John and Marilyn Bate Scholarship in Recreation and Health Education
This fund has been established by David and Joanne Bate in honour of David Bate’s parents, John and Marilyn Bate who were professional athletes in their youth. Both skated for the Ice Capades and John Bate was the Director of Recreation for the City of Victoria for many years, running the Memorial Arena, the Crystal Pool, and Royal Athletic Park. John and Marilyn Bate were involved in activities in the sports and recreation community in Victoria for the last 40 years and leave a lasting legacy.
David John Bate
David J. Bate is Chief Executive of Brookwood Capital Corporation, an investment banking firm specialist in the emerging markets of the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
He earned three degrees at the University of Victoria: a Bachelor of Arts (1991); Bachelor of Laws (1994); and Master of Public Administration (1995). He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Asia Pacific Management from Capilano College (1997).
While at the University of Victoria, he served on the Board of Governors and the Senate. He maintains his membership in the Faculty Club, among others.
Joanne Kathleen Bate
Joanne K. Bate is a Director of Global Investment Banking at HSBC, one of the world’s largest banking groups.
She earned a Bachelor of Commerce (1991) with Honours in Taxation (1992) from the University of the Witwatersrand and is a qualified Chartered Accountant (1993).
She frequently speaks at investment banking conferences and has lectured at Harvard Business School, University of the Witwatersrand and University of Johannesburg.
John and Marilyn Bate were active in the Victoria community for over 50 years and particularly involved in local sports and school efforts to which they leave a lasting legacy.
John Harry Isaac Bate
John Bate was born and raised in the east end of Vancouver as the son of a blue collar worker and grandson of an orphan. His life has been distinguished as much by his lifelong determination to ensure that his family was spared the challenges of his childhood poverty and poor quality of life as his lifelong dedication to giving back to his community to make sure that other families were spared the challenges of poverty and enjoyed a better quality of life through a vibrant community environment.
John began his career as a professional athlete in the Ice Capades. After leaving the show with fellow skater Marilyn Bate, he worked as the Assistant Manager of the Agrodome in Vancouver before joining the City of Victoria where he spent over 30 years in progressively more responsible positions including as Director of Recreation.
During his service to the City of Victoria, John was variously responsible for management of the Memorial Arena, the Crystal Pool, the Royal Athletic Park, the Royal Theatre and the McPherson Theatre. During this time, he organized these facilities as an integral part of the community and ensured that all Victorians benefitted from access to such facilities.
John took an active interest in development of the recreation and leisure management profession, serving as a longstanding member of the Recreation Facilities Association of British Columbia where he was recognized with many awards. He was also an active member of the International Association of Assembly Managers.
John served on numerous community boards, including Tourism Victoria, the Victoria Athletics Society and as a founding Director and subsequent President of the Victoria Sports Hall of Fame. He was an active volunteer leader at community events, including the Commonwealth Games, Canadian Curling Championships, Canadian Figure Skating Championships and British Columbia Summer Games, among others.
Beyond his community interests, John had a fondness for Christmas which he shared with his wife and his community. For over 30 years he co-organized ‘Candy Cane Lane’ with his wife at their house where over 3,000 people visited annually to see the lights, meet Santa Claus and his elves and receive free candy canes. Making up for the Christmas experience he never had as a child, John infused the community with a Christmas spirit which made Victoria a better place to live.
Marilyn Mae Bate
Marilyn Bate was born in Winnipeg and spent her early days in Saskatchewan. At three years of age, she lost her father in World War II. Her mother eventually remarried and the family moved to Victoria where Marilyn enjoyed a warm family upbringing. Following family traditions and undoubtedly influenced by her early childhood experiences, Marilyn placed exceptional value on the importance of family and dedicated her life to not only looking after her own family but also creating a sense of family and its shared responsibilities and obligations in the greater Victoria community.
Marilyn began her career in the Ice Capades, departing Victoria as a teenager to travel the world as a professional athlete. After leaving the show with fellow skater John Bate, she briefly worked as a dental assistant before assuming full time responsibilities as a mother and homemaker. She would return to work after raising her family, enjoying the company of her colleagues at Eaton’s department store until her retirement.
Marilyn was an exceptional mother and homemaker. She made sure her children received a well rounded upbringing that balanced academic achievement with athletic efforts. But it was the abundance of love (and food) available in her home that created a special experience which extended not only to her husband and children but also to many friends, neighbours, colleagues and the wider community.
For many years, Marilyn dedicated herself to the Victoria school community. She was actively involved as president of the parents’ association at her children’s schools and helped build a sense of family and community at these institutions. Marilyn also dedicated herself to the Victoria sports community. She served in leadership roles with community associations involved with ice hockey, figure skating, baseball and soccer. She was an active volunteer at community events, including the Commonwealth Games, Canadian Curling Championships and Canadian Figure Skating Championships, among others.
Beyond their community interests, John and Marilyn had a fondness for Christmas which they shared with their community. For over 30 years they organized ‘Candy Cane Lane’ at their house where over 3,000 people visited annually to see the lights, meet Santa Claus and his elves and receive free candy canes, making up for the Christmas experience John never had as a child. This Christmas spirit ideally reflected John and Marilyn’s sense of giving and sharing that underpinned their concept of family and helped build a community spirit which made Victoria a better place to live.