2 weeks Ago By Brendan Shykora
After receiving a $260,000 donation, Enderby's ice skating and curling rink is being renamed after a community builder. The Enderby and District Sports Complex shut down abruptly in January due to a refrigeration system failure. The closure was a massive blow to groups such as the North Okanagan Minor Hockey Association (NOMHA) which had to scramble to find ice time at neighbouring rinks.
The closure led to Enderby becoming a finalist for Kraft Hockeyville 2024. The nationwide contest provides $250,000 for arena upgrades and $10,000 for youth hockey equipment to the community that earns the most public votes each year. Enderby's Hockeyville bid ultimately came up short as Eliot Lake, ON, was named this year's winner.
In an with The Morning Star in May, Kelowna philanthropist Colin Pritchard of The Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation said he was prepared to offer Enderby the $260,000 it would have netted had it won Hockeyville on one condition: that it renames the arena after his late uncle, John Pritchard, who made many contributions to the city over the years. Enderby Mayor Huck Galbraith said at the time that the city was discussing Pritchard's proposal in camera. On Wednesday, Oct.
9, the city issued a press release indicating the proposal has been accepted. The city said the Sports Complex is the recipient of a $250,000 donation from The Colin Pritchard Foundation, which is also donating an additional $10,000 for youth hockey equipment. "In honour of this donation, the facility will be renamed the John Pritchard Memorial Sports Complex," the city said.
The cost of the ice facility's repairs quickly added up for the small community, and the closure of the facility highlighted its value in the community "with the impact of its loss felt profoundly," the city said. The city was able to complete repairs to the refrigeration system and the on Sept. 16.
The donation from the Pritchard Foundation will assist the aging facility as it continues serving the community. “We are very thankful to The Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation for their generous donation to our ice facility,” said Shawn Shishido, Enderby and District Services Commission chair and city councillor. “When the facility’s refrigeration plant failed in early 2024 and we had to shut down, the impact reverberated throughout the community and the region.
The attachment that people have to our ice facility runs deep, with memories that span generations.” Allysa Hopkins, Electoral Area F (rural Enderby) director of the Regional District of North Okanagan, shared Shishido’s appreciation. "The support that we saw streaming in from across Canada when we were in the running to win the Hockeyville competition was a tremendous reminder of the importance of our ice facility," Hopkins said.
"Though we did not win the competition, we won so much by bringing our community together. When The Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation contacted us to offer a significant donation that would match the Hockeyville grand prize, it was a dream come true." The Foundation was established in 2007 and supports a broad cross-section of causes, including health and education, arts and culture, and emergency services.
“I am very excited to support the ice facility in Enderby, in a way that remembers my uncle John’s service to the community,” said Colin. “I have very fond memories as a young boy visiting my uncle John in Enderby. When I heard the news that Enderby’s ice facility had shut down in January, and recalling my uncle John’s dedication to his community, I wanted to offer my help in a way that memorializes his legacy.
” John was a community builder who made significant contributions to Enderby's recreation and health facilities, public safety and emergency response. Some of his actions and accomplishments included saving two people from drowning in the Shuswap River; operating a fleet of school buses without a single preventable accident having driven over one million miles; helping build the original outdoor public pool with the Enderby Lions Club; chairing the Enderby Hospital Board for 10 consecutive terms; and serving as chief or deputy chief of the Enderby Fire Department. Galbraith acknowledged the significance of a new name for the facility that is drawn from Enderby's history.
“Colin and Lois Pritchard, with their generous donation through their foundation, are truly a Godsend for the entire community and surrounding areas. The Pritchard family name is a deep-rooted, honourable name in our community. It is our privilege to be able to name our ice facility in memory of Colin’s uncle," Galbraith said.
A renaming ceremony will be held at what is now the John Pritchard Memorial Sports Complex (1605 Kate St.) Saturday, Oct. 26 at 2 p.
m., during a NOMHA tournament. A plaque honouring the facility's new namesake will be placed by Colin along with several family members.
All are welcome to attend..
