PelhamToday received the following letter to the editor from a reader regarding our recent story about winter skating:
The Dawn Patrol was conceived by Glynn A. Green and Arthur Wigg. Initially the boys were transported to the Welland Arena, each Friday morning, by a bus from Farr's Bus Line in Fenwick. Sadly it burned to the ground, and thereafter the boys would gather at Fonthill Public School where they would pile into our family station wagon, 21 once, with their skates and sticks. Mr Wigg carried a bunch and occasionally a father or two came along.
Of great importance to this activity: the Ontario government had a program which provided us with goalie pads, sticks, pucks, sweaters, and socks. Our contact was Ellis Morningstar, long-time MPP. I clearly remember this equipment being delivered to our house on Highland Avenue. And thus, minor hockey in Fonthill was born.
Thereafter, I incorporated PMHA, my son Andrew now the secretary. Then in 1976 Glynn A. Green passed suddenly, when the Haist Street Arena was under construction. I asked that donations be made to the Arena Fund in his honour, and $3200 was donated, the funds being used to complete the community room for which no government funds were available.
There were bronze plaques created and installed in the entry to commemorate “his donations” and the hundreds of other individuals, businesses, service clubs, corporations—a true community effort. After decades of use, that arena had reached its end of life and was replaced by the MCC. I was pleased to see that the plaques are now installed in the lobby there, along with some of the news of that time. Mysteriously the Glynn A. Green Q.C. plaque is not there. My sister Rachael found it one day, propped against the family memorial stone in Fonthill Cemetery! Why and how it got there nobody knows.
Glynn R. Green Q.C
Fonthill
