Inducted August 2023 Nominated by Jim Collings and Jeff Bird
This couple have been members of the club since its inaugural year of 1981, other than the 6 or so years they were working overseas. We believe no other currently serving and curling members can claim that.
Few other members can be considered their equal in terms of champions of the club for volunteer service. Many others have 1 or 2 decades of doing that, but they have nearly 4 decades.
The willingness of Birgit and Murray has known no bounds. Over all this time – if you asked, they responded, or offered before you asked. And they have coordinated volunteer efforts over many seasons – people don’t say no to them too often, so they have tended to get people involved in whatever was needed. They have been spearheading and participating in fundraising, club cleaning, painting, decorating, repairs, events and event planning, kitchen, food, Carp Fair booth, renovation committee – you name it, they have been there every time.
Murray has been the annual HCC golf tournament coordinator for the past 15 or so years. Birgit has been the one to source and obtain all of the prizes for those tournaments – she is a genius at doing that.
Murray has been on the ice team for 2 decades, with thousands of hours on the ice, and has been the coordinator for all the ice team during that time. He has trained countless members in ice preparation, and continues that to this day. He has also formalized many of the procedures necessary for good ice.
Murray is also the Honorary Member program founder. He initiated this, and has personally authored at least 16 of the 20 successful nominations to date. It behooves us to recognize that and to bring him into this ultimate recognition of the club.
Birgit has been supporting Murray in all these roles for all these years, holding down the home fort while Murray was busy at the club, well before having any idea of “required volunteer duty hours” But she has been her own program manager, supporting countless club events with kitchen and volunteer coordination, including our famous “washing machine beef” dinners. Birgit continues regularly in the kitchen to this day.
Birgit was part of the team that began the Friday Night Social Curling League, which gave us the welcoming philosophy that the club continues to this day. Birgit and Murray trained Nancy and Dave Hayley in these fine arts, and they continued on to make the Friday league the best representation of a welcoming committee the club has ever had.
Anyone who has met Murray and Birgit immediately recognizes their cheerful and welcoming attitude. They can be considered the ultimate ambassadors for our club. Murray in particular has mentored many newer members, including some of our best curlers, and is always willing to spend time to give advice to new curlers as well as experienced ones. He is the first to think of others, and to recognize them for their contributions.
Murray won the Club Championship trophy in the inaugural year (1982) and also in the last year it was awarded (2019). Nobody else has that claim. He is an exceptional curler. He has been to many Provincial level curling competitions with other club members.
Murray also has a trophy named after him, the “Murray Pearson Volunteer Award”, recognizing those other exceptional volunteers in our club. He has also won the “Pat Cardy Sportsmanship Award” more times than any other club member. The Board would like to recognize the exceptional efforts that Birgit and Murray have put forth to the club over all these years, by providing them with an Honorary Lifetime Membership in Huntley Curling Club.