Pioneer Builder of Sport and
Recreation
Recreation Director 1956-1968
From 1948-1968
In
1952 the Wetaskiwin City Council set up the Wetaskiwin Recreation
Commission. After three different Recreation Directors, Bill
Bell-Bathgate was hired in 1956. He was thirty-two years-old and held
the position for eleven years, resigning in 1968. Although he had no
formal training he had been involved in sports in Wetaskiwin (coached
hockey, refereed hockey, started a football team), knew there was a lot
of sport talent in the city and had the leadership qualities necessary
for the job.
When Bill became the
Recreation Director, the Kinsmen outdoor swimming pool had just opened,
the city had approved money for improving the Recreation Hall and the
Recreation Commission was in it’s fourth year of existence. Under
Bill’s leadership the Recreation Commission took over minor hockey,
minor baseball, swimming, tennis (1958), ski club (1959), and introduced
many new programs including soccer in 1957 and fitness classes in 1959.
Also, Bill set up and chaired a Pony League, baseball for younger kids.
Minor hockey and minor baseball before that time were looked after by
local businessmen and Bill wanted to have all recreational activities
“under one roof”. Fifty different groups used the old Rec Hall, First
Aid as well as many other courses were offered and Bill himself was
involved with the Cubs.
Trained leadership from
top to bottom was important to Bill. Once he was hired, he himself
enrolled in a course for Recreation Directors that involved a six month
correspondence course and two weeks of study at the University of
Alberta. In his first year he sent three leaders to the Provincial
Playground Supervisors Course, two leaders to the Provincial Recreation
Leaders School, three leaders to the Alberta Camping Conference and five
leaders to a week long course for swimming and water safety
instructors. During Bill’s tenure he always made sure he and his staff
were qualified, well trained and continued to upgrade.
Bill worked closely with
Al Arner and Ralph Pocock, two other Wetaskiwin and County Sports Hall
of Fame inductees. Bill was really a “hands on” guy. It was with Al
Arner and Dr. Stephan Casey that they physically, with a borrowed cat
from Street-Robbins-Morrow, made ski runs in readying the ski hill for
use in the winter (1959). Every spring, Bill also did the physical
maintenance required with the both the Tennis Courts and the swimming
pool . He taught classes at the swimming pool, often helping the young
instructors by “modeling teaching” for them. He also did much of the
examining for Red Cross and Royal Life Saving Society swimming
awards. At the volleyball league games, he often refereed. He made
sure that the people of Wetaskiwin were informed as to what was going on
in Recreation and often wrote columns for the Times. Water safety
demonstrations were held at the swimming pool for the public at the
annual Swimcade and other times. Bill also attended year end banquets
in all of the sports, giving out awards, speaking, etc. Bill even
subsidized the teams, not overtly, but by sliding money under the table
when no one was looking.
Lessons were really
important to Bill. The first year he was the Recreation Director the
pool offered FREE lessons for adult beginners. The first class had
sixty-six enrolled, the second class was sold out with 101
participants. The free lessons continued the next year as well. When
the ski hill opened, on the week-ends in the middle of the afternoon the
tow was stopped and everyone on the hill had ski lessons. Bill also
organized tennis lessons, saw that the golf club offered lessons to kids
and organized a baseball school. School classes were brought to the
swimming pool and the swimming pool staff gave lessons. Bill wanted to
make sure that everyone in Wetaskiwin knew how to swim! In 1961 Bill,
along with Dr. Maury Van Vliet from the U of A, talked to the
Principal’s Association about Physical Education in the schools and how
that a couple of classes of PE per week were not enough.
Bill advocated for a new
arena when the existing arena was declared structurally inadequate in
1957. It took three plebiscites before the community approved the
building of a new arena. Bill wrote articles in the Times giving the
reasons for the new arena. Once the arena was built, Bill made sure the
facility was well used. With his leadership and organization,
comprehensive programs of minor hockey, figure skating and many other
sporting events for all ages were arranged.
Bill was also keenly
interested in many other sports and outdoor events in the area, and was
always on hand to do his bit on civil defense exercises, at major fires
and disasters and was an active and enthusiastic member of the Canadian
Centennial Committee. After Bill resigned he worked in Edmonton but
still kept his residence in Wetaskiwin and remained a volunteer fireman
with the City of Wetaskiwin. In 1981 Bill returned to working for the
City of Wetaskiwin as Fire Chief and held this position from 1981-1992.
Even though being the
Recreation Director was his job, Bill went above and beyond the “call of
duty”. He was well respected, well liked, set a fine example for youth
and was always professional in his position of leadership. At a Little
League Banquet in 1958, Al Cawsey, one of the parents, expressed the
appreciation of the parents and said that he felt that Wetaskiwin was
far out in front of other communities in providing recreation and sports
for its young people. When Bill resigned the city council was in shock
and regretfully accepted his decision. In both positions, Recreation
Director and Fire Chief, Bill was a man dedicated to his job. On the
internet, this is what appeared on a site where fire fighters were asked
who influenced them the most. One fellow said of Bill: “Taught every
guy the meaning of dedication, duty and selflessness. Gone now to be
with God, but I guarantee there’s smoke detectors on every cloud in
heaven”.
Bill was very important as
one of the “pioneers” of organized sport and recreation in Wetaskiwin.
It is because of his leadership, organizational skills and dedication
that Wetaskiwin has the facilities and programs of today. He set the
standard and we are honored to induct him into the Wetaskiwin and County
Sports Hall of Fame.
Information
about an inductee is collected from published sources,
sports archives, scrapbooks, anecdotal
information from family, friends and fans, and the athlete.
However, sometimes
the best stories and personal insights are gleaned at the induction dinner from
the introductory comments or acceptance speech of the
inductee or their representative.
Where possible we have included this type of information for
your enjoyment.
Read the
opening comments made by Sandra Wright when introducing Bill
Bell-Bathgate.
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