Twin Elm Hosts Charity Dinner to Revitalize Popular Rugby Field

Ottawa’s Twin Elm Rugby Park (TERP) will be hosting a charity dinner at their facility on Thursday, July 4, titled the “Resilience Dinner.” Guests will be treated to food provided by The Butchery and a reception hosted by Dominion City Brewing Company, to celebrate new opportunities that lie ahead for the rugby venue.

TERP has been Eastern Ontario’s premier rugby field since 1973, and is run by a team of volunteer board members. However, it wasn’t always in pristine condition. A few years ago, Robert Orange, who is a long-time rugby player, wanted to get it back on track.

“It was kind of driven by rugby going through a period where it was less popular, but also COVID had an impact. There was nobody using the facility.”

After restructuring the board of volunteers and becoming its president, Orange saw how much the venue needed to be revitalized. Grants from the Ontario Trillium Foundation allowed him and the rest of the team to regenerate the fields and update the facility.

However, there is more work that needs to be done.

“My goal [with the dinner] is to integrate the excitement around the Canada-Scotland game and generate ideally some interest in a broader business community… we want to become a multi-sport facility,” he said.

TERP is jointly owned by various clubs and organizations, including the Bytown Blues, the Ottawa Beavers/Banshees, The Ottawa Osprey, and the Ottawa Irish Rugby Football clubs. When the Resilience Dinner was first announced, Orange said that he received plenty of positive feedback from the rugby community for this initiative, including members from TERP’s respective clubs and the CEO of Rugby Canada, Nathan Bombrys.

“To get the response, the support from the highest level of rugby in Canada, it really has given me some encouragement,” Orange said.

Most importantly, Orange is hoping to raise more awareness about TERP to businesses, and potentially create more advertising opportunities.

“There’s an opportunity to get exposure for local businesses,” he said. “It’s ambitious, given the condition that [the field] was in five years ago. But the state of it now, the fields are in wonderful condition… we’re doing all those things to make it look and act like a real professional facility.”

Ian McDonell, the director of scheduling with TERP, spoke about the venue’s history and the numerous international rugby teams that hosted games there against Canadian leagues, including Scotland, Portugal, Russia, and Australia, to name a few. He recalled the time that he and the TERP board received a letter from the Australian Wallaroos rugby team complimenting their facility.

“It’s kind of like the hidden jewel in the community,” McDonell said about the field.

After the COVID pandemic hit, McDonell says he saw an increase in volunteer interest, specifically when the roof of their patio was blown off. Thanks to a sponsorship from Clint Hodgins, who owns Quinn’s Ale House, and other members of the community who donated resources and volunteered their labour to rebuild, it was quickly repaired.

He also talked about other improvements that were made to the facility over time, including building an accessible washroom and renovating the change rooms and kitchen. These were made possible thanks to volunteer groups and the Ontario Trillium grants they received.

“I think that what we’re hoping for is getting the community, the people with the wherewithal, to go up [and] look at what it says to the community.”

TERP has also invited Bombrys, coveted rugby player Al Charron, and former NHL player Jim Kyte to speak at their Resilience Dinner. Kyte is also the first legally deaf hockey player to play in the league.

Kyte says that his history with TERP goes back to when his brother used to play rugby in that same field, and had always admired the sport.

“Sport played a huge impact in my life growing up, and I think it’s critically important for children to be involved in sport, whatever sport that might be.”

He says that joining a team sport, such as rugby, can help children learn the fundamental values and traits that come from persevering and working hard.

McDonell is also a strong advocate for this message. Before the Resilience Dinner commences, there will be an exhibition of youth rugby hosted on the field.

“When you have facilities like Twin Elm, which could play such an important role in the future… you teach them courage, discipline, teamwork, and respect,” McDonell commented.

With TERP’s dinner centered around the theme of resilience, Kyte strongly believes in the importance of grit and passion when it comes to achieving your goals. Overall, he is honoured to be speaking at the event and to help support the facility and its community.

“Hopefully I can share a message that will resonate with the people that will be there and be a positive influence on the outcome of the evening. That’s all I can hope for.”

For more information about TERP, visit their website for game schedules and other events.

Click here to reserve your ticket for the Resilience Dinner on Thursday, July 4, 2024.