Tribute

By Ron Pegg

To God be the Glory! "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life," John 3:16, NIV. It was in the late 1970s when the Walls family and Frank Macintyre of the Dundalk Herald gave Ron Pegg the opportunity of writing a weekly column for the Flesherton Advance. During the next three decades he wrote the column under a number of different names. This book includes articles from that column, along with many recent works. Ron Pegg holds a B.A. degree in history and English and an M.A. degree in educational planning. He and his wife of 46 years, Cathy, have three adult children whose families also serve the Lord. The Peggs make their home in Flesherton, Ontario.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Word Alive Press
• Release date: Jan 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781770696815

Book preview

Tribute

Copyright © 2012 by Ron Pegg

All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.

EPUB Version ISBN: 978-1-77069-681-5

Word Alive Press

131 Cordite Road, Winnipeg, MB R3W 1S1

www.wordalivepress.ca

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Pegg, Ron, 1938-

Tribute / Ron Pegg.

Includes columns originally published in the Flesherton advance.

ISBN 978-1-77069-585-6

1. Christian life. I. Title. II. Title: Flesherton advance.

BV4510.3.P44 2012 248.4 C2012-903108-9

This book is dedicated to each and every person who is mentioned in some detail, or whose name just briefly appears in this book.

It is also dedicated to all those people who are not mentioned at all in this book but who have been part of Ron Pegg’s life.

Thank you all.

table of contents

Introduction

One—Kids

Two—Friends and Community Folk

Three—The Old Gang

Four—Family

Five—Very, Very Special Young People

Six—Life Inspirations

introduction

section one

It was in the late 1970s when the Walls family and Frank Macintyre of the Dundalk Herald gave Ron Pegg the opportunity of writing a weekly column for the Flesherton Advance. During the next three decades this column had a number of different names.

For many years it was called Ramblings with the sub title From Grandpa’s Arm Chair. Ron had begun writing the column while sitting at his desk in the captain’s chair that was his Grandfather Bodens’. The column became Sportsbeat and in its last years it was called About Town.

Approximately half of the articles in the book are from these columns. The articles written in the 1970s and early 80s appear as they were written. No change or adaptations have been made.

The remaining articles have been written in the year 2012.

Special thanks to the Walls family. The column was the beginning for Ron to write. It was writing for fun then. It still is.

Kids

When Ron Pegg went to the children’s camp near Cochrane, Ontario, in June of 1958, his life was changed forever. He discovered that day that kids were his life blood.

Over fifty years later, they still are his life blood.

In his own words, I have kids today who are over sixty years of age, and yet for me there is something in each that is still a kid.

Papa Jake’s Granddaughter

Sylvia Lisk grew up in my home town. She was always a plump, pleasant, smiling, curly-headed, freckle-faced redhead, regardless of her age. Sylvia has always enjoyed laughter, fun and life.

I taught Sylvia in Sunday School. I kidded her at baseball and hockey games. I coached her two brothers in hockey, baseball and soccer. One is now a high school teacher and coaches wrestling. The other brother is the Past President of the Athletic Society in Beeton. Her mother and father have always been active in the community. They work for the fair, the athletic organizations, fowl suppers or whatever the church might be involved with.

I taught her in Grade 12 history at the high school in Alliston. When I taught the Sunday School class with Sylvia and when I taught her in history, she had the same problem. She liked to talk too much. Many times have I reminded her of this little difficulty that she has.

When Sylvia was about sixteen, we had a Youth Rally in Beeton with Stan Izon, an Anglican Evangelist. Sylvia was asked to be on the Committee and she agreed. I remember so well our second committee meeting. I had asked the young people to lead in prayer at our first meeting. Most of them had never had such an experience. At the second meeting, Sylvia spoke up for the others and asked if I might do the praying and the others would join me in silent prayer. I agreed.

About five years after this, Sylvia gave me a real disappointment. She married a Catholic and she, too, became one. From my rather weak Orange tradition – my Grandfather used to play the part of King Billy – I wondered how she could possibly do such a thing. Now mind you, I always have had many Catholic friends and I have always believed that there are as many Catholics who are really Christians as there are United or Baptists, but I wondered how Sylvia, who should know better, could get so mixed up. (Somehow, I guess, I had it figured out that we in the United Church never made mistakes.)

About four years after this, I received a letter from Sylvia. She began Dear Ronnie, I now know what you have talked about with me on many occasions. I have met and know the risen Jesus Christ. Sylvia has gone on from there to lead a Bible Study and Prayer Group in that church where the good Lord has placed her.

I have talked of Sylvia all summer in the various churches that I have visited. What I have said is what I have written above so far, but now there is a post script.

Two weeks ago Jamie and I were in Hamilton for a coaching instructors clinic. It ended at 5:00 p.m. but we already had a hotel room for the night. We discussed what we might do that night. I knew that there was a Catholic Seminar for Charismatic Catholics at McMaster University. I didn’t know if I should go to the hotel and rest, or go to a show, or go to the conference at McMaster. I prayed to the Lord for guidance. I prayed that if I were to meet one person that I knew before I reached the hotel room then I should go to the Conference. Just before I took the elevator at the hotel, a man walked in looking for two other people that he was supposed to meet. The two were nowhere to be found, but I talked with this man whom I knew.

Jamie and I went to the Conference. We walked into the big football field at McMaster where there were already over 5,000Catholics who would soon be joined by another 5,000. We walked to the centre of the football field to be seated on the grass. The first person we bumped into was Sylvia. For the entire night – three hours-we sat and praised the Lord Jesus Christ with our Catholic brethren. We did this at a University built by many of the Baptists in Canada.

For me, it was a thrilling experience. It was only right and fitting that the Lord should have doubting Ron re-united in spirit with Sylvia in a Catholic setting.

You see, that is how God is working today. He is working a revival in all denominations. No, this is not an earthly alliance such as the World Council of Churches, rather this is an alliance of those united in God’s Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ.

Wayne, my little buddy

When it comes to Wayne Carleton, I could probably write a book or two. In my early years of living in Beeton, Wayne was very much a part of that life.

He was the big young kid who seemed to live on milkshakes and French fries, probably from Cromar’s lunch bar. He was a big boy for his age. He always would be. He always loved hockey and would do anything that he could to get on the ice.

When Harry Cross and Bill Cranston led Beeton’s Junior Ds to the Ontario finals against Fergus, Wayne and I were both part of the team. He was the mascot who always skated out with the team onto the ice. I was Bobby Kearn’s backup goalie who always had his skates on. I was there because the team needed another body from Beeton to be legal. I was the midget goalie. I never did even practice with this team. When the game began, Wayne and I would sit down on the far end of the bench and watch the game. When we were returning from the game, Harry Cross gave all of the players four dollars to spend at the restaurant. That is, he gave everyone four dollars except Wayne and myself. We each got two dollars.

I began coaching Bantam hockey a couple of years later. The second season was a rebuilding year. Wayne was nine years old. The oldest bantams were fourteen. When it came playoff time I put this nine-year-old in net. He was excellent. However, later on in the year Bobby Dunn emerged as the team’s goalie. Wayne became a full-time out player.

During the next season, Wayne was one of three defensemen on our Beeton team which became the first Beeton team to play in the OMHA final. Wayne played defense with Paul Sinclair who would go on to play Junior A and Donnie King who is one of the village’s legends.

That same year, under the leadership of Jimmy McKay, we entered teams in the Little N.H.L.. Wayne was on the Junior A team, ten and under. He would lead this team to the Ontario Consolation Championship. The team won the district by large scores over their opponents.

At this time there was only one division, regardless the size of the town, in Ontario. The team lost 2-1 to Midland in its first game. Midland won the provincial championship. The Beeton team defeated Port Colbourne 9-2 in the Consolation Championship game. Wayne scored eight of the nine goals and set up his brother Gary for the other goal.

During the following summer, I managed the juvenile baseball team in the South Simcoe league. Juvenile was up to the age of nineteen. We won the championship. Our third baseman on that championship team was a ten-year-old. Yes, it was Wayne Carleton. With today’s age restrictions he would not be allowed to play on the team.

And the Wayne Carleton story goes on and on. It includes stories of his brother Gary, his brother Paul and the contributions of his Mom and Dad to life in Beeton.

Mary Jean

This gal, Mary Jean Betts Verbeek, is an amazing lady. In one of my earlier books I indicated that she was the second best female athlete that I have ever coached. The best was Helen Gillies Pate. Helen was and is a great athlete, but in truth Helen would much sooner play for fun and the pure enjoyment of the sport than compete. Helen has become an outstanding coach. Her athletic heart is in the coaching of others which she continues to do.

Mary Jean’s heart is that she never, never wants to finish second. As a wee small girl, she played on boys Ontario teams. She could always run like a deer. Her triple jumps were school record setting leaps. She was a good hockey player. Her basketball exploits for the high school were awesome. She could steal the ball from the other team as if the ball belonged to her. After the steal there was usually a basket.

Mary Jean and her husband Darryl are well known in the broomball world for their winning exploits. Darryl comes from a family that has a great history in broomball. Darryl is an outstanding athlete in his own right.

It is not much wonder that their three children are found at the arena on an almost nightly basis. Many are the running ribbons found in their home. The children win race after race while often establishing new records.

Mary Jean helps out with each of the children’s teams in some capacity. She is so busy at the arena that the best way to see her is to watch her in action. There is little chance of any conversation.

During the last years of Split Rail, Mary Jean found time in her busy schedule to run the children’s program. There is an old saying that says that the fruit is indeed a product of the vine.

John Gould

John Gould is an unbelievable athlete. It is not his physical toughness. It is not his great athletic ability. It is his ability to perform and perform well under pressure.

His Dad asked me in his first year of playing hockey why I was playing this kid who skated on his ankles. I probably didn’t know the answer. It may have been that he was good with the stick and the puck. It may have been because we always needed as many bodies as we could find to fill the bench.

In John’s first year of hockey, the team lost the Ontario rural final to Base Borden in the seventy second minute of play. During the following year the team won the regional championship but then lost a 1-0 game to the Borden team in the provincial final. We could not score.

In John’s first year as an A.H.L. player (peewee) we were beating Burks Falls when the third period began but would lose the game in the third period.

In John’s last year of peewee we were being shut out once again in our own arena by an excellent goalie from Base Borden. We were losing 1-0 when John scored the tying goal. At that moment he became the team leader. We went on to win that game and to win the rural Ontario championship against Cannington.

This team would go on to win a number of provincial championships before John, Jimmy Rutherford and Gary Doc Carleton would go and play for the Aurora Tigers Junior C team and be in the Ontario championship.

Both John and Jimmy would go from there to play Junior A hockey and eventually on to the N.H.L. where John played for the Vancouver Canucks, the Atlanta Flames and the Buffalo Sabres. John showed his same flare for scoring even in the N.H.L.. I watched him in playoff games and wished that I could punch a button to let the coach know that John could help the team at that moment if the coach would only realize this.

However, his ability to react under pressure was shown at its best in baseball. I remember a Junior game played in the Ontario Baseball semi-finals. The score was