A new exhibit at The Rooms spans the history of N.L. sport

As the Canada Games draws closer, The Rooms is taking a look back in time to the last time St. John's played host.

The Rooms put out a call out last year for memorabilia for a new exhibit dedicated to the '77 Canada Summer Games.

The exhibit, called '77 to '25: A Journey Through Newfoundland and Labrador's Canada Games, is now open to the public on the building's second level. 

"It's been over a year in the making," curator Maureen Peters told CBC Radio's The St. John's Morning Show.

"We partnered with Canada Games 2025 and what I wanted to do was — I want to look at the history of sporting in Newfoundland and Labrador and go from there."

The exhibit displays the two events and how sports evolved in the province in those 48 years in between.

Visitors can also see what The Rooms believes to be one of the first soccer balls brought to the province, said Peters.

"Seventy-seven really brought in a lot of great facilities and financial and facility investment in St. John's in order to kind of create an atmosphere for growing for the involvement in future games," she said.

People went from "organic," more informal games, to using facilities like the Aquarena and greenbelt tennis courts, which helped athletes from the province compete nationally and internationally.

Through her research, Peters found that Golf Avenue got its name because it was the site of the province's first golf course, established in the late 19th century, in what is now Buckmaster's Circle.

"I just hadn't realized the history of golf in Newfoundland was quite that old," said Peters.

Also on display is Tely 10 runner Ron O'Toole, who won his first race in 1923 and also competed in the Boston Marathon.

Bob Porter and Mary Ellen Winter Porter met while volunteering for the '77 games and later married. Winter Porter has donated her blue uniform to the exhibit.

Full circle moment

St. John's Coun. Sandy Hickman, who is on the 2025 Canada Summer Games board, said he was also involved in the games back in 1977 as assistant chef de mission and general manager of the Newfoundland and Labrador contingent.

"Just fresh out of university, working with our teams, helping them come up with training plans and then preparing them over the last five or six months for the games, ordering all the outfits and setting up travel to and from St. John's and all kinds of great things," said Hickman.

And walking in the opening ceremony was one of the biggest thrills of his life, he said, adding the return to St. John's is a "full circle" moment.

"Now we're going to run another great game here in St. John's and I'm just delighted to have it back here," said Hickman.

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