Hardy Beviss, Jim Hannam, Danny Harlow, Paul Spicer & S/Sgt Steve Stevenson

The Bridgetown and Area Memorial Arena has been the center of the community for decades. The original arena was built in 1922, with upgrades over the years. In 1965, a fire destroyed the arena, taking with it many memories of games played and championships won. The community would not let this loss ruin their love for hockey, and plans were soon made to rebuild the arena. A dome-styled roof was first constructed only to see it destroyed due to a wind storm. Once again, the community rallied to rebuild. Between 1966 and 1975, the work of hundreds of volunteers and donors proved to be successful with the official opening of the arena on January 18th, 1975.

Even though hundreds of citizens from the Bridgetown area played a role in the completion of this arena, five men need to be recognized for their outstanding contribution to its building- Steve Stevenson, Jim Hannam, Danny Harlow, Hardy Bevis and Paul Spicer.

S/Sgt. Steve Stevenson will be remembered for the countless number of hours that he spent working at the arena. As a member of the Bridgetown Lions Club, Steve was part of a Lions project to help with the construction. However, as the work continued, the construction of the rink became an obsession for Steve. He was determined to see the project completed and devoted hundreds of hours to see that things got done. One part of the arena that Steve was most interested in was the seating. Steve wanted to be sure that there was sufficient room for the many parents, grandparents and interested hockey fans to sit as they watched their favorite players in action. Most of the seating area that we see in the arena today was built by Stevenson, with much of the work being done after hours. Steve’s efforts did not go unnoticed. In 1976, the graduating class of Bridgetown Regional High School dedicated that year’s edition of the Blue and White to Sgt. Stevenson. The students were most appreciative of the role he played in the sports life of the school. A plaque was also dedicated to “Sarge” and can be seen in the entrance of the Memorial Arena.

Jim Hannam will be remembered by many as “Sarge’s right hand man”. Jim also spent many hours at the rink helping with the construction. He played a major role in assisting Steve with the seating area and most other sections of the arena. Both men would work until the wee hours of the morning after putting in a full day at their own jobs. Jim Hannam was a quiet, behind-the-scenes kind of person, but the effort that he contributed to the arena will not be forgotten.

Danny Harlow has spent his entire life in Bridgetown. He has been an active member of many organizations and has devoted many hours of his life to making Bridgetown a better place in which to live. One of his great passions has been hockey. He played hockey in high school, university and for the Bridgetown Hawks. When it became necessary to replace the town arena, Danny stepped up to help make the new rink a reality. As President of Acadian Distillers, Danny was in a position to donate materials, labor and money to the building of the new arena. Danny donated materials and many hours of his time to see the rink completed. Danny also did a great deal to promote hockey in the Bridgetown area. In the 1960s, Danny was instrumental in bringing hockey stars Frank Mahovlich and Wayne Maxner to Bridgetown, giving hockey fans of all ages the thrill of a lifetime. Danny has played a major role in raising funds for the rink and continues to show great interest in the use of this facility.

Hardy Beviss emigrated from England to the Bridgetown area in 1968. He established a dairy farm outside of Bridgetown and immediately became involved in many of the organizations in his new community. Hardy joined the Lions Club and became very interested in the work going on at the new arena. Hardy supplied his truck to haul gravel to the rink. He also had a cement mixer that he made available for many aspects of the construction. Hardy’s tractor was also used in helping to make the ice. It was not uncommon for Hardy and some of the other volunteers to stay up all night to make ice manually, go home to begin the day’s work and then be back at it the next night. Hardy served on the Recreation Association for a number of years and chaired this committee for some time. As a member of the committee, Hardy was able to further contribute to the success of the Memorial Arena. Hardy’s efforts will be long remembered.

Paul Spicer played a very significant role in the early construction of the new arena. When the old arena burned in 1965, Paul was involved in the planning and building of the new rink. Paul provided trucks and materials that would be needed in the building process. Even though the dome-styled roof was destroyed in a wind storm, plans were soon underway to build a new roof and continue with the rest of the construction. Over the years, the Spicer family has continued to support the Memorial Arena in many ways and the people of the area are grateful for their contribution to this landmark in our community.

These five gentlemen will long be remembered for their outstanding contribution in making the Bridgetown Memorial Arena such an important part of our community.