Richmond's Kajaks club to celebrate 65 years with dinner and silent auction

Kajaks Track and Field Club is hosting a dinner this weekend to celebrate 65 years of teaching and coaching, as well as 15 international medals. Its international medal legacy stretches from the 1970s to the present. Medal-winning athletes include Camryn Rogers, Evan Dunfee, Charmaine Crooks, Lynn Kanuka, Brit Townsend, Greg Joy, Tyler Christopher and Simon Hoogewerf. They have competed in events including hammer throw, racewalking, sprinting, middle-distance running and hurdles.

Most recently, Kajaks athletes Camryn Rogers and Evan Dunfee added to the club's international medal record with gold-medal performances at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Kajaks was co-founded in 1962 by Doug and Diane Clement. In a news release about the event, the Clements said that while many of the world's leading athletics programs receive substantial corporate, national or institutional funding, Kajaks has shown a community-based club can develop athletes able to compete with the world's best.

On Saturday, Oct. 24, Kajaks will celebrate its international champions and the thousands of athletes, coaches, officials, volunteers, families and supporters who have contributed to the club's success over 65 years. The Clements' release says their collective commitment has made Kajaks a lasting part of Richmond's sporting heritage and Canada's athletics history.

The club is inviting current and former members, families, friends and supporters to its 65th anniversary celebration at Riverside Palace Hall. Community members can support the event by buying tickets, donating items to the silent auction, sharing historical photographs and helping celebrate the people who built the club. Event information and tickets are available at https://www.kajaks.ca/65-anniversary.