Manitoba Organization: Thistle Curling Club

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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
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	W. D."Bill" McLaren
1937-1938	George J. Ritchie
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	Garry C. Stack
1951-1952	Blair Donaldson “Buck” Hay (1912-1972)
1952-1953	Jan Johannes “John” Van Hellemond (1909-2002)
1953-1954	Dave Anderson
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 (?-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	B. Williamson
2002-2003	B. Gawley
2003-2004	Jim Woolison
2004-2005	William “Bill” Reinisch (1944-2015)
2005-2006	Lori Boudreau
2006-2007	Thomas Frederick “Tom” 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: 3 March 2023