Committee honours builder, athlete, and team at Carleton North Sports Wall of Recognition ceremony
Three athletes were inducted into the District of Carleton North’s ‘Sports Wall of Recognition’ on Saturday, Oct. 19.
The nine-member committee welcomed Lindsay Arbeau, the late Lt.-Col. Erin Savage, and the Ray Brennan Curling Team, placing their plaques on the wall at the new Bun Veysey Active Living Centre in Florenceville-Bristol.
Over 100 family and friends attended the induction event, held at the centre court in the basketball gymnasium.
A common theme of the inductees was the recognition of their contributions beyond the competition.
Lindsay Arbeau
Ron Arbeau, father of Lindsay Arbeau and a hockey icon himself in this area, glowingly praised his daughter’s hockey accomplishments.
“I’m more proud today by Lindsay’s energy to give back as a youth mentor and hockey coach today.”
Lindsay Arbeau praised her hometown of Bath when she accepted the award.
“I get chills when I come back home and see our recreation facilities and so many sports opportunities for kids,” she told the crowd.
While growing up, Lindsay was often the only girl playing on boy’s teams.
“She would dress in the ticket booth at times and helped break the barrier preventing more girls from playing,.” said her father, Ron.
Lindsay was a member of progressive age group teams representing Hockey New Brunswick, culminating in National appearances for her province at both the Canada Winter Games and the 2005 Esso Nationals.
She was also a part of Team Atlantic in 2001. In University hockey at Wilfred Laurier of Waterloo, Ontario, Lindsay’s teams garnered four Ontario Championships and one National USports Championship.
Post-career, Lindsay is a teacher and remains in the game as a coach in Waterloo.
Ray Brennan Curling Team
The Ray Brennan Curling Team represented New Brunswick at the 1985 Canadian Senior Curling Championship in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
Skip Brennan was joined by mate Clayton Buckingham, second Tim Bliss, and lead Carl Ash at the Senior Nats. The foursome didn’t return from Yorkton empty-handed, being voted as the tourney’s Most Sportsmanlike Team.
Family members were on hand to help salute the team.
Patty Brennan noted the team travelled to bonspiels in New England and throughout Atlantic Canada.
Rick Buckingham, accepting the plaque on the team’s behalf, admitted that “the team raised eyebrows in winning the ’85 senior provincials,” winning 9 of 10 matches.
Beyond the curling rink, what didn’t raise eyebrows was the quartet being lauded for their immense local business and community contributions. Not the least of which was contributing to the growth of the Florenceville Curling Club.
Over their careers, Brennan, Buckingham, Bliss, and Ash were strong leaders of various groups, including the Florenceville Rotary Club, Centreville Elks Club, and Bath Fire Department.
Several sports teams, such as the Florenceville Potato Kings and various minor sports teams and organizations, regularly benefitted from their contributions.
Lt.-Col. Erin Savage
Lakeville-born and Carleton North High School graduate Lt.-Col. Erin Savage, CD, MD, was a fierce and uber-talented basketball player. One of the first to leap from High School AA to University basketball, Savage died on Nov. 7, 2014.
New Brunswick, Canadian Olympic, and Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame member Joyce Slipp was present to help enshrine Savage to the Sports Wall of Recognition. Slipp coached Savage at UNB.
“She was a born leader and special person,” Slipp began. “On the court, we had to encourage her to shoot the ball more. She was too unselfish. When I coached New Brunswick at the 1997 World Francophone Games in Madagascar, Erin was still at UNB. She was injured at the time but I knew having her leadership and with her presence, it would benefit us.”
“Erin was so compassionate. I think that trip helped her to decide to become a doctor. She was struck by how poorly the people of Madagascar lived and their need for help.”
After four years at UNB, Savage went to Dalhousie Medical School for her fifth year. Then, university players were limited to playing for four years.
“Erin pushed hard to play and helped change the rule to allow for a fifth year of eligibility,” Slipp said.
Savage played for her province at the Nationals in 1992 and the Canada Games in 1993.
As an Armed Forces member, Savage was deployed to Haiti in 2004 and Afghanistan in 2007.
While there, she earned a Chief of Defence Staff Commendation for outstanding work as the senior doctor and leader of Battle Group’s medical company.
Debbie Robinson accepted the plaque for Savage.
“From her first team in Centreville to her last team before she passed away, she loved being part of a team,” said Robinson. “From basketball to the army, from one team to another, she always directed praise to her teammates and the broad shoulders she rode upon, as she would say.”
Savage is remembered today at UNB with an annual scholarship. At CFB Petawawa, the new medical hospital facility is named the “Erin Savage, CD, MD Building.”
District of Carleton North Mayor Andrew Harvey spoke proudly of the two-year-old Sports Wall of Recognition and praised the committee for their 2024 selections, along with a special mention to workhorse Chairman Gerald Sullivan.
“The Sports Wall of Recognition gives us a way to acknowledge our trailblazers and leaders and to help inspire the next generation,” Harvey said.
In spring 2025, the committee will begin working to choose the next inductees.
