BRAMPTON ARCHIVE STORAGE 31st July 2003 Women's 2nd XV rounds out season with narrow loss to Scottish

RALPH LEE A Memory by Chris Leitch delivered at the Brampton Rugby Football Club on Saturday 4th March 2006

Ralph

This year the Brampton Rugby Club lost one of our “Life” members – Ralph.

Ralph Lee emigrated to Canada from Wales in 1973. He left the Mumbles Rugby Club, bound for the Brampton RFC. In his professional career, Ralph was an employee of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce for 25 years.

Ralph Lee was better known to a number of you as "Pops." Those of you who knew Ralph can attest that he came by this moniker honestly. Like all great dads, Ralph provided for his family – in our case the BRFC family as well as his own.

In the early days, he safely patrolled the back field of the family’s field. Pops did not stop there.

The family had a small home in the heart of Brampton. Ralph helped look after that home, and made sure that those who visited the home were able to eat, drink and be merry.

To keep the family in this merry state, Ralph and some of the seniors in the village – Murphy, Boydell, Page, Blair to name a few – realized that the family needed a new home. They used the revenues from selling beer and running bingos to build a new centre for Rugby in Brampton: The clubhouse we have the honor to be sitting in here tonight. These early years of the club were some of the finest. Rugby in Ontario was very popular, and the Club was always busy. The Beavers of the day were amongst the best teams in Ontario and bar revenues were grand. At the pace originally set, the Club would be paid for in no time.

Unfortunately, the mid 90’s saw a decline in the popularity of the Game. The performance of the Beavers sagged and bar revenues slumped. During these tough times, Pops did what any good dad would do. He continued to provide for the club. In his role as President and then as Treasurer, Ralph kept the club alive by all and every means available to him. Like other Club stalwarts, Ralph personally contributed financially to the survival of the Club. He would do anything to help and keep our creditors at bay, including cooking for 100 at the annual banquet! At times, he took the entire weight of the Club directly on his shoulders.

As a player, he was as competitive as any person who has ever worn the Maroon jersey, and his desire to win did not end when he hung up his boots. After a series of tough Beaver losses, I can recall meeting Ralph's ice blue eyes, while he stood at the bar, or on the deck – a look that suggested he would have suited up himself if it would help to change the result. Following one particular Beaver victory against the Beach in the 1997 McCormick Cup Ralph gave me a reception that made me think he had mistaken me for a member of the Welsh National, following a victory in the Rugby World Cup final.

Tonight we are joined by Ralph’s wife Sheila and his daughter Helen. I am certain Ralph is looking on - proud that his family are here supporting the club - proud to see such a great turnout and proud that the Club is growing ever more successful.

I want to thank the club for asking me to talk about Ralph tonight as I consider myself blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know Ralph as a Friend, mentor and father figure over the last 12 years. And, I want to thank Ralph for teaching me what it meant to be a Brampton Beaver.

RALPH LEE: BRAMPTON RUGBY CLUB BUILDER & LIFE MEMBER 10th June 2005

Brampton Rugby Club has lost an early builder and life-time member, with the passing of Ralph “Pops” Lee on Sunday 5^th June 2005 at the age of 62 at Peel Memorial Hospital. He will be sadly missed by family, friends and colleagues and we send our condolences on behalf of all Club members. The family are anxious that all Brampton Rugby members should sign their organ donation cards in recognition of the long waiting list for donors of organs. Please give the gift of life.

As one of the builders of the Brampton Rugby Club, his passion for the Game and his Club can be seen in his hard work to ensure that we had the use of the present Clubhouse and grounds. Even as recently as Sunday 29^th May, “Pops” was back in the Brampton Club, taking part in the tour of Canada by Mountain Ash RFC.

Malcolm Kelly on Ralph Lee:

Our thoughts will always be with Ralph, The Canadian Rugby world, Rugby Ontario and the BRFC has lost a builder and influential member. He will be listed as an eternal substitute for the 1st team for ever more. Ralph was one of the people who gave use the club we love so much. With all of the new members at the club, we must remind them of the hard work people like Ralph have put in over the years to make the BRFC what it is today.

The thing I will miss most about Ralph is his ability to tell a story, his dynamic retort of games played and his love for the BRFC was unmatched. I remember a cold rainy, snowy day on a spring tour to Cleveland. Many of the Beavers had fallen I'll to the drink from the night before. We were a man short, with only minutes to game time. From out of nowhere a grey haired warrior took hold of the spare jersey and proceed to fill the most important position of fullback. His legs shivering from the cold he proceed to make a stunning tackle. As the bodies cleared, Pop's lay on the ground. After a few moments he realized that he had cut the funding for the physio out of the budget and that he would have to get his own medicine. He then proceed to the sideline to receive a shot of whisky and a spicy castor. The game went on and I can't remember who won or even the score, but one thing is for sure I can remember the laughs we all had sitting in the change room after that game listening to Pop's tell us over and over again of how his tackle probably was the turning point in the game.

It was only fitting that Ralph was at the game last week, we sure could have used him on the field, delivering some of his crushing tackles. Our thoughts will be Ralph for ever.

Peter Murphy on Ralph Lee (from the eulogy)

With the late Ron Paige, Ralph Lee was responsible for setting up the Brampton Rugby Club. He was originally from Mumbles in Wales (near Swansea), and could always be teased about his place of origin. But he was an excellent player, and we will always remember his last game at home in Brampton, a rainy day when he sidestepped his way through the whole opposition team, only to run into the goalpost.

Of course, Ralph never came to the ground in recent years to enjoy himself. He was a great critic of selectors (who could never get it right), referees (most of whom he was convinced were out on day passes from the CNIB), the opposition (whom he was convinced had been conceived in an off-side position), and of course his fellow Club members with whom he could never agree about anything.

Ralph was largely instrumental in the building of the present Clubhouse and grounds. He steered the project, and subsequently served as president and then Treasurer for many years. We shall miss him

Give the Gift of Life- Sign your Organ Donor Card

As we all know we recently experienced the loss of Ralph Lee one of the longtime members of the BRFC. Ralph was in need of an organ transplant and due to his illness was not considered as there is a severe shortage of organs.

Each year, thousands of people in Ontario get a second chance to live thanks to the kind people who donate their organs and tissue.

At the request of the Lee family can you please sign a donor card and give the gift of life. It only takes a second of your time, but it can extend the life of someone in need.

There are donor cards behind the bar the club or you can visit www.giftoflife.on.ca.