Author: Graeme Galves

CORA recognized that there were many individuals who had made “Significant and Exemplary Contributions” to Canadian outrigger canoeing, but their stories had never been captured, and they had never been formally recognized. CORA spent January-July 2021 tracking down this history, and fact-checking as best as possible the exploits of those individuals who founded CORA, who founded CORA clubs, who inaugurated races, who excelled at IVF / Molokai / Catalina / Queen Liliuokalani events, and who designed / built / imported / distributed canoes to grow the sport.

As of the August 2021 CORA Board Meeting there were 18 individuals inducted into the Canadian Outrigger Hall Of Fame for 2021.

Comox Valley Canoe Racing Club (CVCRC) has graciously offered to have an awards ceremony at the Comox Island Iron event on the August 28/29 weekend to recognize 8 of those individuals who have called Comox home.

CORA wishes to congratulate the 18 Canadian Outrigger Hall Of Fame 2021 Inductees:

• Jackie Webber
• Rick Nu’u
• Peter Forand
• Heather Taylor
• Annie Boulding
• David Boulding
• Don Irvine
• Melanie Whittall
• Cheryl Skribe
• James Van Nostrand
• Hugh Fisher
• Sheila Kuyper
• Drew Mitchell
• Garry Mancell
• Alan Carlsson
• Bob Disbrow
• Jim Mancell
• Ron Kaschula

You can visit the CORA website and view the “virtual Hall Of Fame” that has the names / headshots of the 18 individuals inducted this year and links to a 3-page PDF that has their contributions in 2-pages and a 1-page set of references on every online article that we could find where they were mentioned.

The CORA Historical Committee accumulated a wealth of stories / photos during the COVID downtime on individuals / clubs / canoes that made significant contributions to Canadian outrigger canoeing. There was a six-person outrigger canoe named “The Burrard”, shrouded in mystery and mentioned only occasionally, that may very well have been the first six-person outrigger canoe to ever voyage Canadian waters. Discovering the complete story of how “The Burrard” arrived in Canada in 1986 until it made its final contribution to the Canadian outrigger canoeing community in 2006 would not have been possible without accounts provided by none other than Annie Boulding (Comox), Jackie Bell (Comox), Heather Taylor (Nanaimo), Ruth Matson (Nanaimo), VPD Officer Dan O’Donovan (Jericho), Matt Kelly (Predator Performance Designs), Rob Varnel (Pac Reach), David Chambers (Vernon), David Hill (VCKC), and Gord Oliphant (VCKC).

The story of how “The Burrard” travelled from Newport Beach to False Creek, Penticton, Vernon, Kamloops, Jericho, Pemberton, Victoria Canoe Kayak Club, and Comox as a starter outrigger canoe until it was deemed unseaworthy may be found at the CORA website Cultural Continuity section along with many other publications from the CORA Historical Committee. This hull that Annie Boulding brought to Canada would set in motion at least eight Canadian outrigger canoe clubs.

CORA wishes to extend their gratitude to Susan Logan (VCKC) and Tim Marks (VCKC) for providing CORA with a complimentary hard-copy of the “VCKC – 50 Years of Paddling” publication which provided enough clues for CORA to work backwards and forwards from when “The Burrard” was the starter outrigger canoe for VCKC, to David Hill (VCKC) for granting CORA permission to publish the only known colour photos of “The Burrard”, and to Jackie Bell for providing photos of “The Burrard” making its final contribution to the Canadian outrigger canoeing community as her wedding arch.

First VCKC paddle in “The Burrard” August 1994 – Shelia Allen, Urban Allen, Arpad (Junior) Szatory, Don Munroe, David Hill, Gord Oliphant

The CORA Historical Committee has accumulated a wealth of stories / results / photos during the COVID downtime from individuals who participated in the 1992 Sacramento IVF World Sprints, 1994 Western Samoa IVF World Sprints, 1996 New Caledonia IVF World Sprints, and 1998 Fiji IVF World Sprints. If you were there in Sacramento in 1992, in Western Samoa in 1994, in New Caledonia in 1996, in Fiji in 1998, in Hilo in 2004, or in New Caledonia in 2006, and you have stories / results / photos that you wish to share with CORA, please contact the CORA Historical Committee or make a comment on this posting. CORA wishes to extend their gratitude to Heather Taylor and Robin Macnair for sharing IVF World Sprints stories / results / photos.

There is now a perpetual page dedicated to the 1992 / 1994 / 1996 / 1998 Team Canada IVF paddlers.

1994 Western Samoa IVF World Sprints Team Canada Ladies

Top row left to right – Brenda Flan (Davidson), Judy Shandler, Lauren Boyle (Whistler), Robin Macnair, Lisa Jerrett (Whistler), Linda Daigle (Whistler), Jeannie Goodlet
Bottom row left to right – Diane Shepherd, Jackie Webber, Heather Taylor, Jo Thomas (Whistler), Kendall (Kim) Macmillan, Marina McCready (Whistler)