‘Past connects with present:’ Local Olympic history on display at Brockville museum

Canadian pride is in the air now that the Paris 2024 Olympics are underway, and Brockvilleist, with the help of the Brockville Museum, figured it would be a great time to look back at Brockville’s past participation in the Summer Olympic Games.

The Brockville Museum is celebrating this legacy with a new temporary exhibit, “Brockville’s Summer Olympic Connections,” displayed in their front lobby until Oct. 11. The display features one-of-a-kind objects, artifacts, and clothing items, which were graciously loaned to the museum by local athletes. 

Natalie Wood, curator for the Brockville Museum, explained to Brockvilleist, “The display consists mostly of pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, donated over the years by residents (or their estates) who had the foresight to see a home for their treasures in the Brockville Museum, and we’re grateful for their gifts. There are also a few items on loan from more recent athletes. We were humbled by the response to our request for loans and truly appreciate their generosity.”

Apart from showcasing artifacts and objects, the temporary exhibit also tells various stories of Brockville’s involvement in the Summer Olympic Games over the last eight decades.

Perhaps you didn’t know that a Brockville-born boxer named Harold Hamelin attended the Olympic Trials in 1948. Hamelin began his boxing career in 1941 with the Brockville Rifles, and also boxed in the army during the Second World War. Hamelin, along with Don Blair, Cobby Coville and Norm Thompson, travelled to Ottawa for the Olympic trials for the 1948 London Olympics, however, none of them made the final team.

Many younger generations may not realize that an Olympic torch passed through Brockville during the torch relay of 1976. The 1976 Olympics were held in Montreal, with the sailing events taking place in Kingston. The Olympic Torch Relay involved 22 members of The Brockville Cycle Club, who carried the torch by specially-made bicycles from Upper Canada Village to Brockville, each riding 3 kilometres. Torchbearers were given their torches to keep as souvenirs, and one of those is featured in the temporary exhibit.

Four decades after this torch run, Brockville’s homegrown shot put athlete, Tim Nedow, would go on to represent Brockville and Canada at the 2016 Rio Games, and then again at the 2020 Tokyo Games. He placed 16th at the 2016 Olympics and 31st at the 2020 Olympics. 

Amid Brockville’s storied Olympic history, the city’s long-standing ties to rowing and equestrian sports stand out prominently.

Betty Craig began rowing at the Brockville Rowing Club in 1973 when she was 15. She trained with future Olympians Dolores Young (1976 and 1984 games) and Jane Pale (spare at the 1976 games). Craig and her partner Tricia Smith went on to place fifth in women’s pairs at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, which happened to be the first year women’s rowing was included. They continued on to win silver at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Conlin McCabe, born in Brockville in 1990, came from a family of rowers. He began competing internationally at 15 and was part of Team Canada’s silver medal-winning men’s eight crew at the 2012 London Olympics. McCabe also competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics, placing sixth in the men’s four, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, placing fourth in the men’s pair.

Lastly, former Brockville mayor Ben TeKamp was deeply involved in rowing for over thirty years. He was the manager for the Canadian rowing team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and served as a judge at various international competitions, including the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

In terms of equestrian, Eve Mainwaring founded St. Alban’s Stables in Brockville in 1957. In the 1970s, she befriended Ian Millar, an iconic equestrian show jumper from Perth. Together, they found the horse Big Ben in Belgium. Big Ben became Ian Millar’s most famous horse, competing in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. Eve Mainwaring went on to become an international coach, trainer, and judge, serving as an equestrian judge at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

Saskatoon-born Gina Smith moved to Brockville in 1990 to work and train at Franklands Farm in Brockville after training in Germany for several years. She competed in dressage for Team Canada in the 1988 and 1996 Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and placing 10th at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. She also served as the Chef d’Equipe (Team Manager) of the Canadian Olympic Team for dressage at the 2012 London Olympics.

All this and more can be explored at the Brockville Museum temporary exhibit until Oct. 11. Wood explained that this display has been well received so far by their visitors, sharing, “People who recognize some of the rowers, in particular, who are on display. Visitors seem especially interested in the bicycle that was used to carry the Olympic torch as part of the 1976 Montreal Games, sometimes trying to picture riding a bike with a torch on the handlebars.”

She continued, “We believe it is important to draw attention to how the past connects with the present; to help make history relevant and meaningful today. We also like to remind people that “it doesn’t have to be old” to be in a museum – history is literally being written every day and they are a part of it. Many of the athletes whose stories we’re sharing in this display are still making history today.”

Admission to the Brockville Museum is by donation and is open Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (until Sept. 28). For those who cannot attend in person, a virtual version of our temporary exhibit, “Brockville’s Olympic Connections” is now available at https://brockvillemuseum.com/…/brockvilles-summer…/