Kimberley, B.C., curling club celebrates 100th anniversary

Curlers gathered in Kimberley, B.C., Saturday to celebrate curling's rich history in the East Kootenay community.

The Kimberley Curling Club marked its 100th anniversary with a bonspiel on Saturday.

The club has long been a community hub, locals say, and has produced national champions.

The Ina Hansen rink which called Kimberley home won Canadian women's curling championships in 1962 and 1964.

Sam Calles's mother, Ada Calles, was a third in the Ina Hansen rink, which helped put the town on the curling map.

Both Ina Hansen and Ada Calles were inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in the mid-'70s.

"I'm kind of proud," an emotional Sam Calles told CBC News.

A photo on display at the Kimberley Heritage Museum shows the Ida Hansen rink, which won national championships in 1962 and 1964. Ada Calles is second from left. (Corey Bullock/CBC)

"She was extraordinary."

His mother helped with fundraising for the club, he said, toiling in the kitchen during banquets held by various organizations in town.

"She was committed to the curling rink as well as her playing," he said.

Sam Calles, Marie Stang of the Kimberley Heritage Museum, and Kimberley Curling Club former president John McGillivray are pictured by an exhibit on the Kimberley Curling Club. (Corey Bullock/CBC)

'Curling in Kimberley was for everyone'

Marie Stang, administrator of the Kimberley Heritage Museum, says curling in the community dates back to the 1920s.

The community was growing after the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada (CM&S) purchased the Sullivan Mine, which produced lead, zinc and silver, and served as Kimberley's main economic driver for decades.

The town had grown to a population of 3,500 by 1926, Stang said. A display at the museum notes a CM&S building was home to a two-sheet rink as well as a maintenance shop.

"Winter is long, there was no television so people got out and participated in all kinds of sports and activities, curling being one," Stang said.

Along with Hansen's championship-winning rink, a local boys team won a Canadian high school championship in 1957, Stang said, and a men's team competed in the 1959 Brier.

"Curling in Kimberley was for everyone ... It was something that families did. It wasn't just, 'mom did it' or 'dad did it.' [It was] all age groups, lots of participation."

The club has moved locations several times over the years. In 1964 the city constructed the building that the club currently calls home.

Curling in Kimberley still going strong

Past president John McGillivray says while the club has a long past, it also has a bright future.

The club has around 250 members, with McGillivray saying more younger people are getting involved.

"We're hoping that curling will continue to be an active sport here in Kimberley," the former president said. "And based on the amount of interest that we've seen in the last couple of years, particularly with the juniors, we're very excited about the future here."

Stang says the club's continued popularity is a testament to Kimberley's community spirit.

"It's not something that's died out, like many things have ... curling [is] still going."

An exhibit highlighting the club's history will be on display at the Kimberley Heritage Museum until April 30.