A story within a story
Truro’s Keith Finck, who reached a career milestone by officiating his 4,000th basketball game, was featured in an April column.
There were a couple other stories within the milestone story that were not told.
Finck, who is involved in lawn bowling out of Dartmouth, was one of five Nova Scotians to bowl in the Australian Open during the summer of 2017. The event was held on the Gold Coast of Australia, with $250,000 in prize money. Finck’s partner was Bill Wesley, of Truro. The duo won one of their pairs games.
Finck returned home from Australia with an interesting harness racing photo-finish from Albion Park in Adelaide. Finck felt that the winning horse, Somepartysomewhere, might possibly be a son of Somebeachsomewhere, who was broke, trained and had his first qualifying race in Truro. Somebeachsomewhere, owned by the Schooner Stable (mainly Truro owners) went on to become a world champion.
Thanks to help from Barry Whidden and Brent Macgrath, we are able to confirm for Finck that, yes, you are correct. MacGrath contacted a friend, David James, of Empire Stallions in Australia, and James confirmed it.
“Yes, Somepartysomewhere is by Beach; his record is 153.8 and has earnings of $55,854. Somebeachsomewhere has 483 foals in Australia and 221 in New Zealand.”
We paid tribute to the late Wayne O’neil in a recent column.
O’neil was a good hockey player in his youth and later became an outstanding part-time harness racing trainer. Research- ing the column, I was reminded that Wayne was also a very good fisherman.
Wayne would sometimes talk about his ‘ fisherman friends,’ mentioning names such as Bill Stone, Ralph Meadows, Ervin Mathews, Bill Kennedy, Stanley Tufts, Allan Andrews, Vince Parnham, Ralph Mailman and Tommy Watson. There were probably others — and we can’t forget his grandson Ben Fraser.
“Are you going to mention Wayne’s fishing friends in the column,” I was asked. Because of limited space, we did not. So today, we’ve done so.
One other thing regarding the passing of O’neil — within days, Brookfield native Ron Belanger, a retired RCMP officer now living in Kentville, thoughtfully forwarded three photos. They were taken in 1986 and Wayne was in each photo.
Belanger recalled that Wayne was exercising a horse that day in Brookfield, he pulled the horse to a stop and he got off the jog cart.
Wayne invited both Belanger and another visiting police officer from Ontario, Gil Johnson, to take a few turns around the track. It was very possibly a firsttime experience for both officers. Belanger has never forgotten the enjoyment he got from jogging a race horse in 1986 — all because of Wayne’s thoughtfulness.
Stan “Chook” Maxwell was 17 when he left Truro in 1953 to play junior hockey with Quebec Citadels. Maxwell went on to enjoy a long and outstanding career in professional hockey, starring for teams across North America.
By the accounts of such Nhlers as Fleming Mackell and Leo Labine, Maxwell came very close to breaking into the National Hockey League.
What about Maxwell as a baseball player?
The topic was discussed recently with Dr. Colin Howell over coffee. Howell, who taught history at Saint Mary’s University, is now Professor Emeritus (history) and is involved with the centre for the study of sport and health at Saint Mary’s.
The author of the baseball book Northern Sandlots, Howell is working on another book called Baseball Breeding Ground.
Howell offered this perspective on Maxwell.
“Stan Maxwell was starring for Truro Bearcats in the H & D Baseball League in 1954. Jeff
Jones, of the Milwaukee Braves, visited the Maxwell home in
Truro and told the family if Stan would agree to play winter ball in the south the coming winter that he could be with Milwaukee in the major leagues the next season.”
Howell explained that in those days, if a player was paid a bonus of $4,000 or more when signing, he had to be carried on the major league team’s 25-man roster the following season.
“The Braves thought so highly of Maxwell that they were considering a bonus in excess of $4,000. Had Stan played well in winter ball he would have been a major leaguer.
Stan was an outstanding hockey prospect, he couldn’t imagine not playing hockey.”
Maxwell was truly one amazing athlete — he came close to making the big leagues in two sports.