MERRITTON MATTERS

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Art Barclay By Tom Barwell Merritton is mourning the loss of one of its own. Art Barclay, whose family name is well known in Merritton, recently passed away. Art was a big man and a gentle giant type of guy. But for his size he was surprisingly light on his feet. This enabled him to be a very good athlete. I remember him playing basketball for Merritton High School and he was one of the better players. Baseball was another one of his favourite sports and he played at all levels in Merritton. One little episode has stuck in my mind even though it happened over 50 years ago. It was a midget game and it was being played at Kernahan Park against our hated rivals, St. Catharines. Art came up in a dream situation. His team was losing by three runs in the bottom of the last inning and heads were hanging. Up comes Art. The pitch was thrown and with one mighty swing he belted the ball out of sight. Game over. As Art came trundling down the third base line, he was surrounded by his team who were all yelling and screaming. His reaction? Next to nothing. That’s the way he was. Humble to the core. Just a great person. I lost track of him over the years but I was not surprised to learn of his activities socially in the area. Now, tragically, he is gone, well before his time. But, I am sure that up among the stars he has hit another grand slam. God bless you Art and thanks for the memories. The Evolving of a Neighbourhood (continued from last issue) Editor’s Note: The gremlins must have been at work in the Fall/Winter issue because the last paragraph of the article ‘The Evolving of a Neighbourhood’ on page 15 became lost in the printing process. The only positive thing about it was that so many of you noticed it was missing and wrote or telephoned to let us know. (Thanks to Mel Lawrence of Trenton Ontario for being the first to alert us!) We have apologized to our writer Phyllis Thomson (and promised her a lifetime supply of tea so she’ll keep writing for us) and we have reprinted the conclusion of this article. Synopsis....The little area to the west of Burleigh Hill was originally a dairy farm owned by Francis Wark. It became a subdivision of thirty-six homes in the ‘60’s, but has remained relatively obscure, hidden as it is at the foot of the escarpment……. Conclusion....There have been a few larger homes added to the area since l960, but basically it has retained its small neighbourhood status with only one road serving both in and out traffic to/from Burleigh Hill Drive which seems to have worked pretty well for many years. But no neighbourhood is totally perfect, and I’m sure there have been some challenges along the way and I witnessed one on my recent visit to the area. Ste-Marguerite French Speaking School, which replaced St. Patrick’s school in l989, and the adjoining Day Care Centre, appears to have grown in popularity and population and with that has come traffic problems as cars arrive to pick up or deliver the children and have no place to park except along the narrow street leading in and out of Burleigh Hill. And I understand that there is now a proposal to build several townhouses where Rockdale and Warkdale meet, which is cause for concern for the residents and, having lived there, I can understand their consternation. But, from my point of view, this remains a unique little community. I MERRITTON MATTERS
You know you’re from Merritton if... • you had your name on the birthday train at Julio’s Plant 2 • you waited for the groceries to come out on the “rolly belt” at the A&P • you went roller skating at Wheelies • you had sweat pour down your face while eating chicken wings at Friar Tucks • you got yelled at by the rink rats at Merritton Arena for doing the whip In the next issue, we’ll share some that were sent to us by Dave Breakwell. More You Know You’re From Merritton If... We had a great response from the list of “You Know You’re From Merritton If…..” that we published in the last newsletter. The first set of additions are from Sue Anderson who said in her letter “Your list brought back lots of memories and exclamations of “Oh yes, I remember that”. Thanks for your newsletter and the memories it kindled. I showed this article to my daughters and they enjoyed it and added a few of their own.” MERRITTON MATTERS I
Page 1 and 2: MERRITTON MATTERS Spring 2009 • V
Page 3: Merrittonians We’ve Lost Whenever
Page 7 and 8: Merrittonians in Sports Hall of Fam
Page 9 and 10: Habitat for Humanity For the first
Page 11 and 12: A Memorable Man and a Memorable Era
Page 13 and 14: MERRITTON MATTERS I 13
Page 15: St. James Anglican Church’s New C

MERRITTON MATTERS

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