Once upon a time, there was a curling club in Halifax, N.S. that accommodated friends and family members who wanted to participate in a winter sport and socialize with one another.

Founded in 1905, the Mayflower Curling Club is still hosting friends and families for curling fun. Over the years, there have been a couple of location changes but replacing a building does not change the spirit of the club. It has and continues to be a large part of my family story.

My grandfather, James Abraham was an active member of the Mayflower Curling Club, known as an after-dinner speaker in the 1930’s and 1940’s. In those days, members and guests would regularly attend social dinners followed by speakers to share stories and have many laughs.

My father, James Abraham, Jr. and his brother Alan Abraham were active members at Mayflower Curling Club in Schoolboys’ curling competitions. My father’s participation and love of the sport continued as he grew into an adult.

I took up the sport of curling when I was 14 years old, as an active member in Mayflower Curling Club’s Junior program. I curled with and against people back then that continue to be close friends to this day. It has been 43 years since I started curling at Mayflower and I continue to throw rocks with friends every week throughout the Fall and Winter months.

When my two sons were old enough to throw Little Rocks, they too participated in Junior Curling at Mayflower. I volunteered as an instructor and then Junior Curling Director. Every Saturday at 7:00am, we would arrive at the club and set up for the first Little Rocks draw. My sons would have fun and laughs with their curling friends for the following 6-7 hours.

The youngest Abraham curler, Ryan is still curling competitively and has friends from across Canada who he has met through the sport. At the age of 23, Ryan is competing in his 2nd Brier in 2023, this time as an alternate on Team Manuel, who are representing Nova Scotia. Last season, he threw 2nd stone for Team Flemming, who represented Nova Scotia at the 2022 Brier.

The Mayflower has numerous other families who have called the curling club their winter home throughout the last 118 years. There are now plans to open a new Mayflower Curling Club in the next 2 to 3 years and I hope to be able to see my grandchildren someday curl there. This would make the 5th generation of our Abraham tree who are able to find family, friends and fun at this legendary local curling club.