Huron Expositor, 2007-08-22, Page 6Page 6 The Huron Expositor • August 22, 2007
News
Plowmen pay tribute to longtime youth coach
Susan Hundertmark
While the Huron Plowmen's
Association will be celebrating its
80th plowing match this week,
they'll also be celebrating the contri-
bution of a Brucefield man who
coached many young people in their
first matches.
The Paul Bettles memorial class
on Friday will bring together every-
one from Huron County who won a
$2,500 Ontario scholarship for their
plowing, many of whom were
coached by Bettles.
Bettles died suddenly at age 60 of
a heart attack last December and
organizer George Townsend says
the plowing event in Bettles' honour
is one of the most important fea-
tures of this year's match.
"A few tears will be quietly shed
in Paul's honour," says Townsend of
the memorial event.
Bettles got involved in competi-
tive plowing 20 years ago when his
son Ken was around 10 years old.
His father-in-law Ernie Talbot,
another Plowmen's Association
member, encouraged the two of
them to start plowing, coaching Ken
in the beginning.
"My parents had a Winnebago and
we used to go to the International
Plowing Matches in that with
them," remembers Paul's wife
Lorraine.
Beginning as a 4-H leader in the
Sodbusters when Ken joined the
club, Bettles was drawn to the young
people starting out as piowers..
Over the 20 years he was a leader,
Bettles coached 12-15 kids each year.
"They talked him into being a
leader since he knew all the other
leaders," remembers Ken.
Starting with an antique tractor
and plow his father-in-law had,
Paul and Ken got really good at
plowing with the antiques before
deciding to upgrade with a newer
competitive tractor and plow.
"There was a lot more adjusting
we had to do with the new plow - a
lotmore tricks. I think the older one
probably did a
better job," says
Ken.
He says 4-H
and the plowing
helped to bring
he and his dad
closer together
and remembers
plowing practice
in the summer
You are invited to attend these area churches
t. homas
Anglican Church
A oscageks d is Path el The toy Spilt
s St. Safford' 519-527-1522
Rector: The Revd Sue Malpus. M. Div
Sunday August 26
Parish Worship M 11:15am
(Note dms change)
Rev. Sue's final day in the parish. Worship fol-
lowed by t.uhdh & Farewell Party. Reese bring
a salad (meat, beverages, dessert provided)
EVERYONE WELCOME
Bethel Bible Church
An Associated Gospel Church
126 Main St. Seaforth
519-527-0982
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Pastor Mark Kennedy
EVERYONE WELCOME
NORTHSIDE UNITED
CHURCH
54 Goderich St. W.
Rev. John Gould
Sunday August 26
Worship Ilam
Sermon Love Over Rules
Everyone Welcome.
St. James Roman
Catholic Church
Welcomes you
14 Victoria Street, Seaforth
519-527-0142
Sunday Mass 11:00 am
St. Patricks, Dublin
Sat Mass 6 pm - Sun. Mass 9 em
Fr. Chris Gillespie
Egmondville
United Church
Sunday August 26
Pastor Steve Hildebrand
Summer Hours - 10:30 a.m.
EVERYONE WELCOME
First Presbyterian
Church
Goderich St. W., Seaforth
Rev. Henry Huberts
Sunday August 26
11:15am Service
Sunday School i Nursery Provided
Everyone welcome
Aug. 27: 7:30 p.m. planning meeting for
the poetohop aso
$
evenings.
"We started practising once the
wheat got off, mostly after supper.
First was the Huron County match
and then the IPM," he says, of the
annual family vacations.
Ken will be plowing in the memor-
ial class while a number of the
Bettles family, including Paul's
mother Olive, his wife Lorraine and
daughter Karen, will be attending
the match.
While she wasn't directly involved
in the plowing, Lorraine says that
Paul thought his involvement in 4-
H and plowing was "pretty special."
"He enjoyed the competition and
he enjoyed the guys that were help-
ing as well," -she says.
Townsend says Bettles was well
known both for his Colts cigars and
his habit of decorating plow stakes
and giving them as keepsakes for
the kids.
"He'd paint them up and put
Sodbusters on them and they were
very much a keepsake for the kids.
He was always doing things that
nobody noticed - he was a very fine
man," says Townsend.
lbwnsend has enlisted some help
from some junior plowers to deco-
rate some stakes in Bettles' honour
for the 15 scholarship winners
who'll be returning to plow in the
memorial class.
"For me, this will be a very emo-
tional event. All of a sudden, a gap
is there," says Townsend.
THE HURON -PERTH CATHOLIC
mime DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
..w .... STUDENT REGISTRATION
Parents desiring a Catholic education for their children may contact the
following schools to register their children during the week of August
27 to 31. 2007 or on the second day of school. Wednesday. September
5.2007.
SECONDARY
Perth County:
St. Michael Catholic Secondary School
240 Oakdale Avenue
Stratford, ON N5A 7W2
Telephone: 271-0890
Huron County:
St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School
353 Ontario Street
Clinton, ON NOM 1L0
Telephone: 482-5454
ELEMENTARY
Huron County:
St. Columban School
Our Lady of Mount Carmel School
St. Joesph's School
Precious Blood School
*St. Mary's School
St. James School
Sacred Heart School
St. Boniface School
Perth County: ,
St. Patrick's School
St. Patrick's School
Holy Name of Mary School
St. Mary's School
*Jeanne Sauve School
St. Ambrose School
St. Joseph's School
St. Aloysius School
St. Columban
Mount Carmel
Clinton
Exeter
Goderich
Seaforth
Wingham
Zurich
Dublin "
Kinkora
St. Marys
Listowel
Stratford
Stratford
Stratford
Stratford
*Jeanne'SauvE and St. Mary's, Goderich are French
Ron Marcy,
Chairperson of the Board
Immersion
345-2086
237-3337
482-7035
235-1691
524-9901
527-0321
357-1090
236-4335
345-2033
393-5580
284-2170
291-3000
273-3396
271-7544
271-3574
271-3636
Larry Langan,
Director of Education
Neil McGavin says the tribute to
Bettles will honour someone who
never took credit for the contribu-
tion he made.
"They called him coach Betties,"
he says. "He was a real role model
for the kids. There was no shouting
or screaming or jumping around -
he was always very positive."
Neil says Bettles was a quiet pres-
ence who worked behind the scenes
and got a lot of work done but shied
away from any recognition, disap-
pearing when the camera came out.
"The whole (Plowmen's) associa-
tion really misses him. He never
said much but he got a whole lot of
w.ork done. If anything needed
made, he could make it work. He'd
take it home and the next day, he'd
have it all made up," says Neil.
Neil's son Brian, who co -led the 4-
H Sodbusters with Bettles, echoes
his father's words.
"Paul was a humble, genuine, car-
ing man who really wanted to help
kids. His ultimate satisfaction was to
see the kids do better," says Brian.
"He always had a good outlook on
life and was always telling the kids
not to get down on themselves. You
could see the smiles on the kids'
faces when he was talking to them,"
he says.
Brian says Bettles always carried a
shoebox full of 4-H paperwork, manu-
als and reminders of which kids
hadn't yet received their awards.
And, he always had every kind of
wrench needed if something broke
down at a match.
Brian says carrying on with the
Sodbusters has been difficult with-
out Bettles and he'd welcome any
new leaders who care about kids the
same way.
Alex Melady, whom Bettles
coached during the past two years,
is taking the year from plowing this
year after Bettles' death.
"Alex got to be really close to
Paul," says Alex's grandpa Neil
McGavin.
"He was just a really good guy,"
says Alex.
The Paul Bettles memorial class
will be held on Friday, Aug. 24 from
2-3:30 p.m.
10 McKILLOP
MUTUAL
INSURANCE
COMPANY
Invites you to join us
for a
Fire Extinguisher Demonstration
at the
80th Annual Huron County Plowing Match
Friday, August 24th, 2007
Demonstrations at 10:30 am and 2:00 pm .
Free extinguisher recharges will be available