Print This Page#02919 Print This Page
Daddy, please don't go, Daddy, we love you so,
Said a small boy sitting on his father's knee;
Daddy, the sea is wild, don't leave your little child,
Don't go out on that ocean far from me.
spoken: The father bent his head, and to his son he said,
Someone must catch the fish which people eat;
Monday I goes to work, so that the home fire's burning,
And you walk to school with new shoes on your feet.
spoken: The dragger sailed that day and the winter sky was grey,
Those brave little fish upon the stormy waves;
Black spray froze hard as coke, sea ice which hit their boat,
She capsized, and in the sea they found their graves.
spoken: This sad news the mother learned, with grief her poor heart burned,
She told her son, your daddy's gone away;
He sank beneath the sea, working for you and me,
But I know we'll meet in heaven some glad day.
sung: Honour we give to these who face the angry seas,
They risk their lives, and death they often meet;
They bore their family's toil, those had to kill and smile,
And they walk to school with new shoes on their feet.
And they walk to school with new shoes on their feet.
Eli Lee was inducted into the NLSA Hall of Fame in 2002. Great accuracy, exceptional speed and amazing power were the trademarks he possessed on the goal-scoring shots that highlighted his nine-year senior soccer career. The talented GeeBee from Grand Bank earned a lasting reputation for being able to score from seemingly long distances and kick very hard shots from any angle or position. He was, and still is, credited with owning a blazing shot that provided continuing problems for opposing goalkeepers.
A winger with speed and excellent ball control abilities, Eli Lee played a major role in the success that Grand Bank enjoyed from 1954 to 1962. In fact, he led the GeeBees to very well earned Burin Peninsula senior soccer championships in 1954, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960 and 1962. Facing extremely tough opposition on the Peninsula, Lee was the main weapon for a club that was very competitive every season and claimed six championships.
Eli Lee carried his fine soccer skills into provincial senior championship play for Grand Bank and, as it was in Burin Peninsula competition, played a major role in the three Newfoundland and Labrador titles earned by the GeeBees in 1958, 1960 and 1962. He was especially effective in the 1960 rush to the gold, scoring two goals in each of back-to-back games, including two against a powerful St. Pat's team in the championship encounter. His 1960 performance, which included 12 goals in seven games, earned him the Most Valuable Player award as Grand Bank took the title over a hosting Corner Brook entry.
One of a large group of top-level soccer players who came out of Grand Bank in the 1950s and 1960s, Eli Lee made a lasting impression on soccer within a relative short career. Moving to Toronto in 1963, he switched his talents and interest to music and enjoyed success for nearly 40 years as a singer and entertainer.
