Fred W. Oliver, March 24, 1923 - February 5, 2011
Description
- Media Type
- Image
- Text
- Item Type
- Photographs
- Description
- Fred was born in Brantford, Ontario, on March 24th, 1923. His family moved to Hamilton in 1920 and then to Burlington in 1939. His parents, Ed and Minnie, his brother, Tom and sister, Marge, have all predeceased him.
Fred joined the Canadian Army Provost Corps in 1942, and served for 2 years as a soldier and then 2 years as a member of the Military Police in Ontario.
In 1945, he married Kate and they had four children - Tom, Jill, Judy and Jackie.
In 1946, after leaving the military, Fred joined the Burlington Police and served there for just over a year when he and brother, Tom, started a company called Deluxe Taxi in Burlington.
In 1948 he was selected from 110 applicants and appointed the Police Chief of Trafalgar Township. To this date, he was the youngest Police Chief in Ontario.
Along with his police duties, he was also the truant officer, dog catcher and building inspector for the Township of Trafalgar.
Fred policed from Lake Ontario on the south to Hornby, Ontario on the north and to Burloak Drive, as we know it now, on the west. His area included the Village of Bronte and excluded the Town of Oakville. Oakville was south of the Queen Elizabeth Way at that time and did not include the Ford plant. The population of this area was approximately 5,500. Fred worked alone out of his residence until 1952 when he hired a second officer, Harry Wilson.
In 1954, following a tragic accident in which two young sea scouts drowned in Lake Ontario, Fred and several close friends founded T.O.W.A.R.F., Trafalgar Oakville Water Air Rescue Force. It is still very much in operation and is now called Town of Oakville Water Air Rescue Force.
When Trafalgar Township and Oakville amalgamated to become the Town of Oakville in 1962, Fred became Deputy Chief of Police for the Town of Oakville.
In 1974, the Region of Halton was formed and he served as the Deputy Chief until retiring in 1980.
In 1980, after some urging from his friend, Don Butorac, and with the support of his family, Fred successfully ran for Town and Regional Council. In 1994 he retired from politics and moved to Havelock, Ontario. He returned to Oakville in 2000 and was again elected as Regional Councillor until he withdrew his name as a candidate for the 2010 election.
In 1986, his wife, Kate, passed away, and in 1994, Fred married Irma Repei, widow and childhood friend of Kate. Irma has four children, Judy, Joanne, Steve and Erma.
Always keeping active and in his spare time, Fred managed to serve in the Oakville Lions Club for 60 years in different roles up to and including president. He served as the President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and on several committees of the International Police Chiefs Association. Fred served on the Board of Governors of the Royal Canadian Golf Association, the Sheridan College and the Oakville-Trafalgar Hospital. He was a Past President of the Oakville Senior "A" Hockey Club, Past President of the Oakville golf Club and Past Chairman of the Canadian Open.
In total, he served the community in two capacities for over 62 years until his death in February 2011.
- Notes
- Please view more photographs and information by clicking to open different "pages" at the top of this record.
- Subject(s)
- Personal Name(s)
- Frederick William Oliver, March 24, 1923 - February 5, 2011 Kathleen (Kate) Oliver, nee Harrod, b. March 18, 1926 d.1986 Irma Repei
- Local identifier
- TTACL000127
- Collection
- Trafalgar Township Historical Society
- Language of Item
- English
- Geographic Coverage
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Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.4473682625124 Longitude: -79.6665048808289
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- Recommended Citation
- Fred W. Oliver, March 24, 1923 - February 5, 2011
- Contact
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Trafalgar Township Historical Society Sponsor: Jeff Knoll, Local & Regional Councillor for Oakville Ward 5 – Town of Oakville/Regional Municipality of Halton
