Our awards

This award is the Club's premier award. Though a number of sports within the Club present awards and trophies to their respective athletes, the purpose of the RD HAYES MEMORIAL AWARD is to honour a person who has made a contribution to the Club over a long period of time. The award is not sport specific.

R.D. (Dick) Hayes was a Club Member who died of in 1971 of leukemia at the age of 31. He left an indelible impression on those who knew him. Dick had a successful athletic career in both football and rugby, in the legal profession and in politics. Not only was he a likeable, hard-working moral person, he was also concerned for people less gifted than himself. He was a key contributor to the Club's constitution revision and to the legal community, for which he established a legal foundation that assisted future law students interested in improving the administration of justice.

The Meraloma Club established this award in order to commemorate the memory of this exceptional friend and Club Member. A selection committee chosen by the Club Executive meets to decide the recipient of the award and the award is presented annually.

The criteria established by the club executive reflects qualities dick hayes possessed:

1. Awareness and concern for everyone

2. Keenness for athletic participation and sporting behaviour

3. Interest in the community

4. Ambition and perseverance

5. Respect of Club members

The selection of the R.D. Hayes award will be decided as follows:

A committee will consist of a minimum of three (3) and a maximum of five (5) past winners. The Chairperson will be a past recipient who is currently on the Club Executive. If there is no past recipient, then an appointed past winner will be asked to chair the selection process.

Year Recipient

1972 Peter Grantham & Dave 'Goose' Frid

1973 Buzz Moore

1974 Gus Fumano

1975 Doug Sturrock

1976 F. Sturrock

1977 John Podmore

1978 Glen Stover

1979 Bill Edwards (Founding President)

1980 Dick Layzell

1983 Les Lythgoe

1984 Jim Dunbar/Keith Sigvardson

1985 Eric Martin

1986 Barry Burnham

1987 Tom Keast

1988 Ian Birtwell

1989 Gary Cohen

1990 Mike Cleaver

1991 Jim Ryan

1992 Mark MacDonald

1993 Tanis Layzell

1994 Jenny Martin

1997 Allison McGillivray

1998 Robin Russell

1999 Sheena Scott

2000 David Boyd

2002 Lance Read

2003 Martin Gotel

2004 Brent Frid

2006 Mary Gotel

2009 Henry Edmonds

2010 Deb Moynahan

2011 Lynne Anderson

2012 Ray Crawford

2013 Ken Reid

2014 Robin Russell

2015 Laura Andrews

2016 Bill Shand

2017 Connie Brown

Established March 2, 1992

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R. William ‘Bill’ Pitt
June 24, 1902 to December 27, 1990
Meraloma Club President – 1935

Bill’s portrait is the original that hung in the old Meraloma Club House at 1407 Laburnum Street, Vancouver, along with other Presidents. Bill donated his portrait to the Club in 1988.

Bill Pitt was born on June 24, 1902 in London, England. He and his family emigrated to Canada in 1905 settling in the Beverly, Saskatchewan area. During 1916, Bill moved to Vancouver, BC.

Bill became an accomplished swimmer and joined the Mermaid Club, a swimming group of young men, located at Kitsilano Beach in the Kitsilano District of Vancouver. When this group decided to enlarge and change their name, Bill was one of the original (group of 12) that formed the Meraloma Club during 1923/24. For the Meraloma Club, Bill competed in swimming, rugby and Canadian Football; the later coached swimming and Canadian Junior Football.

Bill was an eager, hardworking Club member. He served on many executive boards and committees during the late 1920’s and ‘30’s and was elected Meraloma Club President in 1935.

Bill was the longest surviving founding member of the Meraloma Club.

Upon his passing on December 27, 1990, his family together with the Meraloma Club, established the R.W. ‘Bill’ Pitt Bursary in his honour and lasting memory.

The R.W. ‘Bill Pit Bursary is awarded annually to a Meraloma Club playing member who best meets the Bursary’s criteria.

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Description:
An enduring annual education bursary of at least $500 in memory of Bill Pitt, the longest surviving founder of the Meraloma Club.

Recipient:
A Playing Member of the concluding season who plans to attend either a university, community college or technical school in British Columbia full time in the coming year and who best meets the prescribed criteria.

Criteria:
Need, congeniality and enthusiasm overall contribution to the Club, in that order.

Selectors and the date of selection:
The Executive of the Club, at the last Monthly Executive Meeting prior to the Club’s annual awards banquet and dance or, failing that, at the last Monthly Executive Meeting of the Club’s Fiscal Year.

Presentation date:
The date of the Club’s annual awards banquet and dance or, failing that, a date chosen by the Executive.

Presenter:
The President of the Club or his or her nominee.

Ownership and management:
The contributions shall be vested in the Club, together with any undistributed interest, shall be managed by the Treasurer of the Club and invested only in those investments authorized by Section 15 of the Trustee Act of British Columbia.

Normally the contributions and any undistributed interest shall be invested in investments which will mature on May 31st of each year, the Fiscal Year End of the Club, so that the bursary amount for any given year can be readily determined. However, the Treasurer of the Club shall have the discretion to arrange for other maturities, but only when a good reason exists for doing so.

Bursary amount:
The initial endowment and any further contributions shall remain intact and only the interest earned through investment shall be available for distribution.

The Executive of the Club shall determine how much of the interest shall comprise of the bursary amount for any given year, provided that the bursary amount shall always be at least $500 unless interest rates are such that the interest earned in the previous year fails to amount to $500.

Terms of payment:
The bursary amount shall be paid directly to the recipient’s educational institution prior to the last fee instalment date for the coming school year.

Should a recipient for any reason fail to attend an educational institution full time in the coming school year and up to and including the payment date, then that recipient’s bursary amount shall be held and separately invested until he or she does attend, provided that if the recipient has not commenced full-time attendance at an educational institution within 30 months after the presentation date then he or she shall be considered to have refused the bursary and it shall be treated as a further contribution.

Future plans:
Further contributions shall be invited from time to time from various sources so that the bursary amount may be increased to approximate the then annual tuition fee at the University of British Columbia. In addition, the Club will be encouraged to make contributions and to increase the bursary amount from its own funds whenever possible.

Default:
In the event that the Club is disbanded or otherwise ceases to exist, all the contributions shall be returned to the respective contributors together with their pro-rate share of any undistributed interest. A record of recipients is maintained on a plaque located in the main Club room for all to view.