I lost a great friend! Ben and I seemed to be part of a generation before the vast majority of the SKCC membership, a generation quickly joining the ranks of historical figures. QSO’s with VE1AHX were always expected when there was an operation event. Please look up the fine article in Ted’s 202412 edition of Rag Chew.
Quite a life!
We’ll miss you, Ben.
My condolences; I worked with Ben in January during the SKCC K3Y month. He had an astonishing 462 contacts.
72
I have so many memories of Ben driving with his dog in his right-hand drive Land Rover where it looked like the dog was driving! The adventures of living on the main road into town. In later years I learned the value of intergalookinpeepers and the need to be wary of the BIG cat. I remember him laughing and laughing when I told him I slept downstairs on the couch one time when I was house-sitting as the BIG cat was in the middle of the hallway en route to the bedroom and wouldn’t move. I will miss his love of conversation and interest in anything and everything. He was a “Lockeport Celebrity” and someone it was such a joy to see when I was home. I remember one time I was home for July 1st and the first time I saw him was driving the Land Rover in the parade so I started a chant of Yay Ben! in our section of spectators. He put his head down and smiled that Ben smile.
My father always talked about how Ben could do anything with radars and submersible bilge pumps on the boats my grandfather and he had and how much Ben loved it when someone said something couldn’t be fixed. How he loved a challenge.
Ben. I will miss him. The Roache family will miss him. Lockeport will miss him.
To Elizabeth and family
I am shocked to hear of Ben’s death and he will be sorely missed. I got to know Ben while playing the part of his wife in Trifles and I hadn’t laughed that much in such a long time! What a wonderful friend he was my heart goes out to the Pooley family
Memorial to Ben Pooley.
I do not recall formally meeting Ben. He arrived at parties with Lizzy and was just always “Ben”. Like many cousins in law, he was part of the swirl of family at any “Good” get-together.
However, after defending my Ph.D., I needed a break from writing and drove to Nova Scotia, with my bike, and was warmly welcomed into Ben and Lizzy’s home for some R and R. Over time I spent a bit more time with them, but it was the Whirligig festival that brought out Ben’s creative and generous side, and he would show me the kits he had built for the local school kids. I would say he showed them “with pride”, but Ben was very much old school in that he never displayed it.
Over the last few years I have visited Lockeport and always been welcomed into the Pooley home. We had considered a possible trip to the UK, and I will return for the Whirligig festival, sadly without Ben. Perhaps a Whirligig is an appropriate symbol. Inventive, meant to please others, colourful, drawing from the ocean breezes.
Ben was a gentle giant. Too often we judge someone’s presence by their forcefulness, but these are poor measures of a man. Intelligent (after all he chose an excellent name for his son!), supportive, gentle, kind, interesting in so many ways, an in so many things, and always looking to the future. This was Ben.
Ben, I will miss you. You were in so many ways, one of the “good” guys and at least I know where to find you in the afterlife.
Dear Elizabeth and family We are so sorry to hear of Ben’s passing, we would like to extend our heartfelt condolences to you all. May the memories of the wonderful times that you shared together be a source of comfort and peace as you work through this most difficult time. Thinking of you, Milton & Donna Countway
Condolences to the family. Ben (Mr. Pooley) was a lovely, kind man who was nice to me as a child. I was always graciously welcomed into the house.
I knew Ben from the Whirligig Festival committee …. from the early days to almost the end of that fun festival. Loved his dry sense of humour and his creativity. Also enjoyed his Basement Theatre performances! My condolences to his family. The community has also suffered a great loss.
Ben was such a gentle, warm gentleman. Sending our sincere condolences to the family. Norma and Bill Curry
Ben, a man of many talents, will be sorely missed. St Andrew’s United Church is grateful for the help he gave us in saving our organ. Howard and I will miss seeing him around in his right-hand drive Land Rover. Always a gentleman.
I only had 2 brief encounters with Ben. The first was at the local dump. First I helped Ben unload his meticulously stacked load of branches and then he insisted helping me with my mess of a load. Just within those few minutes it was clear what a ‘beautiful specimen of a human being’ Ben is. The second time was probably only a couple of weeks before Ben died. It was at the Emerald Light were he indulged by ordering a coconut sorbet for dessert. At the time it was obvious that his health was deteriorating quickly and I was so impressed by him thoroughly enjoying that moment. My sincerest condolences to the Pooley family. You have lost something very special, but you also had the privilege of being part of someone very special. I for one will probably order way more coconut sorbets, just so I can remember to enjoy every moment we have on this earth.
I am so sorry to hear of Ben’s passing …..I loved his dry wit and enjoyed his love of electronics…..he was brilliant and kind.
My deepest sympathy to the family
A true gentleman is Honorable and courteous. He is generous with his time and wisdom. Multi-talented yet unassuming. Soft spoken yet witty. Forthright and sincere. Ben had all of these qualities and more. He enriched the lives of all the people he knew and loved. Afternoon tea will never be the same.
I met Ben at the annual whirligig festival in Shelburne in 2020. I was displaying my ‘gigs’ as a first time exhibitor. I was impressed with Ben’s creations and he took an interest in mine. Over the next couple of festivals we would meet and chat each Sept. Ben was very friendly and encouraged me to keep building and to keep returning each year. It got so I was looking forward to seeing Ben as much as I was attending the festival. He invited my wife and I to dinner one time which failed to happen due to a postponement of the festival that year due to a hurricane. Our sincere condolences to family and friends. Ben was a great gentleman and he will be missed. Sorry
It has been a pleasure to know Ben, a thoroughly kind and brilliant man. Memories are strong and ‘all good’. We send our love and deep sympathy to Elizabeth and all the family. from Cindy and Sherm Embree
My condolences to Elizabeth, the family and Ben’s many friends. Bigger than life, the brilliance of this special man will be missed.
My heartfelt condolances to Eliabeth and family. I met Ben through the landrover club and during that time came to know him. He was one of the kindest people I have ever met and will be truely missed.
jim
As the initial employee of Allendale Electronics I feel compelled to add my voice to this page.
That is how I met Ben Pooley, and we knew we were kindred spirits and lifelong friends from the moment we shared our first Monty Python skit.
I remember the first time I ever gave Ben a hug, I thought he was going to have a heart attack because he was so very British and that sort of thing was just not cricket. Over the years he (hesitantly) became used to to them and gradually would grimace less and less.
Ben was a wonderful, kind, unassuming human being and will be missed by family and friends.
Ben I know you will understand when I say…” This is a dead parrot!”
I met Ben when I was barely out of diapers and shared a stroller with Allen as Elizabeth and Ben would push us around the Public gardens.
I remember Allen declaring from the stroller seat to Ben: “Daddy I want a pony, not a shitty diaper!”
Ben was the only parent I knew who called a spoiled diaper ‘shitty’!
Ben, Elizabeth, Meg, and Allen are surprisingly not my biological family, but you would not have known this by the way that they embraced us as their own.
I cannot separate the tapestry of my own childhood from Ben and the Pooleys.
Ben was everything I thought a father should look like. He was gentle, and kind, and willing. Meg and Allen loved their Daddy so, so, so very much. I am so glad he was able to witness so much of their lives.
Heaven was made for those such as Ben Pooley. That the strength of the Lord will hold Elizabeth in the coming days, weeks, and months; knowing that it is a very thin veil that separates the earth bound from those passed on.
With all of my love and gratitude.
Ben will Certainly be Missed by Many. A Wonderful Considerate, Compassionate & Knowledgeable Man. A True Gentleman. Always up for Some Fun. RIP Ben ~ Thinking of Elizabeth, Meg, Allen & All of Their Family.
So sorry to hear of Ben’s passing.
Q: How did you meet Ben?
A: The company I worked for had Ben’s Allendale Electronic company to build our pc board and tune them. I would go there to help tune, assemble and bring them back. I would be either at his place or Cyril’s or at a cottage for about 2 nights in about 4 years. Great times with him back then. He liked his bread and cheese. Lots of drinks with him.
I got to know sweet Ben as Elizabeth’s husband and Allan and Meg’s dad. He was always so kind to me. He was always just pleasant and I think he was Zen before Zen became cool. He also taught me what a jeep is and what a Land Rover is, I always knew what his fav mode of transportation was called , a Land Rover. Sending love to the family, he was so proud of you all. Hope you are enjoying Monty Python and driving a Land Rover forever.
When planning a unique class at NSCAD University, the Whirligig festival organizers encouraged me to reach out to Ben and enquire if he would be a visiting artist in my class. I remember it taking some encouragement, but eventually I won Ben over. He did an amazing job with my 20 NSCAD students. He taught in my class twice and we developed working, painted wooden whirligigs, some of which made their way into the festival that year. Although Ben might have had a bit of trepidation because the experience was new, the students loved working with him, and in the years afterward he asked if I was going to teach that class again as he’d like to come back. Sadly it was a one-time offering at NSCAD. A few years later I was working with “Hope Blooms” in Halifax and thought whirligig-making would be a great experience for the young people there. I remember meeting Ben and Elizabeth on the side of the road between our two houses, during the pandemic, where Ben delivered a great lot of whirligig components that he had generously prepared for us. I always enjoyed checking in with Ben at the annual Whirligig festival, and in 2018 my son did an interview with him at minute 2:30-link below. Ben your creativity and generosity touched many people!
One of best memories I had with Ben was working in the yard with him and having a big old yarn about cars he loves his land rover and his Miata.
I want to express our condolences to Elizabeth and all his family. Ben was one of the kindest people around always cheerful and such a big smile on his face he will be missed by many
SKCC has lost another great friend and operator, Ben Pooley VE1AHX 18100s. I received word from Ben’s wife tonight that Ben, age 90, passed peacefully last night with his family gathered close by.
VE1AHX appears in many logs and for many SKCC members, their first Nova Scotia QSO. Ben was active in WES events and was always there for the Straight Key Month and the Canadian Straight Key Month events.
There is no doubt Ben VE1AHX and Les WB5JWI are having an eyeball QSO and sharing their many years of amateur radio adventures. They will be sorely missed. 73 my good friends.
That’s very sad news. Ben was one of my very first Canadian contacts on
ham radio, and it was on my first WES when I was running a cobbled
together station comprising a 5-Watt QCX tuned to 40 meters and a
Wolfriver coil on my apartment patio. Making it up that far north felt
monumental back then. He’s in my log many times, and I’m sure he’ll be
missed.
R.I.P.
I first met Ben 40 years ago when he came to pick me up at the train station in Halifax for an interview to work at Allendale Electronics. We drove for 2 1/2 hours to Allendale. We listened to some old jazz and blues music (like Fats Waller and Benny Goodman) and got to know each other. I stayed with the Pooleys that night and had breakfast with them while we worked on the NY Times crossword puzzle. Ben and I crossed over the yard to the shop where there were three employees, Dawn, Bonnie and Sue. We chatted for a while, then Ben and I went up the stairs for the “official” interview. I only found out later that Ben turned back to the girls and they gave him the thumbs up. Ben valued his employees so much that I would not have been hired if they didn’t approve. Ben became a mentor and friend to me. We had many laughs over the years and he showed me the value of treating people with kindness and respect. I will miss his wit, humour, intelligence and his support in all the endeavours we shared. My sincerest condolences to Elizabeth, Meg, Allen, their families, and his sister Jill.
Ben and his Mother were our landlord. They took in a newlywed young couple and gave us a cottage to call home. We are forever beholden to the friendship we had with Ben.
Wow this is a sad week for SKCC; both these SKs (Les and Ben) were veterans and mainstays of SKCC. Cant even count the number of times they both show up in my log. Very very good ops, very helpful to new ops, and extremely active on the various SKCC events. If any two hams exemplify what our club stands for and represents, it is these two. BZ and RIP guys // ZUT de Dave W1DV
Dear Elizabeth and family, You have my deep condolences. Ben was one of the nicest men I know and such a gentle man too. He will be missed .
Pat deMolitor