The Citizen, 2018-05-17, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2018.
Josling honoured with defibrillator donation
Quite an honour
Paul Josling, an original board member for the Dave
Mounsey Memorial Fund and former Blyth fire chief, was
honoured on Sunday with a defibrillator donation in his
name. The fund recognized Josling and his years of public
service with a defibrillator that will be placed in the
Threshers Hall of Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company's home
location in Blyth. It will also be mobile so it can be brought
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Sunday's Run Around The Square
in Goderich honoured two great men
from Blyth with a long history of
helping their community.
The Dave Mounsey Memorial
Fund hosted its ninth annual run on
Sunday. Both the fund and the event
were created in honour of former
Blyth firefighter and OPP officer
Dave Mounsey who was killed in a
single -vehicle accident in 2006.
Just before his death, Mounsey
was raising money to buy a
defibrillator for Blyth through a
running event. Since Mounsey's
death, the Fund, which was created
by Mounsey's OPP partner Patrick
Armstrong and others who knew
Mounsey, has now placed 90
The 90th
The Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund donated its 90th
defibrillator on Sunday. This one was presented at the
annual Run Around The Square in the name of long-time
Blyth Fire Chief Paul Josling to Blyth Cowbell Brewing
Company. General Manager Grant Sparling, front, said it
was an honour to be part of an event that recognized two
great men and their community sacrifices. He also ran the
five -kilometre route in just under 25 minutes. Looking on is
Fund Co -Founder Patrick Armstrong. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
to events as well. Josling's family was on hand in Goderich on
Sunday at the ninth annual Run Around The Square, hosted by
the fund, to accept the donation and to cheer on the hundreds of
runners taking part in the annual event. From left: Cowbell
General Manager Grant Sparling, Fund Co -Founder Patrick
Armstrong, Jacob, Jeff, Kyle, Emily and Dianne Josling, Keegan,
Joanne and Mike Dixon. (Shawn Lough/in photo)
defibrillators across southwestern
Ontario.
At every run, there is a donation in
the name of a fallen first responder.
This year's donation was in the name
of former Blyth Fire Chief Paul
Josling, who passed away last
year after a years -long battle with
cancer.
Not only had Josling served his
community for decades as a
volunteer member of the fire
department, but he was one of the
founding board members of the fund
and a good friend of Mounsey's.
In an interview with The Citizen,
Armstrong said it was an emotional
day for many involved with the fund.
He said he was honoured to be
making the fund's 90th defibrillator
donation and hosting the charity's
ninth run, but on a personal level,
donating a defibrillator in Josling's
name simply wasn't a day he
thought he'd see.
Armstrong said that Josling never
sought out recognition or the
spotlight, so he felt he could hear
Josling looking down on the event
and grumbling about the attention he
was being paid.
"Paul always made it about
everyone else, so today it's fitting
that we can make it all about him,"
Armstrong said.
Josling's son, Jeff, also a North
Huron firefighter, said it was an
emotional day for him and his
family.
"Back when we started all this, I
never dreamed we'd be making a
donation in my dad's name," Jeff
said. "It's very emotional, but we're
proud to be a part of it."
Jeff helped his father for years
working with the fund and he said
that he "lived and breathed" working
for the fund and helping at events.
Whether it was getting to Goderich
early to help set up or doing what he
could in his spare time, Jeff said his
father was always there for anything
the fund needed.
Dianne Josling, Paul's wife, said it
was a very emotional day for her and
her entire family after Paul had
worked with the fund for so many
years behind the scenes.
The fund donated the defibrillator
to Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company
and General Manager Grant
Sparling, in addition to running the
five -kilometre route, was on hand to
accept the donation.
He said that while Cowbell's
Blyth location is already equipped
with two defibrillators, one on each
floor, the Mounsey defibrillator will
be stationed in the location's
Threshers Hall when it's not out
with travelling Cowbell employees
at the various events to which the
company travels.
Armstrong said that with the
defibrillator being on the road with
employees in a temperature -
controlled bag, Paul will be there
providing safety at all times.
Sparling said he and the company
were proud to be involved with such
a great event honouring two great
men from Blyth. He said that safety
is the company's top priority, so to
now be able to provide a defibrillator
wherever Cowbell goes just adds
another level to the company's
ability to keep all of its patrons and
employees safe.
Nearly 350 people participated in
the run, many of them local,
however, the one who turned the
most heads was North Huron
firefighter Kelsy Long, who ran the
five -kilometre route in full bunker
gear with a picture of Paul fastened
to her back.
Long said that she knew she
wanted to do something to honour
Paul, but wanted to make it a little
tougher on herself.
"I can run a [five -kilometre run]
off the couch any day, so I wanted to
challenge myself," she said.
She said she did about five or six
training runs, adding more
equipment every time she hit the
road. It was difficult, she said,
especially on such a warm day.
Whether it was running, rather than
working, or the missing adrenaline
of not being at a fire call, Long said
it was difficult running five
kilometres in the full suit, which is
estimated to weight approximately
60 pounds. She did, however,
finish the run in just over 37
minutes.
For more information on the Fund
or the Run Around The Square, visit
davemounsey.com.
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