2015 Inductees

David Fairfax

Growing up in Dartmouth, NS, David Fairfax played a number of sports including volleyball, basketball and football. Although David continued as a multisport athlete through high school, in 1974 he turned his attention to officiating. At the young age of 15, David began refereeing flat water canoeing at Lake Banook in Dartmouth, and at the same time started officiating volleyball and basketball. When asked why he chose to begin refereeing instead of pursuing further success as an athlete, David’s response was simple, “I was too short.”

A couple of years later, in 1976, as a grade 12 student, David added coaching to his sports resume. He coached volleyball until moving to Calgary in 1980. Back in Nova Scotia, he coached volleyball at Central Kings for over 10 years, and has attained NCCP level III as a volleyball coach.

In 1980, David and soon to be wife, Joanne, moved to Calgary where David became involved with Olympic luge. As an international referee in the sport of luge, David officiated at the 1988 Olympics in Calgary as well as refereeing at the World Cup of luge every year from 1987 until 1995.

With David’s varied experience officiating multiple sports, from basketball, canoeing and luge, the sport that he remained involved with and continues to be active in has been volleyball. David has refereed at many levels of the sport including high school and club level, attending, numerous CIS and CCAA volleyball championships all over Canada as well as officiating both indoor and beach volleyball at Canada Games in Sydney, NS, PEI, Brandon, MB, and most recently in Sherbrooke, QC in 2013. In 2015 David was the Regional Official Chairperson for NS Volleyball, representing NS at national meetings and on the Volleyball Canada Referee Management Team, evaluating officials at a national level.

Besides all of the successes David has had through his officiating career, he has also, with wife Joanne, raised 4 active and athletic daughters. Amanda, Ashley, Andrea and Alana have been involved in many sports including, ringette, hockey, volleyball, soccer and rugby. Three of his 4 girls have attended Canada Games, representing NS in ringette, and 1 of his daughters has participated in both ringette and soccer at the Canada Games. David credits a big part of his daughters’ involvement in sport to wife, Joanne, but the philosophy of being active has come from both Joanne and himself.

In 2003, David attended the RCMP Training Academy in Regina, SK, thereafter being posted to Nova Scotia where he has spent his entire policing career to date. Seven years later, in 2010, David had the opportunity to merge his involvement in sport with his job, working as an RCMP officer at the Vancouver Olympics.

Involvement in sport as a referee can often be a thankless position, but since the age of 15, through his participation as a coach and as an official, David has been able to positively impact the lives of countless athletes, coaches, and other referees in our community, across Canada, and even internationally. The Berwick Sports Hall of Fame is pleased to induct, in the builder category, David Fairfax.