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President
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History
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Gold Bar Community League began in the Spring of 1960 and by June of that year had a membership of over 300. The League’s first order of business was to move a large mound of earth from land leased from the City. This was in preparation for the construction of a rink and temporary Club House. Material for both the rink and clubhouse were donated by George Golden whose company constructed many of the homes in Gold Bar. Labour for the project was supplied by numerous Community League volunteers. For the first few years, the rink was dismantled in the spring and put into storage, and then, reassembled in the fall. |
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In the years following, the Club House became a gathering place for social events, meetings, fund raisers, winter carnivals, and a host of other community related activities. By 1962, the facilities had become insufficient for the growing needs of the Community. Ray Anderson, a Community League member, approached Prudham Lumber and negotiated the building of a new rink for a cost of $2,000. |
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During 1962-63, Reg and Norma Roberts spent a huge amount of time in leading the planning and designing of a new Community Centre. The City was approached regarding funding assistance and it committed to 20% of the total cost of constructing the new Community Centre. The final cost totaled $18,000. |
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For the next nine years between 1963 and 1972, Gold Bar Community League grew and thrived. Sports Programs sponsored by the Community came into being. Hockey, figure skating, little league baseball, and boy scouts, to name a few, had their beginnings and expanded each year with more children participating. Various fund raising initiatives were launched to support the Community programs and the membership numbers increased. During these years, Gold Bar was also very active in organizing social events for its members and community spirit and enthusiasm flourished. |
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By 1973, the Community had once again outgrown its Centre. The existing building was demolished to make way for a bigger and more versatile Community Hall. The Hall was constructed immediately beside the existing “Rink Shack” for a cost of $40,000. To pay the mortgage that had to be taken out, several fund raisers were initiated including bingo. A considerable amount of volunteer labour from community members also helped to defray costs. |
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The Rink Shack, which was the original Club House, was renovated. The new Community Hall while still under construction began operation. Dick Chester, who was Buildings and Grounds Director at the time, and his wife Terri celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary in the new hall in 1974. The Gold Bar Midget BB Devils won the Provincial Championship in the spring of 1974. The programs which began in the 1960’s were still actively operating. |
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On October 15, 1977, Gold Bar Community League celebrated the official opening of its new Community Hall with a dinner and dance. The evening was climaxed by a pyrotechnic rite – “a mortgage burning ceremony”. On hand for the event were Mayor Terry Cavanagh, MLA Bill Yurko, Don Eastcott of the EFCL, and Phil Fearon of City Parks and Recreation. Also on hand were a number of past community presidents and executive members including Ordie Loberg, Joe Holyk, Mike Gates, Rhea Thorburn, and Bill Karpo. |
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Participation in the Community League fell off in 1978, particularly at the executive level. This put the community in a challenging position. However, a few concerned members, including Mark Endols, rose to the occasion and once again rallied the Community. |
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In 1979, the Hockey Rink and Rink Shack were again refurbished at a cost of about $12,000. Lacrosse became very popular. The Gold Bar Miner lacrosse teams at the peewee, bantam, and midget level really excelled. The bantam “Miners” won the provincial championship in 1979 after a season with no losses. |
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In the spring of 1980 “Project Co-operation” was completed. This project included the renovations to the hockey rink and rink shack the previous fall and the installation of an air exchanger in the main hall. In addition, several interior upgrades were completed such as main floor lighting improvements, lower floor washrooms fixed, and kitchen renovations. Total cost of the project was just under $23,000. The midget “Miners” lacrosse team, coached by Tom McCaskill, won the B.C. Delta Sun God Tourney in 1981 after a record of 54 wins and 6 losses over several seasons. |
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Between 1982 and 1984, more improvements were made to the rink shack and the rink boards were painted. Cedar walls and perimeter lighting were added to the interior of the Hall and a parque floor installed. Outside lighting was upgraded to halogen lights. Square dancing was started which lasted until 1990. Spring and fall barbeques were started which are still held today. Hockey, softball, ringette, and basketball were popular sports. Jack Cameron, Hockey Director, secured a bingo membership in the Fort Road Bingo Association which the Community still has today. Bingo provided most of the funding for Gold Bar Community initiatives. |
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Programs continued to be successful with a solid corps of volunteers contributing their time and talents. Gold Bar Community began to donate money to initiatives within the community that were not community sponsored. For example, area school initiatives in which Gold Bar children were participating. Also to charitable organizations such as Boysdale, Salvation Army, Christmas Bureau, etc. Ongoing enhancements to the buildings and grounds were continued. |
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Breakfast meetings were introduced with the Executive doing the cooking. No casualties occurred as a result. The north section of the playground was re-developed for children age 4-9 years. The south section was re-developed for children age 1-4 years. Existing equipment and service to the park site was also upgraded. |
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Tragedy struck the Community with the death of Jack Cameron’s son Michael. Michael was involved in a freak hockey accident that took his life. In memory of Michael and in gratitude for the work Jack did for the Community in our sports programs, the City was approached about changing the name of Fulton Arena to the Michael J. Cameron Arena. A grant through the Provincial Lotteries Facilities Enhancement fund was applied for. The purpose of the grant was to continue renewal of the Community Hall. |
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Only 25% of the Facilities Enhancement grant applied for was received. This amounted to $57,000. The City matched this figure and work began on the $270,000 renovation project in the fall of 1990. The Community funded the balance of the renovation using revenue raised primarily from bingos. The Community Hall main floor was given a complete interior facelift by adding new walls and flooring. A new kitchen and storage room were added to the east side and the bathrooms were increased in size. The main floor of the Hall was also converted to wheel chair accessible. |
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Between 1992 and 1994, established programs and services for the Community at large were maintained and in some cases expanded. Considerable effort went into fund raising and as a result the mortgage that was taken out for the 1990-91 renovation was repaid in full. This placed the Community on a solid financial footing once more. A kitchen cooling unit was installed during this time period. |
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During these years, a number of upgrades were made to Community assets. An industrial dishwasher was added to the kitchen. The hockey rink was torn down and completely rebuilt at a cost of $20,000. External light standards were repaired and repainted. A sound system was installed for the rink and hall. A grant of $10,000 was applied for and received through Alberta Lotteries. Approximately $5,000 was donated to various Community supported charities. Gold Bar ventured into satellite bingo. Membership to the Community League stands at an all time high of 556 members which demonstrates that the Community is alive, well, and prospering. |
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Summary (up to 1996) While a large portion of the Community League’s financial resources have been spent on maintaining and improving our assets, the Community has also met the needs for programs and services. Throughout our history, all sports programs have received solid funding. Other Community programs such as the Scouting Movement, Playschool, and Arts and Crafts have received support. The League has also donated money to local schools and other community related endeavours not formally sponsored by the Community league (Swim Clubs, Power Skating Clubs, School Band Programs, etc.) as well as a variety of charities. A Playground and Wading Pool Program during July and August has been run annually for years for children in the Community. In recent years, this program has also been run at Gold Bar Town Homes. Gold Bar has been part of the Area 13 Coordinating Council since 1979. Charles Lee, a past Community league president, became Chair of Capital City Park and Sheila McKay, a former Alderman, became a Committee Member. Both were active in trying to get safety measures in place such as patrolling and emergency telephones. Gold Bar Community League has been adding to and renovating its facilities on a regular basis to keep them current and functioning at peak efficiency. Presently our assets are valued at approximately $400,000. Major sources of revenue are bingos, grants, membership, hall rentals, raffles, and craft sales. |
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The gun/biathlon range was moved to Strathcona County as a result of strong participation by the community. Work was also done with the sewage treatment plant to reduce emissions. The Community League bought shares in Parkway Bingo and later in Fort Road Bingo. The City determined that the playground structures were outdated and not up to new standards so a sub-committee researched, designed, and fundraised via grants and private donations, and the community registered for its first-ever casino in July 2000 which saw a profit of $50,000. The community league, local businesses, government grants, and residents all contributed toward the $200,000 cost of the playground and park area. The structure was installed in September 2000 with help from over 100 community volunteers. Community memberships were at an all-time high for 1999-2000 at 594. The Playground Grand Opening was held in May 2001, and the 40th Anniversary of the Community League was held in September. The City resurfaced the neighborhood’s streets, while sidewalks and street lights were replaced. |
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Hall upgrades that had been approved at the end of 2001 were carried out, such as replacing carpets, purchasing new chairs, repairing the parque flooring and the roof. The Rink Shack was painted and washrooms fixed. The community league provided volunteers for another casino and this time brought in an astounding $74,000. |
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With regular casino dates and ongoing bingo revenues the community league executive considered making major renovations to the existing hall, since the upkeep was getting expensive and there were more and more repairs needed. The hockey rink received $25,000 in repairs including board replacements, higher wired fencing, paint, signs, etc. Meanwhile hall rentals, the summer green shack program, craft fair, socials, ringette, soccer, basketball, scouts, and hockey all continued in the community. Another casino in 2004 brought in over $80,000. |
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While regular executive meetings continued, a building committee was formed, and an assessment of the hall and Rink Shack carried out, which determined that either major renovations would need to be done or the building completely rebuilt. The building project has been tabled until Fall 2006. | ||
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Aside from regular activities such as bingos, socials, rink operation, summer green shack program, hall rentals, slo-pitch, soccer, scouts, membership drive, newsletters and much more overseen by community league executive, here are just some of the highlights since Murray stepped in as league president: Celebration of 45th anniversary (2006); Gold Bar Basketball becomes Southeast Swarm Basketball (2006); volunteer bookkeeper position established; casinos worked with income totaling over $160,000 (2006 & 2008); website launch (2007); bylaw revision work; extensive roof leaks and repairs; graffiti clean up committee formed; building committee reconvened and chaired by Laurie Scott with decision made to rebuild rather than renovate, regular meetings held, pre-design by architect, community design charette and forum, project awareness and fundraising campaign launched, architect & engineering team hired, financial partnership with North SEERA established, grant identification and applications begun (2007-2009); rental of Post Office box at Rexall Drugs; school sector reviews; committee formed to oversee new spray deck project to replace wading pool, a City of Edmonton initiative, with completion in fall 2009. | ||
