HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-05-26, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2005. PAGE 19.
Former Blyth firefighter £ives fire engines new life
A rare experience
Rev. Eugen Bannerman, right, enjoyed a return to childhood, or at least the exhilaration that
often accompanies that time in life, when he went for a tour on Grant Sparling’s firetruck
recently. (Bonnie Gropp photo)FROM CRANBROOK
By Rev. Eugen Bannerman
Special to The Citizen
Every boy dreams of being a
firefighter. Or at least, riding in a
firetruck. I had to wait six decades
before my dream was realized.
Grant Sparling invited me for a
ride on one of his restored fire
engines. I was a child again.
Everyone looks at you as the
firetruck passes through the village.
But they know you are not rushing to
a fire: there are only two of you on
board, the truck is travelling too
slowly, the siren is not sounding, and
the sound system is playing 1950s
music.
This is Sparling’s Take-It-Out-To-
The-Parade Fire Engine. Beautifully
restored and repainted. White and
gold. A boy’s delight!
Sparling has been refurbishing
antique fire engines since 1997,
several years after retiring from the
Blyth Fire Department.
He had received a call from an
American collector in Milwaukee
who was selling a mint condition
1949 Mack Pumper Engine. Grant
bought it. A few months later he
purchased several more. And then
another one. From Lexington,
Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Detroit.
Some engines had been used to
answer thousands of calls; and one
that had not been used at all because
it was too heavy to propel itself up
the Kentucky hills.
Sparling was hooked on restoring
old fire engines. Transforming dross
into treasure. Bringing delight to the
eye. Being a child again.
He showed me the engines in The
Old Engine House on Queen Street.
All nine of them. The ones that had
been beautifully and magnificently
restored, and the ones that remain
covered and hidden until they are
cleaned up.
The restored engines are proudly
brought out for special events and
parades across southwestern
Ontario, including Threshers’
Reunion each September.
FIRE DISASTERS
Fires are among nature’s worst
disasters. One of the most passionate
warnings parents give their children
is not to play with fire.
Blyth has had a history of serious
fires. Susan Street in her book Blyth:
A Village Portrait (1977), lists 17
newspaper references to fires in
Blyth between 1882 and 1965. Three
of them destroyed whole blocks and
nearly the town.
BLYTH FIRE BRIGADE
The earliest fires in Blyth were put
out by “the bucket brigade.” Each
house was required to have a bucket
of water outside the door-or a
bucket of sand in winter-to be used
by anyone fighting fires.
In 1888, Blyth council established
the Blyth Fire Brigade. They also
purchased a Renault horse-drawn
steam-powered pump and two hand-
drawn hose reels. A fire hall was
built at the corner of King and
Queen Streets, and a bell tower
placed on top. All you had to do was
pull the rope, and the bell would
rouse the volunteers.
The bell was rung daily at 6 a.m.
and 7 p.m. On Sundays, the bell
would also be rung to signal “time
for church.”
The original bell tower is now
located on top of Memorial Hall.
The rope for ringing the bell is inside
the building and now signals “time
for the curtain to go up” at the Blyth
Festival.
In 1941, a new fire hall was built
on corner of Dinsley and Mill
Streets. In 1962, at the same time as
the new Blyth United Church was
being erected across the street, an
addition was added to the older fire
hall.
Today there are four firefighting
vehicles in the Fire Hall, including a
well-equipped rescue truck.
FIRE FIGHTING STORIES
Grant Sparling joined the Blyth
Fire Department in 1952, and rose to
the rank of Captain, a position his
son David now holds. (David
Sparling is also project manager of
the Emergency Services Training
Centre in Blyth.)
Sparling personally has
investigated one fire fatality, an
elderly man who had probably fallen
asleep smoking. The biggest fire he
helped to suppress was at the
Brunswick Hotel in Wingham. His
saddest task as a firefighter was at
Londesborough where he retrieved a
man who had slipped and drowned
in a creek.
The funniest story also took place
in Londesborough. When the driver
of the firetruck stopped outside of a
local shop to ask where the fire was,
he did not know that the fire chief
had parked his car just a few feet
behind the truck. So when the driver
was ready, he revved up the engine,
put the truck into reverse, and
pushed the radiator of the chief’s car
into the dashboard!
EARLY DAYS
Sparling was born in Forest,
Ontario, and trained as an
accountant. One of his proudest days
was when he was hired by the
Canadian Bank of Commerce in
Forest as a junior clerk. He later
transferred to the Canadian Bank of
Commerce branches in Blyth and
Kitchener.
But he had a strong inclination to
go into business. The opportunity
came in 1950 when he returned to
Blyth and purchased a hardware
store on Queen Street. The store also
sold gas ranges and appliances, and
starting in 1951, Sparling was
equipping his customers with
propane gas tanks.
And so began his business venture
into the world of propane gas. Half a
century later, Sparling’s Propane is
Ontario’s second largest supplier of
propane fuel.
The business has always been
strong a supporter of church and
community projects. The family-
owned company annually supports
over 350 groups, organizations, and
events across Ontario. This year, for
example, Sparling’s Propane is the
production sponsor of The Ginkgo
Tree at the Blyth Festival Theatre.
Grant and Mildred regularly
attend the services of the Blyth
United Church. Grant’s mother was
a devout Methodist who believed the
religious way of life provided the
best and happiest returns in life.
“And she was right,” Grant says.
Promises made continue to bring
back fond memories of his mother.
APPRECIATION
People who have lived through the
Great Depression of the 1930s never
forget its toll on human lifc'/Grant
told me this moving story, one of the
earliest he can remember.
It was in the early days of the
Depression. Sparling remembered
his father coming home one day with
a radio. It was run off a battery, so all
they could listen to was the news. It
was the terrible times of the early
30s, and he remembered people
being dredged out of rivers who had
lost all their money in the
stockmarket crash. People who had
stocks worth thousands of dollars
would find they had dropped to
pennies overnight-and they never
7 tables
in play
at euchre
There were seven tables of card
players in Cranbrook last Friday
evening. The hosts were Marion
Harrison, Shirley and Adrian
Verstoep helping Edna McLellan
and Neil Hatt.
Share-the-wealth winners were
Helen Dobson and Neil Hatt
Margaret Peebles won the travelling
lone-hand prize. Helen Dobson was
the high lady and Lloyd Smith had
the men’s high score. Those not so
lucky were Isabelle Craig and
Velma Sleightholm. Tied for the
most lone hands for the ladies were
Viola Adams and Mary Huether.
Allan Edgar had the most lone
hands for the men.
The tally card winners were Keith
Turnbull, Gail Smith, Eileen Mann,
Lois McLean, Mary Davidson,
Verna Crawford, Bill Craig, Leona
McDonald, Allison Sleightholm,
Eva Harrison, Ross Stephenson,
Myrna Burnett, Lloyd Weber,
Dorothy Dilworth, Linda Stevens,
Shirley Verstoep, Beryl Smith and
Leota Thompson.
The next card party will be on
Friday, June 3.
It is possible to enjoy
healthy outdoor activities
while in the sun.
In order to reduce your risk of skin
cancer, the Canadian Cancer Society
recommends that you and your children
practice the SunSense Guidelines.
Canadian
Cancer
Society
Soci<
canadienne
du cancer
For more information call the k
Canadian Cancer Society at
1 888 939-3333 or take our
SunSense quiz at www.cancer.ca.
recovered. Every day in New York
(hey would dredge the Hudson River
for bodies.
After one particularly bad day.
Grant remembered thirty bodies
were taken from the river.
“You never forget such stories." he
told me. “Growing up in the
Depression makes me appreciate
what I have."
You can learn many ways of
showing gratitude from Sparling.
Especially for the wonderful gift of
life itself. /
People
welcome
new
arrival
Congratulations to Lisa and Chris
Stevenson on the birth of their son
Kyle James, weighing in at 9
pounds. Kyle is a great-grandson of
Eleanor Stevenson.
Sean Mitchell played his violin in
Cranbrook Presbyterian Church on
Sunday, May 15 and Mamie
Dingman was in charge of Sunday
school.
Rev. Gwen Brown, executive
director of Camp Kintail was guest
minister in Cranbrook on Sunday,
May 22. Her sermon was based on
the book of Esther and she
challenged all to live their faith.
The community extends
sympathy to Marion Smith and her
family on the passing of her brother,
Allen Pake.
Elisa Knight of New Hamburg,
daughter of Gerald and Twyla, spent
a few days with Le lie and Yvonne
Knight.
Happy anniversary to Janis and
Larry Bray, May 28; Biad and
Maria Morrow and Jerry and Vicky
Bremner, lune l; Karen and Jeff
Smith, June 2.
Birthday wishes to Marion
Morrison, May 30; Patty Dummitt,
May 31; Bob Hart and Darryl
Vanass, June 2.
THE HEART-HEALTHY
TOP TEN LIST
(NC)-While there’s no such thing
as a “miracle food,” there are
certain foods that everyone should
try to eat more of - fruit,
vegetables, legumes, and whole
grains. Terrific for heart health,
they provide nutrients such as
vitamins, beta carotene, lycopene,
plant sterols, folic acid, and fibre.
1. Broccoli. For vitamin C, beta
carotene, folic acid.
2. Cantaloupe. For vitamins A
and C and beta carotene.
3. Beans or legumes. For protein,
iron, plant sterols, folic acid, and
fibre.
4. Sweet Potatoes. For vitamins
A and C, beta carotene,
potassium, and fibre.
5. Salmon, tuna, rainbow trout.
For omega-3 fatty acids
6. Spinach, kale, swiss chard.
For vitamins A and C, beta
carotene, calcium, folic acid, and
fibre.
7. Oranges. For vitamin C, folic
acid, and fibre.
8. Tomatoes. For lycopene.
9. Wholegrain breads and cereals.
For vitamin B and fibre.
10. Soybeans and soy products.
For B vitamins, isoflavones, and
plant sterols.
- News Canada