goals in the fourth quarter to lock it up.

The Quebec winners this season were the Montreal Lakeshore Flyers featuring a big hard charging line and the running of Danny Johnston, who had given the Ghosts lots of trouble as a member of the Westmounts in '48.

The game, played on the same day as the famous "Mud Bowl" at Varsity Stadium, was dominated by a strong wind which pushed many kicks out of bounds on the west side of the field. With the weather dictating a low scoring ground game the Ghosts line prevailed and with Cooper kicking single points in the third and fourth quarters, the Ghosts won their third C.R.U. Intermediate Title 2-0.

By 1951 the Central O.R.F.U. League had expanded to include East York Blue Devils, as well as Ryerson, along with Orillia, Peterborough, Oshawa, Queens and Cobourg. Jake Edminston was back as coach. New players included Bernie Flesch, Dare Campbell, Karl Lenahan, Vic Garvin and Joe Kane.

This season saw the Ghosts pick up a lot of key injuries and as a result were nosed out of first place by the Oshawa Red Raiders led by Jim Loreno, Sully Ford and Mel Taylor. However, the Ghosts did grab second place and a berth in the sudden death Intermediate "B" Final with the Sarnia Wildcats.

The Wildcats, led by the Reeves brothers Hank & Pete, played well, but in a rough game that saw three players ejected, the Ghosts triumphed 13-0.

1952 saw the League reduced to four teams, Oshawa, Kingston R.C.E.M.E., Cobourg and the Peterborough Orfuns who now included many of the disbanded Orillia Bombers.

With the retirement of several players there was a considerable turnover in personnel. Coming into the Ghosts folds, were first of all a new coach in the person of Art West, the former Argo star who had been coaching at Balmy Beach. With him came players such as Red Alexander, Don Hatt, Magee, Hendry and Horvath, along with Jack Reeves from 0.A.C., Mel Taylor, Armstrong and Brodie who defected from Oshawa. This gave the Ghosts a potent crew, but as the season wore on it was evident something was missing. Injuries again were instrumental•in the Ghosts finishing second to the Peterborough Orfuns-Bombers combination.

This put them into the Intermediate “B” two game final, with the Kitchener-Waterloo Rams and Carl Totzke. The Ghosts won the first game in Kitchener 17-12, but in the second game in Cobourg the score was 6-1 for Kitchener at the end of regulation time and it took two periods of Overtime before the Ghosts led by Red Alexander scored, to win the “B” Title 24-18. That title would turn out to be the last the Ghosts would ever win. Even though they operated in 1953, most of the local stalwarts had retired. The club consisted almost entirely of out of town players which unfortunately did not make the playoffs. With attendance dwindling and costs spiraling, it became evident to Fred Dufton and the Ghosts executive, that it would be impossible to continue.

The Galloping Ghosts were, and still are the most famous of all teams in Cobourg's sports history. To play for, or even to be associated with the Ghosts, left one with a sense of pride and a never to be forgotten desire to perform to the best of one's ability.

In Fred Dufton, the Ghosts had a leader who proved that there is no supplement for hard work and determination. With a record of eight Ontario Titles and three C.R.U. Titles in thirteen years of operation, very few clubs could ever challenge the record of the Cobourg Galloping Ghosts.

By Paul Currelly

Reviewed August 2020

The YMCA was begun, in London England, in 1844, by a young draper’s assistant, George Williams, as a means to give young men an alternative to life on the streets. It has since spread around the world, inspiring people of all ethnicities, genders and religions to grow in spirit, mind and body.

On March 3, 1870, the Cobourg YMCA held its first meeting and enrolled 40 members at $1.00 each. By 1879, it acquired its first hall and the opening attracted a crowd of 200 individuals. The Cobourg YMCA hosted the annual Provincial convention for Ontario and Quebec in October, 1881. Fifty-three delegates attended representing 16 Associations. That annual report showed the Cobourg hall valued at $3,500 with a $2,300 mortgage. The President was J.W. Bickle and the Secretary George McCullagh. The population of Cobourg was 5,000 with the YMCA having 100 members. The Business, Devotional and Missionary meetings were held at Victoria University. In 1883 the Secretary was W.C. Jex. In 1887 John Butler was the Secretary.

Sidenote: James Naismith was born near Almonte, Ont. In late 1891 he was teaching physical education at the YMCA Training School at Springfield, Mass. He hung two peach baskets for boys exercising in the gym and basketball was created. Influenced by Naismith, another YMCA physical educator in 1895 invented volleyball.

Between 1881 and 1948 there are no reports so the YMCA status is unknown. An article by Mrs. Alex Bruce in the Cobourg Sentinel-Star on January 27, 1955 states an organizational meeting was held February 3, 1948. In 1948 the Cobourg YMCA was incorporated. ‘Y’ rooms in the Town Hall were established and programs arranged. In the spring of 1950 “Port Hope members were contacted regarding the YWCA there, the result being that Miss Muriel Whitely was the first executive secretary appointed on a full-time basis between the two associations.”

A nursery school was started and recreation programs developed for children and adults, including teen dances and other social gatherings. By 1952, the first Summer Day Camp in Victoria Park was established, attended by 75 children.

The amalgamation of the YWCA and the YMCA took place in 1953. Bert Messacar was appointed full-time secretary. That September the association procured its first headquarters at 181 King Street East near D’Arcy Street, the former home of Dr F.P. Lloyd.

In 1955 Mrs. Bruce further reported that during the early days, classes for women and girls included instruction in art and oil painting, leather craft, felt craft, figurine painting, metal-tooling, artificial flower making, smocking, plain sewing, photography, weaving and cooking. “Keep Fit” classes were established as well as basketball teams and bridge instruction. Summer activities of tennis and shore picnics were regular features.

That year, programs consisted of a sewing club, “Y” Brownies, Junior and Senior Y Teens, social and activity clubs. Subjects included good grooming, puppetry, folk dancing demonstrations, sewing and crafts as well as devotional periods, for girls. Stamp collecting, photography, gymnastics, tumbling and work shop was available for boys. There were also adult classes for men, women and co-ed.

In the 1960s a new Executive Director, Ken Thrush, was hired. In 1967 the King St East building was sold to raise funds to build Centennial Pool and a wading pool in Victoria Park. This became the new home of the YM-YWCA. Each year The YMCA held a fund-raising campaign to support their programs. In 1969, The Cobourg YMCA became a founding member of The United Way.

In 1976 a new director, Peter Beatteay, arrived. New programs were started. The YM-YWCA grew. They obtained space in the Victoria College building and moved their offices there.

With membership growing a capital fundraising campaign was launched under the banner of the Cobourg Family Y. Jeff Rolph led the successful campaign. General Foods donated a 6.9 acre parcel of land. The new Cobourg Fitness Center was built on Elgin Street West and officially opened in 1979. The Cobourg YMCA was named as one of the three top Canadian YMCAs in Canada for three consecutive years, 1995-1997. A large expansion began in 1997, with the YMCA continuing, annually, to upgrade and improve its programs and building. The expanded Family YMCA was formally opened April 10, 1999 and by the year 2000, its membership had grown to 4500 members.

Programs expanded to initiate, in 2002, a youth exchange between Cobourg, Montreal and Nicaragua; and, in 2003 to launch YMCA Ontario Early Years Centres across Northumberland County. The corporation itself changed its name in 2004 to YMCA Northumberland as they had opened the Brighton facility in 2003. In 2015, the YMCA Strong Kids Campaign started Operation Red Nose. This new fundraising initiative raised $22,000, providing over 220 safe rides to residents during the holiday season. In 2019, the Y’s Child Care Centres numbered 19.

Today, the YMCA, locally and internationally, is an all-inclusive institution embracing every ethnicity, creed and gender in an effort to foster community and social responsibility in its members for a better global community.

Thanks to Jane McCaig for her contribution to this story.

Updated August 2020

As of 2020, ten of the parks in Cobourg currently have recreational facilities.  There are 14 baseball/softball diamonds, 9 soccer fields, 6 tennis courts, 1 lawn bowling club, a canoe/kayaking club, a yacht club, and 1 basketball court. It has taken over 100 years of acquisition to create the park system we know today. Typically, Cobourg's parks began as private properties which were made available, by their owners, for public use.

Donegan Park (previously called Boulton’s Woods, Donegan Park, McClelland Park, Horseshow Park, Kiwanis Park, and then Donegan Park again) has been used for many activities over the years, including horse shows, football, soccer, rugby, softball/baseball, dancing, the Highland Games (est. 1963), skateboarding, and more. In the early years, there was a half mile track around the outside of the park where horse racing and greyhound racing took place. The Galloping Ghosts football team played here from 1935-1953. “Boulton’s Woods” was donated by Daniel Donegan and was formally opened in 1894.

Victoria Park was originally known as Perry’s Common. The land was originally owned by Ebenezer Perry. Perry was the 1st President of the Board of Police of Cobourg, in 1837, and as such is regarded as the 1st Mayor. Mayor J.D. Hayden and Council purchased the land in 1898 and began to develop it as a public park by planting trees, seeding grass and creating walkways. The total cost for the land was $1000 and the trees cost $400. The area was about 25 acres in size.

As the land where the Arlington Hotel, the Chateau Hotel, and Lakeview House had stood became available, they were purchased and became part of the park. The trailer park is located within the park’s boundaries. It was once used by the Lavis family to rent out cabins and canoes. There was a large slide built from the beach out into the water that was operated by the Lavis family.

It has been the home of many sports over the years, such as softball (diamond was demolished following the 2003 season), lawn bowling, beach volleyball, the Highland Games, and other recreational sports such as ultimate frisbee and sandcastle building on the beach. It also has 2 playgrounds, a splash pad, and a basketball court. The Lawn Bowling and Tennis Club was established in 1926. However, the lighted clay tennis courts beside the lawn bowling greens were damaged by Hurricane Hazel, in 1954, and were never replaced.

There was also a wading pool in Victoria Park which was built in 1951 and demolished in the late 1990’s. The Cobourg YMCA has an outdoor pool just west of the bandshell. The Cobourg Harbour, just west of Victoria Park has been home to the yacht club, canoe and kayak club, dragon boat racing, stand-up paddle-boarding, and more. Yachting regattas began in the 1860’s. The harbour was once used for swimming and diving competitions, during the Cobourg Labour Day Games.

Construction for Legion Fields started in 1994 and took 2 years to complete. It cost 1.4 million dollars to build and is a world-class softball facility. It includes 3 clay surface diamonds, two of which have lights. The complex also includes a building containing press/announcement rooms, change rooms, restrooms, a maintenance area, and a canteen. The 3 diamonds were named after Jack Bevan, Clarke Sommerville, and Layton Dodge – all prominent volunteers in the local sporting community.

Marty Cunningham, an Olympic torch relay participant, threw the first pitch at the ribbon cutting ceremony held on July 11, 1996. Deputy Reeve, Bob Spooner, was the master of ceremonies for the event, which concluded with a celebrity game between the Cold Springs Cats Masters team and the Coors Lite Pro Stars, a team made up of professional hockey players. The ribbon cutting ceremony was organized by the Northumberland Whiskey Jacks senior baseball team and the Town of Cobourg.

Legion Fields continues to be the location of many local, provincial, national and international competitions. In 2004, the main building at Legion Fields was named the “Bill O’Neil Pavilion” after Bill O’Neil who was a major sports volunteer in the community, particularly in ball. Bill O’Neil and Layton Dodge were both inducted into the Cobourg & District Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, while Clarke Sommerville was inducted in 2020.

Lion’s Park has 2 full-sized soccer fields and 2 smaller fields for children while the Rotary Field have 2 full size soccer fields and 3 smaller soccer fields. The Lion’s Fields and Rotary Fields were once a part of the old Military Supply Depot, on D’Arcy Street. The land was eventually sold to the Town of Cobourg and developed into soccer pitches by the Cobourg Soccer Club.

Rotary Waterfront Park, locally referred to as the “Frink”, is a fountain in the summertime and is a free outdoor skating rink in the wintertime. This park was built on the site of the Bird Archer plant. When Bird Archer closed, the Town bought the property for $1.00. The plant was demolished and the site de-contaminated. The outdoor rink and washroom were created with the support of the Ontario Government and the Town.

Peter Delanty Park, formerly called Coverdale Park, includes tennis and pickleball courts, a ball diamond, and playground. The 3 tennis courts were donated by the Rotary Club of Cobourg in 1976. The Park was then in Hamilton Township. The ball diamond was where the Cobourg Angels were ‘born’ under the coaching of Paul Currelly. 

Sinclair Park has 3 baseball diamonds, tennis courts, and a pickleball court. The tennis courts and washrooms were donated to the Town by the Rotary Club of Cobourg, in 1972.

Westwood Park is currently the home of the Cobourg Saxons Rugby Club. It has a rugby/soccer field and playground.

Morley Cane Park is a leisure park that includes a fenced hardball diamond. Morley Cane ran an electrical appliance shop on Chapel St. and a small outlet on King Street. On Saturday mornings, during the 1940’s and 50’s, he would drive through the streets of Cobourg in his sound truck announcing the Galloping Ghosts game to be played at Donegan Park that afternoon. His sound truck was used for many other sports events, too.

Morley was the Chairman of the Parks and Recreation Board for most of the 1980’s. At that time, it was an independent board, not an advisory committee. The park was named after him in honour of his service to the Town. The Rotary Club of Cobourg, under President Jack Russell, put in the physical labour and funds to complete the ball diamond.

Lucas Point Park and Minnie Pennell Arboretum are naturalized parks that include a variety of walking trails. Minnie Pennell was the driving force in the 1990s behind the Ecology Gardens located just west of Legion Village.

James J. Tracey Park includes a fenced ball diamond, a playground, and community garden. The property was originally owned by the Knights of Columbus. It was deeded to the Town with the provision that it be named after James Tracey who was a Grand Knight for the Father Duffy Knights of Columbus in Cobourg. He was also the District Deputy of the Knights and in charge of three Councils. He was a Town Councilor and very involved in Legion Minor Softball, serving on the Executive.

Fitzhugh Park has a playground and basketball court. The Fitzhugh family were prominent 19th century citizens of Cobourg. They married into the Daintry family and were socially part of the ‘American Colony’, in Cobourg.

The Ecology Garden is a community garden with bird watching locations and is a naturalized area. It was established in 1996. As aforementioned, Minnie Pennell was the driving force behind the creation of Cobourg’s Ecology Garden. She once said, “An ecology garden has a great potential to become an invaluable inspiration and teaching tool for all gardeners, novice or experienced, and will bring together in a safe, pleasant outdoor work environment many different age groups”.

Since its inception, the Ecology Garden has facilitated the mentoring and education of local students who have gone on to university in related fields of ecological research. The garden has provided opportunities for growing vegetables organically, without chemical interventions. The food that has been grown has been donated to United Way agencies, shelters, transition homes, and more. The garden is located just south of Legion Village, along the boardwalk, and faces Lake Ontario. A variety of plants, including flowers, vines and fruits, grow there.

The Honourable James Cockburn Centennial Park, formerly called Rotary Gardens, came to fruition on September 17, 1967. Members of the Rotary Club of Cobourg cut down trees, built a dam, picked stones and used their plows to level and prepare the property as a park. Additional trees were planted and a parking lot created off Elgin Street. Seven Rotarians put up their money to buy a piece of property on the south-east side of the creek to round out the Park area. Over the years it has been used for youth soccer and softball. In 1971, the Rotary Club turned over the deed to the Ganaraska Conservation Authority who are now responsible for its maintenance.

Peace Park is located just west of Ontario Street, south of Tweed Street and north of Tremaine Terrace. Factory Creek is its western border. It has some playground equipment and is used by sport fishermen. It is a popular spot for lake trout and salmon. The park marks the terminus of the walking and hiking board walk promenade which stretches along the west beach and connects to the Marina and Victoria Park walkways. 

Many Cobourg parks offer sporting opportunities for its citizens and visitors, of all ages, and are a source of pride for the town. 

Updated August 2020

Cricket like most other sports was brought to North America. The earliest record of a cricket match being played in Canada, by civilians, appears in the form of a reference to a game played at Ile-Ste-Helene, near Montreal, in 1785. Cricket is one of the oldest sports played in Cobourg. It was popular well into the 1890s.

The Colonel’s game of cricket had much in its early favour. Youth from around Ontario, educated at Upper Canada College and themselves member of the colony’s conservative ruling class, brought the game back to their small towns where they in turn assumed leading positions as members of the judiciary, local government and the medical profession. Cricket was their informal means of maintaining the social cohesion of a local ruling class as well as providing opportunities to meet with the elite of Upper Canada.

The Cobourg Star in July 1843, as reported in the book ‘Sixty Years of Canadian Cricket’ says that " These are just our opinions, and we feel proud in witnessing the introduction into this province of those fine manly sports of Old England. We love every recollection of our early home; and we are fully convinced that the more frequently these recollections are called up, the more we will admire and the more firmly we will cling to that glorious country. The sports of the people have much to do with the formation of national character and the time occupied by a game of cricket is far better spent than in political meetings or party brawling."

And from the same book “On the 28th day of August, 1843, a match was played between Toronto and Cobourg on the grounds of the former club. The scores were: Toronto, 72 and 36; Cobourg, 30 and 23; the home team winning by 53 runs. The principal scorer for the losers, Dr. Goldstone, was the only player to make double figures, with 10, not out, and 0, to his credit. The bowling of Buck and Bourne for Cobourg, and Winckworth and Maddock for Toronto, was excellent.”

A minute book from 1846 of this earliest known cricket club in Cobourg contains printed rules of cricket with “Practical Hints To The Young Cricketer” by G.A. Barber, a member of the Toronto Cricket Club.

On May 9, 1846, the first meeting that year of the Cobourg Cricket Club was held at the Globe Hotel. R.H. Throop was the Chairman and the following Officers were elected:
President:          Dr. Goldstone
Vice President:  George Daintry
Treasurer:          H.J. Ruttan
Secretary:          W.C. Crofton
Committee:        Messrs. Tremaine, Buck and J. Bunbury

There were two categories of members; Playing and Honourary. A Playing Member was liable to be called on to play in any match. A fine of 7½ D was levied against anyone who failed to appear when the wickets were pitched, or left before a match ended.

Matches were played during the season of 1846. Among them one at Bowmanville which is fully reported in the Minute Book under June 8th. The Cobourg club was invited to play a friendly match against the Bowmanville club on the 17th. It was suggested that the Cobourg players should come up to Bowmanville by the “America” on Wednesday evening as there were no railways in Ontario at the time. Travel would have to be either by steamer or by stage coach.

Bowmanville beat Cobourg by 24 runs. A month later Cobourg hosted Bowmanville. For Cobourg, Bunbury made 12 and 7, Corrigal 20 and 8, Burnham 12 and 1. After a heavy shower fell between innings, Bailey for Bowmanville tumbled head first on his wicket in running. The umpires could not agree as to whether he was out or not, and it was agreed by both elevens to leave the decision to the Toronto Cricket Club, who decided against Bailey, and 20 runs were deducted from his score. Bowmanville still won 38 and 91, Cobourg, 64 and 40.

Trinity College and Port Hope also had cricket teams. At a match in June 1878 Port Hope had 91 and 50 for 5 wickets and Cobourg had 89 and 52. For Cobourg, Osier made 45. For Port Hope, H. Ward made 15 and 15, Weston 14 and 5 (not out), H. Read 14 (not out), G. F. Hall 5 and 14, Butcher 1 and 13 (not out).

A Cobourg cricket team in the 1880s toured the United States with success and played many matches in Cobourg with visiting clubs. Members of the touring team included J.D. Hayden, Fred Smith, J.H. Munson, Douglas Armour, Alex Hargraft, John Hargraft, Albert Woods and Lyman Kennedy.

The New York Times of August 11, 1880 reported that the Longwood Club of Boston would be playing at the Cobourg club after playing matches in Hamilton and Toronto.

Cricket continued to be popular for a number of years. A meeting to organize the sport for 1894 was described in the Sentinel Star on April 13, 1894: “One of the most successful cricket meetings ever held in Cobourg took place in the Dominion Bank last Monday evening. Over 30 members were present, and regrets were read from a number who were unable to be present. The membership fee was fixed at $2.00 and no doubt all lovers of the game will join the Cobourg club.”

One of the earliest references to a Grafton team occurs in 1867 when The Cobourg World reported a match between Grafton and the Brighton Cricket Club. The 1868 Grafton Cricket team included players Alex Godard, Jock Willoughby, Dr. William Willoughby, F.J. Bingley, John Johnston Jr., E.G. Tremain, J. Charles Rogers, Robert Z. Rogers, W. Standly, A.W.C. Bruce, James Barnum, F. Burnett, S.W. Cummings, and Alex Patterson. Local matches were played on the Roger’s field, west of Grafton’s Anglican church where the Haldimand arena stands today.

In “Sporting Notes” of the June 7, 1907 edition of the Cobourg Sentinel Star “The cricket club are arranging home games with Peterboro, Trinity College School of Port Hope, and Grace Church, Toronto. Tomorrow’s game between Port Hope and Cobourg should be a hot one. Port Hope defeated Cobourg in Port Hope last Saturday and Cobourg will have to win to keep at the head of the league. Cobourg’s home brews can be depended to win tomorrow against Port Hope Imports. Game called at 3 o’clock. Admission 25c, ladies and children 10c, ladies will be admitted free to the grandstand but gentlemen will be charged 10c extra”

The fate of cricket and baseball was inevitably tied up in the changing nature of Ontario society. Cricket began to decline as it and lacrosse were gradually supplanted by baseball’s growing popular appeal.

Sources:
“Cobourg 1798-1948” – E.C. Guillet, author
“Memories of Haldimand Township: When the Lakes Roared” – Haldimand’s History Committee, author
“Bowmanville: A Small Town at the Edge” – William Humber, author
“Sixty Years of Canadian Cricket” – Hall & McCulloch

Updated August 2020

Pigeon racing is the sport of releasing specially trained racing pigeons, which then return to their homes over a carefully measured distance. The time it takes the animal to cover the specified distance is measured and the bird’s rate of travel is calculated and compared with all of the other pigeons in the race to determine which animal returned at the highest speed.

It is thought that the sport of racing pigeons may go back at least as far as 220 AD or possibly earlier. Modern pigeon racing originated in Belgium in the mid 19th century. It is still a major sport in Belgium, where a bird, named after Usain Bolt, was sold to a Chinese businessman for $400,000.

The predecessors of modern-day racing pigeons were pigeons bred for their homing ability, primarily to carry messages. Pigeons were used for this purpose during the First and Second World Wars. During World War I and World War II, the U.S. military enlisted more than 200,000 pigeons to conduct surveillance and relay messages.

The sport of pigeon racing started in Cobourg in 1935. Founding members were John Fox and Ken Medhurst. Members of the Cobourg Racing Pigeon Club included G.H. Rollings, Ish Manton, Irwin Hie, John Hilliard, Ken Medhurst, Ernie Johns, Ron Clayton, Lyal Caine, Dan Parsons, Mike Markle John Fox and Lyle Landymore.

The club operates under the Charter of the Canadian Racing Pigeon Union. Each member has their own pigeon loft. John Fox and Ken Medhurst have been racing pigeons since the formation of the club. John Fox, of Cobourg, has been involved in the sport for 73 years, since he was 13 years old.

The Cobourg Racing Pigeon Club is part of a combine that includes clubs from Kingston to Bowmanville and is known as the Eastern Ontario Combine. G.H. Rollings, John Fox and Ken Medhurst, of Cobourg, were the top pigeon racers for many years.

Races used to run east and west with progressive distances for the pigeons. Today, races are north and south up to 600 miles. Flights today are from such places as Mattawa and points north to Hearst, Ontario. The fight home for a bird from Hearst, Ontario is approximately 990 km. The pigeons are transported to release points by tractor trailer that can carry as many as 80 pigeon baskets.

The Cobourg Sentinel Star of June 18th, 1959 reported the Cobourg Racing Pigeon Club’s race results from Gogama and Parry Sound. A race from Folleyette, a distance of 360 miles, on September29, 1962 was won Mike Markle of Cobourg. Mr. Markle took home $50.00 and a trophy. On September 2, 1964, the Cobourg Sentinel Star again reported that John Fox of the Cobourg club had won a Canadian Pigeon Union Trophy for capturing the combined 200 and 300 mile young bird average for 1964.

There are between 800 and 1000 members in the Canadian Racing Pigeon Club (www.crpu.ca) and Brad Foster of Cobourg is, at time of writing, the President. The Cobourg/Port Hope Racing Pigeon Club has 14 members and, at time of writing, the president is Shawn Whetstone.

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A Flying Fancy
By Layton Dodge
Cobourg Sentinel-Star May 10, 1967

Every Friday around supper hour, from May to September, several men gather in the barn of Erwin Hie on University Avenue East for a strange but intriguing ritual. What’s it all about? Well, this agent had occasion to find out first hand last weekend. They’re participating members in the ancient sport of pigeon racing, Cobourg chapter. At the invitation of Mike Markle, I went along to observe the standard procedure of pigeon fanciers in preparing for a race. It was a fascinating 90 minutes.

Thirteen fanciers were there and they had brought along in wicker crates the old birds they believed were ready for the week’s 150-mile flight from Ingersoll. Since there were more birds than the seven crates, which the Cobourg club has contracted to ship this year, could comfortably accommodate, deciding which 134 birds to send took a few minutes of deliberation.

Meanwhile, all the German-made clocks which are used to register the time in flight and the time of the pigeon’s arrival were synchronized. At exactly six o’clock, according to the WBEN radio time signal, each pigeon owner turned a key to start the clocks ticking.

Attaching a numbered rubber band to the leg of each pigeon was the next order of business. An aluminum band, bearing the serial number and year the bird was registered with the Canadian Pigeon Union for proof of ownership, breeding and records, already circled the other leg of every cock (male) and hen (female).

When the banding was completed, the loaded crates were transported by club member John Fox to Oshawa where a waiting truck carrying pigeons from other Eastern Ontario towns, took the birds to their takeoff destination. Early Saturday morning, the pigeons were released at Ingersoll, a club member was informed of the exact time of release and the race was on in earnest. A few hours later, anxious eyes of Cobourg fanciers were scanning the sky for the appearance of their birds. As I understand it, as soon as a bird lands, the rubber band is removed from the leg and inserted in the clock to record the official time of arrival on the slip in the clock. Within an hour or so, club members meet to open the clocks.

Because the starting point in any race is a fixed position (usually another town) but each bird’s loft varies in distance from the starting point, the method of determining a winner is unconventional and rather complicated. Consequently, the first bird “home” is not necessarily the winner. The race is determined on yards flown per minute. That’s where the mathematical mind of Ken Medhurst, who’s owned pigeons since he was 12 years old, comes in. Aided by a code book, he does all the intricate calculating.

Weather plays an important role in nearly all pigeon races. Losses can be staggering if birds encounter a bad summer storm. Times, of course, are adversely affected of those who do find their way home. A pigeon flyer always races his birds in the same direction, gradually increasing the distance as the bird matures. Young ones have the speed for short 200-mile races, but older birds, up to seven years, have the durability and experience for marathons.

Erwin Hie, one of the Cobourg club veterans, showed me through his coop, pointing out his oldest bird, nicknamed “Wa Wa”, which is 19 years of age. That’s roughly equivalent to a 100-year-old man. He also mentioned that if fanciers were smart, they would keep fewer birds in order to train them better.

Reviewed August 2020