Inducted July 2021 Nominated by Murray Pearson
Howard and Linda Healey were both Founding Members of the club, and both served full terms on the Board of Directors, giving generously of their time and talents during the formative and early years of the club. Howard was also a member of the Building Committee (1978-1979) and expansion committee in 1988. Both showed distinguished leadership both at HCC and overall, in the Ottawa Valley curling community through their involvement in HCC and Valley curling associations and in the development of youth and adult curling programs. As important as their contributions and leadership, both are true ‘gentlepersons’ who’s positive and friendly attitudes on and off the ice helped build the culture of sportsmanship that is such an important part of the game.
Howard joined the Board of Directors in 1981, serving two years as President where he had to deal with many “growing pains” associated with the club’s limited budget and need for member recruitment. He put in countless volunteer hours during construction, taking on the task of building the bar and liquor storage vault. Howard went to great lengths to find ways to source low-cost building and furniture options to get the club into service. He procured used carpeting that served the club well until funds could be raised to replace it years later. He arranged for the purchase of used tables and lounge chairs from CFS Carp and stacking chairs via federal government procurement.
A particularly challenging issue he successfully managed was the fallout from leaks that formed in the roof and condensation on the roof structure that left large bumps all over the ice that made games difficult to play. Some members were considering quitting or moving to other curling clubs unless corrective action was quickly taken. He convinced the building contractor to explore ways to resolve the issue, and his efforts paid off; curlers immediately saw improvements.
To organize bar duties, Howard and Linda prepared volunteer bartender schedules that ensured the bar was operated properly. He and Linda spent many nights as bartender for evening draws, club events and Carp Fair He organized social events such as the Ladies Appreciation Night that was a big hit with our members.
Howard and Linda ran the Junior Curling Program for several years, a time-consuming activity where they co-coordinated and ran the instruction program for youth. They instructed junior curlers, arranged a junior curling trophy, and organized Junior bonspiels for HCC’s growing junior membership. They applied for and received a grant from the O.V.C.A. for Little Rocks, making Huntley the first in the Valley to receive them. They coordinated with Huntley Centennial School to arrange for teachers and children to walk over to the club to learn curling as part of their curriculum.
Always ready to serve, Howard volunteered at the Scotties (1990) and Brier (1992) in Ottawa and served as a member of the host committee that entertained visiting curlers from Scotland, participating in curling events with the Scottish curlers. While he curled all winter, Howard also organized and managed the HCC men’s fastball team from 1981 to 1994.
Linda also provided many hours of service and leadership to the club over several years. In addition to her 3 years on the Board, she readily assumed responsibility for activities that advanced our curling program and enriched the curling experience for youth and adult members. Below are examples of her involvement.
She worked with the Wintario Group to organize a dinner where an announcement was made awarding the H.C.C. a grant in the amount of $132K to build the Huntley Curling Club.
She chaired the Ways and Means Committee, where her committee organized various fund-raising events such as:
- Annual Oktoberfest Dinner Dance, held at the Agricultural Hall.
- Annual Christmas Craft Fair
- Flea Market – sale of items donated by members; this event was well attended and profitable.
- Gidday Cookbooks – Linda researched, organized, and coordinated the publication of 4 volumes of the Gidday Cookbook. This was an excellent fundraiser that not only served to enrich club coffers, but it also served as an excellent community liaison activity, serving to build awareness and interest in the club within the community, as the recipes were all Carp Fair winners donated by Valley ladies. Linda’s leadership was critical to its success.
Linda worked with Helen Weick to obtain a Liquor Licence for the club. She researched the necessary documentation and physical requirements to satisfy licencing requirements (building of the lockup area with concrete blocks; bar area requirements) and set up a liquor control/bookkeeping system. Linda ran the bar, for 5 years, doing deposits, ordering, accepting deliveries, calculating and remitting GST, all while managing the competing time demands of her young family. Because her name was on the liquor licence she had to deal with the liquor inspector, who visited frequently because HCC was a new licencee. She and Howard developed a roster of volunteer bartenders, including training that allowed the club to add bar revenue to the coffers.
Linda looked after the Ladies Wednesday Night Draw for a couple of years and served as Club rep for the Ontario Ladies Curling Association, serving as an OLCA Director-at-Large, taking the necessary training for OLCA officiating.
In addition to her work at the club, Linda was involved in hosting a Businesswomen’s Provincial Tankard Final at Huntley Curling Club and was Businesswomen’s Chair for Ontario for 2 years, which included attending curling competitions and officiating (head official) in the Provincial Finals. She also volunteered with the 1990 Ottawa Scott Tournament of Hearts, organizing drivers for competitors, and worked in the Brier Patch at the Brier in Ottawa in 1992.