CW Board of Directors

 President - Karl Klashinsky

Karl has been around the club for almost 20 years, but only because he gave up on playing when it was clear he was never going to be selected, so he shifted his focus and attention to volunteer activities. He graduated from U-Vic (B.Sc and M.Sc), and recently retired after working in the tech industry for 35 years. Karl (or Klash, as he is known) has a passion for rugby, and for CW, and hopes to see the club continue to grow in depth.

Acting Vice President - Rob Peel

(see below)

Treasurer - Linda Veitch

Linda is a life-long rugby fan and ACCA-qualified accountant who has recently relocated to Victoria B.C. from London, UK. She holds a B.A. (Hons) in Physical Education from the University of Birmingham, plus an M.A. from the University of Alberta in Edmonton where she lived between 1982-84. A former distance runner, she now enjoys cycling and trekking.

Linda has been an active member of the Saracens Rugby Club in North London since 1991. Both her children played in the Junior Section and her husband was an active age group and 1 st XV coach with the amateur club. She helped fund-raise for the Club’s major u.18 tours to Australia in 2002 and to Argentina in 2011, plus served as Treasurer for the Saracens Touch Rugby section from its formation in 2013. Other major rugby events attended include the RWC World Cup Final in 2007, British Lions tour to South Africa in 2009, Women’s World Cup Final in 2014, Touch Rugby World Cup in 2019 and numerous Saracens Premiership and European matches and finals.

Rugby on Vancouver Island is an important part of Linda’s life here in Canada and she is looking forward to contributing to the growth of Castaway Wanderers in her new role as Club Treasurer.

Corporate Secretary - Jon Donald

Jon Donald (“JD”) has an affiliation with the Club dating back to the pre-merger Oak Bay Wanderers days when he played with a few of the Carson brothers, Gareth Rees, and many other long-termers, including the still-active, Don Swainson. He is also the proud father of a former women’s prems player, Olivia Donald.

Jon is in his third year as the Club’s Corporate Secretary, a position he believes he was offered because he “writes English real good”!  He has been a steadying and innovative influence on the Executive with his consulting background.  A former Wanderers/CW player that saw the transition to the merged clubs in the early nineties, Jon is well versed in the history and culture of the Club and we are very pleased to have back on Board for this season.

Director at Large - Boy's Youth Rugby - Byron Mcallister

Byron has moved into the role of Junior Boys Co-Ordinator overseeing the development of the U15, U17 & U19 programs. With two sons in the CW program, Byron brings a personal interest and passion for the continued growth of the boy’s junior program.  He took over during summer and jumped in with both feet, leading the Return to Play protocols for the boy's program which included his company’s donation of necessary PPE and sanitizer ! This past, non-Covid year has seen great growth in the Boy's programs, returning them to their former strengths on the Vancouver Island and Provincial scene.

Director at Large – Girl’s Youth Rugby – Rob Peel

Rob is currently serving the office of Acting Vice President as well.

With two daughters in the CW Mini and Jr programs Rob volunteered to step into the role of Jr Girls Director in the fall of 2022. A graduate of UVic, Rob is a 28-year veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces, with experience in organizational leadership and project management. His rugby experience is limited to playing Army rugby with 1 PPCLI and three years with the St Albert RFC’s 3rd Div. team. Presently, in between rugby injuries, he occasionally practices & plays with the Ebb Tide and CW’s Islanders. Rob is committed to carry-on and improve CW’s legacy of being the leader in girls’ youth rugby on Vancouver Island and BC. The main effort will be the growth of the program by the attraction and development of player athletes and coaching staff, while continually promoting girl’s and women’s rugby at all levels of competition.

Director at Large - Mini Rugby - Rodney Fraser

Rod grew up in Nanaimo before heading to Europe seeking adventure. He lived, worked and played rugby in France for a number of years before moving to the UK with his now wife, Victoria who is from England. They lived in London for a number of years before moving to Tunbridge Wells in southeast England where their children Sebastian and Isla were born. Rod coached youth rugby at TWRFC for 4 years before he and his family relocated to Victoria in 2021. Rod currently coaches U12 boys where his son, Seb, plays and is passionate about helping create an inclusive, safe, and enjoyable environment that is based on a strong rugby club community.

Director at Large - Brent Johnston

I’m looking forward to returning to the CW Executive at a time where so many good things have happened and continue to happen within the Club.  Thinking about the last time I was involved at the Exec level, there were only two teams. Currently, the Club is so big and impactful throughout our Rugby and general communities.  I hope to bring some historical perspective to the group when needed/asked, whilst being cognizant of a moving forward, progressive organization that needs a lot of opinions and perspectives to achieve the best results for the Club.

Director At Large - Brandon Gerhardt

 As one of the few Victoria-born members of CW, Brandon began his "career" in the Junior program under the tutelage of Roger Robinson, Ken Goodland, and Seamus Gay. Graduating to the senior men's side in 2008, Brandon "The Queen" experienced many highs and lows with the club, as well as personal achievements, and failures to match. With large boots to fill, courtesy of Riley Ilnicki's long time at this station, Brandon's primary goal will be to build upon the framework established for keeping the club connected off the field, and competitive on the field.

Director At Large - Kelsey McKinnnon

Director At Large - Communications - Merie Beauchamp

Merie was introduced to rugby when her two daughters started playing. Not one to sit idle, she has enjoyed volunteering in various capacities with CW, Junior Tide and Rugby Canada. She brings a fresh outlook on organizations which she draws from her 20+ years sitting on volunteer boards and committees, in sports and municipalties, while running a local business. She spends her free time playing dodgeball and camping. Her vision is to see rugby continue to invest in female athletes and create more opportunties for women in sport. 

Director At Large - Gareth Rees

Gareth enjoyed his first organised rugby practice at Windsor Park under the guidance of Don Burgess c. 1977. He is very much a product of the Victoria School system, Castaways, and the CW Rugby community.

He completed his postgraduate studies in at Keble College, Oxford in England before featuring in the top European professional rugby leagues in France, England and Wales, winning championships and scoring titles along the way. Gareth along with many CW Players, was the backbone of Canada’s international team for 14 years. He won 55 caps and played in 4 Rugby World Cups. Gareth was the first Canadian inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame (2011) and is the first and only rugby player in Canada’s Sports Hall of fame (2014).

Gareth and his wife Denise have two sons Guy and Lleyton. He is currently Director of Strategic Partnerships at Rugby Canada.

 
BOARD NON-VOTING ATTENDEES

PAST PRESIDENT - Brian Huse

Brian has been a Board member for five years, the last two, serving as President. Brian's leadership has left the club in a solid financial position In late 2021 we added a dedicated CW bookkeeper who has been very effective in managing our day-to-day cashflow.  We have implemented systems to allow for reasonably seamless expense reporting and reimbursements. Our new Treasurer, is now onboard and is working well with the board and our bookkeeper.  

Recently the board has established sub-committees for various initiatives and issues.  These committees which meet outside the board meetings, are tasked with make recommendations to the board.  These committees are chaired by board members but open to any CW Member to be involved with.

Notable Sub Committees- Finance; Governance;Communications; and Youth Rugby."

Our club is fortunate to have had yet another creative leader, and we thank Brian for his service.

The Executive meets monthly, either at a Director's or full Board level.  We are always open to ideas, not just ideas but some volunteer time to back them up. 

CW is a members' club,  from  eights to eighties.

ONE CLUB