Manitoba Organization: Thistle Curling Club

Link to:
Presidents | Sources

The Thistle Curling Club was formed in 1887. Alexander Brown lead the formation group and served as the club's first President. He had been involved with the Granite Curling Club, including a term as President, and was one of the partners in the firm Brown and Rutherford. The Thistle began in the Granite's old club on Market Avenue, then moved to the Brydon skating rink on Princess Avenue. Then it was back to Market Avenue, before building their own rink in 1892 on Alexander Avenue East.

In 1912-1913, the club moved to a new building with seven sheets on McDonald Avenue. The club ran into financial difficulties and had to abandon the building. They rented ice at the Auditorium Rink for a number of years. In 1921, the club built on Minto Street with five sheets of ice.

In June 2006, the club was victim of an arson and the building and contents were completed destroyed. With the insurance money the club received, they made a deal to purchase the Valour Road Curling Club at 280 Burnell Street and renamed it the Thistle Curling Club.

There has been 16 members of the Thistle that have gone on to serve as President of the Manitoba Curling Association.

In early 2023, the Club announced that it would merge with the Deer Lodge Curling Club and sell its building.

Presidents

Period

President

1887-1888

Alexander “Sandy” Brown (1842-1922)

1888-1891

George Huestis Campbell (1855-1928)

1891-1893

F. W. Thomson

1893-1897

Walter Frederick Payne (1863-1930)

1897-1899

Malcolm Campbell (1858-1939)

1899-1901

Daniel David Wood (1859-1925)

1901-1903

Charles James Jamieson (1854-1940)

1903-1905

William Gibbs “Gib” White (1859-1922)

1905-1906

James Robert Gowler (1858-1920)

1906-1907

William Alexander “Bill” Carson (1861-1920)

1907-1909

Dougald Archibald McArthur (1862-1938)

1909-1910

Peter Douglas Lyall (1878-1945)

1910-1911

William Edwin Ellerby (1868-1931)

1911-1912

W. H. Sutton

1912-1915

Eli Joel “Mac” Rochon (1856-1937)

1915-1916

John E. Lenfesty (?-1939)

1916-1917

John Alexander Kennedy

1917-1920

John Peter O’Hare (1876-1964)

1920-1923

Joseph Ferguson Davidson (1883-1961)

1923-1924

Robert Lister Barker (1886-1943)

1924-1925

Edward Howard Cail (1877-1960)

1925-1926

Joseph Emanuel Gallant (1882-1963)

1926-1927

Maxwell William Noble McElheran (1874-1939)

1927-1928

Henry Francis Reed Baker (1879-1957)

1928-1929

James Walker (1879-1955)

1929-1930

Clarence Garfield Keith (1881-1964)

1930-1931 

Francis Dennis Cassin (1883-1937)

1931-1932

Fee Warren

1932-1933

James Reid

1933-1934

Neil William Sullivan (1890-1973)

1934-1935

Albert Henry "Harry" Wells (1878-1949)

1935-1936

Sydney Malcolm "Sam" Cottam (?-1958)

1936-1937

William D."Bill" McLaren (1878-1953)

1937-1938

George James Ritchie (1878-1954)

1938-1939

Ansell Wells McKennie (1881-1950)

1939-1940

Joseph William Alderson (1889-1980)

1940-1941

Maxwell Mason McElheran (1900-1995)

1941-1942

Harry George Palmer (1891-1957)

1942-1943

Samuel James Patterson (1888-1968)

1943-1944

Harmon Wilfred Saunders (1892-1965)

1944-1945

Luke Kirby Johnson (1897-1965)

1945-1946

Arthur Thomas Elders (1901-1971)

1946-1947

Calder Campbell "Kelly" Daun (1912-1998)

1947-1948

William Aitken "Scotty" Laing (1893-1961)

1948-1949

Douglas Clyde Atkins (1893-1960)

1949-1950

James Hugh Lambie (1901-1980)

1950-1951

Gorell Charles “Gary” Stack (1906-1980)

1951-1952

Blair Donaldson “Buck” Hay (1912-1972)

1952-1953

Jan Johannes “John” Van Hellemond (1909-2002)

1953-1954

David “Dave” Anderson (1905-1990)

1954-1955

Charles Harold  Levers (1903-1966)

1955-1956

Ernest "Ernie" Daun (1915-2000)

1956-1957

Charles Harold Scrymgeour (1914-2000)

1957-1958

Thomas James Whiteside (1920-1981)

1958-1959

Stanley Barr (1905-1973)

1959-1960

Frederick Howard “Fred” Lay (1927-1998)

1960-1961

Lloyd Elton Coffey (1906-1992)

1961-1962

Edward Owen “Slim” Davis (1921-1986)

1962-1963

James Archibald “Jimmy” Dunn (1898-1979)

1963-1964

Edgar Thomas “Ed” Elliott (1910-2002)

1964-1965

Leonard Graham “Len” Norrie (1916-1980)

1965-1966

John Stephen “Jack” Carmichael (1913-2007)

1966-1967

James Arthur “Jim” Sproule (1921-2010)

1966-1968

Norman Herbert “Norm” Williamson (1915-1993)

1968-1969

John Douglas Osborn (1909-1974)

1969-1970

Lloyd George English (1919-1991)

1970-1971

Dave Parker

1971-1972

Harry Pickering (1911-2006)

1972-1973

John William Cessford (1915-1973)

1973-1974

William Raymond “Ray” Will (1929-1993)

1974-1975

Norman Froom (1924-2008)

1975-1976

Norman Robinson

1976-1977

A. Lorne “Red” Paterson (1921-1998)

1977-1978

Charlie Brown

1978-1979

Alvin “Al” Leland Owen (1935-2017)

1979-1980

Malcolm John Kenneth MacLeod (1926-2019)

1980-1981

Brian Prodaniuk

1981-1982

Melvin John Henuset (1942-2013)

1982-1983

Harvey D. Swain (1947-2019)

1983-1984

Lorne S. Brooks

1984-1985

Thomas Frederick “Fred” Sutton (1947-2021)

1985-1986

E. Ross Kennedy

1986-1987

F. Ross Taylor (1912-2006)

1987-1988

Steven Louden Daun (1945-2019)

1988-1989

W. Bruce McAuley (1943-2013)

1989-1990

Stanley Topolniski (1931-2017)

1990-1991

Perry Blair

1991-1992

Rene Lapp

1992-1993

Ken Meakin

1993-1994

Bob Stremich

1994-1995

Dale Tallas

1995-1996

Kelly Williamson

1996-1997

Lloyd Hornsby

1997-1998

Earle Clyde Dickinson (1946-2017)

1998-2000

Don Pellow

2000-2001

Keith Lietiphin

2001-2002

Brian Williamson

2002-2003

Brian Gawley

2003-2004

Jim Woolison

2004-2005

William “Bill” Reinisch (1944-2015)

2005-2006

Lori Boudreau

2006-2007

Thomas Frederick “Fred” Sutton (1947-2021)

2007-2008

Shelley Smith

2008-2009

Kelly Williamson

2009-2010

Lloyd Hornsby

2010-2011

Don Pellow

2011-2015

Trevor De Ryck

2015-2018

Trevor Feltham

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Valour Road Curling Club / Thistle Curling Club (280 Burnell Street, Winnipeg)

Sources:

Thistle Curling Club to merge with Deer Lodge CC, sell its current building,” CBC News, 1 March 2023.

This page was prepared by Rick Mutton and Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 4 January 2024