From the South Hill to the Firefighters

The brief history: by Brian Zelley

 From the names above from Alfred (Al) Cool to Phil Ethier, each of the boxers and builders have a story. Jimmy Walters drafted his story that covered many intersting moments including his fight with club mate Lindy Lindmoser and numerous sparring sessions with Harold Mann.  As Harold is in the BC Sports Hall of Fame and has a special trophy named after him, there are hundreds of Harold Mann stories scattered from newspapers to blog sites.

I remember with fond memories those days with he Firefighters in the late sixties. Years later in the early Eighties, Bert Lowes was the head of ring officials in BC, so when I asked him, my old coach from the Firefighters gave me a chance to officiate which included to BC Winter Games tournaments in 1983 and 1984. I last saw Bert Lowes at the 1994 Commonwralth Games in Victoria.  While in Nanaimo, I had the chance to fight Jimmy McMillan and Del Deugau in 1966, and in 1968 faced club mate Frank Scott in the finals of the BC Goldn Gloves in Vancouver, and the Oregon Golden Gloves in Portland. The last two Firefighters that I saw in person were Dan Wright and Gordie Lawson.  And, I still remember getting Canadian light heavywright Canadian pro champion AL SPARKS to spar with "Dynamite" Dan.

                                                                 Boxing coach: Bert Lowes
The club began as the South Hill boxing on Vancouver's Fraser street near 41st. avenue with coaches Bert Lowes and Pat West.  Three of the key boxers were:
Harold Mann, Jimmy Walters and Lindy Lindmoser.

                                                Jimmy Walters, 1954 South Hill Boxing.
Firefighters Boxing Club
* When the club moved to Adanac close to Hasting's in "Little Italy" 
it would be called the Firefighters boxing club. In early 1968, the club
 moved to the Cambie and 12th. region.

I remember in September 1967 joining the Firefighters and leaving my original club in Nanaimo "Newcastle Boxing Club" founded by George Nepper in 1963

                                                Gordie Lawson and Dave Wylie
                                                 Lindy Lindmoser Zelley. 
I first met Dave Wylie at a fight card in Victoria in 1966.  Dave was a clasdy boxer who would be namd Diamond Boy in 1967.

                                           that should be Nicky MacDonald, and there was also 
Jack Snaith and Godie Lawson in the club. Of interest, Dan Wright and I
 would form the Nanaimo Boxing club in 1971 and one of the early
 Nanaimo  boxers was Jack Snaith.  

                                   Ian Weir ** Brian Zelley ** Gary Robinson ** Dan Wright