2010 Inductees
Bruce Beattie
Bruce Beattie played many sports in his youth, including baseball in the summer and hockey in the winter. In high school he participated in soccer, volleyball, and track and field. His real passion in sports, though, was hockey.
Bruce played his entire minor hockey career in Berwick and became known and trusted as a steady stay-at-home defenceman.
Laurie Ward
Born into a sports-minded family, Laurie grew up in Weston and loved to join the games that surrounded him. He remembers playing ball with great delight, as young as age five, in the backyard after supper with his brother Paul and sister Marilyn, his uncle Bernie, and any neighbors that happened along. One night in particular, he remembers his mother coming out, taking him inside, and putting him into bed. He waited until she returned downstairs, and then snuck down the back stairwell to rejoin the game outdoors. This desire to play and compete continues to this day.
Stuart E. Johnstone
ometime during the mid 1940s Stuart E. Johnstone wrote about a ball game. He then took the story to John Scott, owner of the Berwick Register, and asked if he would print it. He did and a few days later he called Stuart and said, "Bring more." Mr. Scott's support launched Stuart's career as a sports reporter and the rest is history.
His play-by-play writing style was so descriptive that if you missed the game you could just pick up the Register and read Stuart's article to visualize exactly how the game had been played. As Dr. Ron Thorpe said, "Stuart, you use too many adjectives."
Arthur D. Newton
With the arrival of Art and Eleanor Newton in September of 1959, the development of sports in Berwick was about to take a gigantic leap forward.
Art played several sports. He played baseball, hockey, and tennis while in the Air Force from March 1955 through April 1958. He played fastball and hockey in Greenwood in 1960; however, it was as a builder that Art would make his main contribution to local sports. He began by organizing and coaching Midget softball, with the help of assistant coach David Miller, in the summer of 1961. The creation of this team began a resurgence of interest in softball in the area.
Dr. Thorpe Curling Team
During the late 60s, the 70s, and the early 80s, the Berwick Curling Club was well respected locally and across the province for having strong, competitive teams. With the recruitment of Dr. Ron Thorpe, Tom Beattie, Dave Miller, and Bill Wilson, the Berwick Curling Club became even stronger. Looking more like NFL linebackers than curlers, these four men combined style, strength, strategy, size, agility, shot making, and tremendous “sweeping ability”. Back in the day before push brooms, these men drew raves from spectators for their sweeping efficiency, pounding in unison with corn brooms, rink rats, and mid westerns (with leather inserts). One Digby Hall-of-Famer, Hymie Webber, even checked their brooms one day for real vacuums!