Five inductees took their places of honour on Sports Wall at Northern Carleton Recreation Centre
Four individuals and one team became the 2023l inductees into the District of Carleton North Sports Wall of Recognition during a ceremony at the Northern Carleton Recreation Centre on Oct. 14.
The ceremony honoured multi-sport athlete and coach Bun Veysey, renowned basketball coach and builder Ian Dunlop, multi-sport player, coach and builder Bobby Rogers, hockey builder and referee Chip Hunter and the 1974 Florenceville Beaver A baseball team.
Members of Veysey’s, Dunlop’s and Rogers’ families attended the ceremony to accept their induction plaques posthumously. Hunter and several 1974 Beaver champion baseball squad members were on hand to personally receive the honour.
Beaver A team
The Florenceville Beaver A team, featuring 12 and 13-year-olds, players coached by fellow 2023 inductee Veysey and Stephan McCain, captured the 1974 provincial championship, earning the right to represent New Brunswick at the Canadian Beaver Baseball Championships.
The 15-member team from rural Carleton County defeated Fredericton to win the zone championships. In a four-team double knockout tournament, Florenceville defeated Dalhousie, Moncton and St. Stephan-Milltown to earn the New Brunswick Title.
The team, which Veysey said looked “like rag dolls” because they lacked matching uniforms, displayed the grit, determination and character to overcome challenges from bigger centres. Many of the 15 young players played significant roles in the sport’s development in the Carleton North region.
Team members were Steve McCrea, Terry Denny, K.K. Brown, Joe Higgins, Blake Wiley, Leigh Brennan, Chris Brennan, Peter Tweedie, David Harvey, Dan Whittaker, Kevin Brown, Dick Wishart, Andrew Ciougle and Eugene McKim. Edward Harvey served as bat boy.
Randolph ‘Bun’ Veysey
Veysey arrived in Florenceville with his family in 1968 to become the town’s first Director of Recreation and was already known throughout the province as a star athlete.
In his role with the town, Veysey helped oversee the building of a swimming pool, tennis courts, playgrounds and five baseball diamonds.
Outside working hours, he coached several baseball and hockey teams, taking pride in seeing local teams succeed on a provincial level.
While coaching several teams to provincial and Atlantic crowns through the 70s, Veysey also managed the 1973 New Brunswick Canada Games baseball team. He returned to the Canada Games in 1985 as a New Brunswick Mission Staff member.
During the 80s and ’90s, as a staff member of the Department of Youth, Recreation and Cultural Resources, Veysey assisted rec departments throughout York, Carleton and Victoria counties.
“Bun’s leadership embodied moral character, competitive spirit, and a team-first approach while helping to lay the foundation of recreation and active living in the Northern Carleton region,” notes Veysey’s induction bio.
Iain Dunlop
The late Iain Dunlop, who began his teaching and coaching career at Bath High School in 1969, spent the next 32 years teaching and 46 years coaching.
In addition to coaching, Dunlop left a significant mark on sports as a builder. While he coached several sports, his passions were basketball and baseball. He coached and played all levels of baseball and founded and coached Babe Ruth baseball and the Intermediate Men’s Florenceville Firebirds.
Over four decades, Dunlop was a familiar site, coaching school basketball teams to success. While in Bath, he coached high school girls and Intermediate Boys basketball. After moving to Carleton North High School in 1985, Dunlop coached varsity and junior varsity boys basketball.
During the summer, he ran Basketball Camps International. Dunlop shared his vast knowledge of the game with players and coaches, helping build CNHS’s basketball program into one of New Brunswick’s most respected.
A few of Dunlop’s many honours include
— Coach of the 1992-93 Basketball Champions
— 1994 NBIAA Coach of the Year
— 1996 BNB Outstanding Service Award
— 1999 BNB Head Coach of the Year
— Assistant Coach of the 2012-13 NBIAA Boys AA Basketball Champions\
— The CNHS gymnasium bears Iain Dunlop’s name.
“Iain Dunlop was an inspirational coach who nurtured and moulded his plates into becoming strong athletes and good citizens,” notes his induction bio.
Bobby Rogers
Robert Jon (Bobby) Rogers overcame adversity to play, coach and build sports in northern Carleton County.
Diagnosed with polio as a six-year-old in 1952, Rogers didn’t allow his need for leg braces and crutches to deter him from playing minor hockey and baseball. After minor hockey, he played goal in junior and gentlemen’s hockey, minding the goal from his knees.
Rogers coached minor hockey and supported the game in many ways, including sharpening skates at the old Florenceville Arena.
In 1958, the province chose Rogers as “Jimmy” to tour with wrestler “Wipper Billy Watson” to promote the Easter Seals Campaign.
Through the late 60s, Rogers coached and umpired baseball while painstakingly maintaining two Bristol ballfields, one of which is today known as “The Bobby Rogers Memorial Field.
Chip Hunter
The Sports Wall recognized Chip Hunter for his decades of dedication to the development of the Carleton Minor Hockey Association as a builder, coach and referee.
In the early 1990s, Hunter played a pivotal role in rebuilding the association by visiting schools and recruiting children to join. With the help of Ron Arbeau and Ted Deweyert, Hunter stressed skills and attitude with a coaching plan, including skill-based practices and off-ice conditioning.
During his tenure as CMHA president, which began in 1996, Hunter oversaw the development of a constitution, created a team governance structure, and encouraged community members to take on roles as coaches and team representatives.
Many will remember Hunter as a minor and high school hockey referee and mentor to young referees. He earned a reputation for his knowledge of the rules and unbiased officiating, which earned the respect of coaches, players and spectators.
“Chip Hunter’s commitment to the growth of hockey has enriched the sport at all levels,” says his induction bio.
On permanent display at the NCRC, the Sports Wall is designed to spotlight the athletes who reached high levels of excellence and those who helped drive them and build the infrastructure and organizations that made it possible.
