Tense moments' at Chapleau Curling Club in 1969 but students win Scott Thomson Memorial Trophy in men's bonspiel

Jim Lapp, James Crichton, Norman Creighton, Bruce Pellow

There were many "tense moments" at the Chapleau Curling club in 1969 as 30 rinks competed for the Scott Thomson Memorial Trophy, the Sudbury Star reported.

Rinks  participating included Chapleau, Toronto, Mactier, Thessalon, White River and Pineal Lake.

However, it was not "seasoned curlers" who emerged victorious at the end of the annual three day men's bonspiel, taking the trophy and first event.

The rink skipped by James Crichton with Norman Creighton, Jim Lapp and Bruce Pellow, all former Chapleau High School students, who were currently attending post secondary institutions out of town, had come home for the bonspiel and won it.

Just recently Jim Lapp commented on Facebook that he had spent many hours curling after school at the rink then located on Pine Street.  

Curling was a very popular sport for students at Chapleau High School for many years.

It wasn't all curling though as the Star reported that a dinner was held at the Legion Hall on Saturday night and "lively entertainment" was provided in the club room on Friday and Saturday nights with dancing to the music of the Rhythmaires, a popular orchestra of the day. 

The curling rink had undergone major renovations, especially to the club rooms in 1960 when George Collins was  president and Keith Scott, vice president.

Curling was introduced in Chapleau during the winter of 1885 just as the Canadian Pacific Railway arrived and the community was being established. There was apparently one sheet of ice on an open air rink on and empty lot on Lorne Street across from where the liquor store is now located.

The winning rinks in the 1969 bonspiel sure reads like a a "Who's Who" of men's curling in Chapleau and area from over 50 years ago. 

Here are the winners as reported by the Sudbury Star.

Runners up in the first event were Keith Scott (skip), C.R. Groves, William Payette and Robert Harrison. In third place was Harvey Fortunato (skip), John Morin, Peter Bernier and Lou Lingenfelter. In fourth was Dennis Tieman (skip) E. Pozzo, P. Bird, and Naddo  Bracci of White River.

Second event winner of the Cochrane-Dunlop Trophy was J.G. 'Jiggs' Goldstein (skip), Ovide Cote, Guy McCrea and Jerry Henderson. Runners up were Paul Secker (skip), Con Schmidt, Billy Bromley and Ed Sutherland. Third was Toddy Collinson (skip), William McLeod, Don Ferguson and George Mayotte.

Third event winners for the Charles W. Collins Trophy were Richard Hoath (skip), Peter Blackburn, Louis Cappellani and James Gemmell. In second place was Ovila Desbois (skip), Aubrey Slievert, Milton Vaillancourt and Mayrice Bouchard, of Pineal Lake. In third place was Charles Law (skip), George Elliott, Robert Bromley and Peter Witherspoon.

The Chapleau Public Library recently added eight new sections depicting various aspects of life in Chapleau. Curling is one of them. They are all most interesting and I suggest you take a look. My email is mj.morris@live.ca