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Presidents | Sources
The idea of a curling rink for Assiniboia began in early 1929, when a group of First World War Veterans living there asked the municipality for a grant to build a curling rink. It was set up with funds set aside as a memorial to the war fallen. This is the reason for the inclusion of the word “Memorial” in the Club’s name.
The first club, with two sheets, was located at Portage Avenue and Banting Street behind the museum building. It was affectionately called the “Root Cellar”. The club did not operate during the days of the Second World war but, by 1946, the desire to curl was starting to take hold.
Members became involved in organizing leagues of men’s and mixed curlers, maintaining the rink and social affairs. The only life member of the first 50 years, Percy Bucknall (1895-1979) was a “jack of all trades”, acting as President, ice maker, draw master and representative to the Manitoba Curling Association through the late 1940s and 1950s.
In 1959, the club purchased 23 acres out in the prairie at Vimy Road and Hamilton Avenue. The first sod was turned in June 1962 and a building with four sheets of ice was ready for play by December. This was natural ice but artificial ice was installed the following year.
On 7 January 1972, the club was destroyed by fire with the arena portion only 60% damaged. In planning to reconstruct, it was decided to increase the club from four sheets to eight sheets.
The club has had many successes on the ice. Teams from the club have won no less than 30 provincial championships. Kerry Burtnyk skipped men’s teams to five Provincial Men’s Championships in 1981, 1988, 1995, 2001 and 2008. He won the Canadian Men’s Curling championship twice, 1981 and 1995. The 1995 team went on the capture the World Men’s Championship. Junior teams won four Canadian Championships: Mert Thompsett in 1979 and 1981, Darcy Kirkness in 1984, and Hugh McFadyen in 1986. In 2019, Colin Kurz skipped a team to the Canadian Mixed Championship.
Period
President
1958-1959
Percy Bucknall (1895-1979)
1959-1963
Everett “Earl” Flemington (1921-2007)
1963-1964
Richard William “Bill” Townsend (1916-2010)
1964-1965
John Burns Steel (1908-1993)
1965-1966
Glen Charles Ryan (1929-2013)
1966-1967
John Andrew “Jack” Thompson (1919-2005)
1966-1968
Hugh Roy MacDonald (1914-1988)
1968-1970
Charles Daubney “Charlie” Copeland (1912-2003)
1970-1971
Donald Allen Brough (1932-1993)
1971-1972
Jim Richardson
1972-1973
Johannes “Joe” Sigurdur Laxdal (1940-2006)
1973-1974
Jim Burman
1974-1975
Donald Melbourne “Mel” Rogers (1943-2016)
1975-1976
Robert “Bob” Smith (1942-2014)
1976-1977
Marcel Rivard
1977-1978
Owen Tyson Turner (1931-2020)
1978-1979
William Ralph Bullock (1936-2022)
1979-1980
Al Mayer
1980-1981
Ernest Roy Tunny (1943-2023)
1981-1982
John Bazarkewich
1982-1983
Walter Wolfe
1983-1984
George E. McCartney (1937-2017)
1984-1985
Dennis John Cale (1937-2023)
1985-1986
James White “Jim” Kinnaird (1937-2006)
1986-1987
Dave Allan
1987-1988
Ralph Daniel McFadyen (1942-2012)
1988-1989
Tom Stewart
1989-1990
Lawrence George McCausland (1935-2018)
1990-1991
Bob McNaughton
1991-1992
Errol William Klinck (1940-2018)
1992-1993
Dwight Adams
1993-1994
Scott Cale
1994-1995
Eric Montford
1995-1996
James Robert “Bob” Gould (1941-2017)
1996-1998
Ralph Swainson
1998-1999
Derryl Burdiak
2000-2001
Al Kinnaird
2001-2002
Neil Hagan
2002-2003
Don McLean
2003-2004
Andy McMaster
2004-2005
Greg Daly
2005-2006
Doug Rosler
2006-2007
Lou Gorski
2007-2008
Allan Neyedly
2008-2009
Terry Brownlee
2009-2011
Al Seredynski
2011-2013
Paul Batchelor
2013-2015
Horst Wuerfel
2015-2017
Loyd Olson
2017-2018
Bruce Wilkinson
2018-2020
Brian Thomson
2020-?
Ken Onagi
“New six sheet club for Kirkfield Park,” Winnipeg Tribune, 15 March 1961, page 93.
“Sod turned for new club,” Winnipeg Free Press, 11 June 1962, page 23.
“Assiniboine Memorial gives us 138 sheets,” Winnipeg Tribune, 8 December 1962, page 26.
“Curling club hit by fire,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 January 1972, page 1.
“Assiniboine clan plans palace,” Winnipeg Free Press, 14 April 1972, page 50.
Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club 1929-1979 - 50 Years of Curling, Publication.
This page was prepared by Rick Mutton and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 January 2024
