By Gloria Hutchinson
KAWARTHA LAKES-“In the 1930’s, a rink was built where Lester and Mrs. Billings lived. Out of the generosity of Joseph Handley we were able to put a board fence around it, put up poles and electric wire and lights. He was the only one in the village that had a Delco plant to supply power to his own house and our rink. We would have teams come from different localities to play hockey.
We would have 3 – twenty-minute periods, the difference being, when the period was over, you grabbed a scraper and cleaned the ice, then started to play again, instead of having a rest. After the game was over, we would flood the rink, and on a very cold night, two or three times. This was done by having a hand sleigh with a barrel on it, pumping water from the pump at Joseph Handley’s barn, into pails and filling the barrel, then drawing it around the rink and pulling the plug out of the bottom of the barrel. This may take until about two a.m.
For our away games we would go by a team of horses and sleigh, or at times have taken the pumper on the C.N.R. One trip to Fenelon Falls was with the jigger, with the lorrie, and while at the rink in Fenelon Falls, there was a freezing rain, so the jigger was not able to proceed on the icy tracks, it was shoved to Fell’s Station, where they stayed there until the morning train came from Haliburton, then it took them home to Burnt River. In the mid-thirties, Charles Hodgson purchased a truck, and it had racks, with a tarp over them. Frank Howie used to drive it and Bill Hobson being our coach had the privilege of riding in the front with him, the rest of us were in the back, and Dave Wood used to sing songs and tell stories, going to Haliburton, etc.
Then came the special trains, to Haliburton, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay, Little Britain, and many’s a time we got back here about six in the morning, just in time to have breakfast, change our clothes and be at work at seven. I do think, that Joe Handley did not get a very good day’s work some of these times. These are what we called the good old days.”
—An excerpt by an anonymous senior citizen in Memories of Somerville Township (1984)
Mona Handley, Herb Blackmore, and Earl Godwin, to mention a few people, remember wonderful times at the early skating rink on Joseph Handley Senior’s property. Mona spoke of delightful times skating with friends on the early outdoor ice rink. Joseph Handley and Sons Lumber Company were the only local people with a system to generate electricity. Ron Campbell remembers that, once while working with Ray Handley around the former Joseph Handley property, they discovered some old footings and post holes of the early rink. Reg Hodgson, who at the time lived just across the road, remembers the thrill of once being asked, at a young age, to play defence in a men’s hockey game against Kinmount when the team was short a player. Reg remarked that skates were usually hand-me-downs from parents, family members and friends.
In 1947-48, an ice rink was established on the north side of Ralph and Margaret Sheehey’s property in Burnt River. Merv Hunter said the building of the ice rink was “a dream come true” for the lads of Burnt River. Some of the builders of the rink were Earl and Len Godwin; Herb Blackmore; Wayne Wood; Merv and Ralph Hunter; Max, Wrex and Bob Handley; Bob Sherman; Ralph Sheehey; Ray and John Handley; Bert Rettie; Ralph McGann; and Morgan Switzer.
The area for the rink had to be established, and thanks to Marg and Ralph Sheehey, the property north of their home became the location. The surface for the rink had to be cleared of brush and tag alders, then mapped out and packed down to create a somewhat level area. It is believed by many that the ice surface was regulation size for the time. Merv remembers Len Godwin, plodding about the ice surface area on showshoes, helping to pack down the snow in the early part of each winter. Herb Blackmore indicates that at one time the rink was known as “The Alder Gardens.”
Posts were acquired and cut from Thomas Handley’s Ledge Hill property for the supports and the making of the boards. Posts were also cut from the Ledge Hill Somerville Township road allotment. Wayne Wood and Merv Hunter speak of helping Ralph Sheehey and other men cut the posts. Wayne remembers having the privilege of sawing many of the posts into boards at the Handley Lumber Mill. Apparently, the posts were cedar and balm of gilead [Balsam Poplar]. Men carried the fresh cut boards by hand from a truck to the designated area and positioned them, while other men nailed the boards in place. Tall posts were positioned for the overhead lights. In no time at all, the construction of the rink was well underway.
Merv Hunter described how a wooden holding tank of approximately 10’ x 4’ x 5’ deep was built around a natural spring located in the northwest corner of the property. This tank was built and lined with lumber from Handley’s Mill. A cover made of lumber, with a hole cut in the top, allowed an electric, half horsepower pump to be placed so the spring water could be pumped onto the ice surface. The spring kept the holding tank full and the timber top acted as an insulator to help keep the water from freezing. The pump was stored at Ralph’s home. Max, Wrex and Bob Handley had a blacksmith shop at their farm and quite possibly welded some parts of the pump together.
Numerous hours were spent building and maintaining the rink. Weekends and cold frosty evenings were spent in preparing the ice surface. Wendell Wood remembers helping to flood the ice surface on cold winter days and evenings with the old hose and old pump, by pumping water from the spring. Manpower at the end of a shovel was an indispensable way to clear the ice of snow, particularly the corners. Wrex and Max Handley, at times, used a tractor with a metal scraper to clean the ice surface. Apparently later Somerville Township’s old tractor with a scoop on the front was used. The rink boards at the east end were fashioned into a gate which could be easily moved sideways to allow the vehicles onto the ice surface.
Remember the piles of snow that reached the top of the wooden boards surrounding the rink? All that snow/ice was scraped from the ice surface! Children, when sitting or standing watching an event performed on the ice, had to be very careful that they did not fall onto the surface of the ice.
Red and blue lines were painted on the appropriate boards and a dye was used to mark the red and blue lines on the ice surface and to indicate centre ice, and face-off circles. The players’ benches on the north side of the rink consisted of old pine planks, secured on posts, with the back open to the snow bank and cold north wind. It is believed that the players who needed to serve a penalty had a small place to sit on the bench side of the rink. However, occasionally a penalized player had to stand out of the rink at the entrance gate to serve the penalty, as there was not any vacant place to sit. It would not be good to have opposing players, each serving a penalty in the same vicinity. Three 20-minute periods were played. Between the periods the local home team players had to pick up the shovels and clear the ice for the next period.
Remember the rows of bare light bulbs that stretched across the ice surface that were connected to Margaret and Ralph Sheehey’s home? Merv Hunter remembers that Bob Sherman initiated much of the progress of the ice rink. Apparently, he had access to someone who provided the electrical wiring that brought light to the ice surface. The electric wires and lights were probably installed by Owen Rettie, Roddie Wright or Earl Windover. Ralph Sheehey replaced the bulbs when necessary. At one time in the early days, Roddie Wright was the Rink Manager. Rhona (Wright) Walker remembers that the lights on the rink were turned off at 9:00 P.M.
At first the goal nets were wooden frames with burlap stretched and stitched around a wooden frame. Later old, well used nets were purchased from more established skating rinks. For example, Lindsay and Fenelon Falls skating rinks were a source for the nets. Yards of cord had to be stitched into holes to repair those well used goal nets.
The one room small change shack at the Burnt River Rink was thought to be a former logging camp shelter. Merv Hunter explained that the former logging camp was located on the Galway Road and Bert Rettie, who had a truck, along with Max Handley and other young men, brought the structure back to the ice rink. The shelter was positioned to look north onto the ice surface. It had a window that faced the road, and another two windows that looked out onto the rink. Lots of tarpaper surrounded the wooden walls. The hockey players changed into their hockey equipment in the shack as there was no specific change room. Wooden benches in the shack provided a place to sit while skaters, who could hardly wait for the thrill to glide up the ice, took off their winter boots, placed them, sometimes carefully, under the bench, and laced on their skates. Everyone needed to be careful as they stepped in or out of the shack’s door, wearing skates or boots, as there was often a slippery patch of ice right at the doorstep. Sometimes a scattering of sawdust helped cover some of the ice at the doorway. The wooden floorboards of the shack were scarred with skate blade scratches and cut marks, especially at the doorstep.
Remember the old, wood burning barrel stove that supplied the shack with warmth? This warming made freezing cold hands and feet a little better. Many local people donated wood for the stove. Remember the tree stump/root fence, which ran along Fred Palmer’s property and Charlie Hodgson’s property? Some of those big old, weather-beaten pieces were carted to the rink and cut just to the right firewood size for the old stove. Local men, especially Elsie Sheehey, kept the fires in full flame. Some people remember when Elsie frequently had chocolate bonbons in his pocket while working around the rink. The chocolates were always a nice treat, although they often had a little fluff, sand or wood particles on the outer edges from the bottom of his pocket. Elsie often commented about something saying, “By Jove.” Remember Elsie’s cut off rubber boots and warm, woollen, gray socks!
Of course, Burnt River always had a hockey team. No doubt the BEST TEAM in the area! The team of 1948-1949 was a prime example. Merv Hunter observed that Bob Sherman instigated the ordering of the Burnt River jerseys in the late 1940s, and was able to acquire some early sponsors. Also, Chester Godwin acquired a bingo set, from perhaps Coboconk Legion, and held Bingo Games to raise money for the rink and team. It is believed that these early teams played against Baddow, Coboconk, Norland, Rosedale, Kinmount, Fenelon Falls, Cameron and Cambray. Bill Scott was the qualified referee. Apparently Morace Jones, who worked at Silverwood’s Dairy in Lindsay, often organized games between Burnt River and Lindsay. We are not sure whom Morace would have wanted to win as he grew up on his parents’ (Tennie (Sheehey) and Wallace Jones’ farm, on the highway to Kinmount. Morace was a great sportsman. A master of many sports! He would probably have said, “May the best team win!”
Many people turned out for the Big Social Event of public skating. Saturday and Sunday afternoons were popular public skating occasions. Wendell Wood thought that Ralph and Marg Sheehey donated a record player and records so the skaters could skate to music. Wonderful community spirit.
Local children learned to skate on this outdoor rink with wobbly legs and tiny feet in bob skates. Bob skates with two sturdy blades were often the early fashion! As we grew a little older, our skates sported one blade ach and were usually hand-me-downs, but that didn’t matter. Wayne Wood remembers learning to skate on his Aunt Violet Sheehey’s women’s black skates, which were the Toronto fashion. How lucky we were as we grew older to have regular skates with one shiny, SHARP blade on each skate. Muriel (Sheehey) Alsop remembers that Merv Hunter taught her and brother Reg how to skate. As the years passed, the girls were ever so proud to be gliding about in white figure skates, with toe picks indeed, and tinkling little bells attached to the laces. Some girls even made pom-poms to attach to the laces.
Wendell Wood also remembers that Uncle Elsie Sheehey created shorter hockey sticks for the kids from broken adult wooden hockey sticks. He put the sticks in a vice in the barn behind his home, and cut them shorter. Each boy was proud of his possession—a real hockey stick! The cost of an adult wooden hockey stick was approximately $1.50, and could be purchased at Roddie and Eva Wright’s General Store. Greg and Eric Sheehey remember occasionally burning their names in hockey sticks with a hot poke. Other young boys labelled their sticks in this fashion, too.
Ron Campbell remembers Joe Rettie playing goal at the Burnt River rink and indicated that Joe managed to get a hard puck in the mouth. Remember Joe’s golden, front tooth? That probably ended Joe’s hockey playing!
Faye (Stewart) Stark remembers her brothers Reg and Keith Stewart playing hockey on the rink. Faye also remembers being very proud of her brothers and cheering for them during hockey games.
In the mid 1950s principal/teacher Mr. G.H. Clarke, often on a cold, frosty Friday afternoon, took the public school children to the rink for physical education. The school children of all ages enjoyed the time together skating and even playing hockey! Girls and boys on each team! Gloria (Sheehey) Hutchinson played right wing and remembers one time getting a puck in the knee, a hard shot from an opposing player. A huge bump and various coloured bruises, which decorated the knee, followed for many days. Many players sported similar bruises and cuts.
Brian Godwin reminisced about when he was a very young boy, finding pucks in the snow banks which surrounded the boards after the older guys had pucks go over the board during the action in the game. Netting/glass to save the pucks and protect spectators was yet to come! In spring the young boys retrieved many pucks to fill buckets as the snow melted away. Lots of pucks for the next anticipated winter season.
In the mid 1950s, local boys enjoyed the competition encountered at various hockey tournaments, for example, in Lindsay and Peterborough. Sometimes Chester Godwin drove the school bus, full of players, parents and fans, to the tournaments. Greg Sheehey remembers Gene Watson scoring a last minute goal to win a tournament. What a hero! The cheer was always loud and positive! “Go, Burnt River, Go!” It is believed that Muriel Sheehey (Alsop) was one of the main creators of the “Burnt River Cheer” for the hockey team:
“Br, Br, Br, Bang!
We are the kids from
The Burnt River Gang!
Go, Burnt River, Go!”
Dedicated coaches, just to name a few, Ralph Sheehey, Ralph McGann, Ray Handley, Herb Blackmore and Tom Hodgson gave much of their time coaching and assisting the young boys of Burnt River, often after spending a hard day at work. Greg Sheehey remembers Uncle Elsie Sheehey’s dedication to keeping time for “many a game on his trusty pocket watch.” Many fathers, mothers and friends loaded excited kids and equipment into their vehicles and drove to hockey practices and games. We all enjoyed their support and efforts at the time, and in later years grew to really appreciate what they did for the kids of Burnt River.
The Burnt River boys played ice hockey against teams from surrounding areas, such as Kinmount Coboconk, Norland and Fenelon Falls. Greg Sheehey remembers that the hockey jerseys had a big B, for Burnt River and/or Boston. The white jerseys with black and orange markings did not have a number or name to identify the player. The jerseys and socks made of a blend of rough wool were not comfortable to wear, especially in the heat of a game. (Remember some shrinkage when the laundering became necessary!) In those days equipment was very limited and absolutely no helmets were worn. Some people say lots of newspaper padding worked a little better than no protection. No goalie masks either!
Remember the hockey banquets and parties that were held in the St. Luke’s Parish Hall to honour the Burnt River hockey heroes? Many trophies were won! A good time was had by all. Some of the girls helped the ladies serve their ‘hockey heroes’ at the banquet. The girls contributed to the ‘cheers and claps’ when players and coaches were honoured during the banquet.
Remember when some of the boys played for Fenelon Falls? Mr. Weaver, O.P.P. Officer was coach. Garnet Graham was often a very visible figure around the skating rink, cheering for both teams. The heroes were a line consisting of Burnt River boys!
Remember Ray Handley calling “Go, Zeke, Go!”—AKA Eric Sheehey? The call could be heard throughout the rink. “Flash Handley” (AKA Joe Handley) and Eric Sheehey were also teammates. Ken Handley and Greg Sheehey, teammates as well, remember one time playing for a Bobcaygeon team. Just to mention one of many calls for Burnt River’s determined, skillful boys to participate in a team.
The Burnt River Rink at Marg and Ralph’s home was no longer in use in the late 1950s. Burnt River people, of all ages, travelled to the new Coboconk Arena for pleasure skating, figure skating lessons and, of course, hockey.
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, many hockey games were played in the Coboconk Arena. The guys on this team, which was sometimes called the “Burnt River Savages,” played hard and fair in a determined fashion, scoring goals and defending, as Burnt River never wanted to lose a game. Many a stitch, broken bones and teeth were proof of their determination! One sister remembers removing ‘many a stitch,’ when the stitches were ready to come out, from face, neck and back of head of her two brothers. Some of the opposing teams were Coboconk, Cambray, Little Britain, Kinmount, Minden and Haliburton. At that time, some of the team members were Reg Sheehey, Bryce Handley, goalie Ronnie Campbell (sometimes known as Plante), Al Lee, John Magee, Larry Alsop, Ted Dobrindt, Glenn Lamb, Gene Watson, Greg Sheehey, Ron Sheehey, Ken Handley, John Blackmore, Joe Handley, Bob Sheehey, Eric Sheehey, Joe McGann, and Dave McGann. Ray Bradimore and son Bob Bradimore played together on this team. The guys usually managed themselves with Ron Campbell arranging the games. However, at times Bob Duvall coached the team.
Noni (Byrne) Campbell remembers the excited talk centred around Burnt River Hockey while travelling on the school bus to Fenelon Falls High School. Every hockey player relives “The Game” and even to this day many of the Burnt River players relive all those memorable moments.
In the mid 1960s, Eric Sheehey, Joe Handley, Brian (Barney) Campbell and Bob Shearer played Junior Hockey with the Bobcaygeon Ti-Cats and were “Champions in 1965-66.” The famous players wore dark burgundy and white jerseys. Gloria and Greg Sheehey remember leaving Toronto for Blenheim, Ontario for the Bobcaygeon Ti-Cats Ontario Junior Championship Game, with Bryce Handley and Arlene (Coulter) Handley, Ken Handley, and Dave Billings. Bryce drove us down the 401 Highway to Blenheim. Could Bryce have taken all of us in his little Volkswagen? What a celebration at that final championship game! Can you imagine the excitement in the players’ bus on the return home to Bobcaygeon from Blenheim? Imagine the extended “Celebration” upon the triumphant return home! Eric and Joe still reminisce about their “Glory Days.”
Skating Locations
Skating on the Beaver Meadow, at the northwest end of the village in the Handley Sawmill area, just off the Four Mile Lake Road was convenient and fun. You could skate free and easy up and down the often bumpy ice surface, straddling the cattails and brush. It was suggested that you should not skate on the Beaver Meadow, but that didn’t stop the participants from making use of the natural ice.
Charlie Hodgson’s Pond, east of the village, beyond the former Somerville Township Garage, near the site of the Burnt River, was a local area for ice skating and pond hockey. The local guys walked through the field heading to The Pond, carrying heavy shovels and hockey sticks over their shoulders, while dangling skates on the stick, for a good afternoon of the “Good Old Canadian Sport of Hockey.” There was no change room, but often a nice bonfire blazed, keeping everyone reasonably warm while sitting on big logs to lace on the skates. Wayne Wood and Merv Hunter have a memorable story to tell about an episode at the pond and an old log that moved. Reg and Ron Sheehey still wonder if Ralph T.’s brand new rubber boots are preserved at the bottom of the pond. Apparently one of the boys wore the new, somewhat too big boots, to the pond and walked on thin ice. No more brand new boots! For sure the boots are mired in the mud and may even be preserved in the mud! The pond was a great place to skate “the Old Year Out and the New Year In.”
The pond on Ike Reed’s property, south of Hugh Sheehey’s home, was another favourite place to skate. Hugh Sheehey, assisted by his family members, neighbours and friends spent many hours shovelling snow off the ice surface. On occasion it was necessary for Hugh to chop a hole in the ice, to get water for a fresh flood. Many a pail full of swamp water was necessary to flood that surface. What fun it was to skate through pathways amongst the tag alder bushes, half way to Greata and Ike Reed’s farm house. Gloria remembers skating “The Old Year Out and the New Year In” with many neighbours and friends, often on a cold, clear night, with the ice surface lit with a big, bright moon. There are also memories of Bryan Harding and Glen Suggitt chasing Robin (Rettie) Pearson and Gloria (Sheehey) Hutchison with cattail/bulrush stems. All in fun! The guys liked to see the girls become annoyed when the fluff from the cattails stuck, almost permanently, on their new navy, melton jackets. Ross Wood, and his sister Marion vividly remember good times skating on the ice surface at Reed’s pond, only a short distance from their home.
The family of Carmon and Iva Wood also had their own skating rink. The rink was established in the field southwest of the shed and barn, near the creek, at the Wood family home in Burnt River. Each time the family members skated, they carried their own skates, hockey sticks and, of course, shovels. Verna (Wood) Humphries remembers sitting on the cold snow banks to put on skates after first clearing away the layers of snow from the ice surface. Verna mentions that she and many of her family members, Ken, Ross, Marion, Phyllis, Barbara, Michael and Maurice skated on this outdoor natural patch of ice right in their own back yard. The pleasure skating, so close to home, was great fun and the boys played their own game of hockey. Ross Wood recalls that sometimes the Owen Rettie family skated at the Wood’s Pond, too. Verna and Ross also stated that when the entire creek flooded and froze, Ken would skate, gliding down the width of the property, from each fence line. The Wood family members have very special and vivid memories of those happy times.
Street Hockey was a popular past time of the young boys of Burnt River. Makeshift snow/ice goal posts were sign of the times. Sometimes the makeshift goal posts would be crushed by a vehicle travelling past, but there were always other piles of ice/snow readily available to mark each goal. Luckily drivers took sympathy on the fun sport and most people gave the street hockey boys little trouble.
Remember how the driveway and parking lot at St. Luke’s Anglican Church retained water and froze over to make a natural shiny patch of ice for skating and hockey! Many little children, particularly Linda and Ralph McGann’s family members, learned to skate on that small, slippery surface. For some children the cement at the former entrance of the church acted as a resting place and a seat to lace on the skates. Imagine gliding just across the road already wearing your skates! What a luxury for the McGann children!
Memories of the great times in Burnt River linger with us forever. How fortunate we all were to have grown up in “The Burnt” and to have experienced all those wonderful times in our carefree, casual days! Thanks for the memories! And apologies to all the important, dedicated people who have been overlooked!
This story is a memory and nobody’s memory is perfect. Sometimes details get a little mixed up, things get forgotten or overlooked, and the perspective is inevitably subjective. If you notice something that not right, have something you would like to tell us, or a memory to share the museum would be happy to hear from you: [email protected]
This story is part of our partnership with Maryboro Lodge, The Fenelon Falls Museum.
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Maryboro Lodge Museum
Box 179
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K0M 1N0
