National Curling Champs 50th Anniversary

2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the 1962 dawn of the awesome accomplishment of Kimberley women in the realm of Canadian Curling.

Fifty years ago, the Ina Hansen ‘rink’ (aka curling team) with Ada Callas as third, Isabel Lieth as second, and May Shaw as lead, won the second ever Canadian Women’s curling championship as representatives of British Columbia!

Over the next two years, they went on to win a three-peat provincially, a feat not repeated until January 2012 when the Kelowna rink skipped by Kelly Scott won their third BC spiel. Then, the Hansen rink were runners-up nationally in 1963, and once again National Champs in 1964.

To mark this 50th anniversary, the Shaw family, Bill of Red Deer, AB; Barb of Ottawa, ON; and Larry of Cranbrook, have generously donated a shadow box featuring memorabilia of their mother, May (Mae) Shaw to the Kimberley Heritage Museum.  By special request of the family, the shadow box is on loan to the Kimberley Curling Club at 523 Archibald St, Kimberley BC;  ph 250 427 2591

Other of Shaw's items donated to the Kimberley Heritage Museum  include sweaters, tournament pins, photograph albums, newspaper clippings, shoes, award certificates, and another tam - like that currently on display at the Museum.

The shadowbox arrives and is signed in

Bill Shaw and Gord Jenkins bring in the shadowbox

 Bill Shaw signs the donation in to the Museum

All donations to the Kimberley Heritage Museum are signed over by the donor. Then the items are accessioned:  each item is marked with a number corresponding to hard copy and digital files. These files contain all available information of the 'who, when, where, and what' of the item as well as standardized categories common to all museums as well as local significance.

After accessioning, curator Marie Stang, assesses the storage and preservation needs of each item and decides where and how to store or display it.

The plan for Mae Shaw's items (not including the shadowbox, which is on display at the Kimberley Curling Rink) is to use them in new 'back wall' display in the main gallery about this 50th anniversary, coming in the summer of 2012.

Bill Shaw takes in the Museum display, recalling how much work it was to 'break-in' a new straw broom

Curling History:

summarized from the 'curling dot ca' website

Kimberley women’s national championships:

1962 – won the second ever Canadian Women’s (Diamond D):

                             Ina Hansen, Ada Callas, Isabel Leith,  May Shaw

1963 – again represented BC at Canadian Championships (Diamond D):

                             Hansen, Callas, Leith, and Shaw

1964 – won the fourth ever Canadian Women’s (Diamond D):

                             Hansen, Callas, Leith, and Shaw

1973 – won the first ever Canadian Senior’s Championships:
                             Calles, Hansen, Shaw, and Barbara Weir

General Curling History

1927  –  Men         –   first Canadian Men’s national championship – the Brier

• held in Toronto, ON at the Granite Club

• sponsored by The Macdonald Tobacco Company

• won by skip Professor Murray Macneill of Halifax, NB with a team made up of 3 other skips recruited at the last minute

1960 – Women     –  first east / west women’s championship

• held in Oshawa, ON

• won by the Joyce McKee rink, Saskatchewan

• prior to this, a western Canada championship was sponsored by the T. Eaton Company; the east had only individual provincial championships. 
  

1961  –  Women   –    first Canadian Women’s national championship

• The Dominion Diamond D held in Ottawa, ON

• sponsored by Dominion Stores Limited

• won by skip Joyce McKee from Saskatoon, SK

1973  –  Senior Women     –   first Canadian senior women’s championship

• won by the BC team skipped by Ada Calles with Ina Hansen, May Shaw, and Barbara Weir

Gord Jenkins and Bill Shaw letting us get a good look at the shadowbox

 See the Framing Nook's photo of the shadowbox here

The involvement of Kimberley people in all aspects of Canadian Curling was and continues to be quite extensive - much more than this little snapshot can provide.  Thanks for reading!

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts is happening as we post!


(Dianne Cooper writer and photographer, 18 Feb 2012)