To most, a storage container unit isn’t a topic or an item one that wouldn’t get overly excited about.
But for the Eagle Eye Archers, their brand new container has the club over the moon.
“I’ve been going around thanking all the businesses and volunteers that made [purchasing this new unit] happen,” said Eagle Eye president Fred Hutchings on Thursday.
In a town only big enough for things to come together if everyone pitches in, it’s yet another sporting success story for one of the most interesting and under-the-radar clubs the coastal town has.
The organization had been looking for a new facility to put all their miscellaneous gear in, and the majority of things the club stashes are items that one wouldn’t consider until actually getting out and setting up a course – outhouses, boards and posts, arrows, target stands, tables, chairs, barbecues, 3D animal targets and more.
The need for the container came once the club realized their current facility’s days were numbered.
“We did have a storage unit but it deteriorated so bad we couldn’t get into it. Everything was jammed up. The rolled door was literally falling apart so we couldn’t use it,” said Hutchings.
Not only was the old unit a safety hazard, the club had to prop up stairs to access the inside and carry everything up and down.
The list of items on the agenda for Eagle Eye was lengthy.
The club had to buy a 53-foot refrigerated container (or reefer unit) and transport it to the smaller parking lot at the Pentecostal Tabernacle gym on Portage Road, where the club’s indoor location is situated, as well as remove the refrigerated part of the container, lay down crushed rock paving and use a backhoe to spread it around.
Within a few weeks, Hutchings and Colin Bennett, a volunteer helping the club, were able to secure all these things through various sources.
“Now it’s all here. It’s just a swing-door unit at ground level,” said Hutchings.
A majority of the bulkier equipment Eagle Eye uses possess rolling wheels at the bottom so each piece of equipment can be transported wherever the club is needed. And they’re needed a fair bit, starting with an Aboriginal youth camp on Saturday where 32 children of Aboriginal descent will try their hand at bows and strings-shooting at the targets and 3D animals the club has set up for them along with a delicious lunch funded by the Provincial Aboriginal Youth Council.
From Thornhill to Metlakatla, the organization takes their mobile trailer (also funded through generous Prince Rupert donors) to wherever its needed as the season winds down before the summer break starts in June.
Hutchings would like to thank Kristoff Trucking, Gat Leedm Logistics, Maher Terminals, Storey’s Excavating, 4 Season Maintenance and Ken Larsen and Bennett for their part in providing a home for all the club’s equipment.
A list of upcoming special event dates or more information on the club can be found on Facebook at Eagle Eye Archers Prince Rupert. Regular hours run on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.