The Foundation is very fortunate to have a dedicated and generous group of directors that are focused on “Investing in the Future of Canadian Rugby. The Board of Directors for 2008/2009 was elected at the 2008 Annual General Meeting in Vancouver, BC on October 30th, they include:

Mr. Pat Aldous (President) - Pat, a Chartered Accountant, currently resides in Kelowna, British Columbia. He has recently sold his company, Alpine Helicopters, and is still active in the aviation community. Pat is a former Canadian International who also Captained the team in 1971 against Wales. He played his club rugby for the James Bay Athletic Association, the Vancouver Kats and the Montreal Irish. He represented both the province of British Columbia as well as Quebec. He has served as a director on the BC Rugby Union and is also a major donor to the Canadian Rugby Foundation.

Mr. Bob Hager (Director) - Bob is a long time fan and supporter of rugby. He co-founded Phillips, Hager & North, which grew to be Canada’s largest independent money manager and was recently sold to the Royal Bank. When he and his wife are not walking their dog on the Vancouver waterfront, you might find him golfing, fishing or travelling. Bob has volunteered to chair the Investment Committee.

Mr. Ray Hoemsen (Director) – Ray, a Professional Engineer, is the Director, Applied Research & Commercialization at Red River College. Ray is also President of NEXUS Manitoba, a management consulting firm specializing in technology-driven economic development. Ray recently served as a Director on the Rugby Canada Board for three years and has been involved in the sport as a player, coach, talent identifier and administrator for over 25 years. Ray is very active in the Winnipeg’s rugby, sport and professional communities. He played his club rugby for the University of Manitoba Wombats RFC.

Mr. Bruce McFarlane (Director) - Bruce has been extremely involved in the Foundation since its inception serving as the first President for the organization. He is still actively playing for the Victoria Ebb Tide but played the majority of his club rugby for the James Bay Athletic Association. Bruce was the first donor to the Foundation. In addition, he is also a Branch Manager as well as a Director at Odlum Brown, a Vancouver, BC based investment firm.

Mrs. Colette McAuley (Director & Past President) - Colette, a former Canadian International of 21 Tests, now works in the Athletic Department at the University of Guelph. She was recently named the 2008 Ontario University Coach of the Year and was also named CIS Canadian Coach of the Year in her first year as head coach of the Gryphons. She has served on the Rugby Canada Board of Directors as the Female Players’ Representative as well as the Female Director for a total of 5 years. Colette currently resides in Alma, ON.

Mr. Kyle Nichols (Director) - Kyle currently resides in Toronto where he is a Vice President for Marsh Canada Limited, a global risk consulting firm. He played with the Senior Men’s National Team for seven years and captained the squad on several occasions. In addition to playing professionally for Newport in Wales, Kyle also played club rugby for the Ajax Wanderers and also the Balmy Beach. He served as the Male Players’ Representative on the Rugby Canada Board of Directors from 2000-2001 and completed his M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business at York University in 2003.

Mr. John Phelan (Director) – John Captained the Senior Men’s National Team in 1985 at the end of his 6 year career on the Canadian side. He now lives in Kingston, Ontario and is involved in minor rugby, as well as a coach for the Under 18 program, when he is not teaching as an Associate Professor in School of Business at Queen’s University. He has also served as a mental skills coach to several teams NHL and national teams including the 2002 Gold Medal winning National Hockey Team, the 2004 World Cup Championship team and also the 2006 Men’s Olympic squad.

Mr. Don Whidden (Edmonton, AB)

Mr. Michael Bull (Director) – Mike is a long time player (Georgians, UBC, NWAA), administrator (President Rugby Alberta, Rugby Canada U21 Manager), and Referee (ERURS). His career path has focused on sales and marketing in private and non-profits organizations (Bloomex, Canada Export Centre, Edmonton Chamber of Commerce). Michael has completed his Governance Essentials Program for Directors from the Institute of Corporate Directors. 

We would also like to thank the board members that have served in the past and have made significant contributions to the Canadian rugby community through the Canadian Rugby Foundation:

Mr. W.J.D. (John) Woodward
Mr. Jay Johnson
Mr. Dave Lougheed
Mr. Alan Horn
Mr. Trevor Jones
Mr. Tillman Briggs (BC)
Mr. Vern Fauth (AB)
Mr. Hans de Goede (BC)
Mr. Mike Holmes (BC)
Mr. George Jones, Q.C. (BC)
Mr. Roger Smith (AB)

Through the vision of these individuals, the Foundation is already seeing great growth even in the early stages of what will be a stewardship that lasts forever. They all want to make a difference and it is obvious that others across the country want to do the same. Many early donors have responded powerfully to visions of the future. In most cases, many across the country share the same visions, and the Foundation is a chance to unite these visions and take our sport to the next level both domestically and internationally.
The Foundation will require all involved, from the present donors to the future ones, to act as ambassadors for the cause. The passion needs to be communicated and spread to ensure long-term growth for this ongoing campaign.