A local world-traveller has spent much of his life giving back to the community of Collingwood.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we sat down with Wayne Noble, ambassador for Noble Insurance and recent honouree of the Order of Collingwood.
Q: Have you always lived in Collingwood?
A: No. I’ll give you a little bit of a story.
At the beginning of the 1940s, my father enlisted (in the armed forces). He was sent to Base Borden, and then they sent him to Cambridge, where he was taught to weld aluminum. Apparently in the 1940s, welding aluminum was quite the art. He was the top of his class. They then sent him to Ottawa to work in an aircraft factory welding the gas tanks for the Lancaster bombers.
I’m glad he went to Ottawa, because he met my mom there.
I was born in Ottawa in January of 1944. I lived there with my parents and my mom’s parents until 1946.
Then, my dad got a contract with Great West Life Insurance Company in Mulmur Township. So, he started pounding up and down the roads of Mulmur.
People would say to him, “I won’t buy life insurance from you, but I will buy my home, auto or farm insurance.”
In April of 1946, he signed a contract with Gore Mutual Insurance. I still have the signed contract up in my office. They’re the oldest 100-per cent Canadian company.
At the same time, he bought the little general store in Avening, and we all moved to Avening. My mom operated the store with the help of my grandparents, and he sold insurance.
In 1953, he sold the store and we moved to Creemore. There was no high school in Stayner at the time, so I had to go by bus to Creemore to Collingwood from 1958 to 1962.
Then, I went to Western for one year, and learned how to play Bridge. (laughs)
I took a year off. After that came the best three years of my life.
We have a cottage up on Severn River. Waterloo Lutheran (University) at the time -- it’s Wilfred Laurier now -- ran a summer school out of the high school in Orillia. I took two courses each summer for the summers of 1964, ’ 65 and ’ 66. I lived at the cottage and my mom would type my essays. (laughs)
I had a good time water-skiing all afternoon. By doing that, I picked up a whole year and I graduated in 1966.
I came back and started work with my father in the insurance business.
I moved to Collingwood in July 1968, bought a house on the main street and had my office there.
Q: At what point did you meet your wife?
A: My first wife’s name was Jean Wallace. She had a friend named Yvonne Pyatte, and Yvonne’s father had a cottage up on the Severn River, close to where ours was.
I would be up there with the guys and we’d see these old-school boats go by with these good-looking girls on them. (laughs) One thing led to another, and I married Jean in 1968. We had one daughter, Anne. We divorced about 15 years after that.
About a year and a half after that, I met Hilda. We were married for 30 years, but we were together – we lived in sin, I guess you would call it – for years before we were married. We didn’t have any children together, but she had three children, a boy and two girls. Her youngest daughter lived with us.
Hilda died in April of last year.
Q: In January, you received the Order of Collingwood for your efforts volunteering in the community. Hilda also received the award posthumously. How did it feel to be recognized in that way? How do you think Hilda would have felt to know that her efforts were recognized?
A: I guess the best way to describe that is, if you look at Hilda’s tombstone today, it says “Life-long volunteer.”
She was a volunteer for the Blue Mountains Foundation for the Arts (BMFA), for Theatre Collingwood, for the Canadian Cancer Society... the list can just go on and on.
She deserved it. She would have been very, very proud to have received that. I think it was the proper recognition for all the things she’s done.
I’ve volunteered for a lot of things as well.
When the Meals on Wheels program came to Collingwood, I was one of the very first people to sign up to deliver the meals. I did that for many years. I co-ordinated the drivers. I did that through the Shriners, the church and the Rotary Club.
Q: What other organizations have you volunteered with over the years?
A: I organized the road clean up on Sixth Street through the Rotary Club. Every fall and spring we’d get a whole bunch of Rotarians out there. We were also both involved with Hospice Georgian Triangle, not only volunteering, but also through financial donations. Also the YMCA and the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, too.
I was involved with Theatre Collingwood and the BMFA.
I’ve also donated over 150 pints of blood over the years. I think when I started that back in university, it was mostly alcohol. (laughs)
Q: What drives you to volunteer?
A: Since I was making my living here in Collingwood, I wanted to give back to the community. I can’t say it any more succinctly than that.
Q: Are you still working now?
A: I’m still on the payroll at Noble Insurance. My business cards today say ambassador. I still have my office that I’ve had ever since we built this building. Being on the group insurance means I get my travel insurance.
I love to travel.
Since 1994... I’ve travelled a lot. I think it’s been 138 countries now.
Q: What does the future hold for you?
A: Travel, travel, travel.
I’ve been to England many times, but I’ve never been to Scotland. I’m going on a cruise (this year) that starts in Dublin (Ireland), around to Scotland and then ends up back in London.
Next January I’m going to Vietnam with 10 days in China. I like to have trips lined up, one after the other.
Q: You’ve been all over the world, but always end up back home in Collingwood. How does it compare?
A: This is my home.
Some of my friends have sold their businesses and moved their money to the Caymens or Bermuda.
When I travel, I take Canadian pins with me and hand them out.
I’m a Canadian. I’m so proud to be a Canadian.
For our feature People of Collingwood, we’ll be speaking with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way. This feature will run on CollingwoodToday every Saturday. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
