Enderby & District Sports Complex Renamed in Honour of Local Community Builder, John Pritchard
Enderby, BC – The Enderby & District Sports Complex, which contains a skating/hockey arena and a curling rink, is the fortunate recipient of a $250,000 donation from The Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation. In honour of this donation, the facility will be renamed the John Pritchard Memorial Sports Complex. An additional $10,000 will be donated by the foundation to youth hockey equipment.
After shutting down suddenly in January 2024 due to a failing refrigeration system, the cost of the ice facility’s repairs quickly added up for the small community of Enderby. However, the facility’s value was widely recognized, with the impact of its loss felt profoundly. The donation by The Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation will assist the aging facility as it continues serving ice enthusiasts locally and regionally.
“We are very thankful to The Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation for their generous donation to our ice facility,” said Enderby & District Services Commission Chair and Enderby City Councillor, Shawn Shishido. “When the facility’s refrigeration plant failed in early 2024 and we had to shut down, the impact reverberated throughout the community and the region. The attachment that people have to our ice facility runs deep, with memories that span generations.”
Allysa Hopkins, Electoral Area F (Rural Enderby) Director of the Regional District of North Okanagan, shared Councillor Shishido’s appreciation. “The support that we saw streaming in from across Canada when we were in the running to win the Hockeyville competition was a tremendous reminder of the importance of our ice facility. Though we did not win the competition, we won so much by bringing our community together. When The Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation contacted us to offer a significant donation that would match the Hockeyville grand prize, it was a dream come true,” she said.
The Colin and Lois Pritchard Foundation was established in 2007 and supports a broad cross-section of causes, including health and education, arts and culture, and emergency services. “I am very excited to support the ice facility in Enderby, in a way that remembers my Uncle John’s service to the community,” says Colin Pritchard. “I have very fond memories as a young boy visiting my Uncle John in Enderby. When I heard the news that Enderby’s ice facility had shut down in January, and recalling my Uncle John’s dedication to his community, I wanted to offer my help in a way that memorializes his legacy.”
John Pritchard was a community builder who made significant contributions to Enderby’s recreation and health facilities, public safety and emergency response, and bussing students to and from school. From saving two individuals from drowning in the Shuswap River to operating a fleet of school buses without a single preventable accident over one million miles, to helping build the original outdoor public pool as part of the Enderby Lions, to chairing the Enderby Hospital Board for ten consecutive terms, to serving as Chief or Deputy Chief of the Enderby Fire Department, John Pritchard’s contributions were innumerable.
Enderby Mayor Huck Galbraith acknowledged the significance of a new name that is drawn from Enderby’s history. “Colin and Lois Pritchard, with their generous donation through their foundation, are truly a godsend for the entire community and surrounding areas. The Pritchard family name is a deep-rooted, honourable name in our community. It is our privilege to be able to name our ice facility in memory of Colin’s uncle.”
On Saturday, October 26, 2024 at 2:00pm, there will be a special renaming ceremony at the John Pritchard Memorial Sports Complex at 1605 Kate Street in Enderby, during a North Okanagan Minor Hockey Association tournament. During the ceremony, a plaque honouring the facility’s new namesake will be placed by Colin Pritchard along with several family members. The public is welcome to attend.