ENGLEHART - Englehart town council has been asked to consider renaming the Englehart and Area Community Arena Complex in memory of Fred Burrows.

Town staff are currently preparing a report with a recommendation to council at its next meeting which will take place February 22.

Brian Jolkowski approached council January 25 with the suggestion of renaming the building as the Englehart and Area Fred Burrows Memorial Community Complex.

Burrows, who died on August 20, 2022, was actively involved as a volunteer supporter of area sports throughout his lifetime in the Englehart area, Jolkowski stated in his presentation.

Born in Brampton in 1947, Burrows moved to Englehart as a young man. He had been active in hockey, broomball, fastball, slo-pitch and bowling, but was injured while employed with Adams Mine, Jolkowski stated. The injury caused a setback in his ability to actively play sports, but he continued to be extensively involved with minor baseball and minor hockey for many years, Jolkowski continued.

Burrows umpired minor baseball for over 40 years, and held various roles with the Englehart Minor Hockey Association from 1970 to 1988, Jolkowski related. From 1988 to 1993 Burrows was the manager of the Kirkland Lake Legion 87s Midget AAA team. From 1993 to 2004, and again from 2006 to 2014, he served as the Zone 4 and Zone 5 (2014) council director of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association (NOHA) and was integral in the development of the U17 program for the district, said Jolkowski.

In 2014 the NOHA presented Burrows with the Ken Neeb Memorial Award, which is given to individuals other than athletes who have made outstanding contributions to minor hockey in Northern Ontario.

The first Fred Burrows Memorial Tournament was held by minor hockey February 3 to 5.

"Fred volunteered much of his time to the local community in various other capacities, from driving the wheelchair bus to being an active member of the Rotary Club of Englehart," said Jolkowski.

Darlene Wroe, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Temiskaming Speaker