Price paid ultimate compliment
Long-time rowing volunteer Carole Price (left), who is posthumously being inducted into the 2024 St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame, is shown sharing a laugh with Gini Rigby. Photo by Renate Hodges.
Volunteering was a labour of love for 2024 St. Catharines Sports Hall of Fame inductee Carole Price.
“(I love) meeting all the people from various parts of the country and from the States, talking to them, and I have a wonderful bunch of volunteers that gladly volunteer for me,” Price said in a 2014 interview with The Standard.
The retired Bell employee loved giving back to the community after she retired.
“They need volunteers. I’m finished being paid,” she said. “I think it keeps your mind sharper. You get to meet a lot more people than what you get to see on TV. It’s rewarding to me.”
Her long-time friend and fellow volunteer, Mary White, nominated Price for the well-deserved recognition.
“She was just a very, very caring person willing to help anyone. Once she retired, she said I’m tired of getting paid so I am going to do what I enjoy doing,” White said. “She was a kind, warm-hearted girl and was very welcoming with anybody. The Royal Henley was her life and she just loved it.”
Price, who died just prior to the 136th Royal Canadian Henley Regatta in 2018, had a calm way of dealing with issues.
“It was very seldom that she got upset with anything and she always found a solution. Don’t make waves when you can settle things quietly,” White said.
An example of that would be when Price was working at the grandstand at the Henley regatta and people would want to bring their dogs in.
“Vey quietly, very politely and without any commotion, Carole would tell them that dogs were not allowed. She even told them if they wanted to come in, someone would look after their dogs for them.”
White knows her friend would be thrilled to be inducted into the hall of fame.
“She did it for the community.”
Price started volunteering with rowing in the 1980s with the Henley Island Helpers before branching out into many other roles.
Her rowing volunteer resume included: serving as the secretary for the Canadian Henley Rowing Corporation for 41 years until 2018; being the secretary for the Henley Commission for 10 years; operating the grandstand admissions during all major rowing events at the Royal Canadian Henley Rowing Course for 20 years; and, running the CHRC’s bingos for 40 years.
Price was also a dynamic volunteer at the Catharines Golf and Country Club.
“Talking to one of the people at the golf course, she told me Carole was the go to person and well-respected,” White said.
At the SCG&CC, White: served for more than 20 years on the club’s curling committee; was the club’s representative to the Ontario Curling Association; coordinated the officials at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships in St. Catharines in 2001 and 2007; coordinated the officials and chief timer at the Canadian National Ladies Curling Championships in 2017; and, helped with the Little Rocks curling program, teaching youngsters the sport.
When winter turned to spring, Price moved her volunteering to the links. She was a marshall at the 2003, 2006, and 2012 Canadian Open Golf Championships held at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.
Price also volunteered at her church and with the St. Catharines hospital, working with its foundation, selling tickets and helping out in the gift shop.
Also being inducted Wednesday at the ceremony at the Meridian Centre are Walt Oprzedek, Andy Van Ruyven, Robert (Bob) Adams, F.F. (Ted) Nelson and Bobby McLaren.
The ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. followed by a reception and cash bar.
