By Cecilia Nasmith
Three displays at Port Hope's Jack Burger Sports Complex honour the sports heroes of the community, past and present, amateur and pro.
An open house at the upstairs display was held Thursday to unveil its newest addition: the Wall of Honour for Athletic Achievement, a joint initiative of the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture and the Parks, Recreation and Culture Advisory Committee.
Now there are three stations upstairs that pay tribute to the municipality's excellence in sports.
On the left is the display case that currently holds hockey jerseys, pucks, photos and articles.
In the middle is the wall-mounted touch screen Sports Kiosk, where you can browse through memorabilia, sports and athletes that have put Port Hope on the map.
On the right is the the Wall of Honour display, whose first seven luminaries were unveiled Thursday.
Port Hope Director of Sports, Recreation and Culture Jim McCormack emceed the open house and unveiling, which was attended by two of the Wall of Honour luminaries (Dennis O'Brien and Ron Smith).
“For a number of years, we had pictures of Port Hope residents who went on display who had played sports at a very high level – the National Hockey League, American Hockey League, Major League Baseball.
“For a number of years, there was a lot of discussion about somewhat formalizing that process of acknowledgement of the sports successes in our community.”
With the big 2015 revitalization of the Jack Burger Sports Complex, McCormack said, it seemed the right time.
“Today, finally, is the day,” he declared.
Much of the material is simply the clippings, photos and memorabilia people have had in their closets and basements for years and don't know what to do with. Now their department has the ability for digitizing and cataloguing it to be shared with everyone – and this is what you can now enjoy on the Sports Kiosk screen, which will be updated on a regular basis.
Port Hope Mayor Bob Sanderson said the initiative is an extraordinary way to highlight and celebrate the successes of the municipality's athletes and athletic organizations.
“The reality is, this is a good start to recognize some of the achievements of our citizens over a period of time, and we don't want to lose that,” Sanderson told the gathering.
“We have had great athletes from this community for a long period of time who make us proud.”
Ron Smith offered his own personal thanks.
“It's a real pleasure, an over-the-top pleasure, to be here this morning and have this opportunity to share with you some words, because I am taking advantage of this to thank my hometown,” he said.
“It'a distinct honour to be recognized by the citizens of my hometown. The participation in sports activities has been an integral component of my life, and I owe it all to a number of people.”
This fact has only become clear to him as an adult, Smith said. As a kid growing up in the '50s and '60s, all he cared about was having the ball diamond, the indoor and outdoor rinks for hockey, the summer camps. As an adult, he knows these facilities come from tax dollars.
He benefited so much from the Beaver Athletic Association, and the ladies' auxiliary members - “the mothers of all the budding athletes who kept us warm with hot chocolate and nourished with hot dogs” - as well as the teachers and coaches who also offered time and encouragement. As an adult, he can only imagine the hours this took away from home life and leisure activities.
Anytime he needed a piece of sports equipment, he got it. Only as an adult did he realize it came with a cost, and that money came out of the family budget.
Smith joined O'Brien and Sanderson in unveiling the first seven honourees on the Wall of Honour – hockey stars Jim Roberts, Dennis O'Brien, Shane O'Brien, Ron Smith, Stan Crossett and Paul Terbenche, along with Major League Baseball all-star Paul Quantrill.
Future Wall of Honour additions will be considered as nominations come in. Criteria are available in leaflets next to the Sports Kiosk.
Going forward, the invitation is still out for those with sports memorabilia they wish to share. The kiosk will be continually updated, and the showcase will be changed on a monthly basis.
Which means the monthly coffee group will see something new every time.
Local sports enthusiasts are invited to gather in this special area at 10:30 a.m. on the first Monday of each month for coffee and a chance to talk about the old times they had growing up and playing sports in this area.
