Page 89 - Gordie MacDougall, Boxer: My Life

ISSUE : Issue 57

Published by Ronald Caplan on 1991/6/1

Gordie MacDougall, Boxer continued from page 14 Then we moved up the road. And there was a saucy kid. He was about my age or some? thing like that. So, he was saucy and that there. I re? member, whenever I'd go up the road--like, going up to Blair Richardson's--his fa? ther had a pond up the road, made a nice pond. So we'd go up there skating. So I had to go by this guy's--my neighbour's--driveway. And he used to pelt the rocks at me. He'd put me out a- running, with rocks. And I'd say, "If I get you, I'm go? ing to pound your goddamn head off you." So, at that time you'd go the show on a Saturday night. The bus stop used to be at the end of his drive? way. So he wouldn't get on there, he'd walk up the road. Going to the show, buses would be packed. So we used to get off, the corner--and then you walked up Prince Street to the show. So I wait until he got off, see. I jump off there. And I push him up against the garage, and I beat his joe-jesus head off right there. Then I go to the show and he had to get the next bus home. All full of blood and everything. So his father saw me a couple of days later, walking up to Blair's, going up skating on that pond. I had my hockey stick and my skates over my shoulder. He had a great big truck. And he'd come along and he'd stop. "Listen, boy"--he'd call me over to the truck. "I'm going to get the Mounties or I'm going to see your father. You beat (my son) up last night." I said, "So what?" He reached out and gave me a slap on the face, you know, across the face. So I came down with the hockey stick on his arm--his arm was still JONELJIM GENERAL CONSTRUCTION TILT-UP CONCRETE BUILDINGS CONCRETE STRUCTURES PRE-ENGINEERED BUILDINGS TURN-KEY PROJECTS DESIGN BUILD Riverview Drive, Sydney Fax. 539-0104 539-2222 out the window of the truck--and I near broke the arm right off of him. And he tore off home. Next thing you know, Mounties are at my place. They used to be at my place all the time.... Shirley MacDougall. Gordie's wife: A lit? tle note on that. No matter who you ask today about Gordie: "Gordie was always a gentleman." Gordie: Yeah. I wouldn't go out of my way, you know, to do any harm. (But you wouldn't walk away from any? thing.) Shirley: But Gordie was a gentle? man. He treated women--always, whether they were 10 years old or 100 years old-- no matter who you talk to, they'll tell you that--Gordie would always treat you with respect. And he was a fantastic per? son to visit his old friends--oh, real old men who were in their 70's when Gordie was only 40. Gordie: Yeah, they'd be in the hospital, I'd always go to the hospitals. THE TREASURE COVE GIFTS AND HANDCRAFTS High quality gifts and crafts from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and abroad 1-902-564-8158 &??L Pi0 A'JSm Mti'Jnl??' mjm. Children's books and toys - pre-school to 12 years 1-902-539-3035 Open Mon.-Sat. 9-6, Thurs.-Fri. until 9 74 Townsend St., Sydney, N. S. 81P 5C8 89

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