NEWSLETTER PROBUS CLUB OF VANCOUVER 5846 Angus Drive, Vancouver, B.C. V6M 3N8, Phone and Fax 604-261-6818 Clubs for retired and semi-retired professional and business persons, former executives and others www.probusvancouver.com JUNE 2013 President Wayne Audette Next Meeting: June 11th, 2013 604-9297586 UPCOMING EVENTS [email protected] Walking Tour of Time: 9:30 am June 25th — Past President Location: H.R. MacMillian Planetarium and West End Don Newman FUTURE SPEAKERS 604-263-5740 Space Centre, Lower Level [email protected] July 9th — Andre Gerolymatos Speaker: Peter Bernard Topic: Syria & Middle East Vice President August 13th — Ronald W. Thiessen Jon Collins Topic: An Overview of Oil Tanker Issues 604-261-2468 Topic: Mining Hoops [email protected] Secretary Ken Yule 604-266-4563 PETER BERNARD [email protected] After obtaining his law has been involved in Arbitrations and Treasurer degree from the Univer- Mediations as counsel and as an Arbi- Richard Carson 604-261-0974 sity of British Columbia, trator or Mediator. [email protected] Peter joined the long Throughout his career, Peter has established Vancouver continued to write on matters of Mari- Speakers Committee Brian Maunder Maritime Law Firm of time Law with various forms of publica- 604-222-2391 Macrae Montgomery Hill & Cunning- tion including monthly periodicals and [email protected] ham. He was a Partner in that firm from law journals. He has spoken often to an Membership Committee 1969 to 1982. During that period of time, assortment of audiences in Canada, the Norm Leach he gained extensive experience in all United States and elsewhere. 604-733-3866 [email protected] areas of the Maritime Law practice. In Peter has been a leading influ- 1982, Peter joined the Vancouver firm of ence in the marine community particu- Activities Committee Campney & Murphy where he was a larly in western Canada. He has been a Bill Robertson 604-269-0745 Partner until 2002, when he became one Director of the Chamber of Shipping, the [email protected] of the founding members of Bernard & International Maritime Centre, the Cana- Partners. dian Bar Association, the Canadian Web Site Committee Jack Zaleski Peter’s practice has enveloped a Maritime Law Association, Vancouver 604-261-7492 very broad spectrum in the field of Mari- Maritime Museum. He has chaired or [email protected] time Law over a period of more than 40 otherwise organised many events, in- House Committee years, where he has represented ship cluding the International Congress of Doug Lambert owners and charterers in both interna- Maritime Arbitrators in 1991, the Interna- 604-266-2422 tional and coastal shipping, terminal op- tional Conference of Marine Arbitration Newsletter Editor erators, P&I Clubs, Hull and Machinery in 1988 and a number of continuing le- Roy Williams Underwriters, ship builders and various gal education seminars and presenta- 604-926-4727 worldwide financial institutions. The tions. Peter was appointed Queen’s [email protected] practice includes litigious matters in ar- Counsel in January 2001 and is listed as Membership Services eas such as collision, salvage, maritime a leading lawyer in Canada and in the Tony Weall liens, pollution, immigration, bodily in- maritime world in Who’s Who Legal, 604-261-2144 [email protected] jury, carriage and chartering disputes Best Lawyers. Peter was recently given and also includes commercial work in- the honour of the Best Maritime Lawyer cluding carriage and chartering along in Vancouver, British Columbia for 2011. with ship purchase and finance. Peter Probus Club Of Vancouver June 2013 His first hockey broadcast was a beer league game played in Nanaimo on a Sunday morning, Report of the May 14th Meeting which he taped and drove to Alberni in his 1939 Attendance: 160 Members and Guests Plymouth coupe for airing that afternoon. In 1955 he covered the Nanaimo Timbermen box lacrosse team for CHUB Nanaimo. The Mann Cup final was played in Toronto, but he was in President Wayne Audette called the meeting to Nanaimo recreating the entire series using only order at 10:00 am, welcoming in particular guest the period summaries of goals, assists and pen- speaker Jim Robson, whose impressive biogra- alties for guidance. After one game in which he phy appears in the May newsletter. Ken Yule had described outstanding play by Harry Whip- acted as Secretary. per, whose name did not appear in the summa- Jack Zaleski introduced three new members (see ries, he was telephoned by an upset woman, “Welcome New Members”), Bill Robertson re- who informed him that the player, her husband, ported that only a several places remain for John had been injured in the second minute and had Atkin’s West End Walk on June 25, and Gordon not played thereafter except in his imagination. Thom introduced the new President of the Pro- In 1956 he learned from a teammate that CKWX bus Investment Club, David Clark, who is looking Vancouver was about to hire an assistant sports for 5-10 new members. director. He applied, and was hired at $325 a Jack Farley introduced Jim Robson, who deliv- month. His first pro hockey game was between ered an entertaining, detailed and self-effacing Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Flyers at the account of his 47 year career as a B.C. sports Vancouver Forum. He met the Edmonton broadcaster, under the title “Balls, Bats and coach, Bud Poile, who in 1970 would become Bluelines”, complemented by some excerpts of the first general manager of the NHL Canucks. tape recordings of his radio broadcasts. Jim Robson became the Voice of the Canucks. Jim Robson was inspired to broadcast sports He described the challenging task of broadcast- from listening to Foster Hewitt at age six. His ing “reconstructed” baseball broadcasts of first broadcasting job, when he was 17, was as a games played away from Vancouver. He and “continuity writer” writing radio commercials for his sound effects man were in a studio on Bur- local advertisers at CJAV Port Alberni, where he rard Street, working from abbreviated descrip- negotiated a $100 monthly cheque by telling the tions teletyped from the park, and staying about manager he wanted to be paid “what was fair”. half an inning behind the play. The sound ef- Room and board and deductions reduced his fects were real recordings from home games. spendable balance to $12. Difficulties arise particularly if the incoming infor- mation is incomplete. In one long multi-run in- When the station’s sports announcer moved on, ning the operator reported only two outs, but in- Jim began “on air” work. He became the play by sisted his account was complete and correct; in play voice of the Alberni Athletics, who were Ca- order to maintain the proper batting order for the nadian Senior Men’s champions and played in- next inning the reconstructors arranged that a dependent teams with outstanding players like runner was picked off base, although they never Elgin Baylor. He recounted the 1955 B.C. final did learn the truth. in which Alberni defeated Vancouver Cloverleafs in seven games, the last by one point in over- He recalled two incidents at Capilano Stadium. time. He later broadcast the B.C. Boys High One night in 1962 the players and umpires sud- School basketball tournament and, for CBC TV, denly and inexplicably all ran off the field, and the 1984 Olympic basketball. the press box next to the broadcast booth was evacuated. It transpired that a large bright me- 2 Probus Club Of Vancouver June 2013 teorite behind them seemed to be heading right than the 2011 team because of great goaltending, for the park, but it landed in Naramata. In a 1966 defensive depth and many forwards in the prime game brawls erupted after a high inside pitch by of their careers. Comparing eras is impossible, Jim Coates hit a black batter, Ricardo Joseph. but today’s players are bigger, faster, stronger, Although punches were thrown, no one was and with better equipment and coaching than ear- thrown out of the game. Revenge continued lier ones. He admires their athleticism in doing when the next batter bunted and then attacked everything on skates. He enjoys all sports, but Coates fielding it. This time, the catcher rescuing hockey the most, despite sometimes poor and in- his pitcher was hit over the head with a viciously consistent officiating. swung bat and knocked unconscious. The next morning Joseph nailed Coates with a punch as he Answering questions, he considers the Edmonton was coming to breakfast. The batting players Oilers the greatest team ever, closely followed by the Montreal Canadiens. The league is now too were suspended but Coates was not disciplined. competitive and balanced for another dynasty to For five seasons, from 1960 to 1964, he broadcast emerge. Teams cannot afford two first rank goal- the B.C. Lions games on CKWX. He found foot- ies; contracts have become too long and too ex- ball the most difficult sport to broadcast because pensive. Lloyd Gilmour refereed by the seat of he had to have facts at his fingertips about a much his pants, and would have a tough time in today`s larger number of players than for other sports. game. He doubts that anything useful will come Also, the on-field deception was hard to unravel. out of the Boogaard family lawsuit. Rushing to and from pre- and post-game pro- grams, particularly when players were avoiding Jim Helmcken thanked the speaker for sharing his reminiscences, in which he displayed profound interviews, was tough. knowledge of all the sports he covered. Hockey became the most prominent sport in his broadcasting career.