He Was A Small Town Boy (1)

Some might have called him a big brute of a man. A bit on the eccentric side perhaps. He was born at the end of the Great Depression. It was 1933 and the town was a bustling throughway for supplies by train and water. 

Surrounded by farmland and the town growing slowly southward toward the big city of Toronto. 

   The train was the main connection. A coal yard and lumber mill kept bay fed both boats and trains headed to places in demand. A midstop for supplies heading to northern Ontario. People were bunched together. Often making their way for work or relatives. 

His father looked over the bay on his stool at the tannery. A cobbler. Shoemaker. It was work. 

Mother was at home. Making a home. She did catering to help make ends meet. 

She'd grown up on a farm. Her folks still there. She was no stranger to hard times and hard work. 

Donald had come first. With Ross 11 months later. She could have no more children after a hard birth. 

As it was these two kept her alert.

Emma was a fretter with a phobia of injuries. Two boys....that learned it was better to head straight to the doctor rather than cause their mother a spell. Bandaids she could handle. But not the application. The sight of blood sent her in frenzy. The doctor's house knew the boys well. 

Sometimes this avoiding being caught injured didn't always goes as planned.

Being a small town the cousins were around the corner and nosey neighbours also kept each other apprised of the happenings. 

Winter 1940. The city is white with fresh snow. It continues to fall. Kids are bundled and have their tobaggans in town.

 Dundonald Hill is thick with fresh snow. Trudging a path to the top the kids were full of energy. 

No fear they took turns piling on tobagans and carving a lane to the bottom. Slicker with every run and getting closer to the snowbank by the road they continued to throw caution to the wind. Some spinning out or falling off. Mitts and hats flying off. 

Such winter fun.

One particular day the snow had built up banks. It was a perfect day with fresh snow. The little flurries were of no concern to 5 boys headed for the hills just east of city center. 

It's the early 40s and none over the age of 8. Each having whatever snowsuit they could find. Made of cloth they were water weighted before they made their first run. 

Breaking snow, the first rounds were a bit slow. As the fun grew they piled on. Going faster each time. 

The high banks of snow make the end of the hill difficult to see from the road. Just over the bank was its icy pavement. 

Don at the from his brother behind and cousin Jackie on the tail they pushed off. Flying over the top they lost young Jackie off the back. His hat piled with snow as he watched Don and Ross go right over the bank like a rocket. 

Poor Jackie saw the car at the exact same time. He couldn't look as the car swerved and stopped. 

Jackie was already on the run home. He was a pile of mess when he reached Aunt Emma.. " Auntie der went down and it went over the road and everything went everywhere an Donnie bin runned over an Rossie bin kilt.." and ran like the wind home. 

Rossie had bailed before the road and Don had survided the lucky trip across under the car. The man was more grateful they were all ok. Donald needed stitched above his eye and headed for Dr. Turnbull before heading home. 

Papa working would hear when he got home. After giving their mother such a fright the boys were banned from going that way again. But the scare and the injury seemed punishment enough...to them. So the hill would be tried yet again.