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Tow truck family no ‘Vultures’ l ' That's the secret of success earned by Brian Lee. formerly of Stouffville and now owner/opera- tor of Budget Towing in Markham. me a meagre start of one truck back in 1974 to a fleet of 21 today. the company serves a Canadian Automobile Association area that includes Whitchurch- Stouffville, Richmond Hill and Markham. He's now a regular participant in StoufMlle's Kinsmen-sponsored pmcession as well as Markham's. winning the mayor’s award here on two occasions. “When Markham and Stoutfville held parades the same day it was difficult for us to attend both.” explains wife Cathy. "Now we can. It's a lot of fun.” “I remember entering my first truck in Markham's Santa Claus Parade." says Brian. “That's how it Born in Gormley, one of 12 in the family oflim and Mavyn bee. Brian and Bruce. premature identi- cal Mingle-quilted emergency care necessitating transportation by taxi from Newmarket's then-York County Hospital to the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. “Thetaxi fame was $11.” Brian says with a smile. “It would cost more today." Later. the bee family moved to Stoutl‘ville where Brian received his elementary education. His grandfather. Bert Lickor- ish. was a highly respected village resident and devoted supporter of Stouffville Branch 459 of the Royal Canadian Legion. Brian was 12 when his parents re-located to Markham. After two Markham service sta- tion jobs and a coffee delivery ser- vice. Brian saved sufficient money to purchase a car. However. during a visit to Unionville Motors. his eyes fell on a tow truck The truck. rather than a car. became a proud possession. one that would ulti- «an» w. HELP us SUPPORT EVERGREEN HOSPICE THURS APRIL 24TH TIL SUN} APRIL 27m $35 » f”) P t A .3 hams 137 Main Street North, Markham 995.233.3832 77- www.mpertreexa o Open 7 days a week and holidays any years ~ a busi- ness built on honeSty. integrity and reliability. “Best move I ever made.” he says. Not only are the trucks kept spotlede clean but he fills in his spare time counting loonies and toonies The Budget fleet ranges from ' several light and medium sized vehicles to a single heavyâ€"hauler. All are equipped with two-way radios and computers To provide round~the~clock service seven days a week requires 20 full and pan-time employees Five are despatchers Brian's a firm believer in detailed He shares this reSponsibility with Mike Armstrong. a staff member of more than 25 years. Over time. one tow truck became two and two became four. necessitating a base station. This he found on Markham’s Laidlaw Boulevard. 8 one-acre property that now includes a coin car wash. mater shape his career. Cathy handles the bookkeeping chores and also answers calls She’s assisted by daughter Janice. "We're a team," Cathy says With respect to cost there's no cross-the-board flat rate. he explains He tries to be fair. He bases his fee on the size of vehicle he's called to tow and the tow-dis- tance travelled. He readily admits he'd be happiest as one man with one mick” JirnIhomasisaStaMIesidentm haswfittmbrareanewspmersfornmmm 60mm~ Numbers of calls. averaging 70 per day. depend on the weather. "This past winter we’ve been really busy.” Brian said. “Evefyone looks up to him.” he Roaming Around with ]im Thomas Brian holds high praise for the (M where. since 1999 he's held a ‘preferred’ rating. Initially. (2AA responses totaled 30 per cent. Now it's 85 cent. some companies take unfair advantage of customers. ' “They think the 're performing a service when, in act. they’re vul- tures." Cathy sajd. One of these involved a husâ€" band and wife on Hwy. 48 at Ring- wood. Their car was hit head-on by a loaded gravel truck. Both died. the wife instantly and her husband a few hours later. "1his is Where! live.” adds Brian. “I must walk up and down Main Street." During the past 40 years. Brian and his team have answered calls to thousands of accidents. some serious» On another occasion. a New York couple driving a motorhome crashed into a garbage truck at the intersection of Markham's Ninth Line and Hwy. 7. The wife, a pas- senger. was killed. In yet another fatality. a North York firefighter died near locust Hill when his car careened out of control and hit a house. “Sure. these tragedies bother me," Brian said. “but I'm thereto do a job just like police and ambu- lance operators do theirs." One event Brian vividly remem- bers was the 1977 Markham Fair. It rained continually, tuming the McCowan Road site into a mud bowl. Cars and trucks were stuck everywhere. "At first it was agreed I'd be paid $5 a tow.” Brian recalls. " but when the numbers reached 33 pulls per hour. officials wanted to talk it Retirement plans? Brian's non- committal. But Cathy isn't. "I think he’d be happiest as one man with one truck” He was the fair’s president in OPINION Eric Linde was a client. The Orr agency represents a stable full of NHbers. including the Staal brothers from Thunder Bay. los Angeles King Jeff Caner and Tomas Plekanec of the Montreal (Ianadiens. L He’s a behind- the-scenes guy in the NHL. a player agent since 1978 who now works with Bobby Orr's hockey group out of Philadel- phia. Mr. Curran is a Scarborough native with many a solid mem- ory of this town. centred around playing the game he now works in at the old Stouffville Arena. Now home to a parking lot â€" cue the quintessential Joni Mitchell tune -â€" across from Lalcham Hall in Memorial Park. it was the town’s lone ice pad before being demolished in the mid-1980s. It’s hard to imagine now. in this town of four ice pads. but Stoufiville hockey teams didn't need the ice back then. But not on Sundays during the 19605. Enter hockey organizations from the south who gladly scooped up the open hours. Christians from {our Whitchurch~Stouffville church- es took turns carrying a wood- en cross through downtown Stouffvilie early Good Friday. They stopped at Stations of the Cross. reciting verse and repli- cating lesus' journey to his cm- cifixion. (See page 29.) The route’ca'me within steps of that old arena site. Church of Sunday Morning Hockey scores with followers And how different a place Stouffville is now. Friday‘s cross walk passed Main Street's bustling coffee bars. breakfast joints and bars. Passed an Islamic centre. The cross walkers were out- numbered by the cyclists and ou'te excused if you don’t know who Rick (Iunan is. Now. Sundays certainly aren‘t as sacred. You can shop for everything from vodka to Volvos. There's a good chance someone in your family works on Sundays. runners they were passed by. Doubt that would have hap- pened in ‘63. Arenas everywhere have ho trouble renting Sabbath ice. This isn't just a Stouffville thing. The Church of Sunday Mom- ing Hockey. United Church attendance nationally is less than half of what it was 25 years ago. Presbyterian numbers have declined annu- ally during the past 10 years. ’lt’s bee’n calied “believe withâ€" out belonging". Less than one-third of (Iana~ dians who say lesus is the Son of God attend church with any frequency. according to a Pres- byterian report. Springvale Baptist and Fastâ€" Ridge Evangelical Missionary built mega churches. by local standards. during the past decade. Stouffville Pentecostal is erecting a new building in the heart of southern Stouffville. Jim Mason is editor of The Sun-Tnbune Follow him on Twitter Ostoufl‘editor Still, the‘re are bright spots on the local church landscape. 'Regular prices MINIMUM Donalmn of $1010 Eve rem Hospmi '4 DA 5 ON” '00! vahd with any prcvmu»; mm s with Jim Mason Off The Top