Gary Oke’s achievements in the sport of curling are tough to match up against and now he has truly reached a level few will ever get to.
Earlier this summer, the Corner Brook Curling Club’s longtime standout was informed that he was going to become a member of the Governor General’s Curling Club of Canada.
This exclusive group of Canadian curlers dates back to 1874 when Lord Dufferin formed the Vice-Regal Curling Club, which would be later renamed the Governor General’s Curling Club. These days, the club is limited to a 100-person membership, plus a category of 25 emeritus members, and recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the sport of curling in Canada.
Oke, a three-time provincial men’s curling champion, will be officially welcomed as a member, along with fellow Newfoundlander and Labradorian Bob Osbourne of St. John’s, by current Gov. Gen. David Johnston at a ceremony at Government House in St. John’s Tuesday. During that ceremony, the two will each be presented with a crested red blazers like those given to all Governor General’s Curling Club members.
Three men from St. John’s are the only other club members from Newfoundland and Labrador. They include former Brier champion Toby MacDonald, former provincial curling association president Frank Noseworthy and Reg Caughie, who is best known for conceiving and wearing the Brier Bear mascot costume at the national men’s championship.
“It’s a real honour to be recognized in such a club, among such a distinguished bunch of people,” said Oke. “Going down through the list, these are some real history makers in the sport of curling and it’s an honour to be among them.”
Besides skipping a provincial championship team in three national Briers, Oke has also skipped at 11 mixed national curling championships and two senior men’s tournaments. He has coached 14 times at the junior provincial level and coached five provincial youth teams at Canada Winter Games events.
He has served on the board of the Corner Brook Curling Club on many occasions since he first got involved in the sport in 1977. Since 1981, he has also served on several executives for the Newfoundland and Labrador Curling Association’s Board, as has fellow Governor General’s Curling Club inductee Osborne.
This coming season, Oke has decided to step back into the presidency of the Corner Brook Curling Club. He is also co-chair of the committee organizing the 2014 M&M Meat Shops National Junior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships set for Corner Brook in late January.
