Wayne ‘Blackie’ MacDonald honoured with rink renaming

Wayne ‘Blackie’ MacDonald and family after the sign naming the outdoor rink in his honour was unveiled.

Family and friends of Wayne ‘Blackie’ MacDonald joined with the guest of honour and members of city council to unveil the sign renaming the Chatham outdoor rink in tribute to him.

The new name, the Wayne MacDonald Outdoor Rink recognizes the two decades of volunteer work he did at the rink on Howard Street.

Deputy Mayor Paddy Quinn shared many of the things MacDonald did at the rink and said it was fitting the recognition was happening during National Volunteer Week.

“Wayne spent his winters flooding the ice, shoveling it off, doing maintenance, painting boards, and making sure the rink was in the best shape possible for the kids in the neighbourhood. He made sure there were always enough pucks, sticks, and even skates on hand so that no child ever had to miss out.
He went above and beyond in ways that most people never saw. He worked with Ian Bailee and Saint Andrew's schools to organize field trips to the rink, giving students a chance to get outside and experience something they may not have had otherwise. He was always there, always ready, and always happy to do it.”

Councillor Brian King, a friend of MacDonald’s spoke of his dedication to making sure children had a safe place to have fun.

Jody MacDonald spoke on behalf of the family, thanking the City for renaming the rink, a special place for his father and family.

After the sign unveiling and photos, MacDonald decided to speak, after first refusing.

“I want to thank everybody involved in this here. It was quite a surprise to me. I’m not real big on these types of things but I felt I had to show up here.”

MacDonald shared his memories of having an outdoor rink built for him and others in the neighbourhood when he was child. “We played there from daylight to dark.”

The longtime volunteer said he hoped others would continue taking care of the rink and that more outdoor rinks would be built and operated in the city and other communities.

“We’ve got to help our kids”

City council joined the MacDonald family for a photo.

The request to rename the Chatham outdoor rink came through a Naming Policy the City of Miramichi established in July 2022. The Policy establishes a name bank and invites citizens, citizen groups, councillors, developers, landowners and city staff to suggest names to be included in the Name Bank. The list is reviewed and recommendations are made to council for approval.

Information and a link submit a suggestion to the name bank can be found here.