MEDIA RELEASE: Wall of Honour

November 21, 2019

Municipality of Port Hope Unveils New Wall of Honour to Celebrate Local Athletes

For Immediate Release

Thursday, November 21, 2019 - Port Hope, ON

In a special ceremony at the Jack Burger Sports Complex (JBSC) on November 21, Municipal Council, Staff, and members of the community gathered to celebrate the debut of the Wall of Honour for Athletic Achievement, a new, permanent fixture recognizing significant achievements of athletes and persons involved in sport in the Municipality of Port Hope.

“This initiative is an extraordinary way to highlight and celebrate the successes of our local athletes and athletic organizations,” notes Bob Sanderson, Mayor of the Municipality of Port Hope. “An ideal way to preserve the stories and histories of Port Hope athletics, I’m looking forward to watching the Wall of Honour grow with the community’s engagement in the program.”

A joint venture between the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Culture (PRC) and the PRC Advisory Committee, the Wall of Honour features three key elements:

• A Sports Kiosk where patrons can share and research information, including a wide variety of articles, digital photos and videos. The Kiosk is an interactive display system in which stories can be added on a regular basis;
  
  
• A display case to showcase various memorabilia. This display case will be regularly maintained to include items on loan, and highlighting a variety of athletic achievements and historical collectables;
  
  
• Wall of Honour plaques that line the upper mezzanine, which recognize persons with significant contributions to sport in the community. To date, this includes pictures that are currently hanging in the arena lobby of the JBSC: Jim Roberts, Paul Quantrill, Dennis O’Brien, Shane O’Brien, Ronald Smith, Stan Crossett, and Paul Terbenche.

“The Wall of Honor is an opportunity to celebrate the history of sport in Port Hope,” adds Mr. Ted Garrett, Chair of the PRC Advisory Committee. “It provides a hub for the community to recognize the outstanding achievements of all the inductees and their contributions.”

Additionally, the Wall of Honour will continue to celebrate sport history in Port Hope, both past and present, with an open call for submissions from the community. Residents are encouraged to submit recommendations for athletes and achievements in sport, to be highlighted on the Wall of Honour. In order to be considered for a plaque, the candidate must meet the following criteria:

• Port Hope is the candidate’s birthplace, or the candidate has lived in Port Hope for a minimum of two (2) years OR participated in sport in Port Hope for two (2) consecutive seasons;
• Achieved a significant career highlight (either as an athlete, official, supporter, etc.) which represented and brought honour to Port Hope;
• Demonstrated an outstanding level of achievement or a single remarkable achievement of note;
• Participated in, or recognized for, Provincial, National or International achievement(s).

The Sports Kiosk will host stories about the community’s rich sports history. Municipal Staff invite the community to a monthly coffee social at the JBSC on the first Monday of each month at 10:30 a.m., where stories and records can be shared.

Wall of Honour submissions and stories can also be shared at porthope.ca/athletic-wall-of-honour

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For more information, please contact:
Kate Ingram, Communications / Community Engagement Coordinator
905-885-4544 x2248
kingram@porthope.ca