EARL GREY — Jeff McWhinney’s timing was, to suit the occasion, perfect.
The Winnipeg-based McWhinney — the keeper of the Grey Cup, which is on loan to the reigning CFL champions — called my number just as I was parking outside the Earl Grey Curling and Skating Club on Tuesday.
He was interested in the latest stop on the Roughriders’ wide-ranging Grey Cup Community Tour.
“It’s poetic, because it tells a great story,” he said of the visit to Earl Grey. “It’s timely and timeless at the same time.”
What could be a better fit?
The familiar trophy — commissioned in 1909 by the fourth Earl Grey — was coming home, in a sense, during a year in which the village that carries his good name will celebrate its 120th anniversary. (The milestone will be observed on July 27.)
“Whenever we get a chance to display the Grey Cup, we take it in, because it is good for our community and good for Earl,” Leila Mohr, the mayor of Earl Grey, said with a smile.
“The Riders phoned and said, ‘Can we bring the Grey Cup out?’ We said, ‘Absolutely!’ From 3 to 5 in the afternoon, there’s a lot of kids after school, but everybody made the time to come.”
Individually, or in groups, people met Roughriders receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby and had pictures taken with the Grey Cup.
Once that was done, many of the visitors stuck around and had coffee or a snack in a popular canteen that is adjacent to the skating rink.
“We do have our community hall, which is a great place, but we just thought there would be more togetherness here,” Mayor Mohr said. “We’re set up to serve people here.
“It’s still our curling season and we have refreshments available here, so we just thought this would be a more suitable venue.”
It was, to revisit a term we used earlier, perfect.
“This definitely has a homey vibe to it,” Duncan-Busby said. “Everybody’s kind of chilling out by the tables.
“It feels familyish — kind of the way it was on our team, too — so it’s really cool. You can definitely feel the family vibe here.”
Especially in the case of Justine McKinstry and her two sons. Emmitt (four years) held his brother Leo (10 months) while they were photographed by the Cup.
Leo looked dashing in a little Riders jersey that, once upon a time, belonged to his brother.
“Our oldest one has already been to a few Roughriders games and he loves to watch football,” McKinstry said.
“It’s pretty cool that the Grey Cup is out here. In all of Saskatchewan, everyone is a diehard Rider fan. In a small town, something like this is extra cool.”
Only in a small community would you find the mayor working behind the counter as people ordered coffee, soft drinks, hamburgers — I took one home for my wife, who loved it — or various other tasty snacks.
On a table in front of the canteen, there were complimentary delectables in the form of football-shaped brownies (with green icing) and Rice Krispie treats with green chocolate frosting.
“The Grey Cup was coming, so I had to make sure we had something ready,” said Brittany Ludwar, who prepared the treats. “We knew everyone would be in green because of St. Patrick’s Day.”
The green-themed Grey Cup celebration is the fifth in Roughriders history.
When Saskatchewan won its first title, in 1966, the 29-14 championship-game victory over the Ottawa Rough Riders was witnessed in person by Robert Leith (Dinny) Hanbidge.
Hanbidge, who was Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant Governor from 1963 to 1970, was a player with the Regina Rugby Club — the forerunner to the Roughriders — during its inaugural season (1910).
The Lieutenant Governor is a provincial representative of the monarchy. Nationally, that role is performed by the Governor General of Canada.
Albert Henry George Grey — the 4th Earl Grey — served in that capacity from 1904 to 1911.
Governor General Earl Grey and Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier were present in Regina’s Victoria Park when the Province of Saskatchewan was inaugurated on Sept. 4, 1905. Three days earlier, Saskatchewan — previously a part of the North-West Territories — had become a province.
Long a supporter of sport, Earl Grey sought to honour a champion in the fashion that Lord Stanley of Preston had commissioned a cup that would be awarded to a pre-eminent hockey team.
The Stanley Cup was first presented in 1905. Initially, Earl Grey had intended to honour an amateur hockey champion, but Sir H. Montagu Allan was of the same mindset. Hence the Allan Cup, which was donated in 1908.
Just as well, Earl Grey figured, and his attention turned to the gridiron game.
Engraved on the sterling-silver trophy, which cost $48, are the following words:
PRESENTED BY
His Excellency Earl Grey
FOR THE AMATEUR RUGBY FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
OF CANADA
“It was done in a very theological way, to have the eternal champion,” McWhinney explained. “It’s the chalice … the holy grail. That’s where it came from. They wanted something that was replicating the eternal athlete.”
Our gratitude, as football fans, is eternal.