Ron Gebhardt (left) and Gerry Aitken accept their life memberships at the Medicine Hat Lawn Bowling Club on Wednesday evening.--NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
The Medicine Hat Lawn Bowling Club honoured a pair of club legends with life memberships in a short ceremony Wednesday.
Gerry Aitken and Ron Gebhardt were both on hand to receive their honours, and Aitken was quick to share the moment with his fellow members.
“It’s the people of the club that make the club,” Aitken said while accepting his life membership. “I couldn’t have done it without the core of volunteers that were willing to do anything to keep the club going.”
Curt Moll, who presented Aitken and Gebhardt with their life memberships, says both have been instrumental in welcoming new members to the club and teaching the finer points of the game, while always chipping in with jobs around the facility and helping grow the sport within the city.
“They’re two members that have contributed so much to our club over the time that they’ve been here,” said Moll. “Ron is being honoured because he was actually on the executive for a number of years as our secretary … he was a director as well. He took on rentals for a number of years, so he was the guy who organized that. If anything needed to be taken care of – if you needed something fixed or painted or hauled away – he was the guy you’d always call.”
Moll added Aitken worked with Edmonton’s Royal Lawn Bowling Club to create the Medicine Hat Memorial Tournament, a club staple geared at celebrating all levels of the game.
“His goal was not to have a usual tournament where you had a whole bunch of really good players playing at a really high level. He wanted beginners and novice players to play with those people as well,” said Moll. “He volunteered as the vice president for a number of years on our executive. He was the one who got the ball rolling to get the new green going. We had grant money in the bank and we kind of hummed and hawed, and Gerry said let’s do it.”
Aitken remembers the time well, pointing out there was so much clover on the green that balls would be pulling it out as they rolled.
“We spent a good year getting that green to a state that it could be used,” said Aitken.
“I’m one of these people, that if I join something I’m not just going to be a member who sits there and twiddles my thumbs. I can’t work that way, I never could. When I got started, things desperately needed to be done.”
During those years, Aitken says it was like he “was stepping on” Gebhardt every time he turned around, since they were always doing the same sort of work for the club, including getting the new green to a playable state.
Gebhardt says that’s simply what it took to keep the club and the game they love alive in Medicine Hat – as they were down to just eight members at the time – but he’s enjoyed every minute of it.
“I’ve definitely enjoyed myself all the years I’ve been here,” he said.
