Harold Ballantyne

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• Interesting: story, military, education, sports
• Military: WW1
• Eby ID Number: Waterloo-379427

Notes:

BALLANTYNE, Harold

On Friday, March 11, 1977, Harold Ballantyne, age 81 years, of 160 Bruce St., Kitchener. Dear husband of Hilda Richardson; father of James of Toronto and Ian of Ottawa; also survived by six granddaughters and one great-grandson; brother of Mrs. Jean Colvin of England. Predeceased by his father, James Ballantyne and his mother, the former Agnes Kerr. He was a member of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. Friends may call at the Ratz-Bechtel Funeral Home, 621 King St. W., Kitchener, this evening. A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Queen Street North at Weber Street, on Tuesday, March 15, 1977 at 2 p.m. Following cremation a private committal service will be held in Woodland cemetery.

Kitchener-Waterloo Record 14 Mar 1977 pg 27

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K-W recreation pioneer Harold Ballantyne dies

A memorial service will be held in Kitchener,Tuesday, for Harold Ballantyne, who shaped the modern physical, health and safety programs in Kitchener public schools. He died Friday at the age of 81. Mr. Ballantyne was born and educated in Dumfries, Scotland, where he played professional soccer. His fitness training began at Aldershot, England, where he attended a British Army school and served for four years during the First World War. In 1923, he moved to Kitchener where he was hired by the public school board to run the physical training program in its five schools. During his 37 years in that position, he organized a soccer league and pioneered a safety program, which included the introduction in 1928 of school-boy patrols, making Kitchener one of the first two communities in Canada with such a scheme. Another major chore he tackled in his first years in Kitchener was the inauguration in 1924 of the summer playground program. He ran that program for 24 years and in 1948, he was given a five-month leave of absence to organize the city's first recreational department. He starred on local soccer and volleyball teams and in 1935 and 1936 he was president of the Ontario Volleyball Association. Mr. Ballantyne also revived his military career here, joining the Scots Fusiliers, now the Highland Fusiliers, and he remained with the unit until 1939, the last three years as commanding officer. As a Fusilier, he was a member of the Canadian contingent which attended the coronation of George VI in 1937. From 1939 to 1942 he was commanding officer of the Number 10 basic training centre in Kitchener and from 1942 to 1946 he was commanding officer of the advanced infantry training centre at Camp Ipperwash, where he obtained the rank of colonel. His talents in designing fitness programs gained province-wide recognition and on three occasions, he was asked to take charge of preseason training for the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team and for several years, he was also director of physical training for the Kitchener police department. After he retired from the school board in 1960, he became director of public relations for the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission, a position he held until four years ago. His many other activities include coordinating all royal visits to Kitchener and the celebrations for the city's centennial in 1954. He was also a member of the Kitchener Young Men's Club, K-W Rotary Club and the Kitchener Musical Society. Mr. Ballantyne is survived by his wife and two sons.

Kitchener-Waterloo Record 14 Mar 1977 pg 27

Harold — Hilda Richardson. Hilda (daughter of George Reid Richardson and Mary Agnes Little) was born 1899; died 1980; was buried , Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada. [Group Sheet]

1. James Ballantyne was born 1925; died 1995; was buried , Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada.