The Goderich Signal Star, 1976-05-13, Page 1•
'51. Le c :. . 0 9 8. 7-
Public
•Pub to Lb.rar•,
a2 Ifluxtx'..'�'l;a q
- Ted Bisset urs Overmany memdries•ln.the fire departmen reeord book • .Ted -ha-sbeer -a
po y
oovalunteer fire fighter for -47 years and served as chief of the Goderich department for the
-
_�.-1a
He comes from the Hight
rids to teach
inch.,
BY DAVE SYKES
•
James McKenzie. talked of.
-- his•accompl:ishrrrents in a shay,
boyish manner. that con-
trasted his highly competitive•
spirit.
.La
"Why dog ' you '.people
(media) always. want to 'talk '
-to me?" he asked. "I reallyl
have, nothing to _tell, I'm. just'.
an" 'old_ man wltoFio'ves 'to
dance " . .
The man who loves to dance
was the world champion
highland dancer in 1951,` 52
and 53, the only three years
he bothered to enter the
competition. He is a recipient
of the Member of the British
Empire award from the
Queen, in recognition of his
contribution to highland
dancing and a man whd has'
long been respected world-
wide
as a dancer and teacher.
McKenzie, 70, talked ofhis:
feats, matter of factly, while
modestly overshadowing
-them with talk of his love for
highland dancing. He has
been teaching now for a
number of years and since
1951, when highland dancing.
'
O:.
u
129y, 20
THURSDAY, MAY 13,1976
SECOND SECTION
•
Volunteer fire fighting has.
long since peen a tradition Tn;
the Bisset .family. And that .•
tradition will now.be carried
on by John • Bisset following;.
the retirement ofhis father
Ted, chief of the Goderich
Volunteer Fire Department.
Ted will retire from his.
emplbyment at the Bluewater
Centre at the end of May and
that retirement will • also
mark
mark 'the end of 47 years
service •with the fire depar-
•
tment.
Such service :and longevity
has been a trademark'' with
the Bissetlarn.ily. Ted started
with the department July 23,
1930 at 19. years .of age. -His
father was assistant chief
then and .Ted said his. father
was a fireman as far -back a-§,-
* he could•remennber.
Ted often accompanied his
father on calls and as :a lad
claimedhe:'always had .an
urge to get' onto the depart-
ment, Just two.or,three years;.
later 'brother Don joined the-
depart.inent. and also served'
for 'a number of years. 'Ted's•
son John started service four
ears 'ago and will carry the
family name in thebrigade
Whe led_ be an with the
er
pumper and a laddertruck
which were housedin a hall in
the' present post office
location • on East Street: He
recalled that thepumper was
equipped with only one .kind
of,hose that was 2r/2 inches
and the .acid tank hada one
inch hose.
In 1963, TEd took- over as
chief of the department from •
John i-luggersand during his
34 years as a firefighter and
his 13 year tenure as chief the
hours have been long and the
calls have been•numerous.
Tedespecially remembers •
a fire that gutted the Western
Canada Flour' Mill in.
Goderi.Ch .Harbor. Five.
departments werecalled to
help light the blaze that was
• iiintensified by 50 mile' • pet-
:hour
er•hour winds.
"Five- departments helped
us•withthat fire and we were
there all night," he said. "The
winds were strong and the
heat : •.was 'so ' badthat'it
crack,ed windows of the
houses up on.the bank.,"
And there were many other
• fires -in which• the work was
long and dangerous such as
5
the CoiiT•t House"`fiz e •in 19 . 4,,
the ,.;Pa'nkhouse, the British
depart'm,ent :. in p--30 ' t
he Motel ands tff r•
•
1 that the'work is too Naturally volunteer
fireman have jobs acid
despite fighting: :a fire fall
night nt was back to work in
the' morning for. a full day
work.. Ted worked delivering.
milk for' several years and'
quite often his deliveries Were
delayed while he battled . a
fire:
'•`Sometimes I would be at a
fire all night and go to work in •
the morning," he said.. "Some
people.. in town got their milk
quite" late but. then. they all
knew I would be ata fire."
a great feeling to belong•" Thatrecor•d than --Ted '
years and fires hisrecord has still fees ..
been as admirable as - his demanding for a "volunteer
length of 'service and he was department. He believes that
only hospitalized twice for in a. few years the town will
smoke inhalation. need a full-time'fire-fighting
As - he looks back- on his.staff. `
record he considers •himself For Ted the memories have
to be fortunate .butalso•looks • been' numerous' and difficult
beyond that to the glory of the oto single out but there is a
job. year that stands out in his'
"Somebody will always get mind. '
hurt fighting fires and I "The year that I got
consider myself fortunate," married was a memorable
he said. "Once you are in the. year," he said.. "I had a 100
department you don't mind it: ;per cent record that year and
You join for the glory and its truer. missed a call or.a fire.
However during his years•' proudly' remembers may not
Of service Ted has seen the have pleased his new bride,
safety , procedures. and Marion, but he added that she
equipment ac.q•uire knew what she was getting
Op ap. hi St ie a t i On . • Some.into and she got used to it over
- members Piave "'St. Johns- -the peas s. •
Ambulance first aid training There are many in -
and while the department has ' conveniences that a family, of
'acquired more equipment, it a• fireman •-m•dd°st' become
has required more training-" accustomed to and although
for the men to operate it. ...Ted didn't•mind answer,ing an
In 1930 we had one truck alarm at any time' he wasn't
:and every man` learned the- too fond of coming home after
complete operation of that • a . fire with his clothes
•truck,' he said, "Today we smelling like smoke 'and dirt.
'have. more `equipment and But even after the fire Was
"more training is required.;" • over he • 'recalls-' that, the
• tment_.oftsn-..hard,... to...o..
Five years • ago , the ::depar .� >a .
depart.ment.'averaged 15 :men back to the scene fife or six:d
Ted. ' has no 'retirement
plans yet and .admitted that
(after working for so 'many
years it would be,difficult to
adjust ...
"---"It's--;going- to- -take---some-.---
getting used to and I will miss
the•department," he said. "It
will be a big letdown but the
time. comes when one .has to
do these things."
Ted. Bisset. will sever his
yrelations with the Goderich -
Fire :Department with great
reluctance and . by his ' own
admission • it's going to' take .
some restraint to. keep from ''•
- edg eltixng..- o .... .. •-----r.;,....w ...,.... , ,.; . .
l
fire:a'1' riii go sof -' '
'esbyterrari d' rice then the number times il'ecau-se-of-s aide
equip'rnent consisted of a 1924
could s
has been travelling around:,
the world and,teaching when
he isn't conducting his own
school in Scotland,
_gained world popularity,. he•
he said. •"I sinp'ly wanted to
beat everybody, but 1 still.
enjoyed•it at the,sarne time".
Dancing came naturally to•'
Janses-:arid_peap].erecn iWd
He began dancing as a his talent claiming he was a
young boy, when the violin of born° dancer.'his . own
a travelling teacher hired
Kimtoa•barn loft a mile from
his home for lessons. He
fondly -recalls learining .to
dance in that barn loft to the
tune of Pop Goes -the Weasel
on the violin. In' Scotland
there was great rivalry and
competition in . highland
dancing and that suited
James'- spirit.
"These was great rivalry
and competition' in -highland
dancing and although people.
will always compete it is the
competitors who will eitcel",
he recalled. • . •
"I was competitive and I
wanted to. be the best dancer
once I got my first taste ofit",
admission, he didn't have to
Work too hard and said that
dancing was really no effort.
But for the'past 23..years he
has been travelling through
Chtirch, - But during; . those
0f
'has remained at 21. but Ted debris.
the worl
Europe; Asia,' Africa . and
claims. to have' been' in every
,town and .city in North
America, Last week he was in
Goderich' for • :two:.days to
teach and judge a to group
•of highland dancers under the
direction of Mary hynn
Telford.
"I • like coming to.
Goderich,"he said. ."The
people are very friendly, it's
quiet' and relaxing and the
pace is slow."
But :his travels have also
taken hint," 'to troubled
countries ar'Pund the world
and he is a convinced that
:dancing (ft could . solve many
problems plaguing people. -••
where he, conducts a' school.
for three weeks each year.
When he. reflects upon his
long and productive, dancing
career his.. spirit.has
cal fou mellowed and -the once sough
after goals are now just
memories.
"The rewards are in
producing champions and it
worthwhile seeing the people j
I have helped and produced,"
he said. "When I was young'I
was 'selfish and self
opinionated but as we become
older. we become. more •
tolerant and far-seeing."
His love for dancing has
almost overstepped the ,
bounds of dedication and yet
at 70 years of age there is no
talk of retirement.
"1 will never stop as long as
I am able and if I can help
someone until the end of my
days, I will." • -
! ! 0 .: !. ! "V
troubles
•
Janies is"trying to. restrict dreaming,", he admitted.
his commitments somewhat
now to 'give himself•precious
free time that has often.
escaped,hiin during his busy
life.
" "I ' would like more free
ime because I like to' fish so
much. There is nothing better
than putting on an old pair of
eans, sitting by a stream
With. the line in the water and
•
"It's" nice to get back. to `
Canada because' I like, it but it
will also be nice to get back
home," he. said., "When. I get
t there I am going -to put-on m -y
`old hat and my old jeans and I
will get in rnicar.and I will be
'away to the country to fish."
And it is likely. he will enjoy
many pleas'ant dreams•by the
bank of the stream.
"If people could just dance
more and laugh and enjoy life •
it is unlikely that there would
be any trouble in the world,"
he mused.
As a boy James wanted to
became the best dancer in the
world . 'and beat everyone.
After winning the world
chase ioriship' three years in
succession in Cowal, Scotland
the satisfaction was not as
great as he anticipated as a
young lad.
"There wad no satisfaction
in winning the • world.
championship. We are always'
reaching for something .but •
once • we have it there is
nothing' left to reach for," he
explained.
"The first time I danced in
a competition I won second
place and that fired me off
and I knew I could win a
first," he went on: '
But for James the rewards
have come from his love of
dancing and coaching young;
proteges to the world
championship. He has taught'
and, examined thousands of
youngsters in almost as many
countries" but singled , out
Gordon Yates whom he
taught for 12 years in
Aberdeen.
James flans his own dance
school in -Sc;otland that in-
cludes all types of dancing
bnd now tries to restrict his
travelling to the summers'
months. He arrived in Halifax
March 28 and is now .Making
. his -way back to Nova Scotia