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Wednesday, March 3, 2010 Orono Weekly Times - 3 JOHN Continued from page 2 By the end of January a new building had been erected on the farm and I went back to England again for two weeks to help support my cousin while her mother, my aunt, underwent a serious operation. When I returned I learned of the tragic passing of John Berry. I can only say that I suddenly felt like I had missed a huge chunk of time. The gentleman whose round bristly chops sat firmly on a pair of broad shoulders, whose smile was like a warm spring rain and whose hand reached out to say `Hello, and how can I help?' at the same time, was just not here anymore! John's Stetson will no longer pass through the doors of the Orono Town Hall and his wonderful sense of humor will no longer raise the price of a pie to unbelievable heights but his sense of community will forever live on through the many lives that he touched. John was our champion in this the year of the Olympics. Tony Wood Orono `An Emotional Day' Newcastle district fire chief retires after 43 years of service by Sue Weigand Sunday night was the last day of service in the long career of Newcastle's Volunteer District Fire Chief, Alfred Alldread. Even as he spoke by phone to the Orono Times about his impending retirement, Alldread had his pager and radio turned on in case a fire call came through. "I don't retire until 12 o'clock tonight," he explained. And there had already been two calls earlier in the day, he said. "The boys were good enough to let me drive on both calls," he said, with a chuckle. Monday was "a very emotional day" for Alldread, capping off a "very satisfying" career that began in June of 1966. With more than 43 years of service, Alldread's firefighting career outlasted his primary career at General Motors in Oshawa, where he worked for 37-and-ahalf years. As far as Clarington Fire Chief Gord Weir could discern, there are no other volunteer firefighters with as many years of service as Alldread. "It's very rare with this department," said Weir. "Almost 44 years is a lot of years for a volunteer. It is certainly something to be very proud of. It's a great accomplishment, and I don't think you'll see too many more like Alf. We just don't have very many who have provided such service to the residents of Newcastle and Clarington." "I'm one of a kind, I guess," Alldread said, with a laugh, when told no other volunteers were on record as serving for so long in Clarington. "But," he quickly added, in an effort to share the RETIRE see page 4 Newcastle's Volunteer District Fire Chief, Alfred Alldread (centre), flanked by Clarington's Fire Chief, Gord Weir (left) and Mariano Perini, an adviser with the Office of the Fire Marshall, received a certificate of recognition on Monday evening from the Mayor and Clarington Council upon his retirement. Reduce Reuse Recycle reliable · responsible · recyclable YOUR OFFICE SUPPLY STORE INKJETS · LASER · RIBBON CARTRIDGES COPY & PRINT CENTER 410 TORONTO ST., NEWCASTLE · 905-987-4781 ~ Happenings ~ Saturday, March 6, 2010 - The Sadies. Orono Arena. Doors open at 8:00 pm. Tickets $20, available at Don's Auto - 905-983-9449 or Hands on Music - 905-623-7474. Sold out! Saturday, March 6 · Tuesday, March 8 · Thursday, March 25, 2010 - Orono Soccer Registration. March 6 1-3 pm, March 8 7-9 pm, March 25 7-9 pm. 905-983-5840. Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - Lindsay Spring Fest at Lindsay Fairgrounds. Tickets are available at the Fair. More information at www.lindsayspringfest.com or call 705-324-5551. Saturday, March 27, 2010 - Newfie Night Charity Fundraiser at Newcastle Community Hall. Doors open at 6 pm. Tickets are available at The Framing Centre for $30.