New West Secondary alum want to give back to next generations of students

Sitting around one of the tables at Delta Golf Centre, the laughter from New West Secondary School (NWSS) alum Don Robertson, Chuck Leek, and Ronda Baker is infectious.

The three have been sharing memories while gearing up for the first ever alumni Golf event, where the majority of the proceeds will go towards the athletics program at NWSS. The trio are just some of the members of the New Westminster Secondary Schools Alumni Association – which also includes students from Lester Pearson, Duke of Connaught and TJ Trap Technical School.

“I just talked to a few of these guys,” Robertson explains, noting that part of the reason for reconnecting was because COVID had kept many of them separated. “Everyone was stuck inside for a couple years, and no one’s been able to have reunions.”

The other part of it was a tour Robertson took south of the border. During a visit to the University of Montana, Robertson found himself impressed with the sports complex. “You walk in the foyer, and the whole thing is painted in school colours. There’s banners, pictures, there’s trophies. There’s histories of the athletes that attended there, and you just get a feel for the place.”Robertson was inspired to bring a similar idea to NWSS, but he says the physical Hall of Fame idea didn’t get far as it would have been limited to a small trophy case. “It’s tough to put decades of history into a four-foot by eight-foot space.”

The event:

• Golf for $150, treat yourself to a steak or chicken dinner for $75. “If you don’t want to golf, we definitely made sure you can come hang out and enjoy a meal,” says Robertson. There will also be a cash bar for beverages.

• The majority of funds will go to NWSS students. ”There is a cost of the website, operating that and starting it up, but also the cost of the golf and the dinner,” explains Robertson, “otherwise as much as possible, most of the dollars will go to the kids.”

• No trophies or prizes. “There will be photos up on the website, though, for posterity’s sake,” explains Robertson. “We’re not handing trophies out just to keep the costs low. It goes back to making sure the kids get as much funding as they can.”

Not long after that, Robertson and his friends realized that they could have the best of both worlds: celebrate NWSS history and memories, and raise funds for a cause.

“I thought ‘well, hey, maybe there’s something that we could do; if we could help generate some income for the athletic department, that’d be good.’ ” Robertson says the ultimate goal, depending on the success of this particular fundraiser, is to help more departments, like music and drama.

Ronda Baker played basketball for the school, and says they were ‘spoiled’ back in the day when it came to getting car rides to and from practice. They’re hoping to ease the financial challenges organized sports can often come with.

“I just want to see more people participate [in sports]. You know, it was a different time. That was why I got involved in this project,” she says.

For Chuck Leek, it’s all about connecting at a variety of levels. “I moved away from New West because of work and whatnot, and so for the longest time, I didn’t have the opportunity to hang with everybody.” He compares it to ‘getting the band back together’ – but, of course, for a great cause. “I’ve talked to people I haven’t talked to in 30, 40 years – I just had lunch with an old friend last Saturday [because of this project],” he explains.

The group is hoping a walk down memory lane – and a little tee time (or for those who don’t want to golf, a delicious buffet style meal of steak or chicken) will go a long way for the next generation of NWSS students. A scholarship is slated to be announced at the event.

Reflecting on the past few years, Leek says times have been tough, and they ultimately just want to help. “Lord knows everyone’s dollars are already stretched thin. But [organizing] this has been fun. The chance to help, reconnect with these guys, it’s a win-win.”

Be sure to sign up for the event and check out the group’s website as they work towards putting on other events and fundraisers.