Five more names will be added to the wall in the Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame this fall.
The directors announced this year's inductees via a news release on June 13. The five new inductees will join 166 sporting personalities and 41 teams already in the hall of fame, which was founded by Scotty Carmichael 50 years ago.
The 2024 inductees are Andrea Bevan, Andrea Ironside, William "Bill" Kirby, Don Thorne, and the 2003-2004 Jean Vanier Catholic High School varsity girls' hockey team.
Bevan is a Collingwood Collegiate Institute Black and Gold Sports Hall of Famer (2018) already, and is a high-achieving hockey player. Bevan was part of the gold-medal-winning Team Canada in the 2009 Winter Universiade (now FISU World University Games) and for the 2007 European Cup. She represented Canada in the 2005 National Women's Hockey Program, was a two-time Wilfrid Laurier athlete of the year, a member of the 2004/05 Womens' CIS Hockey Championship Team, and was inducted into the Laurier Golden Hawks Sports Hall of Fame.
Ironside is a graduate of Jean Vanier Catholic High School (now Lady of the Bay) and was a member of the school's 2004 OFSAA championship winning team. She was part of five consecutive OUA Championships (2005-2010) with the Laurier Golden Hawks, and earned the OUA Women's Hockey scoring title in 2008/09. She also played for Team Canada and helped win the gold at the World University Games in both 2009 and 2011. She was a member of the Brampton Thunder (Canadian Womens' Hockey League) from 2010 to 2012.
Kirby is being named to the hall of fame as a builder in the hockey world. He was instrumental in founding Collingwood's juvenile and bantam hockey teams in 1946, was an executive member of the Collingwood Minor Hockey Association, and known for his skill in woodworking.
He provided between 200 and 300 hockey sticks annually to local players.
Collingwood Minor Hockey established the Bill Kirby Memorial Trophy in 1961 to honour players with exemplary skill, academic achievement and sportsmanship.
Thorne will also be inducted as a builder for his dedication to officiating in basketball. He began officiating the sport as a student at Collingwood Collegiate Institute in 1973, and continued to officiate at the Ontario university level for ten years. He served as the referee-in-chief for seven Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) championships and at four Ontario College Championships.
He was the certified shot clock operator for big sports events including the Pan-Am Games, FIBA U18 Americas, NBA G-League Raptors 905, and NCAA Naismith Classic.
He also served on the executive committee of the Ontario Association of Basketball Officials, and is the current president of the International Association of Approved Basketball Officials.
This year, the team being inducted into the hall of fame is the 2003/04 varsity girls' hockey team from Jean Vanier Catholic High School (now called Our Lady of the Bay).
The team won both the Georgian Bay Secondary School Championships and the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations "A/AA" gold medal in 2004. The team played their full regular, playoff and championship seasons undefeated.
Inductees are nominated by the public, chosen by a selection committee and approved by the board of directors, which includes: Chair Mark Rich, and directors: Marie Stephenson, Jim Malley, Mary Anne Scudder, Roger Hannon, Warren Sly, Mariane McLeod, Scott MacMurchy, and Chris Potts.
For more about the Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame, visit their website.
About Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame
The Collingwood Sports Hall of Fame, established in 1974, celebrates and preserves the rich athletic heritage of Collingwood and its surrounding communities. Through its inductions and events, the Hall of Fame celebrates the achievements of outstanding athletes, coaches, and contributors to the local sports scene. Through the support of the citizens of Collingwood, the Hall of Fame room was constructed in 1984 and proudly displays all inductees and artifacts. It is open to the public during the operating hours of the Eddie Bush Memorial Arena.
