The Harknett family is legendary in Victoria thoroughbred horse racing with their history going back to the Colwood track in 1928. By 1936 George Harknett Sr. bought his first racehorse, Rex Regent and he had his first winners in 1940 with Naperton at the Lansdowne track in Richmond and at the Willows track in Oak Bay. The Harknett name and later its associated Colwood Stable and Georgewin Farms colours, have been listed with at least 300 winners at tracks up and down the West Coast of Canada and the United States. George Harknett Jr. began in the business by walking his dad's racers at the Willows. Like father like son, George Jr. naturally followed in George Sr.'s boot prints. The original Harknett thoroughbred farm was located just across the highway from the old Colwood track and later moved to the Georgewin Farm at Elk Lake. Out of their stables came such great winners as Jenny Lass, Markendale, Chicks List, Colwood Girl, Prince Alfred, Princess Pam, Ana-Cha-Tay, Amazing Message and Harlion. George Jr. took over the business in the 1960's and continued the tradition of producing many fine champions. His all-time favourites were Devonshire Cream, the 1964 Sandown Derby winner, and Bold Avon, another stakes winner and voted the top two-year-old B.C. bred filly of 1986. In 1975, George Jr. was a leading figure in establishing the Capital City Turf Club that kept horse racing alive at Sandown for several years.

Tom Hawkins career as a sports builder began with the diamond sport. He coached five seasons in the National Little League, helped form the Gordon Head Little League and the Cosmopolitan Babe Ruth League and assisted in forming the Victoria & District Baseball Association, serving as its treasurer for 15 years. In 1974 Tom started what would become 12 consecutive years as an executive member of the Victoria Horseshoe Club, serving as president from 1978 to 1984. He also served 10 years as a B.C. Horseshoe Association director and was instrumental in creating their provincial Hall of Fame. Locally, he was involved in expanding the Victoria club to 28 covered and floodlit pits. Tom assumed a leadership role in the organizing and hosting of major national events at the club and was invaluable in establishing the sport of horseshoe pitching in Victoria. The Victoria Horseshoe Club honoured Tom with a Life Membership in 1993 and he is a member of both the Canadian and B.C. Horseshoe Halls of Fame.