Cape Breton's Magazine

around you all the time. Take you here. Gee whiz, they'd shovel your drive? way- -which I didn't want, you know. And I had a car of my own. My heavens, that night--how easy fame is forgotten, eh? Here I am, out on the road, hitchhiking from East Bay to the Glace Bay Miners Forum. (You had to hitch? hike to the fight.) Yeah. Nobody came. See, that's what I say: fame is fleet ing, you know what I mean When you're on top, every body wants you or wants to| be around you. But when you're nothing, you're down on the bottom--I'm making a comeback now. So here we go. So I got to the Esplanade, and I got a bus up to Ashby.... I'm hitch? hiking now from Ashby to Glace Bay. So fi? nally this car stops and I got in. My bag on the floor, driving along. I said, "How far are you going?" "Oh," he said, "I'm going to Glace Bay." He said, "Are you?" I said, "Yes." So we got driving along. And he said, "I'm going to the fights tonight. I'm from New Glasgow. I'm coming down to see that MacDougall fight," he said. "He's fought in New Glasgow and Stellarton. Ter? rific fighter." You know, this was in past years. And he said, "He always gives you a good fight." So I never let on who I was all this time. So we got down, before you turn up on the Forum. I said, "I'll get off in the parking lot." So he pulled in the parking lot, shut off the car. And I opened the door, the bag --and that was the first time he noticed the bag. So when I got out he said, "Hey, by the way," he said, "are you fighting tonight?" I said, "Yeah, I am." He said, "What's your name?" I said. "Oh, my God," he said, "I've been driving the last 14 miles...!" He said, "You're the guy I came all the way from New Glasgow to see fight...!" So anyway, I went. And I put on quite a Gordie visited Sugar Ray Leonard, Middleweight Champion of the World (left) show that night. I fought the guy to a draw--me with 10 days. Tore the house down. I've got a write-up in the paper about it, you know. Those are some of the experiences I had.... And then I drifted into sailing. (Gordie sailed for over 20 years.) And, oh God, been all over around the world. I went on the Lakes, and sailed there. Then I'd get a little restless like that, and then I went deep sea. I went to Europe, and down to Africa. I was in England, Germany, Rot? terdam. I spent a lot of time in the Carib? bean, South America, southern part of the States and that. And I loved the sea. And especially the deep-sea aspect. Because you were always going to new countries, mostly new cities, new towns. Meeting dif? ferent cultures, different people. And that was terrific, you know. I loved it. Year 'Round Christmas Shop Le Brignolet k K' FINE GIFTS Maritime and Canadian Handcrafts and Souvenirs Folk Art and Country Gifts Quality Brass and Imported Gifts Kitchen and Bath Shop 15 PRINCE STREET SYDNEY??lT5J4 539-7338 ' Lii/ii-rEri LIMITED ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS "Serving Cape Breton Over 35 Years" SPECIALIZING IN: • INDUSTRIAL • COMMERCIAL • INSTITUTIONAL • RESIDENTIAL ?? WIRING CONTRACTORS • MAINTENANCE SERVICE • ELECTRIC HEATING SYSTEMS • FREE ESTIMATES 110 Reeves St. SYDNEY, N. S. 562-1132 FAX 526-1699 M FITZGERALD i/r 423 Charlotte St., Sydney, N.S. PHOTOGRAPHY,.,. 562-2321 Portraits, Weddings, Industrial, Cape Breton Scenes, Passport Photos in 10 min.. Industrial Video Only Color Laser Photo Copier in Cape Breton 97