.png)
Bennett Honoured with Toswell Award
The John Toswell Award committee of the North Bay Granite Club is pleased to announce that they have selected Dave Bennett to be recognized by the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame for his unselfish efforts and energy that has helped to give shape and direction to the sport of Curling in our community. Bennett will receive this award at the North Bay Sports Hall of Fame annual induction dinner on Saturday May 6th, 2018.
Biography – Dave Bennett
For over twenty years Dave Bennett has been one of the most recognizable voices of Curling in North Bay, renowned for being the Granite Club’s perpetual Master of Ceremonies for countless championship events and having a volunteer resume that is highlighted by being the Co-Chair of the 2015 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship and the 2018 Ford World Women’s Curling Championship.
Bennett’s passion for the sport of Curling began in 1983 when he joined the McIntyre Curling Club in Timmins, where he acted as the President of the Board of Directors from 1990-1992. In 1996, and after three years as a member of the Pembroke Curling Club, Bennett joined the North Bay Granite Club where he has ever since played an all-star role in promoting the “Grand Ole’ Game” to area residents, and the multitude of guests who have travelled to the City of North Bay to enjoy the culture of an authentically Canadian sport as a participant or spectator.
Bennett says that he has been honoured to work with so many great and dedicated volunteers, staff, and executive members across various clubs, the Northern Ontario Curling Association, Curling Canada, and the World Curling Federation as he worked on various committees, bonspiels, and championship events. Curling has been an important part of Bennett’s life, having gained many lifelong friends, teammates (one of whom was John Toswell), and most importantly his wife Aurore.
If one were to paint a caricature of Dave Bennett there would without a doubt be a large microphone to represent his love of engaging an audience. He’d be standing above a minnow race track, providing commentary for this wacky form of competition you’d have to see to truly appreciate, and not too far away he’d have a cold mug and a salt shaker – ready for the next “beer break”.
And why you ask, does Bennett do what he does? He hopes that that those who haven’t tried Curling yet look carefully at the sport, and the Granite Club in particular, to discover a pastime that is all athletic, competitive, and social (Dave considers himself a “Socialete”); and a place to meet the greatest people in the world. Bennett believes the future of Curling to be in good hands with many instructional programs at the Granite Club making the gaming accessible to all ages, while he also notes that recent success of young local curlers bodes well for the next generation.