ROBERT "ROSY" JOHNSTON:

The Johnston brothers, Hammer and Sledge, posed for the camera in the parking lot of their second home at the Dresden Arena.

HE DID PRETTY WELL FOR HIMSELF, THANKS TO HIS GRANDMOTHER AND TOWN FOLK WHO TRULY CARED

This is a multi-faceted story about growing up in an extremely close-knit Southern Ontario community under the nurturing wing of a grandmother and a group of town folk assuming the role of surrogate parents. It is also about young boys finding a second home in the chilly confines of a hockey arena, a story repeated thousands of times every year in Canada

Robert "Rosy" Johnston was a babe in arms when I left my hometown of Dresden in 1955. A few years later, my cousins Norma and Bill Johnston would tell me about a "cute little guy with blazing red hair" who was a literal dynamo on hockey skates

Some 50 years later I have been introduced to Robert Johnston of Galgary, AB through the amassing world of Internet and Facebook. Robert, as it turns out, is a nostalgist after my own heart and has been fascinating me and many others from his Dresden past with a wonderful collection of clippings and photographs from a scrapbook undoubtedly started by his grandmother Margaret Johnston

I have been so taken with Robert and his heart-felt reminiscences of growing up in Dresden, that I approached him a few weeks ago with the possibility of doing a writeup on him for my Wrights Lane web site. He very graciously agreed. Initially, I anticipated a couple of paragraphs and maybe a photo or two, but what I ended up with was so extensive that it warranted a blog site unto itself.

Limousine driver/owner Robert Johnston with a customer bearing a remarkable resemblance to singer/movie star Tim McGraw.

The following is Robert's story, for the most part in his own words.

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Note from Dick: In collaborating with Rosy on this story, we inadvertently overlooked a reference to his mother, Louise Botterill Smith. Louise, who is still living in the rural Chatham area, recently turned over to Rosy a number of newspaper clippings and photos that she had collected over the years -- including the "Hammer and Sledge" photo which heads up this feature. Her indirect contribution to Rosy's story is greatly appreciated.

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"My older brother Brian (aka. Hammer) and I were raised by our Grandmother Margaret who was well known and active in the community. At the age of 65 she took on the responsibility of raising two young boys and did everything possible to keep us out of trouble and our morals intact. She had a very strong personality and would not hesitate to give us a backhand whenever we didn't toe the line. She was a Sunday School teacher for many years at Dresden United Church and for us not getting up in the morning was not an option any day of the week. She was a very fair person who would support us in anything we wanted, but she expected us to always do our best. I will be forever grateful for her care and guidance throughout the years."

The boys' father, Ray Johnston, was a colorful character who also lived in Dresden on and off. He was a fun-loving individual and a practical joker. "I can't say that I always enjoyed his jokes all that much, because I would sometimes be the victim," Robert admits. 

"My dad lived with us in the homestead at 520 Brown Street until I was about 14 and then married and moved out to be with his new wife and son. He lived close by but I rarely saw him. During this time he operated Hope Auto Wreckers behind the house on the 16 acres we owned along the Sydenham River.

"Because of all the parts and pieces of old cars around the property we had a great time making all kinds of mechanical contraptions. One of which was the Hope Frost King. It began life as a '53 Dodge car with a six-cylinder engine and airplane propeller mounted above the roof. We used to drive it throughout the acreage and it was a great deal of fun. One time I managed to sneak it out on the River Road and drove it to Tupperville without him knowing. Thinking back now, I'm surprised I never got caught because it made a lot of noise and the residents along the road never told my father what they had seen.

"He got the idea that this large fan could be mounted on a trailer and used to control frost in the fall and extend the tomato season. He patented it and sold it a year later. Over the years we built all kinds of things that locals will remember, pontoon boats in particular." 

Ray was also a pilot, teaching a number of friends to fly at one time. The infamous Red Dog Saloon was another short-live adventure in 1967 and Robert has resurrected a number of photos of the "coffee" pub located in an old shoe makers' shop in downtown Dresden.

Rosy was a proud member of a Dresden Bantam team that won the North American Silver Stick hockey championship, 1967-68. 

"Dresden as a community has a lot to be proud of," says Robert. "Growing up there was an experience to say the least . I know that most people feel that way about their home town and I can appreciate that. However, over the years our little town of Dresden has produced North American sports champions, Provincial champions in hockey and baseball and will continue to do so for many years. I was very lucky to a member of some of those teams in the 1960s and '70s."

Rosy attributes the success of the teams that he played on to the coaches and players that preceded his generation, "The Cooks, Bedells, Babcocks, Martins, Houston's -- pretty big shoes to fill," he states with conviction. 

GRAMMA MARGARET AND HER BOYS WITH NEW BIKES.

"I can only speak for myself, but I do know that the coaches and managers that I had as a youth in Dresden gave tirelessly of their time and money for our benefit...The mentors that instilled in us the message that you have to work hard to be the best and I have carried that throughout life. Hook Davis, Keith Babcock, Len Bedell, George Bedell, Don Brooker, Bill Chinnick, Floyd McCorkle, Fred Wicks and Lynn Martin to name a few were my heroes. They set a very high standard, and not just athletically."

"I remember, like most kids, pushing a chair around the rink for balance and learning how to skate. I was very lucky that I could spend as much time as I wanted at the arena because my Grandmother (seen above with the boys and new bikes from Clarke's Hardware) set up an account with Keith and Donna Babcock who ran the concession booth. Not only did they provide me with opportunity, they contributed the tools and mentality to be successful and I will be forever grateful."

Donna Babcock remembers "Rosy" (also dubbed Sledge in keeping with Dresden custom), his older brother "Hammer", their friend Dale London, and a few others, with fondness. "When he says he spent a lot of time with us at the arena, you can believe it," she said in a telephone chat from her Dresden home. "They literally lived in the arena and that was a good thing. Their grandmother always knew where they were." Red Brewer was manager of the arena at the time and Keith adds that they always made sure the boys were kept busy and well fed. 

Keith also recalls the brothers as good athletes who came up through the ranks of minor hockey and baseball in Dresden. "Brian played with the Dresden Junior Kings and Robert made it to Junior "A" with the Chatham Maroons, Sarnia Bees and Windsor Spitfires, so they did pretty well for themselves," he added

To this day Robert thinks of Donna and Keith as surrogate parents and faithfully remembers Keith with a telephone call every year on Fathers' Day. "He's almost like clockwork." says Donna. "It's to the point now that we are in the habit of waiting for the phone to ring."



THE BUSINESS OF HOCKEY

On the subject of his hockey career, Robert says he had to adjust to the harsh reality that the game at the junior level is a business. "Moving away from home for the first time, I had difficulty with that because hockey was always fun first and I knew the rewards would come with hard work," he explained. "My first year with the Maroons I was lucky enough to play for George Aitken who was a players' coach and he and I knew what was expected of me. It worked out well until the following year when he was fired and rehired by the Windsor Spitfires. All I could think about was how I was going to get to Windsor to play for him again. That of course didn't happen and I got traded to the Sarnia Bees, a first-year team in the Southern Ontario Junior "A" Hockey League. 

"Marty Zorica was my coach in Sarnia and we got along very well, but I found I was doing more fighting than playing hockey and my production suffered because of it. To make a long story short, Sarnia folded after the season and I was traded to Windsor. I was so looking forward to playing there and was extremely disappointed that shortly after my arrival Coach Aitken was fired and then rehired again to coach the Maroons. 

"Needless to say, the new Windsor coach Jerry Serviss and I never did see eye-to-eye and I quit playing for him in late November and returned to Dresden. With plenty of the season left, both Don Brooker (Dresden Jr. Kings) and Len Bedell coach of the upstart Wallaceburg Lakers, were trying to convince me to play for their teams. It was an agonizing decision for me because both were very significant in my life.

"Don treated me like a son and took me to Peterborough when I was playing midget to meet Roger Neilson, Don coached me to an Ontario championship in baseball and I felt he had helped me in so many ways. Len was also a coach on that team and my coach on two consecutive midget Provincial Championship teams. Dresden offered a seasonal job at Canadian Canners and Len offered full-time employment with the Town of Wallaceburg. 

"Given the fact that I was married with a young son, I decided to go to Wallaceburg as permanent employment was essential. As fate would have it, we met Dresden in the first round of the playoffs and I scored the winning goal in every game to eliminate the Junior Kings. I think during that time I was probably the most hated guy in Dresden."

GO WEST YOUNG MAN...


Rosy and his young family were still living in Wallaceburg when his father took a position with Sherritt Gordon Mines and asked him if he wanted to join him in Northern Manitoba. He decided to make the move because it seemed like a good opportunity to start a new life. Leaf Rapids in Manitoba was a model town with a lot of new facilities and it was only natural that the Dresden redhead would quickly become familiar with the local hockey scene. He would ultimately go on to captain two Leaf Rapids provincial playoff teams, losing to Snow Lake in the finals both years.

While in Leaf Rapids, Robert and his wife separated. His wife and child returned to Ontario and he moved to Banff. "I chose Banff with the persuasion of Bill Bedell, my life-long friend and goaltender teammate with many of the championship teams in Dresden when we were in minor hockey," he explained. 

"Banff was like a dream come true and I made it my home for 20 years. Bill played for a team in Banff Springs that won the league championship the year before and knew that I could crack the lineup. He persuaded the coach Dave Moberg to let me play in a couple of pre-season exhibition games. We played against a Glen Sather Hockey School team that had Larry Robinson and Doug Riseborough in the lineup. I scored twice in each game and was offered the position of bellman at the Banff Springs Hotel along with a spot on the hockey team's roster. The following season I was made captain of the team and we went on to win five championships in a row."

When Moberg eventually quit coaching, Robert went to work for Brewster Transport as a tour bus driver in the Rockies. In the spring of 1994 he started his own limousine company in Banff, providing luxury transportation and tours for visitors to the scenic area.

Rosy says that his hockey connections came in handy in the limousine business. People like Glen Sather (Edmonton Oilers) provided him with clients such as Ed Schneider (Philadelphia Flyers owner) and Dick Butkus (football great). He even treated his old friends Donna and Keith (Babcock) and Donna and Terry Martin of Dresden to a grand limo tour of the Rockies a few years ago.

Our boy Rosy in a recent photo, retains a soft spot for trucks.


Rosy sold his business in 2004 but he was not through with driving. He moved to Calgary where he secured a four-day-a-week job driving a truck for the city. He spends most of his spare time hunting, fishing and training his two Labrador dogs. He and Susan Langhorn, the lady in his life, have been together happily for 14 years.

Susan retired two years ago from her job with Customs Canada after 30 years of service. "She is well organized and is busier now than when she was working full-time," says Robert. "Between two dogs and me, she has her hands full keeping everything in order."

"It's hard for me to believe now that a little town in Southern Ontario laid the the foundation for a lifetime of opportunity. For this I am grateful and indebted to everyone who had a hand in helping me along the way," says Rosy. "I'll always be a Dresdenite at heart."

Up until last year he played quite actively in old-timers hockey and won several Can Am Tournaments with his Banff team. Now after breaking a couple of ribs last year at the age of 56, he has "hung them up for good."

"I still like to go to the outdoor rink and play with the local kids though," he adds. "None of them realize what an important role hockey has played in my life and I prefer to keep that my little secret. All they see is some grey haired old man who, for some reason, they can't skate around."

That's the spirit Rosy. Maintain that enthusiasm. Your little secret will remain between Dresden friends only. Keep working the corners in the game of life! There are number of people back in the old home town who are still cheering for you.

And another thing young fella, It's been good getting to know you!



Rosy on a hunt with Super Dog Sierra, "the world's best retriever."

EDITOR'S NOTE: Rosy and the kids of his and subsequent generations were indeed fortunate to have an indoor arena to go to. There was no such thing in Dresden when I was growing up. We had three choices in winter -- the market square, the gully and the river. And damn if it wasn't cold!