SINCE THE 1994 COMMONWEALTH GAMES

After 30 years, it’s time
to resurface the track.

The Jack Wallace Memorial Track Project was started in 2021 when a community committee was struck and guided by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with School District #61 and Oak Bay Rotary Club Foundation. Other stakeholders in this MOU are The District of Oak Bay and The Oak Bay High School Alumni Association.

We are raising funds to resurface the track at Oak Bay High with a new synthetic, all weather surface suitable for year-round training and competition and enhancements to host more field programs.

The Jack Wallace Memorial Track is located adjacent to the Oak Bay Recreation Centre.  The track is behind Oak Bay High School at 2121 Cadboro Bay Road in the District of Oak Bay, a Municipality in the Greater Victoria area.
 

VIEW BLUEPRINT
  

Track facilities will include:

Facilities for
field athletes
Workout and
warmup areas
Inclusive change room
and washroom
Accessibility features to the venue to accommodate persons with disabilities

COMMUNITY EFFORT

Help us reach our goal of $1,100,000

To date, this group of committed stakeholders and donors has raised $285,000. We are so grateful for the ongoing support in our fundraising initiatives! Initiatives have included a series of ongoing bottle drives and partnering with the Oak Bay Firefighters Foundation who designated their charitable fundraising for 2022 toward JWMT. In a 24 hour relay they hosted at the school track, their efforts resulted in donations from the community and Scotiabank of $9700.

Other money was received as a result of a community Open House event in June of 2023, and individual donations continue to be given, as a result chiefly of the Oak Bay Rotary Foundation and Oak Bay Alumni Association.

Donor strategies continue to be worked on at the committee level.

Current project estimate
$
To date stakeholders have committed
$
 
 
COMMUNITY VALUES

Oak Bay’s Hub
of Health and Wellness

Visit the track any day of the week and you will find young athletes in training, families with children, seniors, school groups and community members out for a walk or a run. As a community facility, the track welcomes hundreds of people of all ages and abilities each week.

LOCAL SENIORS

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

UVIC SUMMER CAMPS

OAK BAY REC CENTRE AFTER SCHOOL CARE

VARIOUS LOCAL ATHLETIC GROUPS

VALUE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

According to studies...

%
OF KIDS NEED MORE
PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
%
OF ADULTS NEED
MORE EXERCISE
Access to sport and community recreation has a profound impact on our collective well-being.

Physical activity is vital to our health and mental wellness, creating opportunities for social connection and physical literacy.

Children and youth who are engaged in sport are more likely to stay in school.

Studies show that student athletes demonstrate higher academic achievement and stronger graduation rates than their non-athletic peers.

Seniors who remain active are more likely to remain independent longer.

And exhibit lower incidence of heart disease, stroke, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers.

Sources for Stats:
Statistics Canada Tracking Physical Activity for Canadians 2016 & 2017
World Health Organization Physical Activity Fact Sheet
ParticipACTION 2022 Children & Youth Report Card
Government of Canada Physical Activity Tips for Older Adults (65 years and older)
Active Aging Canada Physical Activity Promotion for Older Adults

ABOUT THE JWMT STEERING COMMITTEE

WHO WE ARE

The committee consists of a group of committed volunteers including:

  • School District#61:
    Katrina Stride, Secretary Treasurer; Shawn Boulding, Oak Bay High School Principal; Rich Fast, Oak Bay High School Athletics Director; Megan Johnson, Oak Bay High School Track and Field Coach; Mike Andulajevic (PAC), Janna White (CUPE).
  • Oak Bay Rotary Club and its Foundation:
    Dave Maxwell and Dustin Clark
  • Oak Bay High School Alumni Association:
    Jan Hemming, President and Trevor Heryet, Vice-President
  • Oak Bay Municipality:
    Mayor Kevin Murdoch, Hazel Braithwaite, Councillor and Dianna Plouffe, Director of Corporate Services
  • Local Community Track and Field Leaders:
    Keith Butler, retired Track and Field Coach and Sean Steele, President Athletics Victoria
  • Community Leaders
    Mike de Palma, CEO Flintstones Design and Build, and Daphne Goode, Media Liaison, Jack Wallace Memorial Track Committee

In addition there are a variety of volunteers working in the background on sub committees for other aspects of the campaign including: Visual Renderings of the Site; Marketing for Donor Ask Strategy; Website Development; Facilities Consultation for the Construction Elements; and Media Liaison.

HISTORY

The Jack Wallace Legacy

Deep in the heart of Oak Bay is a legacy: the Jack Wallace Memorial Track, named for Oak Bay High School’s Principal 1963 – 1970. Mr. Wallace was a passionate supporter of all Oak Bay High sports and athletics, and a 
much- loved community champion. His leadership and drive was instrumental in the addition of new facilities to the School, including the gymnasium.

In his early years of teaching, Oak Bay High School did not have a track and practiced on a grass track around the rugby field. Much to the School’s chagrin, city-wide competitions were held at Victoria High School. In 1956, 
the School started fundraising to build a track by collecting metal coat hangers. 14 years later, a cinder track was built.

In 1994, the School and Community rallied to raise the necessary funds to replace the cinder track with an all-weather, synthetic surface. The resulting facility was named in Jack Wallace’s honour, a fitting tribute to a visionary educator and dedicated booster.

OUR PROJECT PARTNERS

WE ARE SO THANKFUL FOR THE SUPPORT OF OUR DONORS

We sincerely thank the many individuals who have made donations since 2022, especially those dedicated to our monthly bottle drives, which have raised a substantial amount of money!

WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR FRIENDS IN THE MEDIA COMMUNITY FOR THEIR SUPPORT

BLACK PRESS | CBC RADIO | CFAX 1070 RADIO | CHEK TV | CTV | 98.5 THE OCEAN AND JACK FM/100.3 THE Q AND THE ZONE RADIO | OAK BAY NEIGHBOURS PUBLICATION/TIMES COLONIST

Renderings on promotional video: Jonathan Craggs, Flintstones Design and Build

Website photographs by Kevin Light Photography

Thank you for helping to keep the community on track

WE APPRECIATE ALL YOUR SUPPORT

DONATE
  

Stay connected!

For more information on the Jack Wallace Memorial Track Project, send us a message and we’ll get back to you shortly. We look forward to hearing from you!

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