Saint Mary's Celebrates 50 years of Women in Sport
By Gail Lethbridge
Saint Mary’s University alumni who have followed sports at their alma mater will probably be familiar with varsity basketball phenom Justine Colley-Leger, who played between 2009 and 2014.
She electrified fans with her athleticism and leadership on and off the court. She was the all-time leading scorer in the history of CIS women’s basketball and led her team to two AUS championships. She also won all-star and MVP accolades during her varsity career.
In 2019, Colley-Leger BComm'14 was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame.
Her storied varsity career has inspired many young women athletes in Nova Scotia and across the country.
But superstars like Colley-Leger had stood on the shoulders of giants who came before them and blazed a trail for female varsity sports.
2024 is the 50th anniversary of women in varsity sports at Saint Mary’s, and this year, the university is honouring them for the hustle and determination that made it possible for young women like Colley-Leger who followed in their footsteps.
1974-1975: Varsity Basketball Team. Front: Susan Dunbrack, Patsy Pyke, Cindy Britten, Wanda Williams, Cathy Fifield, Jody Hayes. Back: Wendy Purkis, Jane May, Kim Robson, Neila McCabe, Kathy Ells, Leslie Simpson, and Kathy Mullane (Coach).
Three of those pioneers are Susan (Dunbrack) Beazley BA'77, Kim Robson BA'76 and Kathy Mullane MBA'89 who were driving forces behind women’s varsity sport at Saint Mary’s.
A half-century ago, this trio was part of inaugural varsity teams in field hockey and basketball—Beazley and Robson were players, and Mullane was the first full-time female varsity coach on both teams.
“Wow, 50 years, where did the time go?” said Beazley, reflecting on her athletic career at Saint Mary’s
Susan (Dunbrack) Beazley - 1973
Playing varsity may not seem ground-breaking to women athletes in 2024, but back then, it was a huge achievement for women who were stepping into unknown territory at the university.
Before that time, they were playing sports in university club teams and then in 1973 at the junior varsity level.
Beazley said the junior varsity program in 1973 laid the foundation for the varsity program launched in 1974.
“Our biggest wins came at the junior varsity level,” she said. “It was huge for us because we had to prove to the university that we could make it. Those junior varsity wins were our first step into varsity.”
Beazley, who went on to a 40-year career teaching and coaching students in sports at Armbrae Academy in Halifax, said women athletes and teams back then faced funding challenges their male counterparts didn’t have. They also had fewer training resources than modern-day varsity athletes.
“We didn’t have the fitness facilities they have today,” Beazley recalls. “They have their own fitness trainers and physiotherapists. We never had any of that. When I was injured, I did my own training to get back into shape. We didn’t have a physio that could ice us down. We just played through pain.”
She said the women’s field hockey team had to practice after the men’s football team on the back field where the Homburg Centre for Health and Wellness is located on campus today.
Because the lines were different in field hockey, Beazley would come out before practice and draw the lines on the field after the men’s football team finished their practice.
She may not have realized it at the time, but she was also redrawing the lines for women in sports.
“It was a boy’s school back then and there was the feeling of ‘who were we coming into varsity sport?’ But we proved that we were worthy of being a Belle,” she said, recalling that in 1974, the women’s varsity teams were named Belles. Only the men were Huskies.
Despite the lack of resources and status, she said the women athletes earned the respect of the men and the university.
Under the leadership of then Saint Mary’s President Owen Carrigan and football coach Bob Hayes, the university appointed Mullane to launch the women’s varsity program and coach women’s varsity basketball and field hockey.
Robson, who played side-by-side with Beazley in basketball and field hockey, said Mullane’s enthusiasm and coaching talent inspired the women who played for her on those first varsity teams.
“Looking back now, it was pretty spectacular time,” said Robson. “I came from high school to play field hockey and basketball at Saint Mary’s. Kathy was a really great coach and Susan was my teammate – she was a winger and I was the centre forward (in field hockey). Susan and I used to score a lot of the goals. And I have to admit that she was the one who set up the goals all the time.”
Robson recalls Beazley’s competitive drive and desire to earn the respect of male teams. One story in particular captures this:
Susan (Dunbrack) Beazley
“The men on the football team were saying they were fitter than us. Susan said: ‘OK, let’s get out there and run.’ They raced up the field, and she beat the pants off him. She won! She put us on the map with the boys!”
Like Beazley, Robson also continued to participate in sports after graduation. For 30 years, she worked in the Department of Justice, organizing sports, fitness and wellness programming at correctional facilities in Nova Scotia.
Robson, Beazley and Mullane also played on the Nova Scotia provincial women’s field hockey, winning at the Canada Games and a national title. That team also travelled to England, Scotland and Bermuda to compete internationally.
Robson and Beazley say the legacy of those ground-breaking achievements at Saint Mary’s and on the national stage forged lifelong friendships among teammates that continue to this day.
“Friendships that you make are amazing, and I still have those friendships,” said Beazley. Fifty years later, she, Robson and other field hockey team members still get together each year for a Christmas dinner.
They also organize an annual golf tournament in memory of Susan’s sister, Nancy, to raise funds to support a student in Grade 12 who is going to college to play field hockey.
Beazley has since been recognized for her contributions to sports with inductions into the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame and the Saint Mary’s University Sport Hall of Fame.
Mullane’s sports leadership was recognized in 2022 with the creation of the Kathy Mullane Fund for Varsity Women’s Sport which helps to support women athletes in areas of nutrition, mentorship and coaching.
These women and all athletes who have participated in varsity sports at Saint Mary’s will be celebrated during the annual Homecoming event in October.
Welcoming our Newest Alumni — Class of 2024
By Krista Keough
Kaveh Wornell BSc'24
Hailing from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Kaveh Wornell BSc’24 was well acquainted with Saint Mary’s from a young age. His grandfather, Saleh Amirkhalkhali, was the head of the Economics department from 1995-2007. “When I was quite little,” Wornell says, “he'd actually take me to his office.” This familiarity, coupled with his long-standing relationship with Mesut Mert, head coach for the Huskies men’s soccer team, led him to Saint Mary’s for his undergraduate studies.
Olivia Bell BComm'23 CertAE'24
Growing up in a small fishing village on the LaHave Islands in Nova Scotia, Olivia Bell BComm'23 CertAE'24 did not see university in her future. In junior high, she started playing volleyball and participated in the Canada Games team. Her athletic abilities attracted the attention of post-secondary recruiters, along with scholarship offers, and created a new vision for the now 23-year-old.
Rheannon Richards BA’24
Rheannon Richards BA’24 was born in Bermuda and moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia as a young child. After a short detour to Cape Breton, her family returned to the City of Lakes for her high school years. Richards planned to attend university to pursue the arts and considered Saint Mary’s after a few of her friends had enrolled.
Alexander Chaisson BA’24
Alexander Chaisson BA’24, stands out as the first interdisciplinary major graduating from the Public Humanities and Heritage program at Saint Mary’s. Adding on to his distinction, he graduated with honours in the study of Religion, a double major in Anthropology and Public Humanities, and a minor in French.
Carrying the Weight: Paul Bromby’s Journey from Sports Broadcasting to Storytelling
By Kate Elliot BA'12
L-R: Ken Reid holding a copy of The Backpack with author Paul Bromby BA'99
In the fast-paced world of sports broadcasting, where adrenaline and ambition often collide, Paul Bromby BA’99 has continued to carve out his niche. For over 25 years, he has enjoyed a career at Sportsnet, most recently rising to the role of senior producer at Sportsnet Central. But behind the scenes of touchdowns and buzzer-beaters, Bromby has carried a tale of his own – one that he’s now ready to share.
Growing up in Halifax, Saint Mary’s held a special allure for Bromby, who saw their basketball team as the local equivalent of a professional team. His childhood dreams were realized as captain of the 1999 national championship team. Yet, behind the victories and accolades, Bromby carried a weighty burden: his mother’s battle with bipolar disorder.
“When I was growing up, mental illness was very hidden, very taboo. People did not talk about it, and so I really hid her illness from others and carried that burden alone. When my mother passed, I felt like I wanted to share her story and my story and how we persevered through it. And also how it really affected me.
”For the past five years, Bromby has been collaborating with his friend Jason D’Rocha on a children’s book titled The Backpack. Drawing inspiration from his own experiences, they collaborated to navigate the complexities of mental health with empathy and candour in hopes of fostering conversations and awareness around mental health from a young age.
The Backpack book cover
“I had this story in my head as pictures, drawing on my own lived experience. It was like I was carrying a backpack, and when things got more stressful, the backpack got heavier.”
Through vibrant illustrations by Tayson Martindale, The Backpack introduces the topic of mental health on a very grassroots level, making it accessible to young children. While Bromby may not be a mental health professional, his lived experience and advocacy serve as powerful tools for dismantling the barriers and stigma surrounding mental illness.
Bromby embarks on a new chapter with The Backpack, carrying the weight of his past with grace and resilience.
“Part of my journey when my mom passed was that I wanted to share her story and talk openly about it – not with embarrassment or shame. I wanted to showcase how strong she was to get through life while dealing with her illness.”
Through his storytelling, Bromby not only honours his mother’s memory but also empowers a new generation to navigate the journey of mental health with courage and compassion, reminding us all that sometimes the heaviest burdens are the ones we cannot see.
