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40 years old and still rocking

Curling
curling
Pamela Goldsmith-Jones – MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country – took a curling lesson from Curling Club member Pat Hunt at the Gibsons Curling Club’s 40th anniversary on Oct. 1.

Gibsons Curling Club (GCC) celebrated its 40th year of operation on the Sunshine Coast on Oct. 1, with tours of the facility, curling lessons for non-curlers and an anniversary cake.

The club recently replaced its old ice making machinery with a brand new ice plant, and representatives of the donor organizations were on hand to cut the cake and celebrate this important milestone. Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, member of Parliament for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, attended to represent Minister Navdeep Bains and the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program, which awarded GCC a grant of $50,000.

The club also received $50,000 from an anonymous donor toward the project.

The new ice plant is the first step in a renewal of the club, which will ensure that it can provide a venue for curling for another 40 years.

The curling club was founded in 1976, when a group of interested individuals formed the Gibsons Winter Club with the aim of building a curling rink on the Sunshine Coast. The province of B.C. was petitioned to release a piece of Crown land to the Town of Gibsons for recreational purposes and the club was built on that land. The group sold $200 debentures and secured a small loan to finance the construction of the club, much of which was accomplished with volunteer labour and donated materials. Now 40 years later, the club – which is run by a volunteer board of directors – continues to provide curling to residents of the Sunshine Coast.

The new plant was built and installed by Accent Refrigeration Ltd. of Victoria, supported by Darren Kopeck of Solution Based Contracting along with help from Olson Electric, Code Plumbing and Gas Fitting and Gibsons Building Supply.

The board of the GCC would like to acknowledge the many GCC volunteers who worked throughout the summer, raising funds through the summer flea markets, painting and refreshing the lounges and bar areas and assisting with the construction work for the new ice plant. This project could not have been accomplished without their help.

Representatives of the Sunshine Coast Community Forest (SCCF) also attended the event. SCCF chair Glen Bonderud, along with SCCF legacy fund assessment committee chair Bob D’Arcy, and District of Sechelt councillor Alice Lutes, presented the GCC with a cheque for $30,000.

Mayor of Gibsons Wayne Rowe was there to represent the Town, which donated $5,000 to the project. Sarah Duro, manager of the Gibsons Branch of the Sunshine Coast Credit Union (SCCU), attended as well, representing the SCCU Community Enrichment Committee which donated $3,000. GCC member Bob Johnston – a SCCF donor – attended to represent the Sunshine Coast Community Foundation, which has given the club $2,000. All grants total $140,000, which is about 80 per cent of the total cost of the project.

Now that the ice is all ready, GCC is looking for more curlers. House league play begins on Oct. 11. Anyone interested in joining a league, Learn2Curl lessons, or the Junior Curling program should contact the club at 604-886-7512 or visit the website, www.gibsonscurlingclub.com. You can also email the club at gibsonscurlingclub@gmail.com for more information or to register for a league.

See www.coastreporter.net for more photos from the event.