The Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame Board of Directors are pleased to announce that four athletes, three builders and a SID Thomas Media Award winner will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2024.

“This year is the 30th induction ceremony and dinner for the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame and this year’s inductees are great champions of their sports,” said Doug Jennings, President of the GVSHoF Board of Directors. “I look forward to celebrating their accomplishments in late October with their many friends and family members as well as our community and supporters.”

In the athlete category inductees are swimmer Hilary Caldwell, fastball’s Dennis Eckert, rugby’s Ed Fairhurst and football’s Brian Ramsay, while the builder category highlights Liz Ashton (multi-sports), Kelly Mann (multi-sports) and Dick Midgley (auto racing). The SID Thomas Award will go to long-time radio host Cliff LeQuesne.

“The Greater Victoria community has a rich sporting history and so many outstanding athletes, coaches, officials and builders,” said Chris Graham, Chair of the Induction Nominations Committee. “Each year, the Induction Nominations Committee has a difficult job to decide which names to put forward for induction to the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.”

The inductees will be honoured at an in-person event on October 26, 2024, while a visual representation of this group of inductees will be added to the physical Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame display at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre concourse. Tickets for the Induction Dinner & Ceremony are available online now.

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Over 240 athletes, teams, coaches, officials, builders, and media personalities have been inducted into the Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame since 1991.

Learn more about the 2024 inductees:

Liz Ashton – Builder – Multi Sports

Liz Ashton put as much energy and passion into her volunteer work as she did when she represented Canada on the National Equestrian Team. As an athlete, Liz competed for the Canadian Show Jumping Team (6 years), Canadian Eventing Team (11 years), was a two-time Olympian and inducted into the Canadian Eventing Hall of Fame in 2009. She won medals at the 1975 Pan American Games (Silver) and 1978 World Championships (Gold). Liz was responsible for playing a key role in establishing the National Coaching Certification Program for equestrian sports and managed the international team and its development program from 1988 – 1992. Following her athletic career, she contributed to the wider community including President of the BC Summer Games in Victoria in 2000 and collaborated with Jim Reed and Roger Skillings (both Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame Inductees) to launch the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence (PISE) and facilities for the College teams. For her work, she received the CFAX Community Award for Teamwork and was Victoria’s Runner-up Community Leader of the Year in 2001. Liz was Chair of the British Columbia College Presidents from 2005 – 2007 and also sat on many Boards including Campaign Cabinet for the United Way in Victoria and Royal Roads University Organizational leadership and learning Division Advisory Board. For her contributions, Liz was presented with the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Royal Roads University in 2006.

Hilary Caldwell – Athlete – Swimming

Hilary Caldwell trained at Saanich Commonwealth Place with two-time Olympic medallist and 2019 Greater Victoria Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Ryan Cochrane to lead Canadian swimming. They won the only two Canadian medals at the 2013 World Championships in Barcelona, with Hilary bringing home the Bronze medal in the Women’s 200-Metre Backstroke. She won Bronze again at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games before winning a Gold medal at the 2015 Toronto Pan American Games. At the 2016 Rio Olympic Summer Games, swimming in the Women’s 200-Metre Backstroke against a field of younger competitors, Hilary won a Bronze medal for Canada. She retired from competition after competing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Dennis Eckert – Athlete – Fastball

Dennis Eckert grew up in Victoria where he excelled in Little League Baseball at Hampton Park. In his early twenties he switched to recreational softball and played in the Stuffy McGinnis League and later for the Victoria Budget and Royals teams. Dennis was an integral part of many championship teams including BC Provincial and Canadian Championships and he played for Canada winning the Gold medal at the 1979 and 1983 Pan American Games. Overall, Dennis played in six Senior A Canadian Championships, 11 Senior A Provincial Championships, one North American Fastball Association Championship, and two Masters Provincial and Western Canadian Championships. His personal accomplishments include Pacific Northwest 7 time All-Star from 1978 – 1984, MVP and top batter at the 1981 Northwest tournament, Senior A Canadian Championship All-Star and top batter in 1983, Senior A Canadian Championship MVP in 1985, International Softball Tournament All-Star in 1986 and 1997, and North American Fastball Association World Tournament All-Star in 1997.

Ed Fairhurst – Athlete – Rugby

Ed Fairhurst first touched a rugby ball at six years old at St. Michaels University School. Through the tutelage of his coaches, teachers and parents, Ed was able to hone his rugby skills at an early age. In Grade 12, he captained the senior high school rugby team to the school’s 3rd ever BC Rugby High School AAA Championship. While still in high school, Ed represented the Under-17 Vancouver Island Crimson Tide, Under-17 BC Team and Captained the first Under-17 Canadian national tour to England. Ed went on to represent Canada at the Under-19 level before joining the Under-23 National Development program under Head Coach David Clark and Assistant Coach John Macmillan. In his first year, Ed played for the Canadian Under-19 National Team that took part in the Junior Rugby World Cup in France. The team placed 4th – the highest ranking for a Canadian Junior Rugby team to date. Ed was named MVP of the Canadian team. After the Junior World Cup tournament, he was called up to the Senior National Men’s 15’s team – the only member from the Junior U-19 team to receive the honor. Two years later in 2001, he earned his first cap against the USA at the age of 21. In the same year, Ed was selected to the National Men’s 7’s team and would go on to play in 15 tournaments over the next 5 years culminating in the Rugby 7’s World Cup in Hong Kong in 2005. Ed was also selected for Men’s 7’s team that participated in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England. Major highlights of Ed’s 12-year career with the National 15’s Team included Rugby Worlds Cups in 2003 (Australia), 2007 (France) and 2011 (New Zealand). Ed played on the National 15’s team from 2001 to 2012 and earned a total of 57 caps for Canada - the most caps ever by a Canadian scrum-half at the time of his retirement. Ed’s professional rugby career started in 2006 in Cardiff, Wales and ended in the English Championship with the Cornish Pirates. He amassed over 60 appearances for the professional clubs over a three-year time frame.

Kelly Mann – Builder – Multi Sports

Born in Ladysmith B.C., few people have had more of an impact on the B.C. provincial sport system than Kelly Mann. As an Event Manager with the BC Games Society, Kelly worked with volunteers in 15 communities to plan and implement BC Winter and Summer Games before he became President and CEO. In the role of President and CEO, he worked with 50 more communities and developed strategic alliances with others in the provincial and national sport systems to move the BC Games from a recreational to important developmental model in the BC sport system to expand quality experiences for athletes, coaches, officials, parents, and volunteers. Kelly was the founding Chair of KidSport Victoria, Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games ambassador, and served on numerous Boards including the Victoria Harbour Cats Baseball Club, Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence, Sport Host Victoria, Telus Community Board and the BC Sport System Multi-Sport Organization Leadership Council to name a few. Kelly won the CFAX 1070 Community Award of Merit – Sports Leader of the Year in 2002, was a Queens Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient in 2013 and was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame in 2021 as an Honoured Member – Builders’ category.

Dick Midgley – Builder – Auto Racing

Race team owner Dick Midgley has been active in auto racing since the mid-1950s. He began by building cars with his brother Reg for the “Jalopy” and “Stock” classes at Western Speedway. In 1975, Dick turned his attention to NASCAR. Under his Midgley Motorsports banner, his cars have raced in all divisions of NASCAR at Winston West and Winston Cup tracks such as Daytona, Riverside, Ontario Motor Speedway and Watkins Glen. Over 70 drivers have driven his cars including Bobby Allison (from 1976 to 2014 winning the “Busch Pole” Award at Phoenix Raceway and placing 10th in the jewel of all NASCAR races the Daytona 500). Dick’s Australian race team won at every track they raced at, including NASCAR’s FIA Indy Grand Prix in 1993 and 1994 and the Australian NASCAR Championship in 1996 where Dick was awarded 1996 Crew Chief of the Year. He has also raced internationally in Japan and, in 2010, at the American Speed Association race at Phakisa Freeway in South Africa where his two cars placed first and sixth. Dick continues his involvement in Auto Racing to this day.

Brian Ramsay – Athlete – Football

Brian Ramsay is a former Canadian Football League offensive lineman and currently serves as the Canadian Football League Players' Association's (CFLPA) Executive Director. A former rugby player and graduate of Reynolds Secondary School, Brian was drafted in the fifth round by the Toronto Argonauts in 2006 and played offensive line in 152 Canadian Football League games over a nine-year career with the Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Elks, where he won a Grey Cup ring. After working as a chartered accountant at KPMG in Victoria for nine years, Brian started a new career with the CFLPA. As Executive Director, he has overseen a transition throughout the Association, including leading the players through collective bargaining in 2019, the global pandemic COVID19 during 2020/21 and again through bargaining the 2022 collective agreement. During Brian’s time, the Association has benefited CFLPA membership both on and off the field including licensing and sponsorship deals, player rehabilitation and safety programs such as additions to equipment standards, expanded Health and Safety Committee and development of a mental health and substance abuse program, restrictions for training camps and in-season practice schedules, increases to minimum player salary and created the CFLPA Academy as a resource for members to prepare for life outside of football.

Sid Thomas Award (Media Award)

Cliff LeQuesne

Cliff LeQuesne has been the voice of sports in the Greater Victoria region for decades. Cliff got his start at CFAX Radio station where he worked with Barry Bowman, Barry Kennard and “The Dobber” and helped CFAX become the number one radio station in Victoria. Today, Cliff can be heard on CKKQ-FM (“The Q”) where he works as a news/sports reporter with Ed Bain on the Q Morning Show. When Vancouver was awarded their National Lacrosse League Franchise in 2002, Cliff commuted from Victoria to be the public address announcer for the Vancouver Ravens. He is currently the public address announcer for the Victoria Shamrocks Lacrosse Club, Pacific FC Soccer Club and Victoria Royals Hockey Club (and previously the Salmon Kings Hockey club). Cliff is a great ambassador for sports in Victoria, loves talking sports with the fans, and always makes time for the volunteers and kids.

Media Contact:

Ali Baggott (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)