The 1977 opening ceremonies kicked off more than just the Canada Summer Games

Jeremy Eaton · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 4:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 3

The Canada Summer Games made its mode to St. John's for the archetypal clip successful 1977, putting Newfoundland and Labrador connected the nationalist signifier but besides mounting the signifier for an improbable emotion story.

Hundreds of people, including young folks similar St. John's locals Bob Porter and Mary Ellen Winter Porter signed up to beryllium volunteers.

"I thought, gosh, what an acquisition that would be," Porter told CBC News, 48 years later.

"So I threw my sanction successful the hat."

Just 24 astatine the time, Porter said she wanted to beryllium portion of the enactment arsenic well.

"It was thing different," Winter Porter said. "I'm not an jock myself, truthful to beryllium progressive successful this was conscionable exciting."

As hosts they wore agleam bluish outfits adorned with '77 Canada Summer Games logo and answered questions radical mightiness have.

While the biggest question came from Porter a small later, Winter Porter recalled how the brace of strangers were pulled unneurotic owed to the tallness of their hands to the ground.

"They measured from the level up to wherever our arms ended, wherever we would clasp connected to the banner," said Porter.

Winter Porter added "the Ontario banner was precise straight."

When the squad from Ontario entered the tract connected Westerland Road successful St. John's, Porter and Winter Porter stood broadside by side, starring the young athletes in. 

In an opening ceremonial that featured a code from past Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, song, creation and a chaotic brace of sunglasses worn by St. John's' politician astatine the time, Dorothy Wyatt, the existent enactment for Porter and Winter Porter happened holding a sign.

"That benignant of started a signifier of events," Porter said. "Ultimately [it] ended successful my woman and I dating and, and marrying a twelvemonth later."

The games went connected to spot immoderate large stories travel from it, but for the Porters, it changed their full lives. 

The brace yet moved to the state they had led into the games, with them settling adjacent Ottawa. 

The 1977 Canada Summer Games became a portion of their household history, a past they are present sharing with others. 

Winter Porter kept her unpaid azygous from astir 50 years ago.

"I conjecture it brought backmost bully memories," she said.

WATCH | Meet the joined mates whose emotion communicative began astatine the '77 Canada Summer Games:

When the mates heard The Rooms successful St. John's was connected the hunt for '77 memorabilia for a caller sporting exhibit, the suit got shipped location and donated. 

"We're truly excited to beryllium capable to archer their communicative and archer however the games affected this family," said curator Maureen Peters.

"It was each brought unneurotic by the '77 games."

Porter said if it weren't for the Canada Summer Games helium wouldn't person met his wife. It was a emotion communicative that started with 2 young volunteers who conscionable wanted to get retired and bash thing different.

"We would astir apt ne'er person married. We would ne'er person had the 3 fantastic kids we have," helium said.

"The chances of america gathering were astir apt precise slim, but this was an lawsuit that conscionable happened to bring the 2 of america unneurotic and you know, past conscionable happened."

Download our free CBC News app to motion up for propulsion alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to sojourn our landing page.