The Bourkevale Story

Bourkevale Bruins, February 1958.

Clubhouse marked new beginning for Bourkevale

Bourkevale Community Centre officially began operations in 1949. However, until 1952, the club consisted of little more than an ice rink and a small, heated skate shack. Bourkevale was given a small parcel of land to use from the City of St. James' Parks Board in the south-east corner of what was a nine-hole golf course.

Area residents maintained the club through a $2-a-year membership fee per family. There were no government subsidies for community centres in those days.

It became obvious over time that the community needed a larger clubhouse to hold functions, dances and other activities. And in 1952, Bourkevale had an opportunity to purchase an "H-hut" from the airport, a building that had served as emergency housing. According to board minutes from an Aug. 15th, 1952 meeting, the cost of purchasing, transporting and transforming the building into a clubhouse would be about $4,000.

Bourkevale had $1,700 in the bank and $700 in pledges, according to board minutes. Then-club president Bob Pyne loaned the club $500 and Bourkevale raised the balance from donations and fundraisers.

With great fanfare, live music and a dance on Dec. 5, 1952, Bourkevale Community Centre's new clubhouse was officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that included then-St. James mayor Reginald Wightman, delegates from local community centres and a large turn-out from area residents.

The St. James Leader newspaper covered the event and reported that mayor Wightman "stressed the fact that the clubhouse was the happy result of concerted community effort without benefit of grants or handouts from council."

The building was expanded and remodeled several times over the years to include a larger skate room, a kitchen, more basement space and extra storage areas. The outdoor skateroom building between the two rinks was added in the 1960s and a detached garage was eventually built.

While the city of Winnipeg now provides the club with an operating grant to help cover day-to-day costs, Bourkevale Community Centre was created through the dedicated efforts and resources of area residents 60 years ago this year. Without their vision and commitment to community building, Bourkevale would not exist today.

Read the full history of Bourkevale here.

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