It is with great personal sadness that I pen this about my friend Fred Mawson.
Fred passed away recently, and in keeping with his personal wishes there has been no funeral or public gathering on his behalf.
I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t acknowledge the impact he had on this community and most certainly on most everyone that knew him. Mawson’s Sports, under Fred’s tutelage for many years, was the epicentre of the coffee shop gang who willingly shared ideas and ways to solve all of our worries and ills. I was part of that group some days and I have to admit that after 12 years as an elected official, some of the common sense solutions bantered about at Mawson’s for the issues of the day seem very clear and focused, considering the world today of sound bites and talking heads who seem to know everything and have an answer for nothing. I digress.
Mawson’s Sports has been a cornerstone of the Creston Valley for as long as most people can remember. At one time, when Vic Mawson and Fred, his son, ran the store, it was acknowledged as the second oldest “single proprietorship” in Canada. Somewhere in Fred’s belongings is a letter from U.S. Congressman Ron Coleman of Texas congratulating Vic and Fred on this accomplishment. I hope Fred’s sons, Ron and Vern, find this letter.
While there are many more people who knew Fred much longer, I wanted to write this on behalf of my wife Marilyn and myself because of the impact he had on us and our family.
When we first immigrated to Canada in the late 1980s, one of the first stores we visited in Creston was Mawson’s Sports. I remember bringing the whole crew of two girls and two boys, Marilyn and myself into the store to load up with the necessities of life. Our visit to Mawson’s followed a first-time visit for groceries to a store that cracked my kids up with a name that sold groceries to overweight people. To this day, they laugh about this misconception when we pass Overwaitea Foods.
Back to Fred. Once we established we were new Canadians living east of town at a place we called Meadow Creek Ranch, Fred was all smiles and treated us like family. I do remember, however, we went back to the ranch that day loaded with fishing gear, hunting gear, snowshoes, ammunition, tents, lanterns, fruit dryers and, most importantly, every lure and bait known to mankind that was guaranteed to kill the fish when used properly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Fred smile as broadly as the day we loaded our booty into the one-ton truck, every item at full retail and most certainly some of it reducing the prior year’s inventory that only a Texan would buy.
I reminded Fred many times over the years of our original meeting. He was gracious in his acknowledgement of our purchase but assured me he did right by us in our subsequent purchases over the last 18 years.
As many people know, you never wanted to test old Fred when you went shopping at his store. I have been present when he actually asked people to leave and go shop somewhere else. You did not mess with Fred and if he didn’t like you he didn’t sell to you. There was no amount of money that could buy anything in his store once he decided not to sell to you. He was stubborn that way.
That being said, I have also observed on numerous occasions where local community groups would come and ask for donations to help their cause. Fred would bluster up and act like you were asking for his firstborn before recanting and giving donations only if you pinkie swore never to tell anyone. He was generous to a fault. I don’t think most folks knew how big-hearted Fred actually was. He loved his community.
His commitment to the Creston Valley, and certainly to the Creston Valley Rod and Gun Club and Ducks Unlimited, was unwavering. He has been, in my opinion, a mainstay of their success in our valley.
I guess most of all I want everyone to know how blessed my family and I have been to have known Fred and his family. Our boys and girls have grown up fishing and hunting with gear and advice from Mawson’s Sports. Because of the kindness and love of the outdoors shown to them by Fred Mawson, I believe our children are better off now as adults. Their trips home to Creston in the summertime most times included taking our nine grandchildren to Mawson’s Sports, for a short visit with Fred and the purchase of the new and latest killer lure that will catch the “big one” at Kootenay Lake.
Even though Fred is now gone, his legacy and his commitment to our environment is recognized by every visitor that comes into Canada at the Rykerts crossing, driving past Mawson Lake.
Happy fishing, Fred. We will miss you.
John Kettle is the Area B director for the Regional District of Central Kootenay.