The Basilica Recreation Centre - Before and After background in the sports and recreation field, and Jim MacTague was appointed administrator. The two complimented each other and worked well as a team. The committee spent considerable time coming up with an appropriate name for the centre. We first thought of including "Community Centre" in the name, to give it a broader appeal than just the parish. Holy Redeemer parish was already using that name for their centre, though, and they were not prepared to give it up. Some felt that the word Basilica should not be used, and others felt that the word recreation reflect what the centre was intended to be. Because we were not able to come up with a better name, we settled for the Basilica Recreation Centre, thinking it would end up being called the Rec Centre. When the Rec Centre opened in 1963, Fr . William Simpson was pastor of the parish (1963-1972). Father Pat was the first pastor of the new parish in Stratford , but because he was involved in all the planning of the new centre, he officiated at the official opening. One of the first things Fr . Simpson wanted to do was to eliminate the bingo games. Hundreds of little old ladies, avid bingo players, soon made him change his mind. The bingos were not only popular, but also an important source of revenue for the centre. They were held four times a week, and often the same people would go week after week. A large number of players were smokers, so following the establishment of smoking regulations, the centre had to either ban smoking or construct a special air-conditioned room for the smokers. The centre also served as a great banquet facility. Stu MacFayden, who worked there on a part time basis, recalls as many as four banquets being held at the same time. I can recall when the city hosted the Canadian Federation of Municipalities in 1973. Three different banquets were held at the centre for 840 delegates. A great deal of the success was due to the excellent cooking skills of Birt Kelly and his ability and willingness to meet the needs of the public. 42