Ron Wilson: athlete extraordinaire
Bearcats rookie Ben Fraser is happy playing junior A hockey
Ron Wilson, 84, of Brookside, passed away Dec. 7, 2019.
A large group attended to give him a wonderful sendoff Monday afternoon during a Celebration of Life at the Bible Hill Fire Brigade hall.
Wilson was remembered as a great dad, brother and friend; many people present had experienced this man’s friendliness and kindness.
Enjoying competition, Wilson played many sports and he played them well. Perhaps best described as a multi-sport athlete extraordinaire, Wilson went where few other athletes had gone. With his harnessracing career topping the list, he had also played and refereed hockey, played rugby, baseball and softball and he curled at a high level.
Wilson amazingly wore seven different hats in sports. It began as a Truro minor hockey player in the early 1940s when he was good enough to play on a line with two of the best hockey players in town, Stan “Chook” Maxwell and Cookie Mentis.
Randy Cameron, a friend of Wilson’s since school days, recalled the times.
“We graduated together from the Colchester County Academy in 1953,” said Cameron, of Middleton. “Ron played hockey for the academy and we were teammates on the rugby team, Ron was one of our best players.”
Wilson later played in the Truro District Hockey League with Debert Flyers, NSAC Aggies and Bible Hill Dairymen.
In a 1995 Sports Scene interview, Wilson had this to say.
“At the Agricultural College I got to play with my longtime
friend goaltender Donnie Smith, Dick Huggard, Donnie Porter, Keillor Shea and Bob Balcolm. I enjoyed playing under coach Win Langille. Win really knew his hockey.”
Following play in the TDHL, Wilson became a referee.
After playing minor and intermediate baseball, he joined Montgomery Brothers of the Truro Commercial Softball League.
“We were teammates with Montgomery Brothers,” Cameron said. “Ron was our shortstop, he was a real good fielder and he was a great teammate.”
Wilson would later take up curling, a sport he enjoyed for 22 years. A member of the Donnie Smith rink in the late 1960s, besides being Truro Club champions, the Smith rink advanced to the Tankard, the provincial men’s championship in Dartmouth.
Starting out with his father Earl Wilson in harness racing in 1949, early career driving wins for Ron came while sitting behind Colonel Sherbrook and Walk The Line. Wilson would eventually operate his own public stable at Truro Raceway; he drove such horses as Sonoma Glib, Leland’s Bell, Curtain Riser, Head Gear, Aquillo
and his daughter Donna Wilson’s Atlantic Sires Stake filly, Hillview Wonder.
Harness racing took Wilson all around the Maritimes over the years. It was during the early 1970s he was stabled two winters at Pompano Park in Florida.
On a personal note, I knew Ron for more than 60 years and this was a considerate man who was clearly proud of family. In telephoning Ron various times over the years to verify some matter of sports history, Ron was always accommodating and helpful.
No big surprise, that’s just the way Ron Wilson was... •••
FRASER HAS
THE RIGHT ATTITUDE
Truro Bearcats rookie forward Ben Fraser has a great outlook.
“I’ve been fortunate to have played AAA hockey along the way,” said Fraser, 17, of Pleasant Valley. “I’ve had some good coaches and I’ve played with some real good hockey players, guys like Hunter Martin, Gavin Hart, Jacob Melanson and Merle Putnam. Although I’ve played on some good teams, I’m still waiting for that big moment and a big championship win.”
A Bearcats territorial pick, Fraser comes to the Bearcats following two seasons with Pictou County Weeks Major Midgets.
“I was nervous, I knew the coach was looking to put a real good team together, I knew I was really going to have to work to make the team. Having come this far I’m beyond fortunate to have this situation, to be able to live at home and play junior A for the Bearcats.”
Fraser expressed hope that the Bearcats can get up to playing better than .500 hockey during December.
“We all want badly to get this team into a playoff position. We’re all committing to playing for the team. It would be nice to make a playoff run.”
Coming off important backto-back wins over Yarmouth Mariners and Valley Wildcats, the Bearcats host Amherst Ramblers Friday night at the Rath-eastlink Community Centre.
A 7 p.m. start, it’s another big game in the Bearcats’ playoff hunt.