Material Type

Artifact

Date

1947

Materials

WOOD, METAL

No. Pieces

1

Height

15.5

Length

8.3

Width

10

Description

LIGHT WOOD TROPHY WITH METAL CURLING ROCK FIXED TO TOP PAINTED GOLD, AND METAL PLATE ON FRONT WITH ENGRAVED TEXT “PYRAMID MOTORS SALES LTD, FORD-MONARCH, CHALLENGE TROPHY, WON BY, BOB VENABLES, 1947”. METAL PLATE IS SECURED TO WOODEN BASE WITH FOUR NAILS IN CORNERS. WOODEN TROPHY BASE IS COMPRISED OF ONE LARGE AND DARKER CENTER TOWER TO WHICH PLATE IS FIXED, WITH TWO SMALLER, LIGHTER WOODEN BEAMS ON EITHER SIDE; ALL SECURED TO FLAT WOODEN BASE. CURLING ROCK ON TOP HAS CRACK THROUGH BASE OF HANDLE, AND IS TARNISHED AROUND EDGES OF ROCK AND HANDLE; METAL FRONT PLATE IS TARNISHED AROUND NAIL HEADS; WOODEN BASE HAS DISCOLORATION AT CORNERS AND ALONG UPPER AND LOWER EDGES. OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

PERSONAL SYMBOL

Historical Association

SPORTS

History

ON JULY 30, 2017, COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN INTERVIEWED BOB VENABLES REGARDING HIS DONATION OF A CURLING TROPY. VENABLES WON THE TROPHY AT A 1947 CURLING TOURNAMENT WHILE IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL. ON THE TOURNAMENT, VENABLES ELABORATED, “[IT WAS] A HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE CITY, IN 1947 AND MY OLDER BROTHER [TED] WAS THE SKIP OF A RINK. I WASN’T IN HIGH SCHOOL YET BUT I SNUCK IN ON THIS DEAL AND WE CURLED IN THE OLD ARENA, AND THERE [WERE] TWO OTHER PLAYERS ON OUR TEAM OF COURSE, BILL BATES AND DOREEN MALACKO.” “MY BROTHER WANTED ME AS A PLAYER BECAUSE I WAS A PRETTY GOOD CURLER FOR MY AGE SO I CURLED SECOND ON THAT RINK…I WAS IN GRADE EIGHT AND YOU DIDN’T [GET] OUT OF JUNIOR HIGH UNTIL GRADE NINE. IT WAS JUST CALLED HIGH SCHOOL AT THAT TIME…I WAS FOURTEEN…MY OLDER BROTHER WAS CERTAINLY KEEN AND THE TWO THAT CURLED WITH US WERE ALSO VERY KEEN. WE DIDN’T KNOW THE OTHER GUY. I WAS STILL IN PUBLIC SCHOOL, SO I DIDN’T KNOW THE HIGH SCHOOL KIDS AT ALL…I SNUCK IN THERE SOMEHOW.” “WE WERE PRETTY PROUD TO WIN IT OF COURSE, BUT IT WAS AN ALL LOCAL HIGH SCHOOLS [TOURNAMENT] AS FAR AS I CAN REMEMBER.” “WE WERE ONE OF THE FEW RINKS THAT HAD A FEMALE ON THE TEAM AND DOREEN MALACKO…CURLED THIRD AND BILL BATES WAS PLAYING LEAD. [EVERY PLAYER RECEIVED A TROPHY] AND THERE WAS A BIGGER ONE THAT WENT TO THE SCHOOL.” WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS ATTACHMENT TO THE TROPHY, VENABLES NOTED, “IT’S THE ONLY ATHLETIC TROPHY I EVER WON SO IT’S A BIG DEAL TO ME. I’VE NEVER BEEN MUCH INTO SERIOUS ATHLETICS…I HAVE SOME OTHER TROPHIES FROM DIFFERENT THINGS BUT THIS IS THE ONLY ATHLETIC THING I COULD CLAIM.” “I NEVER GOT A CURLING TROPHY OTHER THAN THIS ONE. I DID A LOT OF CURLING AFTER THAT BUT IT WAS JUST CLUB STUFF. I WORKED FOR MANY YEARS FOR MCGAVIN BAKERY AND WE HAD A CURLING DEAL EVERY SUNDAY, JUST A TEAM FROM WITHIN THE PLANT…TWO OR THREE TEAMS.” “THE [TROPHY] HANDLE WAS BROKEN OFF IT ONCE [SO] I HAD TO FIX IT. I MADE A MISTAKE AND POLISHED THE FACE OF IT, THAT’S WHY IT IS DULL. YOU SHOULD NEVER POLISH A TROPHY, BUT YOU LIVE AND LEARN. [IT WAS] ON THE MANTEL PIECE [IN MY HOME].” VENABLES SPOKE TO HIS BACKGROUND IN CURLING, STATING, “WE DIDN’T LIVE TOO FAR FROM THE ORIGINAL CURLING RINK WHICH WAS BEHIND EDITH CAVELL, A GREAT BIG WOODEN STRUCTURE THERE, NATURAL ICE AND WHEN THE CHINOOK [CAME] ALONG THEY HAD TO CLOSE ALL THE WINDOWS BECAUSE THE ICE WOULD HEAVE. THAT WAS WHERE I FIRST STARTED TO CURL.” “IT WAS A FAMILY THING…I ASSUME THE SAME WITH SOME OF THE OTHER KIDS THAT WERE CURLING. THEY FOLLOWED THEIR PARENTS…IF THE OLD BOYS WERE CURLING, KIDS WEREN’T VERY POPULAR IN THERE. BUT I COULD GO WITH MY DAD AND WATCH THEM CURL A LOT. EVERYBODY HAD THEIR OWN ROCKS AT THAT TIME AND SOME WERE MIGHTY HEAVY…I WAS 12, 13 YEARS OLD, SOME OF THOSE ROCKS I COULD HARDLY LIFT. THERE WERE SOME CLUB ROCKS BUT I DON’T REMEMBER HOW THEY WERE IDENTIFIED. THE OWNERS ALL HAD DIFFERENT POM POMS ON THEIR ROCKS TO IDENTIFY WHOSE WAS WHOSE.” “THEN THERE WAS AN UPSTAIRS KIND OF A CLUBHOUSE THING, WITH A BIG OLD STOVE UP THERE THAT WAS WHERE THE BOYS WOULD MEET.” “[I KEPT CURLING AFTER] FOR VARIOUS TEAMS OR VARIOUS REASONS. I WAS IN A CLUB CALLED THE COSMOPOLITAN CLUB YEARS AGO. WE HAD SOME CURLING THERE…IT’S A REAL SKILL GAME AND IT DOES TAKE A LOT OF PRACTICE AND A LOT OF FINESSE. IT’S CHANGED TODAY BECAUSE WE USED TO BEAT THE ICE WITH THOSE LITTLE CORN BROOMS AND THERE WAS STRAW ALL OVER THE PLACE. IT’S A DIFFERENT THING NOW ALTOGETHER.” “CURLING WAS A BIG ENOUGH THING THAT THE ANNUAL SHIRTSLEEVE BONSPIEL WAS A BIG EVENT…TODAY THEY CURL FOR MONEY. BACK THEN THE MAIN PRIZE IN THE SHIRTSLEEVE BONSPIEL WAS HUDSON BAY BLANKETS, THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE. THERE WAS NO MONEY INVOLVED AT ALL. THERE WERE NO CARS GIVEN AWAY….TROPHIES AND BLANKETS.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTION, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20170025000-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20170025000

Acquisition Date

2017-07

Collection

Museum

Less detail