Celebrating Helen and Reg Gillespie

On January 15, 2023, a celebration was held at the Strathcona Community Hall to celebrate Helen Gillespie.

Helen at the Hall – by Karen Rowswell

Helen and Reg Gillespie moved into the Strathcona neighbourhood in 1961 with their two children, Deborah and Danny. They initially lived in a small house next door to the house they bought in 1971 in which Helen still lives. Their son Darren was born here in the years following. It was a busy time for the young parents. Reg worked steadily as a member of Local 488 of the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union and Helen, thanks to a food control course she had taken, held a variety of evening jobs managing food service venues, including one at the Royal Glenora Club and another at the Edmonton Police canteen. After a few years they bought a farm near Edmonton and began raising cattle as well.

It was as hockey parents that Reg and Helen became involved with the Strathcona Centre Community League. Reg was a fine hockey player and had been a draft pick for the New York Rangers. Their older son, Danny, soon displayed athletic prowess as well and Reg began coaching hockey for the community league and the Edmonton Minor Hockey Association. He eventually became the hockey director for the community and coached other teams as well, including our women’s baseball team. Reg was president for many years of Edmonton Minor Hockey Association.

It was Helen who ensured we had a rink for the teams to play on. She began making and supervising the skating rink adjacent to the “Little Blue Shack” and kept right on doing that until her retirement in 2019. When the building donated by Tubby Bateman in 1967 replaced the shack, Helen was there not only ensuring the rink was ready and available but also ensuring the hall was open for other groups as well. One such group was of local parents and their children (a playgroup, basically) which eventually led to the establishment of the Strathcona Nursery School in about 1978.

Helen spent so many hours volunteering for the league that the board decided to hire her in 1978. She continued as the hall manager until 2019 – 41 years of devotion.

Reg and Helen were part of the driving force behind the construction of the present hall. They really wanted that hall built! Reg was the finance chair of the building committee, and they undertook innumerable fund-raising activities from raffles to paper drives to bingos to lobbying for grants to whatever it took. As part of her new job, Helen worked out of a trailer on the site, keeping an eye on the construction. Tennis courts were in place in 1979, the main floor of the new hall was available for use as a hockey centre in 1981 and the upper floor was finally accessible in 1982. Reg became president of the league in 1979 and held the position until 1993 – our longest-serving president.

The new hall was Helen’s baby. As manager, she pretty much did everything, including cleaning after events and rentals long into the night alone, often until 2 to 4 a.m. She managed all the maintenance of the building, supplies, and programming, as well as acting as office manager. She had taken a course in accounting at Grant MacEwan College and handled all the finances, payroll, banking, monthly reports for the board, grant applications, and supervision of summer students.

And then there was the Making of the Ice.
Helen created the ice rink for decades and she is a master of the craft. It has been said Strathcona had the best ice in the city of Edmonton when Helen made it. She really enjoyed making the ice every winter and fondly recalls the eager faces of the neighbourhood children peering over the boards calling out, “When will it be ready, Helen?”

Helen was also instrumental in developing programs and arranging social events right from the get-go.
For example:
 Tennis Program. Helen was a keen tennis player and started a tennis club at the hall, arranging tournaments and children’s lessons.
 She voluntarily taught aerobics classes twice a week and stretch and tone twice a week. These were a good source of income for the league.
 Children’s programs: ballet classes, annual Christmas parties with Santa, concerts with Paul Hann, soccer, Learn to Skate, and annual Pedal Pushers Parade in the parking lot. She made sure the hall was aways available to our local scout and girl guide troops for bottle drives and special parties.
 Hayrides! Helen and Reg would load up the local kids in their vehicles and take them out of town for hayrides and bonfires/wiener roasts then back to the hall for hot chocolate.
 Organizing men’s and women’s hockey teams.
 Pre-teen and teen dances at the new hall. Helen and Reg would supervise.
 Adult dances. Favourites were the movie “Grease”-themed dances in which attendees dressed and danced in the style of the era. Helen made sure a rented jukebox was available for these ones!
 Many popular events were held at the hall on Helen’s watch: knitting and crochet classes attended by residents such as Colleen Lieber; The Fringe which Helen McLean helped facilitate at the hall; silent auctions with generous donations from local businesses with George Durupt’s able assistance and many banquets for hockey and soccer teams.
 Bingos. Helen did the thankless task of phoning league members to ask for bingo volunteers for many years. She gratefully mentions C-Anne Schneider and Lois Hameister, who took over this duty. Both C-Anne and Lois carried on for several years.
 The Newfoundlanders’ Gathering from 1982 – 1993. A group of local Newfoundlanders discovered our warm and comfortable lounge, became league members, and gathered regularly for darts and friendship. Helen and Reg made good money for the league tending the bar! If Helen had a rental in the main hall, she would move back and forth between the two. Helen would also arrange darts and cribbage tournaments for this group. They also enjoyed playing hockey on the rink. Alas, it all came to an end as work dried up here for the Newfoundlanders
and they headed home to be replaced by:
 The Ball Hockey Guys. Helen did scheduling for them and they still play on our small rink during
the summer.
 Seeking team sponsors. Many local businesses had their names emblazoned on our jerseys such as Batemans, Tony’s Drugs, and Todd Cleaners, all of whom supported the teams for many years.
 Running the concession as needed.
 Throughout her career, Helen could usually be found at the hall at those times that the rink was open with hot chocolate and cookies at the ready.

In 2017, Helen suffered a concussion which slowed her down some. She worked part-time for a couple of years but finally decided to retire in 2019. It was the support of many people, some mentioned above, that truly made the difference for Helen. She does not recall having a cross word with any of those she has encountered from all walks of life, a testament to her “live and let live” attitude, generosity, and kindness.

Karen Rowswell, December 2021
With thanks to Della Dennis and Carolyn Nutter

Reg’s bench dedication – by Maureen Duguay

Good afternoon my name is Maureen Duguay. I am the current president of the community league. It is my pleasure to welcome Councillor Henderson, the Gillespie family Helen, Daniel and Darren. Debra is unable to attend as her husband has had back surgery. And all of you to the dedication of this bench in honour of Reg Gillespie.

I would first like to provide with a little background of the extent of service provided by Reg and Helen to the community.

Reg and Helen moved into the community in the early 60s. The family still lives in the same house today.

Reg was an accomplished hockey player. At one time he played for the Lacombe Rockets and later in the Old Timers League. When Debra, Daniel and Darren were old enough to be involved in programs at the Strathcona Community League, Reg and Helen also became involved. Reg was both the hockey director and a coach. He also served as the president of the Southwest Hockey Zone. Helen looked after the rink and instructed exercise classes to help fund raise for the league. There were many fundraisers over the years including; auctions, bottle drives, raffles, bingos, teen dances and spaghetti suppers.

You may not be aware of this but Strathcona is one of the oldest community leagues in the City. The Southside Community League was founded in 1918. The name was changed in 1926 to Strathcona Center Community League. It consisted of a rink and a small clubhouse. In 1929 a second rink was added. Fire destroyed the building in 1955. In 1960, the King Edward Home School Society helped rebuild the rink. In 1961 a house was donated by Tubby Bateman to serve as a new hall. Helen remembers it being moved here and the foundation being built. Eventually, this building was deemed not adequate to meet the needs of the community and a new building was envisioned.

While Reg Gillespie served as league president, a position he held for 16 years, he began his greatest fund-raising effort to acquire the funds to build our present hall. The building was completed in 1980 and was considered very innovative for the time. It was designed for accessibility and incorporated a community pub to help pay off the mortgage. Reg is quoted in the Edmonton Examiner in 1991 saying “I always said I’d stay until this building was paid for. It is too big a burden to pass to someone else. It was paid off last year.” I think this speaks to Reg’s commitment to the community.

When Reg was not volunteering, he worked as a steamfitter/pipefitter as a member of local 488 Plumbers and Steamfitters union. He was a lifetime Oilers fan and also volunteered for the Northland’s rodeo.

Although Reg is no longer with us, Helen continues to be an integral part of our community. She amazes all of us with her energy and commitment to the league as our full-time hall manager. There have been times I have had to remind Helen about putting in too many hours for what she is getting paid. Her answer to me is always “that’s my volunteer time”.

Reg unfortunately passed away this spring and this bench is dedicated in his memory and our appreciation of the volunteer service provided by the Gillespie family to our community league.

Maureen Duguay, September 2017