A toast to the past, present and future of the Tam Heather Curling & Tennis Club was made by President Dave Muir, center
By Kathryn Stocks
The Tam Heather Curling & Tennis Club is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
For the kickoff event on January 13, a piper led the youngest curlers and charter members onto the curling rink where a ceremonial rock to usher in the next 50 years was delivered by charter member Barb Fernandez; an anniversary cake was cut by Kurt Hering for the tennis club and Joan Fairman for curling; Councillor Paul Ainsley delivered a congratulatory plaque from the city; a bright new banner was unveiled; and a champagne toast to the past, present and future was made by club president Dave Muir. The tennis club also celebrated the anniversary even though it started two years after the curling club.
On January 23, Tam Heather was one of the clubs across the country hosting curlers in the Strathcona Cup. This is the longest running curling event between Scotland and Canada, and it was celebrating 120 years of friendly competition. Held every five years, it alternates between the two countries. Sixty Scots split into three groups of five teams that played in the Maritimes, western Canada, and Ontario and Montreal, and 1,400 Canadians played against them.
In April, Tam Heather will be holding its big 50th anniversary dinner for current and former members of the club.
From the original 432 charter members, Tam Heather now has a record number of members with 720 curlers and 410 tennis players. It is on a sound financial footing even after all the COVID lockdowns and the collapse of the tennis bubble. Here’s to Tam’s next 50 years!