Hall of Famers: 2010

Anderson, Georgina
BUILDER
Inducted 2010

Georgina Anderson started to curl at the age of 25 at the Glenboro Curling Club. Soon after she became involved with the club board and began a long career on the administrative side of curling. She was president of the Glenboro Curling Club during the 1984-1985 season and became president of the amalgamated Glenboro Curling Club in 1991-1992. After attending district zone meetings, as a club representative, she chaired many ladies, juniors, and senior women’s district playdowns. She also attended MLCA annual and semiannual meetings as club representative.

In 1992, she was elected to the MLCA Board as a rural representative. This was the start of a 10-year career with this organization. During her time on the board, she was a chair or co-chaired various committees. These included the Christmas Junior Bonspiel, the Senior Women’s Birth Bonspiel, and the Junior Women’s Berth Bonspiel.

In 1996, she was elected to the Management Committee of the MLCA as the Third Vice President. On the MLCA Management Committee she was chair of the Pacesetter Senior Women’s Provincial Championships (1996-1997 and 1997-1998). She also chaired the Scott Tournament of Hearts in the 1998-1999 and 1999-2000 Seasons.

After serving on the committee working towards the amalgamation of the MCA / MLCA, she was named the 1^st Vice President and Financial Chairman of the newly amalgamated M.C.A. in 2000-2001. In the 2001-2002 season she became the first female president of the MCA.

Quietly efficient and tirelessly dedicated to the sport of curling in Manitoba, she was elected to the CCA. Board of Directors where she continued her work at the national level.

Some of the chairs she held from 2003-2008 while on the CCA Board include Hall of Fame and Awards, Event Liaison to the Canadian Women’s, Seniors, Mixed and Juniors, Athlete Liaison and Manitoba Liaison.

Georgina was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Winnipeg World Society (2002-2003). At various times she has held directorship positions on the Manitoba Curling Foundation, the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame and Museum and the Westman Curling Foundation.

For Georgina, special memories include watching her kids curl, being part of the MCA / MLCA amalgamation, seeing a sold-out Scott Tournament of Hearts in Brandon, and meeting all of the amazing people who are involved in the sport of curling on and off the ice.

Georgina is an Honourary Life Member of the M.C.A. (2002) and received the Ray Kingsmith Award from the C.C.A. in 2009.

She is a dedicated worker with a profound commitment to the future, stability, and growth of curling in Manitoba.

Barb Enright (Fetch/Mehling) began curling at the age of 12 at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club in their Junior program – the start of a very successful career.

As a Junior, she made four provincial appearances. In three of these years, she was curling with Barb & Darcy Kirkness and Janet Harvey. In 1985 she curled with Patti Tresoor, with the Granite as their home club.

In 1984 the Kirkness team won the Provincial Junior Championship. At Fort St. John, British Columbia they won the Canadian Junior Championship with a 9W – 2L record.

While at the junior level, Barb curled on teams that were provincial runner-up (1982 and 1983) and also won two Junior Bonspiel main event trophies. At Red River Community College, she also played third on a team that won the Canadian College Mixed Championship in 1985.

Barb has made four provincial mixed appearances in 1986, 2003, 2005 and 2010 with skips Jeff Stoughton, Garry Barkman (twice) and James Kirkness.

In women’s provincial competition she has made 18 appearances! She has earned provincial titles three times (1986, 2003, 2009) and has been runner-up three times (1987, 1989, 2008). At national women’s competition she has played second for either of her lifetime friends – Darcy Kirkness (Robertson) in 1986, or Barb Kirkness (Spencer) in 2003 and 2009.

In MLCA Bonspiel competition she has curled on teams that have won four trophies including the Clay Law Grand Aggregate Trophy in 1994.

After starting her career at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club, she curled at several other Winnipeg clubs including Deer Lodge, Fort Garry, Valour Road and Ft. Rouge.

Enright, Barb
CURLER
Inducted 2010

Jones-Walker, Debbie
CURLER
Inducted 2010

Debbie Jones-Walker (Orr) started curling in 1968 at the age of 15 with the Granite Juniors. She was a well-known participant in Manitoba curling circles from 1977 to 2003.

She first made her mark in curling in this province in 1977 when she won the Manitoba and Canadian Mixed Curling Championships curling with Harold Tanasichuk, Rose Tanasichuk, and Jim Kirkness. They won the Manitoba Championship with a 7W – 1L record: and the Canadian Championship with a 10W – 1L record! Subsequent to this original win in 1977 she curled on teams that played provincially three more times.

Since 1992, Debbie has made 12 provincial women’s appearances, winning provincial honors 3 times in 1997, 1999 and 2000 and runner-up in 1993.

At the 1997 Canadian Women’s Championship she curled third for Janet Harvey from the Valour Road Curling Club and finished in fifth place with a 6W – 5L record. In 1999, curling second for Connie Laliberte from the Ft. Rouge, she finished in third place with an 8W – 1L record. Again in 2000, this same team finished in third place with a 9W – 4L record. At this championship Debbie was second team all-star second. In 1995, she was the fifth on the Connie Laliberte Canadian Women’s Championship team – silver medalists at the Women’s Worlds.

During the 1978 MLCA Bonspiel Debbie curled with Rose Tanasichuk of the Civic Caledonian Curling Club. They won two trophies including the Clay Law Grand Aggregate Trophy.

Counted among her other special memories are her win of the Scott Tournament of Hearts and Women’s World gold medal while curling on Team BC in 1985. Also, very memorable for her was being part of Team Canada at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and winning the gold medal at these games when curling was a demonstration sport.

In recognition of those BC accomplishments, she was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1991.

Rick Mutton has participated in the game of curling since the age of 10. Playing in 32 MCA Bonspiels, participation has meant more to him than rewards. In the 32 years, he won a prize once and never won a trophy. He has always been more dedicated to the administration side of the game than the competitive side!

After curling at the Deer Lodge for several years, he became a member of the Board of Directors. He served for 14 years (1982-1996) and was club president 1994-1995. During this time, he worked on various host committees for provincial championships at the Deer Lodge (1990, 1995, 2007, 2010). At the Scott Provincial Championship held at the St. James Civic Centre, he was the facilities chairman.

Administratively, after becoming MCA Deer Lodge representative in 1989, he was elected to the MCA Council (1991) and was a board member for a total of 15 years. After being elected to Council, Rick held a number of chairman positions. They include credentials and special events, publicity, senior men’s (2 years), grants and sponsorship fulfillment, provincial senior men’s championship, and provincial men’s championship. In 2002 he became MCA President.

While on the MCA Board, Rick worked on committees that involved issues that needed changes and improvements. Some of these areas were zone and provincial seeding; standardization of event rules; creation of new berth bonspiel and city playdown draws; realignment of rural zone curling clubs into sport regions; design and implementation of the round robin format for minor provincial championships; implementation of sponsorship recognition programs; and review of the process for awarding of spots into the provincial men’s championship.

From 1977-1992 Rick spent many hours working on the Junior Bonspiel. He was draw-master from 1977-1986 and chairman in 1991 and 1992.

Additional special committee positions include the MCA / MLCA Amalgamation Review, Curling Foundation, 1995 Safeway Championship and Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame and Museum.

While on the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame Board he was Chairman of the Selection Committee for 5 years and after seeing the need for a computerized program to capture the history of curling in Manitoba he worked with a programmer to compile a comprehensive statistical and historical record. This program, which is easily accessible to media persons and researchers, includes a record of all Manitoba champions and bonspiel winners.

In 1993 Rick became Secretary-Treasurer of the Life Members and continues to guide this organization today.

Rick has worked at national and international events hosted in Winnipeg. In 1991, he was Chairman of the Timing Committee and acted as Timing Supervisor. In 1998 he was Sponsorship and Fulfillment Chairman. In 2003 he was a committee member of the World Curling Fest. In 2008 he was on the Accreditation Committee.

He has also participated as one of the mascots. Once as “Scotties Little Softy” for Scott Paper during Guy Hemmings visits and as one of the “Mani Buffalo” in 2003.

Rick Mutton was awarded an Honourary Life Membership by the MCA in 1987. At that time, he was the youngest member to receive that honour. He was also awarded an Honourary Life Membership at Deer Lodge Curling Club (1996).

In 2021, he was invited to become a member of the Governor General’s Curling Club.

Mutton, Rick
BUILDER
Inducted 2010

O’Grady, Lt. Col. John Waller de Courcy
BUILDER
Inducted 2010

J. W. de Courcy O’Grady (1854 – 1914) was born in Hemmingford, Quebec in 1854, and was educated at Bishops College in Lennoxville, Quebec.

He was known for his entrepreneurial spirit as well as athletic ability. As well as curling, he also excelled in such sports as tennis, golf, cricket, hockey and marksmanship. He also had an active and remarkable life in the Militia; serving in Montreal, Ottawa, Carlton and overseas with the 90th Winnipeg Rifles.

Well known as a curler in Manitoba, he was president of the Manitoba Curling Association for two terms (1907-1908 and 1911-1912). He was also a patron of this same organization from 1909-1910. His efforts to further the game of curling in Manitoba had a positive effect. This influence is still felt today in the form of the O’Grady Challenge Trophy. During his first term (1907-1908) he presented a trophy to encourage good will and promote curling matches between affiliated clubs in the Manitoba Curling Association.

His original idea was for a trophy to be offered somewhere other than the Manitoba Curling Association Bonspiel. Therefore, after the 1908 Bonspiel, where the O’Grady Challenge Trophy was offered as a special “double rink” event, it became a double rink challenge cup and created goodwill between rural and city curlers as challenges came from around the province. In 1908, the MCA included clubs from North Western Ontario and parts of Saskatchewan. Col. O’Grady, R.D. Waugh and Issac Pitblado were the first trustees. Records show that he played in only one match in his own competition. With three of his brothers, he travelled to Glenboro by train to play in the O’Grady Challenge. In Winnipeg he was a member of the Assiniboine Club.

Marion Rowlands (1885-1961) was a founder and first president of the Manitoba Ladies Curling Association.

In the early 1900’s, ladies in Manitoba curled on mixed teams and in special competitions provided for them as part of the Manitoba Men’s Bonspiel. In 1924, a group led by Mrs. Rowlands set out to form a ladies curling association. She was elected president of the group and Mrs. Bea Gunn acted as secretary. Mrs. Rowlands was a member of the Granite Curling Club and Mrs. Gunn curled at the Elmwood Curling Club. The Manitoba Ladies Curling Association was then formally organized with eight affiliated clubs.

Mrs. Rowlands was president from 1924–1926 (two terms). She is recognized for her perseverance and organizational skills.

Mrs. Rowlands was made an MLCA Honourary Life Member in 1928 and received a posthumous award of induction as a Builder in the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame in 1976 as recognition for being the inaugural provincial association president.

Rowlands, Marion
BUILDER
Inducted 2010

Clark -1956-57 TEAM
Manitoba Champions
Inducted 2010

The 1956 & 1957 Manitoba Women’s Champions from Portage la Prairie had Lillie Clark at skip with Victoria Painter as third, Helen Wishart as second, and Diane Kitson as lead. It was the first ladies’ team to accomplish the enviable feat of winning back to back provincial titles in 1956 and 1957.

Between 1952 and 1960 winners of the Eaton’s Championship qualified to represent the province. In 1956, the Clark Team won the Eaton Championship with a record of two wins and a loss. In 1957, the same team again won the province with two straight wins.

At the Western Canadian Ladies Championship in 1956, the team from Portage la Prairie finished in third place with a 3W – 3L record. In 1957 the finished in runner-up position with a 5W – 3L.

The team won the Hudson Bay Trophy in 1949 in the M.L.C.A. Bonspiel and the North Star Oil Trophy in 1950 in the M.L.C.A. Bonspiel.

The 1999 Canadian Men’s Champions included Skip Jeff Stoughton with third Jon Mead, second Garry Vandenberghe and lead Doug Armstrong.

Representing the Charleswood Curling Club, the team won the Safeway Select Provincial Championships in 1999 and 2000 and the Labatt Canadian Championship in 1999.

In 1999, they won the Manitoba championship with a perfect 8W – 0L record. At the Canadian Championship held in Edmonton, they finished 10W – 3L and won the Canadian Championship. Jeff Stoughton was all-star skip and Doug Armstrong was all-star lead.

In St. John, New Brunswick they were silver medalists at the World Championship with a 9W – 2L record.

The team was named Manitoba Sportswriters & Sportscasters Team of the Year.

Again in 2000 they won the Safeway Select Provincial Championship with an 8W – 1L record at the Brandon Keystone Centre.

The Stoughton Team went on to the Brier in Saskatoon, SK where they finished with an 8W – 3L record. They won a tiebreaker with Ontario to qualify for the playoffs and lost to Quebec in the quarter finals. Jeff Stoughton and Jon Mead were all-star skip and third at this championship.

The Stoughton Team qualified for the 2001 Olympic Trials by winning the 1999 Brier. At these trials they finished in a fourth place tie with a 5W – 4L record.

Stoughton – 1999 TEAM Canadian Champions
Inducted 2010