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February 1, 2007

Ralph Noble: Firefighter, Lifesaver and Creator of the Most Famous Mural in the Beach – A Noble Man Indeed


Michael Prue’s office has been a great source of interview contacts and connected me with some very unique people. On this cold February morning I made the trek into the Beach to meet another one of Michael’s suggested interviewees: Ralph Noble, a long-term fire-fighter with a deep local attachment and some very interesting stories to tell.

Ralph welcomed me into his living room and in a quiet, modest way started to respond to my questions. His attachments to the Beach run deep: Ralph’s dad was born in 1918 and lived on a local street called Willow Avenue. Ralph himself spent his formative years around Warden and Kingston Road. After living for some time in the suburban communities of Sutton and Alliston Ralph moved back into Toronto, and right into the Beach. He met his wife Lida at a dance at the Balmy Beach Club and just got married last December.


Ralph Noble

His first job was as a life guard at the Leuty Lifesaving Station. In the mid 1970s Ralph joined the Toronto Harbour Police which later became the Metro Police Marine Unit. In 1982 he left the police services and became a fire fighter. Ralph explained that today most fire fighters take two or three year long college programs and only about 20 to 30 applicants out of 1000 are actually hired. Before they even start, many of the trainees already have medical training, defibrillation, first aid certificates and a Class D drivers licence. Then they undergo a ten to twelve week long training program that also includes high angle rescue, which essentially means rappelling down the walls of an office tower. Auto extrication, as it would become necessary during a motor vehicle accident, is also part of the training.

For eight to nine years, Ralph Noble worked in a heavy rescue truck and was involved in water rescue, high angle rescue and specialized works for the Mississauga Fire Department. In his spare time he plays hockey on a fire fighters team, and he sometimes gets to play against his colleagues from the local Fire Station 227.

With the Toronto Harbour Police Ralph participated in numerous water and boat rescues. During his tenure with the Harbour Police there was a 100 foot observation tower at the foot of Reese Street. He added that doing night shift by yourself on the tower was not a lot of fun. Today cameras are facilitating the surveillance process.


A harrowing boat rescue in freezing temperatures

Ralph specifically remembers one boat rescue at the National Yacht Club one year in the month of April. Gale force winds were howling and one boat, originally anchored by three lines, had almost torn loose as two lines were broken. The temperatures were so cold that the boat was starting to get covered in ice. Ralph tried to rig it, but that did not work, so he had to jump onto the boat to secure it. Braving the Arctic wind and the bone-chilling temperatures he successfully leaped on the boat and attached the mooring line. His artful boat rescue was caught on camera by a Globe and Mail photographer.

One time in Mississauga, Ralph and his colleagues had to rescue some of their colleagues who had rolled over in their fire truck. A vehicle had cut off the truck which caused it to roll over and trap three fire fighters underneath the truck. Being able to rescue his colleagues’ life is one of Ralph’s most meaningful memories.

The next story illustrates that a fire fighter is never off duty. Ralph was taking a walk with his dog Fiona at the bottom of Kenilworth Avenue in minus ten degree temperatures. All of a sudden he heard a cry, so he stopped; then he heard another cry. Ralph saw a woman’s head bobbing up and down in the icy water, and concluded that this was a suicide attempt. Ralph shouted to the woman whether she would be able to swim to him while another passer-by called 911.


Saving a life at the foot of Kenilworth Avenue


The woman was not able to help herself and was virtually immobilized from severe hypothermia. Ralph immediately took off his jacket and shoes and swam out to her in five degree water. To rescue the woman, Ralph tossed her his dog leash to which she held on and slowly came on shore. Ralph himself was in the freezing water up to his nose. Once they got into three foot deep water, Ralph walked her back to the boardwalk by which time the first police car had arrived. Two ambulances showed up on the scene and the first one took the woman to the hospital. Ralph was taken to the other ambulance to warm up, and he also was suffering from serious hypothermia. He smiles and adds “There was definite shrinkage that day.” He got to spend the entire day at home to slowly warm up his body to recover.

Ralph’s heroic act drew major attention from all across the city, and he received numerous awards for his bravery. Among many other honours, he was given the Ontario Provincial Firefighters’ Award of Bravery, handed out by Lieutenant Governor James K. Bartleman. Ralph Noble also received the 2005 Merit Award as Firefighter of the Year and the Fire Chief’s Citation for Valor.


Receiving an award from Police Chief Bill Blair with his wife Lida

Another one of Ralph’s significant memories is the 1981 sinking of the Captain John, which was a restaurant ship permanently anchored at the foot of Yonge Street in Toronto. Its original name was Normac, a ship that had served with the Detroit Fire Department and as a ferry between Tobermory and Manitoulin Island. After being struck by one of the Metro ferries, the restaurant boat took on water and a crew of workers was able to keep it upright for several days with pumps. Ralph and his colleagues also went in with additional pumps, but the ship was overcome with water and sank. Several of the Toronto Harbour Police divers including Ralph had to dive in a few days later to salvage the pumps.

A big legal battle ensued between the city and the restaurant owner, and in the end a new “Captain John” was created, using the MS Jadran, a former Adriatic cruise ship, which is now permanently anchored at the foot of Yonge Street. The Normac meanwhile was raised and is now used as a floating restaurant in other communities.


The sinking of the Captain John

Ralph himself has been drawn to the water all his life and got his captain’s license. With his masters licence he is able to operate boats up to 60 tons in the Toronto Harbour. Ralph also works part-time as a captain for the Kwasind and the Hiawatha, two of the oldest boats in Toronto that serve as private ferries to shuttle members of Royal Canadian Yacht Club back and forth to their Island Clubhouse.

But Ralph’s talents extend beyond life-saving and captaining. Ralph Noble is a gifted artist and has completed numerous signs for stores and cottages. One of his favourite projects was a sign for a Mississauga park that was going to be dedicated to one of Canada’s most famous hockey players: Johnny Bower. Ralph refers to Johnny as “his hero”, and he handmade a sign saying “Johnny Bower Park” which was put up at the park's gate to honour his hero. Ralph even had a chance to meet the hockey star himself and invited him to his house. He says it was a thrill to meet his idol.


Ralph's sign for Johnny Bower Park

Ralph’s artistic pièce-de-résistance, however, and something that will link him to the Beach forever, is the famous “Legend by the Lake” mural at the Balmy Beach Club. For the 100th anniversary of the club’s founding in 2005 Ralph had created a banner which he donated to the club to be used at the Easter Parade. Several magnetic signs were also produced from his design.

Throughout 2005 there were several meetings with the Balmy Beach Club’s administrators because they were planning to revitalize and decorate the wall fronting the Boardwalk. Based on his earlier design, Ralph created a huge mural that stretches more than 140 feet horizontally across the building’s wall. He primed the wall, and did the layout work overnight, using an overhead projector which enlarged and displayed his design against the surface (and attracted every bug in the world). The mural took him about three months of work, and at the end Ralph Noble had created one of the true landmarks in the Beach.


The making of the Balmy Beach Mural

Ralph’s wife joined us and affectionately called him “Sign Santa” for all his charitable design and sign projects. Alluding to his shyness, she also refers to him as a “reluctant smiler”, and discloses that Ralph’s looks often remind people of Pat Quinn, Toronto’s hockey coach, or Bill Clinton.

Ralph Noble is certainly a hero, many times over, and now he has a permanent place in the Beach.


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Glenn Cochrane - Media personality, author and expert fundraiser – a champion of the Beach for almost 40 years
Michelle Gebhart: A true Renaissance woman: from army brat to expert renovator, biker lady, successful restaurateur & dedicated youth volunteer
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Alex Winch & the Beach Solar Laundromat – Unstoppable when it comes to championing renewable energy & innovative entrepreneurship
Mary Lee: A restaurant owner with a heart for the arts

Marie Perrotta from the Pegasus Community Project reaches for the stars
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Steve and Paul from Accommodating the Soul B&B: hospitality with a personal touch
John Dowding: A private lesson in photography from a true master
Lucille Crighton: A textile arts Hall of Famer in Toronto's Beach
Lido Chilelli: Founder of the Toronto International Beaches Jazz Festival
Fire Station 227: History, heroism and local connections in the Beach
The Green Eggplant: Healthy Mediterranean food and big solid portions
The Balmy Beach Club - Legend by the Lake & Toronto's best-kept secret
The Garden Gate Restaurant a.k.a. "The Goof" - Good food in the Beach since 1952
Ralph Noble: Firefighter, lifesaver and creator of the most famous mural in the Beach – a noble man indeed
Sandra Bussin - City Councillor and Deputy Mayor shows me her neighbourhood
The Toronto Beach Rotary Club: Service above Self and the joys of volunteering
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The Beach Business Improvement Area: A general overview of the Beach and the merchants and activities on Queen Street East
Maria Minna: An Italian-Canadian immigrant story and a life-long fight for social justice
The Beach Metro Community News: Much more than just the news
The Kingston Road Business Community: A neighbourhood undergoing revitalization and an integral part of the Beach

Andrew Smith and Rachel Howard: Creative entrepreneurs and dedicated community builders
Nevada's Ristorante: Where hospitality is a family affair
Maria Minna: Another neighbourhood walk and talk and discoveries along Queen Street East
St. Aidan's Church:The spirit of charity in the Beach comes full circle
Gene Domagala takes me on a history tour of the eastern and northern part of the Beach - a perfect day of discovery
The Beaches Library: A centre of learning for all ages
A walk along Kingston Road: A shopping district definitely worth a visit
55 Division: Serving and protecting - community policing in action

 

 

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