Cobourg

The ski club (NFSC), located in the heart of the Northumberland Forest on Highway #45, came into existence in September, 1945. Before the establishment of the NFSC, locals went skiing on the hills around town (Cobourg). They would hike up, ski down, and do it all over again. Two popular locations were on Elgin Street East, (east of where the depot was built, on the north side) and on the back side of Creighton Heights hill.

By 1945, young people wanted to ski. Hubert Cooey of The Cooey Machine and Arms Factory spurred Cobourg Mayor Joe Smith to encourage the sport and to make use of the Northumberland Forest and the hills on the property and was the driving force behind the formation of the ski club.

The Town of Cobourg ran ski buses on the weekends and Mayor Smith would give free bus tickets and tow tickets to those who could not finance the trip. Tom Krakenberg’s father moved here from Mt. Tremblant to help build the ski runs and lifts. He had worked for Joe Ryan at Tremblant previously.

The publication, Cobourg 1798-1948, stated that at present 2 tows were developed to take skiers to the top of the 2 hills. There were at least 3 runs per hill which ranged to suit the timid beginner to the fanatical expert in search of more and bigger thrills.

The ski club had a chalet, lunch counter, lounging space, ski shop and office available to the skiers. Many local families were involved over the years. The Cane’s, Krakenberg’s, Margles, Mann’s, Russ Lake, Jim & Bonnie Sheridan, the Zinkie’s, the Curtis family from up the road, and many, many more contributed a lot of volunteer hours over the years. At the time, all children attending school within the United Counties and Durham and Northumberland could become members at no charge.

Initially, there was no electricity at the ski club. A gas generator was brought in to power the lights and coffeemaker in the chalet which housed a large fireplace and tuck shop.

Phil Calnan recalls that in the 1950s, professional ski instructors were brought in and a ski patrol was formed. The local ski patrol was provided guidance from Dr. Doug Firth, the founder of the Canadian Ski Patrol. Several of the local ski patrol went on to help form ski patrols at many of the eastern Ontario and New York ski areas.

At the time, a Bren Gun Carrier was used to power the rope tows and ‘Jet’ Hayden from Baltimore was the individual who kept the tow operating. The ropes were massive affairs. Each was hand spliced. The splices could be 5 or 6 feet long in total. A seasoned skier would see the splice coming downhill, and let it slip through his hand before gripping hard. In 1948, a second tow was installed and 3 more runs were developed for the skiers. Mr. Hayden would go on to become the club’s ski manager in 1961.

Notable members of the Northumberland Forest Ski Club and racing team included brothers, John and Vic Emery. Both attended Trinity College School at the time and went on the win a gold medal for Canada in the 4-man bobsleigh race at the 1964 Olympics held in Innsbruck Austria.

Phil Calnan also recalls that weekends at the ski club were very busy and very crowded because they were ahead of the development of the ski industry in the Collingwood and Huntsville areas. The Cobourg Sentinel Star reported on January 20, 1955 that on the previous weekend, the ski club saw 200 skiers enjoy the runs. It again reported two weeks later, the club set a new record as over 300 skiers saw action at the Northumberland Forest Ski Club.

The Northumberland Forest Ski Club was popular not only for down hill skiing but for cross country skiing. It boasted an active Ski Patrol and in the 1960s and 1970s hosted winter festivals, race days and school days.

In the late 1960s a new chalet was erected with all the modern amenities as well as a ski patrol cabin.

A Poma lift was installed in the late 1970s, perhaps the last year that the club was operational. Mr. Calnan noted that with rising insurance costs and the lack of snowmaking and grooming equipment, it was difficult to stay competitive with other ski areas.

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On The Slopes
A.L. Skee – Cobourg Sentinel-Star Oct 24, 1957

The first snow has fallen and although many hundreds of miles to the north, indications are that the great white flakes will be upon us in the next month or so.

Northumberland Forest Ski Club has opened its doors and plans are being made for a bigger and better season. Johnny Ewart spent several happy days last week delivering cheques to many of the note holders and this serves as good public relations. Jet Hayden is busy fixing up the chalet, replacing windows and getting the tows in good shape. Sandy Campbell is anxiously awaiting the arrival of our giant grass cutter and the hills and trails will receive their annual hair cut this weekend.

The best news of all concerns our facilities. That narrow Razorback Trail that we used to know is no more. It has received a face-lifting and is now over 40 ft wide at the top and tapers down to 20 ft near the bottom. Joe’s Run has been widened at the top and more turns and speed can certainly be guaranteed from this hill.

The trail that we the members hacked out of the woods just one year ago is complete, all stumps removed, widened in several places and just waiting for the snow to arrive. The Herman Gadner and Campbell’s Cut are next to feel the blows of the axe and both trails will be considerably improved.

All in all it has been a busy fall for those concerned as we realize that improvements must be made to remain competitive with other clubs and to attract more skiers. We realize that when the new 401 highway reaches Cobourg it will only be 11/2 hours drive from Toronto to the hills and this in itself will bring many more dollars to both our ski club and the Town of Cobourg.

Reviewed August 2020

The Camborne Village Ski Club, owned by Pat and Carol Doyle, was originally located on Smylie Road, east of the village of Camborne in Hamilton Township and operated at this location for the 1962-63 and 1963-64 skiing season.

Pat Doyle, a bricklayer by trade, found an article in a magazine on how to build a rope tow using a Pontiac car motor. Putting his mechanical skills to use, Pat soon had a rope tow ready to operate. He and Carol prepared the hill for skiers by putting on their skis and side stepping on the hill to pack the snow down.

With minimal advertising in the local newspaper and word of mouth, the Camborne Village Ski Club was born.

As numbers increased, Pat and Carol decided to purchase 14 acres of property west of Camborne on what was then known as Lean Road, now Doyle Road. The Doyles built a home at this location and the upstairs became the chalet. Six new ski runs were designed and two rope tows installed. The runs were named Grist Mill, Witches Wind, Spillsville, Camel Back, Gambler’s Flight and the Junior Hill.

As the ski club’s popularity grew and the line-ups for the rope tows got longer, the Doyles purchased a T-Bar lift system in the summer of 1973. With the help of friends, the lift was installed and operational for the 1974 skiing season.

In 1975, a popular after-school ski program was established and within 3 years most schools in Cobourg and Port Hope were participating. By this time lighting had been installed which made night skiing possible. The Ski Club provided employment for 20-25 people.

According to The Cobourg Star, the Club’s ski school had nearly 100 children enrolled with 5 instructors. To ski for the whole day cost $3 for adults, $2.50 for students and $2 for children, making it one of the most inexpensive ski clubs in the area.

The ski club sponsored race days, theme days such as costume day and pot luck suppers in the chalet after a day of skiing.

In an effort to extend the ski season, a snow maker was purchased in 1977.

It was in 1988 that the difficult decision was made to close the Camborne Village Ski Club. Climate change was having an effect on the east facing ski runs as well as the increased number of winters with less natural snow. These factors along with sky rocketing insurance costs contributed to the closure.

It is interesting to note that remnants of the T-Bar lift system are still visible today.

Pat and Carol Doyle’s granddaughter made the following remark as part of her prize-winning grade school speech, “My Grandma and Grandpa never imagined how many people would learn to ski at their club and how many people would make family memories on their slopes.”

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Photos courtesy of Heather Johns Collection

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Local photographer Peg McCarthy did a weekend photo shoot at Camborne Village Ski Club in January of 1988 for the Cobourg Daily Star.

Images courtesy of Northumberland County Archives & Museum, photo credit Peg McCarthy. The photos are part of the Sun Media Collection.

From T-shirts to Champions

High School Rugby was becoming popular in rural Ontario so teachers Rob Majdell and Ray Heffernan thought they would start a rugby program in the spring of 1993. St Mary’s Catholic Secondary School (SMCSS) was still a small school of about 400 students. The expectation was that 20 firm participants would be needed at every practice, at every lunch, to continue with this program.

The other local high schools with their bigger population bases (around 800 students each) had already established rugby programs. For the betterment of rugby they agreed to play St. Mary’s new team in exhibition play for the first 3 years. These teams included Trinity College School, Cobourg East and Cobourg West.

During the first 2 years, players wore only t-shirts as jerseys. In year three, after the team became established, the school ordered and bought keeper jerseys. The fellas thought they were too nice to wear for games, so they decided to keep wearing t-shirts. The team began playing in the Kawartha league in 1996 and as they say, the rest is history.

In 2000, Greg Conway joined the coaching staff.  The team rebranded itself as the Thunder RFC and began to enjoy more success on the pitch – more coaches meant more skill development for the players.  By 2003, the team had its first player selected to Team Ontario – Sandy Sweet.  His skill and attitude started to turn the tide towards a more competitive approach by the players. 

The coaching staff had also added Drew Quemby to the fold.  This was massive as Rob Majdell had moved on to become a Vice-Principal at another school.  The team began showing potential, competing with or even defeating powerhouse teams from Lindsay and Peterborough – teams that only 2 or 3 years prior had been winning by 70 points!

In 2004, the team embarked on the first of many Rugby Tours.  The island of Bermuda was chosen.  The destination, along with amazing experiences like playing against the Bermuda U-18 team on the national pitch, drew even more athletes out to the team.  Touring became a mainstay and was the turning point in prying male athletes away from the mindset of only playing hockey.  The team now prides itself as a touring side, having embarked on 13 ruby tours to places like England, Hawaii, Barbados, Scotland, France, New York City and even the Rugby World Cup in 2015.  The opportunity to go on these tours has attracted many more athletes to try the sport, which has resulted in a very competitive side moving forward.

St. Mary’s has held the Saxon Cup (Northumberland championship) since 2005, after Port Hope won the inaugural competition in 2004.  The Junior Boys are the sole winner of the Junior Saxon Cup, winning it every year it has existed.  The Thunder take the local rivalry very seriously – the only loss by either the Junior or Senior team since 2002 to a local team came in the Saxons Cup final in 2004 to Port Hope.  Keeping the streak alive is taken to heart!

In 2005, the team qualified for its first COSSA Championship after making its first Kawartha Final in team history.  2010 saw the team win its first COSSA medal – a Silver – after toppling powerhouse Centennial from Belleville in the Semis.  They would lose a very tight COSSA final by 2 points and miss out on OFSAA.

In 2011, the Junior Boys won the team’s first Kawartha Championship.  2012 saw the team compete in its first OFSAA Championship – as host school.  Though ranked in the bottom half of the 16-team tournament draw, the team finished 5th overall!  That success was further demonstrated the following year, as the Senior Boys won their first Kawartha title in 2013.

The team had entered a new competitive phase – regularly competing for Kawartha titles and qualifying for COSSA.  They also had athletes not only competing for Ontario, but also being selected to represent Canada.  Brandon McLeod, or “The Missile”, played internationally on the Canada Sevens development team 6 times.  Owain Ruttan represented Canada for their U-18 and U-20 teams a total of 11 times, scoring two tries, including one against Wales!

2016 saw a Junior Team unlike any before at SMCSS.  They captured the Kawartha title and the team’s first COSSA Gold.  That same team won COSSA Gold again at Senior in 2017, 2018 and 2019.  During that run, they produced 4 more Canadian players – Josh Barss, Keagan Read, Adam McNee and Mason Flesch.
 
In 2018, the Senior Boys team reached new heights 25 years after the first team started play.  They toured Hawaii and defeated the powerful Kahuku – Hawaii state champions.  They returned home and won the Kawartha Championship as well as the COSSA Championship.  All that remained was OFSAA.
They entered as the #1 seed and dominated the tournament leading up to the final.  In a hard fought Gold Medal game, the Thunder prevailed 26-19 to capture its first Provincial Championship.  They outscored all opponents at OFSAA by a margin of 200-24 and finished the season a perfect 16-0.  

The 2019 team was not to be outdone.  That team won Kawartha and COSSA again, and went on the win the OFSAA Championship, becoming only the third school to ever repeat as Champion.  History was made however as St. Mary’s won the 2019 title game 40-0, which is the largest margin of victory in any OFSAA Boys Rugby Championship Final.

It has taken almost 30 years to reach the pinnacle.  They began in t-shirts and running shoes, losing by 70 or 80 points.  They have since seen the world and risen to the top, with back-to-back OFSAA Gold.  The coaching staff has grown as well – additions Tim Linehan, Adam Janssen, Shawn Carmichael have all played a part in the team’s growth and success.  As a coaching staff, we are excited to see where the team can go next!!!

Greg Conway - Head Coach, Thunder RFC

Updated August 2020

Gerald Alphonsus “Jerry” Lawless
Physical Education Teacher and Coach
CDCI West Viking Coaching Legend

Gerald Alphonsus “Jerry” Lawless was born on October 18, 1931 in Grafton, Ontario. He was one of nine children of Thomas Alphonsus “Phons” Lawless and Mary ”Eva” (Kernaghan). Jerry passed away in his 83rd year on November 5, 2013.

Jerry grew up doing chores on the family farm and volunteering at church. As a young adult he worked on the railway, picked tobacco, and pruned Christmas trees to pay for his university courses. As an adult he continued to go home and help cut grass and trim hedges on the family farm. He attended St. Mary’s Elementary School in Grafton and then went to high school at Cobourg Collegiate Institute (CCI).

Jerry went to St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto where he graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. He completed the Ontario College of Education course in the summer and began his high school teaching career in Englehart, Ontario, in September of 1955. Jerry married Audrey (O’Shea) from Hastings, Ontario, on December 26, 1955.

In 1956, Jerry and Audrey moved to Cobourg, Ontario, where Jerry accepted a job teaching English and Mathematics at CDCI West. Jerry continued his University education taking night courses and summer courses. In 1962, he graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton with a Bachelor of Physical and Health Education. In 1963, Jerry was appointed head of the Physical Education Department at CDCI West. Jerry taught and coached for 33 years, before retiring in 1988.

In his early years of teaching, Jerry coached 5 to 9 teams because there weren’t enough coaches. During his years at CDCI West Jerry focused on not only the development of his student athletes' athletic skills, but also their life skills. He attended coaching clinics over the years to improve his knowledge as a coach. Jerry coached numerous teams to championship wins. Some of these included:

1967 - Kawartha and COSSA Boys Volleyball
1968 - Kawartha and COSSA Boys Volleyball
1975 - Kawartha and COSSA Midget Boys Basketball
1978 - Kawartha and COSSA Midget Boys Basketball
1979 - Kawartha and COSSA Midget Boys Basketball

There was also a soccer championship in that mix. Many of his track and field athletes won championships over the years. On one occasion, Jerry coached soccer and volleyball teams to championship wins on the same day.

Jerry was recognized with many awards. He was presented with the Pete Beach Award, an Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) Coaching Excellence Award, presented to outstanding coaches for their contributions to better their sport and athletes in Ontario. This award was designed to recognize the contribution of a coach over a period of several years.

In 1988, he was presented with the Coach’s Dedication Award which recognized his coaching contributions from 1956-1988 for his continuous effort and support of athletics at “the West”. Jerry had two Athletic Banquet Awards named after him - The Jerry Lawless Coaching Award and the Jerry Lawless Senior Male Athlete of the Year Award. Jerry Lawless was the ultimate West Viking.

The CDCI West Gymnasium was named “The Jerry Lawless Gymnasium” in his honour. When CDCI West closed, Jerry was chosen to share the Cobourg Collegiate Institute gymnasium name with Del Dillon - “The Dillon Lawless Gymnasium”.

Outside of school life, Jerry was an active volunteer within his community. He was a volunteer coach for girls softball and he helped Rick McManus coach the Rouw Construction Girls “Y” Peewee Ball team to a league championship in 1970. This was the first Donegan Park team in the league’s eight year history to capture a championship.

Jerry volunteered with the track and field events at the Cobourg Highland Games in Donegan Park and at St. Michael’s Church in various roles as a reader, an usher, and as an Instructor for Marriage Preparation courses. He and Audrey helped with the Meals on Wheels program. They were cherished volunteers with Cobourg and District Community Living, where they delivered meals and drove the sick and elderly.

Jerry’s personal hobbies and sports activities included hockey, golf, curling, skiing, tobogganing, gymnastics, lawn bowling, square dancing, bridge and gardening. As a young man he had to hitchhike to play hockey and played many games with frozen toes. He was a competitive athlete but concentrated more on coaching students, his daughters and his grandchildren.

Jerry was a dedicated family man. He taught his three daughters many school sports and other skills including swimming, fishing, skating, softball, trampoline, tobogganing, hiking, skiing and camping. Jerry spent countless nights flooding a large ice rink in the backyard for his daughters. He was rewarded for this hard work by watching his daughter Ginny play hockey for Queen’s University. Her team won a gold and two silver medals.

Jerry was a humble man who did not seek the limelight. His brother and sister helped to pay for his university. He was one of two children out of his family of nine that went to University. He learned at a young age to pay it forward and to do random acts of kindness, with nothing asked in return.

Jerry always shared whatever he had with others. He quietly helped students out by purchasing meals, athletic shoes, sports gear, tickets to sporting events, or by driving them home after a late game. Jerry’s former students continued to visit him when they were home for Christmas or summer breaks. Students mailed him pictures of their children playing sports. Some of his former students have shared that they continue to follow many of his life lessons.

Jerry had many quotes that he will be remembered for:
The KISS rule - “Keep It Simple Simon” - no one is stupid around here.
“You aren’t the first to do it and you won’t be the last” - if someone made a mistake.
“If you’re not nervous, you’re not ready”.

“White socks or no socks”.

Once Jerry retired, he filled his hours with sports, woodworking, gardening, bridge club and travelling with his wife Audrey. Jerry built a table and picture frames using wood from the floor of the small gymnasium at CDCI West. Jerry and Audrey spent many hours caring for their four grandchildren and supporting them in their activities. In retirement, Jerry continued to teach and coach his grandchildren for 27 years.

Jerry passed on his knowledge through his values by teaching leadership, life skills, perseverance, integrity, patience, honesty, kindness, and respect for others. The “torch” has been passed on to his daughters, grandchildren, great grandchildren and many students who continue to “pay forward” his legacy.

Some comments from the Gym naming and from Cobourg Yesteryears Facebook posts include:
 “He always went out of his way for those who struggled or did not fit in”.
“He was a man who defined West Athletics”.

“As I step onto the track, and settle into the starting blocks, Mr. Lawless is still with me”.
“Jerry Lawless had his own quiet way of motivating athletes to at first try, and often succeed.”
“If I can influence just one person the way Mr. Lawless influenced hundreds I would be proud”.

“Jerry Lawless touched so many people in his time at the West Collegiate, trust me, they all remember him for his time and dedication he gave everybody”.
“Mr. Lawless personified “spirit” at The West. Whether you were one of his students, a member of one of the countless teams he coached, or just another face in a school of hundreds of kids, he made an effort to get to know everyone. Pretty sure he loved his job, and we all benefited”.

“He gave of himself not just at school but at church and everyday life. I never knew him to ever put anyone down but he always tried to show them their self-worth.”
“Mr. Lawless instilled in us to always give 110%. I will never forget him. I always to this day try to give 110% in whatever I do”.

Jerry said, “You are rewarded so many times over by teaching children”.

Gerald Alphonsus "Jerry" Lawless   
Forever will his praise be sung by his students both old and young!
 Rah Rah Rah!
(Quote taken from the West school song – slightly modified).

A Special Teacher
by Layton Dodge
June 14. 1967  Cobourg Sentinel-Star

THE END OF ANOTHER SCHOOL TERM IS a rather appropriate time, I think, to pen a few kind words about a unique teacher who ranks in my book as the undisputed leader in the physical fitness field in Cobourg.

High school students of the last ten years readily will agree that the man who deserves that billing is Jerry Lawless, head of the PE department at the West Collegiate.

There is no teacher I know who is more admired and respected in our town than the same Mr. Lawless. Boys and girls alike have only good things to say about this man. In fact, in all my dealings with secondary school people, I've never heard any student utter a harsh word about him. That's a remarkable endorsement for a teacher whose job it is to instruct and discipline sometimes temperamental, often critical teenagers.

Jerry Lawless is one of a kind, in my estimation, because of the unparalleled rapport he has established with the students while still maintaining control. There are no know-it-all airs about him. He talks their language, so to speak. He sometimes needles. He often prods. He treats students as young adults rather than as puppets.

Like an older brother; he punishes when it is deserved and praises when it is their just due. In return, the boys, most of whom an looking for direction and respond to it when it is properly channeled, do for him what they wouldn't normally do for somebody else.

Ask almost any CDCI West boy which teacher he finds the friendliest, which one he can tell his troubles to and which one he knows best and chances are the overwhelming majority will single out Mr. Lawless. The collegiate gym is the hallowed grounds of basketball, wrestling, volleyball and gymnastic school teams, inter-form teams and inter-class teams. It is the arena of emotions, the informal classroom of the school.

The campus is a training ground for track, soccer, lacrosse and football. In these domains, you generally find Jerry Lawless - spurring a boy to a more concerted effort, passing along a pointer, demonstrating proper technique, organizing a game, running a practice or assisting another teacher in instructing. He freely gives up countless off, duty hours to pursue these tasks.

Teenage boys listen and pay heed to Jerry Lawless because he knows what he's talking about. He is familiar with the basics of every high school sport and extremely knowledgeable in the finer points of many. What's more, he's not a "do-what-l-say-and-not-as-I do" instructor. Usually, he can demonstrate the correct procedure himself. Moreover, Jerry is ever conscious of the athletic capabilities of his students, their whims and their idiosyncrasies.

I know him to be an excellent analyst, too, able to pick out the flaws in a performance quickly and accurately. Significantly, he judges excellence by performance, spirit and the will to achieve, not by victory alone. Enthusiasm and desire distinguish the great teacher from the ordinary one. Jerry Lawless is abundantly endowed.

He obviously wants to work with boys and doesn't mind spending extra time to do it. For instance, he's one of three coaches taking 47 athletes from the COSSA area on a 5-day expedition to New Brunswick for a schoolboy track meet in St. John on July 1.

Despite  the lack of certain facilities (such as a track and a football field), with which other area high schools are blessed, and the obvious disadvantage of a comparatively small male student population, CDCI West boys have more than held their own in athletic circles in recent years, outdoing their more numerous, more favored East Collegiate counterparts in this regard.

From this observation post, Jerry Lawless deserves a good deal of the credit for this phenomenon. Many years from now, however, CDCI West graduates will not remember Jerry Lawless for the number of winners he produced, directed, assisted or just encouraged. They'll remember him for the kind of person that he was.

And that, I suggest to you, dear reader, is undoubtedly the finest compliment they could ever hope to pay him.

Updated August 2020

Emerging in 2014 as the newly amalgamated public high school in Cobourg, Cobourg Collegiate Institute (CCI) has brought together the rich athletic histories of the former Cobourg District Collegiate Institute East and Cobourg District Collegiate Institute West schools.  Moving from medium sized “AA” schools (between 500-900 students) to a larger AAA school (1150 students in 2020), C.C.I. offers its students an extensive selection of sports teams, with the continued pride and success that was enjoyed by the former East and West schools.  

Since its inaugural year in September of 2014, C.C.I. sports teams have won many Kawartha (local) and COSSA (regional) championships.  This has led to many trips to the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Association (OFSAA) provincial championships with its sports teams, including Girls Hockey, Boys Hockey, Boys Volleyball, Girls Volleyball, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Wrestling, Cross Country, Badminton, Tennis, Track and Field, and Swimming.  

A trip to CCI’s Dillon-Lawless Gym (named after renowned local high school physical education teachers Del Dillon and Jerry Lawless) will also allow you to see the growing number of team and individual OFSAA honours, including medal performances for finishing in the top 4 in the province.  

As of the winter of 2020, OFSAA Honours include the Girls Hockey team with a 4th place finish, and the following individuals: Wrestlers-Amara Hill (4th place), and Jayden Sparks (3rd place), Track Athletes- Cameron Bruce (4th place, 300m Hurdles) and Kate Current (2nd place, 800m), and Swimmers- Lauren Burleigh (2x 1st place 50m Para Backstroke, and 1st place 100m Para backstroke), and Carlie Bilodeau (1st place, JR 50m Backstroke).  Some of these athletes, and many others have enjoyed success at the college and university sports level following their years of competing for Cobourg Collegiate Institute.

In addition to an impressive C.C.I. OFSAA presence to date, they also consistently have demonstrated exceptional character through sport. Two teams were awarded with the OFSAA Sportsmanship Award during their OFSAA debuts – the varsity girls’ hockey team in 2016, in Stratford, and the senior boys’ soccer team in 2018, in Thunder Bay.

Beyond the successes of sports teams to date, dedicated coaches have planned a variety of trips to enrich the students’ experiences, and to provide lasting memories.  One of the highlighted trips include rugby teams taking part in tournaments in New York City and New Brunswick (Rothesay Netherwood Private School in Rothesay, NB).  As well, basketball teams have annually made trips to prestigious American Colleges and Universities to play games, tour the facilities and watch high-level teams train and compete.  Recent trips have been to Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia and New Hampshire.

Building on the excellent athletic facilities on the C.D.C.I. East school site, one major facility upgrade enjoyed by C.C.I. students was the installation of a 6-lane rubberized track.  This has attracted athletes and visitors, including the likes of Canadian Olympic medalist Andre De Grasse, for a training session before his trip to the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.  Highlights on our track to date include running our school’s annual Relay for Life event, and a Board-Wide “Inclusive Track and Field Day”.  

The Inclusive track and field day is open to all Learning and Life Skills high school students around the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, and includes running, wheel-chair and field events, along with a barbeque lunch.  We are also happy to be able to accommodate local and regional elementary schools, housing our future C.C.I. athletes, who need a venue to run their annual track and field meets.

C.C.I has also been a support to many community members and visiting schools looking to access our gym facilities.  This has included a close relationship with the Lakeshore Minor Basketball Association, who has been a partner in helping us to invest in new glass backboards, adjustable nets and a padded score table.  The local Badminton Club, along with the Northumberland Sports Council, used our gym for the Ontario 55+ Winter Games in 2017, which was a unique opportunity to open our school to athletes from all age groups.  Our gyms are rented most nights, and weekends, throughout the year to service local sports clubs for training and competition, including volleyball, badminton, basketball, soccer, rugby, softball, baseball, lacrosse, rowing and more.

As Cobourg Collegiate Institute continues to grow its history, they are proud to be an important and vital part of the Cobourg community.

Updated August 2020

The Cobourg Sentinel-Star, Thursday, October 8,1953

In the following historical reference to the inception of a National Agricultural Show in England, Alfred Hall, Roseneath, Seaton, Cumberland, England, secretary of The World Championship Plowing Organization, tells of the growth of the World Plan development in agricultural organization, and how the First World Contest has come to Cobourg. Ontario.

"J. D. Thomas," writes Mr. Hall, "of the Ontario Plowman's Association flew to Scotland on special mission to invite the Provisional Board of what was to be known as The World Championship Plowing Organization to hold the First World Match in Canada.”

In the early 19th century, the Lord of the Manor of Workington, in Cumberland, England, a man called John Christian Curwen founded the original Workington Agricultural Society. Curwen was a farmer and a member of the British Parliament for 40 years. He carried out many experiments with crops, cultivation, machinery inventions, the fattening of livestock, and other farm practices.

The name of Curwen was adopted on his marriage to the heiress to the estates of the Curwen family. He was of the same family as the famous Mr. Fletcher Christian, the Chief Officer of the "Bounty" who led the mutiny against the notorious, Captain Bligh. Having set Bligh adrift Fletcher Christian and his mutineers settled on Pitcairn Island and there founded a community some members of which occasionally return to the land of their forefathers.  

It was John Christian Curwen and a farmer colleague, the famous Mr. Bates, of Northumberland, who together first suggested to the Secretary of the then Board of Agriculture the idea of holding a National Agricultural Show. Thus was started the "Royal Show of England" as we know it today.

Curwen's Workington Agricultural Society had a branch in the Isle of Man and another at Wigton in Cumberland. For some reason, however, the Workington Show did not survive after Curwen’s day. In 1945 George T. Weir suggested to Alfred Hall and to James Lancaster who was at that time Mayor of Workington, and a few other enthusiasts the idea of forming another Workington Agricultural Society. This was one. James Lancaster was made chairman, Alfred Hall, General Sec., and George Weir Treasurer, and a three-day Agricultural Show and Industry Exhibition was held on Curwen (?), Workington.

In 1946, Alfred Hall suggested the holding of a Ploughing Match, to which the Society agreed. He learned that a champion team of Ontario ploughmen were to pay a visit to the United Kingdom, the trip being their prize for having won the Ontario Championships. There were to be four of them and a team manager. Their sponsors were the Imperial Oil Company of Canada, Ltd., and the Salada Tea Company.

An invitation was at once extended to them through the Ontario Plowmen's Association to compete in the Workington Ploughing Match. The invitation was accepted but when the time for the Match came there was severe frost and after two postponements the event had to be cancelled. But a banquet was held; the visitors were taken on a tour of the Lake District and the invitation was extended to cover another team of Canadians for the next year.

After that each year's Ontario champions came annually to plough at Workington Ploughing Match. Later came competitors from Northern Ireland and from Sweden. And more and more competitors came from further and further afield in Britain, too.

In 1950 the Workington Agricultural Society's Ploughing Match was held at Penrith, in Cumberland, with the assistance of members of Skelton. Plough Match was growing too big to remain a local affair.

The Ontario Plowmen's Association had invited the Workington Society to send a team to compete in Canada; a further invitation came from the State River Valley Plowmen's Association in Canada, and promises of hospitality were forthcoming through the Canadian Vice-president of the Workington Agricultural Society, L. A. Greene, of Port Arthur, Ontario, who began life in Workington.

In the winter of 1951 Ontario's team of champion ploughmen planted Canadian Maple trees round the War Memorial in the Vulcan Park, Workington, as a token of thanks and friendship for the Cumberland hospitality enjoyed at successive parties of Canadian ploughmen.

By now John A. Carroll, who was then Secretary of the Ontario Plowmens' Association (now Assistant Deputy Minister of Agriculture for the Province of Ontario and President of WCPO) were closely liaising on the idea of getting as many countries as possible represented at an international ploughing contest. By various means and in particular, through the good offices of Ford Motor Co. Ltd., Alfred Hall established liaison with interested parties in several European countries.

Lack of finance made it impossible to accept the Canadian invitations, but it was felt that, in time, it might be possible for British plowmen to be sent to European countries in exchange for ploughmen from those countries having visited Britain. The idea of this was discussed by Alfred Hall and Gunnar Hubinette, of Sweden, at Workington in November of 1950. They decided to work; together in the job of interesting other European countries and securing their co-operation.

One of the first steps towards this end was the calling of a meeting by the Workington Agricultural Society in collaboration with the Northern Ireland Ploughing Association in Belfast at the time of the Northern Ireland Ploughing Match in February 1951. It was felt that if international matches were to be successful there was a need to draft rules and agree styles of ploughing, common to all for competition purposes.

This meeting was attended by a representative gathering from the British Isles and from a number of European countries. There was a frank exchange of views and opinions and the outcome was the undoubted desire for the formation of a fully representative international authority for the conduct of international ploughing matches.

Since there was no national society in Great Britain, although Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (Erie) each had their own national organizations to which local societies were and, of course, still are affiliated, the Workington Society decided to invite all the local ploughing societies in Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) to attend a meeting to consider the formation of a British Ploughing Association.

Because there was no collected record of ploughing societies this entailed considerable research and this job of finding the addresses of secretaries was carried out in the main by George Merryweather of the Goodyear Tyre Company of Great Britain Ltd. Mr. Merryweather and Mr. Frank Ellis, of Essa, were two of the earliest associates of the Workington Agricultural Society in connection with the developments in competition ploughing.

The meeting thus convened by the Workington Society was held in Leeds, Yorkshire, on the 17th of May, 1951, when about 150 delegates attended and were entertained to a buffet lunch by the Esso Petroleum Company Ltd., before commencing business. By a unanimous vote the British Ploughing Association was formed and arrangements were made for the first British National Ploughing Match to be held at Newton Kyme, near Tadcaster, Yorkshire, England.

With a national authority such as the BPA, Great Britain was in a position to co-operate on representative national basis with similar organizations in other countries for the purpose of establishing a world ploughing organization and so provide a World-wide incentive to encourage better ploughing for better crops for more food everywhere.

In Britain most local ploughing match societies, some of which have been existence for well over 100 years, are affiliated to the British Ploughing Association. The British National Match is now held annually at a different place in either England, Scotland or Wales on the second Wednesday of November each year.

In February, 1952, the British Ploughing Association convened an International Conference which, at the kind invitation of the then Mayor of Workington (?) attended by the BPA Council and representatives of ploughing organizations in Canada, Sweden and Holland when it was agreed to form a Provisional Governing Board for the organization of a World Ploughing Match and when international rules were drafted for further consideration by each delegate's respective organization. J. J. Bogin, Sec. of N.P.A. of Ireland sent the encouraging news that the N.P.A. would donate to the new organization a trophy to be known as the "Irish Shield".

In October and September of that year. Alfred Hall, who was now Secretary of the British Ploughing Association and also of the Provisional board and owing to the weight of the new duties had relinquished the Secretaryship of the Workington Society, attended specially convened meetings held in Sweden and in Norway to further discuss the promotion of a World Ploughing Contest and to consider the standardizing of international rules and ploughing styles which would be fair to all participants in such a contest. These conferences were also, attended by delegates from Finland, Denmark and Germany as well as from Norway and Sweden.

To all these Alfred Hall extended, on behalf of the British Ploughing Association, an invitation to send either competitors or observers to the second British National Match which was to be held at Stirling, Scotland, in November. It was agreed that the semi-digger class would be held according to the draft international rules as an experiment and that afterwards their practical application would be considered in the light of experience thus gained.

The BPA Match at Stirling was, as a result, attended by competitors and official observers from Canada, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Germany and the Republic of Ireland. Not only was a final code of rules and a style of ploughing decided upon for the first World Championship Ploughing Contest but, thanks to the generosity of Canada, it became possible to arrange for the first World Contest to be held at Cobourg, Ontario, in October, 1953.

J. D. Thomas, of the Ontario Plowmen's Association flew to Scotland on special mission to invite the Provincial Board of (?) Organization to hold the first World Match in Canada. Mr. Thomas said that Canada would be happy to be host and would cover all the expenses of a party of two national champions and a team manager from each country whilst they were in Canada, and as many countries as could enter were welcome.

This kind offer was gratefully accepted and delegates returned to their respective countries intent on organizing first local or area ploughing matches and then a national match from which to select competitors to go to Canada. They were also intent upon trying to find enough money to pay the fares to Canada, too.

In March of this year Secretary Alfred Hall received an urgent call to fly to Canada at once to make arrangements for the World Contest which is to be held in conjunction with the Ontario Plowmen's Association. Whilst there he had a busy week of meetings and conferences and was able to accept on behalf of the WCPO the "Esso World-Plan". Some time earlier representatives of the world-wide Esso oil organization had met in Germany and one of the items they discussed was the sponsorship of competitors to the World Ploughing Contest.

Esso affiliates in certain countries were prepared to offer as a national championship prize the free trip to Canada. This sponsorship would cover two competitors and a manager. Also, all the affiliates would subscribe towards a premier trophy to be known as the "Esso" Golden Plough, to be symbolic of world supremacy in championship ploughing and to be competed for annually.

Thus a big problem of finance was solved and now twelve countries will be represented in the World Contest at Cobourg.

Since the BPA Match held in Scotland great developments have taken place in several countries.

Reviewed August 2020

With entries from 11 countries the Cobourg International match is shaping up into the greatest yet
By: F.L. Kyte  - Family Herald and Weekly Star, September 10, 1953

IN ADDITION to close to 600 entries of plowmen, and boys and girls from Ontario, plus a few contestants from other provinces, teams of two expert plowmen from 10 other countries will compete this year at the International Plowing Match and Farm Machinery Demonstration. The Match is being held not far from Cobourg, Ont. and the dates are Oct. 6 to 9 inclusive.

After several years of discussion with United Kingdom and Scandinavian plowing authorities a World Championship Plowing Organization was formed last year in England, and the first truly International match was awarded to Canada, to be held at the same time as our regular International event. President of the World Organization is J. A. Carroll, ass't Deputy Minister of Agriculture for Ontario, and a former secretary manager of the big Ontario Plowmen's Ass'n Matches.

Eight European Teams
According to present Information Great Britain will be represented by two competitors plus a manager (the rules also suggest that a coach who could act as a Judge accompany each team); Northern Ireland and Republic of Eire will each have two contestants plus managers; Norway, two competitors plus a manager and the father of one of them, who is making the trip just to see his son compete; Sweden, Finland and Holland, two competitors plus managers; Germany, two competitors and, a manager.

On June 1st Germany held its first federal match when 36 county and state finalists competed to declare their national champions, who will be coming to Canada. Denmark and the U.S. are also sending a team of two plus a manager.

In charge of the overseas delegation will be S. G. Powell, chairman of the British Plowing Ass’n. and Alfred Hall, Roseneath, Seaton, Workington, Cumberland, Eng. The group is expected to arrive in Canada Sept. 30. and will make a brief tour of Eastern Ontario before reaching Cobourg.

The big Match is being held this year at the Durham-Northumberland, Counties’ Home and adjoining farms near Highway No. 2 east of Port Hope, where plenty of good land is available. Some 33 acres will be needed for 'Tented City" for 175 exhibitors have taken space, as well as 30 food concessionaires. As usual the Family Herald and Weekly Star will have its big tent near Headquarters, and will be printing day-by-day programs giving the names and classes of all the contestants, as well as the previous day’s winners.

In order to select the two Canadians for the World Contest, it was found necessary to stage a championship class for Ontario plowmen on Tuesday, the opening day. This will be followed by the Canadian class on Wednesday in which all provinces may enter one or two of their top plowmen. The winners will then move on to the World Match on Thursday and Friday.

There are many other highlights this year which should be mentioned. Plowmen, in particular, will be interested in the contour competition to be held Wednesday and Thursday; the top prize each day is $75.00 in cash. Similar to past years the Esso champions class sponsored by Imperial Oil Limited will be a prominent feature of the third day.

For Junior plowmen including those attending secondary schools, Canada Packers Limited will provide a trophy and a gold watch to each team member in a secondary school competition being held on Thursday. British American Oil Company is sponsoring a class in inter-county competition for Junior farmers. This will be held on the last day of the Match.

Many of our younger farmers are quite expert in repairing farm machinery and equipment and they will have an opportunity of showing their skill by entering the welding competition scheduled to take place on each of the four days. This feature will be under the direction of Professor James Scott, O.A.C. (Ontario Agricultural College) Guelph.

Local competitors, those from Northumberland, Durham and adjoining counties will not be required to face outside competition on the first day of the Match. A number of classes with substantial prize money have been arranged by the local committee. A new class which it is hoped, will interest those engaged in business or industry, other than farming is being sponsored by the House of James, Port Hope. This class calls for tractors with two furrows.

Five Mayors to Plow
The Mayor’s class, which drew so much attention from both urban and rural citizens at Carp, last year, will again be presented. This event is also scheduled for the first day and assurance has already been received that the following Mayors will be participating; Mrs. Grace MacFarland, Leamington; Mrs. Bernadette Smith, Woodstock: Mayor George B. Swayne, Smith’s Falls, Mayor Allan Lamport, Toronto and Mayor J. D. Burnet, Cobourg. No doubt there will be several others making entry by Match time.

The O.P.A. board as well as the local committee, is receiving excellent co-operation from the Ontario Provincial Police in arranging for control of traffic, the Ontario Hydro Electric Power Commission is supplying hydro services and, the Bell Telephone Company is installing a complete telephone system on Tented City. The town of Cobourg is working closely in supplying water under pressure for the benefit of concessionaires.

All communities are working hard to make this year’s Match one of the best on record. There will be bands to entertain the public each day, wagon tours to provide transportation to fields and aeroplane rides every few minutes for those wishing to see the Match from the air. Demonstrations of various kinds will be staged daily. These include fire-fighting, tree planting, forage crops, etc.

The opening of the Match will be staged at 2:00 p.m. on October 6th by Honorable Vincent Massey Governor General of Canada. The Prize Presentation Banquet will be held on the Friday evening at 7:00 P.M. in the Community Centre at Grafton. This is being provided by the County of Durham and Northumberland and the Towns of Cobourg and Port Hope. It is expected there will be around a thousand present including the overseas guests.

Reviewed August 2020

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