TCC Logo   Teeswater Curling Club

About

The Teeswater Curling Club was established in 1954. We are a member of the Ontario Curling Association.  We offer our members recreational and competitive curling. There are a number of bonspiels and other events held at the club every year and we invite everyone to participate in these events.

The membership of the club has successfully run several fund-raisers and other events including:

There are likely many more activities & accomplishments of our club that should be included here, please send information to tcc@teeswatercurlingclub.com to help us gather details for this site.

The following history of curling in Teeswater is from "All Our Yesterdays: A History of Culross Township 1854 - 1984" as compiled by the Teeswater Historical Society, 1984. Printed by Stan Brown Printers Ltd.

The Teeswater-Culross Memorial Arena

            Recreation for all age groups has always been an important consideration in Teeswater.  The first known rink was erected by James Fraser on Elora Street near the river.  It was here the first curling club was organized in 1878.  In the early 1900’s a covered ice rink built by Robert Trench was located on the present fire hall site. It was owned and operated for many years by George Baptist.  Youngsters lingering about because they were short of the necessary skating fee were often let in at half time.  Baptist flooded the rink using a tank mounted on a sleigh.  A pipe punctured with holes was fastened to the tank.  This was towed by hand around the ice surface.  Along the north side of the rink were two curling sheets.  For a few summers, starting in 1913, Robert Trench used the building for his business, the Teeswater Lightning Rod Company.  Later in 1916 Albert Strome used it as a garage.  Eventually the roof was removed, some say it caved in, and an open air rink was made.  Not until 1948 did Teeswater again have covered ice.

            The Teeswater-Culross Memorial Arena was built as a memorial to the men who gave their lives in World War II.  The cost was $27,000.  The money was raised by public subscription, donations and fund-raising events.  Teeswater Council donated $5,000 from the Post War Fund and the Teeswater Agricultural Society donated an equal sum.  Two lots on Clarinda Street were purchased from Bert Thorton.  The needed money was raised by a travelling minstrel show which Stella King produced.

            Once opened, a full schedule of hockey, figure skating and curling kept the ice maker busy.  Vince Petteplace held this position for a number of years.  The arena was used for various functions throughout the remainder of the year.  At fair time rows of exhibits filled it in the daytime and at night, a concert drew capacity crowds.  A sectional dance platform was laid in the late 1950’s.  In 1966 and ’67 an artificial ice plant was installed.  This was a joint Centennial Project of the Teeswater and Culross Councils.  After serving the community well for many years the arena was closed in January, 1976. An inspection by the Ontario Department of Labour declared it to be structurally unsound.

            After much public discussion, three proposals were presented at a public meeting held on March 18, 1976.  These options were: rebuild the arena; build a new arena and community centre; or build a new arena community centre and curling rink.  The majority voted to build an arena and community centre.

CURLING

            In Dr. Gillies’ “History of Teeswater” it is stated that a curling club was started in 1878, using a building on Elora Street, across from Button’s furniture factory.  This must have been somewhere near the river, possibly where the sawmill yard used to be, and now the site of the creamery’s filtration plant.

            Years later, about 1910, Tom Friendship remembers curling on a sheet of ice beside the skating area in the old rink on Clinton Street, where the fire hall is now located.  In those days curlers had their own rocks which they took with them to bonspiels out of town, going out on the early morning train and returning on the late night train.

            In 1953 the first Bruce County Federation of Agriculture bonspiel was held in Walkerton.  Wilbur McKague, Weir McDonald and Stewart McDonald persuaded Cecil Button (who had curling experience in Western Canada) to skip a rink.  Cecil coached them for a few hours one afternoon on Belmore ice; they entered the bonspiel and won all three games to take top honours.  The following year this foursome, along with Archie Blair, Herb Duffy, Mel Donahue, Jack Porter and Jack Atkinson, curled one night a week with the Wingham club.

            By this time there seemed to be enough interest to form a local club and the following executive was appointed: President – Herb Duffy, Sec. Treas. – J.S. McDonald, and a committee of Wilbur McKague, Cecil Button, Jack Porter, Harold McCormick, Gordon Stobo and Lloyd Sillick.  A canvas was made of the village and township.  Memberships and donations provided the funds to purchase forty pairs of second-hand rocks.  Arrangements were made to use the arena for two days a week.

            On the opening day about 160 enthusiastic men and women showed up for the two draws in the afternoon and two draws at night.  A few had curling brooms; some had house brooms; others came to see what the game was all about and try to get the rocks from one end of the ice to the other.  Unmatched rocks and natural ice did not provide ideal curling conditions, but many became addicted to the “roaring” game.  When the arena floor was cemented and an artificial ice plant installed, the club was able to buy matched rocks.  A comfortable second story lounge, with windows overlooking the ice surface was built, and many successful bonspiels were held.

            Much of the credit for the success of the club must go to Jack Porter who was secretary-treasure for thirteen years, and whose untiring efforts and diplomacy in the drawing up of rinks each season, posting weekly schedules, and acting as draw master did much to keep things running smoothly.  In 1976 the arena, like many others in Ontario, was ruled unsafe, and all activities stopped for the balance of the season.  The arena was replaced with a modern steel structure.  In this building demand for ice time increased and conditions for curling were so poor that the club’s survival was threatened.  At the same time the Teeswater Fall Fair had been rained out for a number of years in a row.  They wanted an indoor show ring.  From this mutual need, a partnership was formed, and a joint building committee was formed with Art McKague as chairman.  Materials from the old Kitchener bus barns on King St. were acquired and used to construct a new building, “Agri-Curl”, on the Fall Fair grounds.  The cost was an enormous amount for the two clubs to raise.  The Ladies’ Curling Club paid for a kitchen, washrooms and entrance way; the rest was divided between the Curling Club and the Agricultural Society.

            Present and past members were canvassed, twenty-two club members signed demand notes for credit at the Bank of Montreal, the curling rocks were used for collateral, and wherever possible, volunteers were used as workers.  Bonspiels, dances, talent shows, barbecues and catering brought in some cash.  When interest rates jumped from 12% to 23% the situation was serious.  In 1980 an Agri-Lotto Committee was formed to raise money, and in 1981 a grant from Wintario was acquired.

            With the new cement floor and an ice-making machine, the ice surface became much improved and curling became more competitive.  Younger people where encouraged to join, a after school league was formed.  The club members became more efficient and in 1982 a rink won the Huron title.  In 1983 another rink won the Culross Mutual 13 B championship.  Junior teams had won in 1974 and 1975, and now curling is firmly established for young and old, women as well as men.  Mona Ballagh, the only woman who had learned to curl out west, was one of the early instructors for the women, and is still curling in 1984.