The Name is Bond. James (The Curler) Bond

There have been 23 James Bond films over the last 51 years.  The 6^th film – On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – in 1969 had a brief curling scene.  George Lazenby played 007 (his only Bond role) and actually threw a couple stones.  The scene was filmed at Piz Gloria a revolving restaurant on the Shilthorn near Mürren in the Bernese Oberland, Switzerland.

The name Piz Gloria originated in Ian Fleming's James Bond novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963), wherein the hideout of the villain is Piz Gloria, a mountain-top building containing an allergies investigation clinic. In the movie the location is implied as being near St Moritz.

The movie production team found the restaurant partly constructed, and financially contributed to its completion in return for exclusive use for filming the movie, where the building is shown quite prominently. 

Below are photos:  Then & Now.

 

The curling scenes from the movie can be viewed on YouTube:  Click Here

DCC Members Of The Past

In addition to the Dodge brothers there have been many other prominent Detroiters engaged in the grand ol’ game at The Detroit Curling Club.  Here we list a few in no particular order…

·         George P. Codd, the 42^nd mayor of Detroit 1905-1906 and had been captain of the U of M baseball team. 

·         A.B. VanZandt, General Manager of the Detroit United Railway, he ran the system profitably with a five cent fare. 

·         James J. Couzens, a bookkeeper from Chatham, was a US Senator and mayor of Detroit. 

·         Richard Watson – Detroit City Council. 

·         Alexander Dow was president of Detroit Edison (Henry Ford once worked for Dow at an electrical substation).   Mr. Dow introduced Mr. Ford to Thomas Edison.

·         Divie B. Duffield was involved in just about everything of a civic nature.  A Detroit Library Branch is named after him. 

·         John Ballantyne – a prominent banker.   

·         Walter O Briggs, president of Briggs Mfg. (maker of car bodies) as well as owner of the Detroit Tigers (Briggs Stadium).

·         James D. Hawks, president of the Detroit & Mackinac Railway.

·         John C. Lodge, Detroit Mayor and expressway builder.

·         James McMillan, US Senator.  He was one the first people in Detroit to own a telephone.

·         Theodore Luce, pole-vaulter.  In 1891 he won US Nationals with a leap of 10 ft.  6-1/2 inches and again in 1892 with 11 feet ¾ inches (this record stood for nine years).

·         W.H. Mormley, E.R. Palmer, Don Fraser and George Lawton (Skip) curled at the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid.

The grandest member of all is the curler who pays his dues on time.  Is that you?

Hockey, Ice Skating and Curling at The Club

“Two hockey teams have been formed at the Detroit Curling Club and practice will begin tomorrow night.  The Canadian rules will be observed.  Toward the end of the week a game will have the support of The Club and it is thought that it will become one of the most pleasant features of an evening at the rink.  Improvements to the clubhouse will be made so that the spectators can witness the play from above.

“In the skating carnival at the rink last night Clayton Busch won the gentlemen’s prize and Miss Jessie Parkinson that for ladies.

“Two of the club matches in curling were played yesterday afternoon, resulting in wins for Skips Baxter and Cooney.”

Detroit Free Press December 27, 1896.  This was thirty years before the Red Wings were formed.  At least they curled on the ice before the ice skating & hockey!!!

Sign Me Up in 1900

An article in the February 12, 2013 issue of the Scots Wha Hae read:  “Our new club crest sign is in the works.   At the last board meeting, they approved the committee to interview the two low bidders and select the winning vendor to build and install a new illuminated sign intended to be placed on the front of the building. The expectation is that the new sign will be installed before the annual meeting. Things are looking up!”  This reminded me of…

“January 2, 1900.  Detroit City Council; Sixth Ward.  Resolved.  That the Board of Public Works be and is hereby authorized to issue a permit to Wolverine Electric Co. to construct an illuminated sign, 3x7 feet, between lot line and sidewalk, north side of Forest avenue, between Sixth and Seventh streets for The Detroit Skating and Curling Club.

“Provided.  That said work shall be performed under the supervision of the Board of Public Works, and provided further, that no rights in the public streets shall be considered waived by this permission, which is granted expressly on the condition that said illuminated sign and all obstructions in connection therewith shall be removed at any time when so directed by the Common Council. 

“Adopted as follows:  Yeas:  33.  Nays: None.”

I wonder what happened to the old sign – probably still sitting in Joe’s barn. 

Below is the sign at West Bloomfield.

Sparkling signage to all and to all a good curling, Angus.

Mixed International Bonspiel 1981

'A' Event Winners

Maurice (Skip) & Louise Daniel and Beth & Jack proctor

'A' Event Runners-Up

Rick & Cathy Cote and Pat & Dick (Skip) O'Connor 

'B' Event Winners

Mary & Jim Oliver and Vi & Jo (Skip) McGlynn

* * More Pictures from the 1981 Bonspiel click here * *

Barbie Goes Curling

Many years ago, while searching for curling items on eBay, I found a Barbie curling outfit.  It looked like an old-timer’s curling sweater.  I thought it was rather unique and, obviously homemade, perhaps one-of-a-kind.  So, I bought it and then found a Barbie doll to wear it.  (Why I had Barbie dolls is another…very long story).

In May of 2012 Bob Cowan & David B. Smith posted an article on their blog about Hand-Knitted Curling Sweaters - often referred to as Cowichan sweaters.  Within the article they had a picture of another Barbie sweater.   So, mine (in red) is not that unique.  Perhaps I’ll try to learn knitting so I can make an outfit for Ken. 

Bob & David’s Curling History blog can be found at www.curlinghistory.blogspot.com.

Happy Knitting, Angus

The First Scots Tour to Canada and the USA 1902-03

The idea of a group of curlers from Scotland to visit Canada and the USA had been discussed as far back as 1858.  The prominent idea was to hold friendly games.  The long winters in Canada and the States coupled with the curling facilities in covered rinks afforded these curlers five months of games every winter.  The Scottish curlers had on average a fortnight’s play every winter in the open air when the ice was very often in a rough or soft condition.

The Tour was approved in the spring of 1902.  The organization; the agenda; the members of the team and the clubs they would visit was prepared during the summer and fall of 1902.  On December 17, 1902 the team of 24 men left Glasgow for Liverpool.  Here they boarded the RMS Bavarian…after travelling 9,918 miles they returned to Glasgow on February 28, 1903.  This article focuses on the events in Detroit on January 31, 1903.

The visit to Detroit was mainly due to letters from the President of the Detroit Curling Club and the Secretary of the Ontario Curling Association.  One of these letters stated:  “Detroit can furnish ten sheets of ice, and a game here would probably be participated by the following clubs:  Windsor, Grand Rapids, Sarnia, Toledo and Detroit.”

After their brief experience at the royal city of Windsor the Scottish curlers were ferried across the broad river to Detroit, ‘the cleanest, brightest, neatest city in all the States.’  They had been anxious about their entry into America, for they were told before landing to answer the following questions:   Can you read and write?   Has your ticket been paid for by yourself?  Have you any money?  Have you ever been in prison or in a poorhouse?  Are you a polygamist?  Some of the team members were not quite sure if they could give satisfactory answers to these Yankee queries.  To their relief, no questions were asked has they alighted on States territory.  Their luggage was not searched.  It was a case of “snakes in Iceland” – they had no luggage to be searched.  On leaving Toronto they had been instructed to take as little as possible, and beyond their pajamas and the suit they curled in, they had little additional to cumber their week’s circular tour.  Besides, they did not sleep at Detroit but at Windsor.

The Scotch curlers were met at the foot of Woodward by members of the Detroit Curling Club.  The big special street car named ‘Yolande’ was utilized for a trip around the city.  The journey occupied considerable time, as the Detroit curlers were anxious that the visitors should see as much of the city as possible.  A luncheon was provided with numerous speeches, songs and stories.  The crowd adjourned to the Forest Avenue rinks where the remainder of the evening was spent with ‘stane and besom’.

 “The battle of Detroit went all in favor of the invaders, who thus crowned the week’s circuit with an American triumph.”  Three games were played – The Scots won 24 – 6.

In October 1903 The Detroit Curling Club received a handsomely embossed certificate of thanks from the Royal Caledonian Curling club of Scotland.  This proclamation is framed and hanging in The Club today.  There are very few clubs still in existence today that own one of these documents.  I have seen only one other at The St. Thomas CC in Ontario.

Good Curling, Angus MacTavish