Postcard Memories is a bi-weekly series of historic views and photos of Bradford West Gwillimbury, a trip down memory lane every other Saturday morning.
Prior to the 1950s, Bradford hockey players and curlers played outdoors on frozen ponds and canals, or at the old arena located at John St. West and Moore St. – a large building, with rough seating, that sheltered a natural ice surface usable only during the winter months.
Occasionally, hockey games and curling spiels took place at the same time, on different sides of the ice.
The John Street building was demolished in 1940. Hockey and curling matches were once again played in the open air, or on the ice at Bradford Co-operative storage.
Community leaders in Bradford came together to plan a new arena, to be built at 125 Simcoe Rd. – an arena that would have its own ice plant and artificial ice, extending the use of the rink.
Construction of the Bradford & District Memorial Community Centre was to begin in 1954, but Hurricane Hazel put a halt to the work. The park was used as a trailer camp, to house Holland Marsh residents displaced by Hazel’s flooding.
In 1956, the community centre was finally completed at a cost of $100,000 – entirely debt-free, thanks to donations from local businesses, service organizations and residents. The adjacent Bradford Curling Rink was built at the same time, at a cost of $50,000, paid for by the club members.
The community centre's ice continued to be used until 2012, when the new BWG Leisure Centre opened. The space is now used for special events and sports like ball hockey. The curling club is still in use.
Details from the Archives at the BWG Public Library, and the Town of BWG.
