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The Return of Lecky House
Lecky House is once again filling the unique niche it was intended for on the Shawnigan campus – as a home-away-from-home for teams and groups visiting the School.
Built in 2003, it was used for its original purpose for 17 years. It then functioned, with the permission of the Lecky family, as a temporary boarding house – Levien House – from September 2020 until spring 2024, when the Grade 8 boys from Levien and Grade 8 girls from Stanton moved under their shared roof at Samuel House.
Available once again for visiting teams and groups, Lecky House has already hosted three rugby teams as they stopped at Shawnigan on recent tours: the Danville Oaks Rugby Football Club (Danville, California), Xavier High School (New York City), and Wimbledon College (London, England).
Lecky House was donated by John Lecky ’57 (Groves’), who represented Canada in rugby and rowing, winning Olympic silver in the men’s eight in 1960. He rowed at Cambridge University, helping win the Boat Race against Oxford in 1962 and 1964, served as Chef de Mission for Canada at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and was a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. He served on Shawnigan’s Board of Governors from 1997 to 2001.
“Mr. Lecky wanted a guest boarding house where teams could bond and live together versus living separately in hotel rooms,” Shawnigan Director of Athletics Mr. Tim Murdy says. “This is why there is a large common space and rooms with bunk beds forcing teams to mingle and live together.”
Lecky House was originally named “Canada House,” as Mr. Lecky didn’t want his own name used. He passed away in early 2003, before construction was completed, and the School renamed the house in his honour.
The first team to stay at Lecky House was the 2003 Canadian men’s team as they trained at Shawnigan for the Rugby World Cup. Since then, teams from around the world have stayed in Lecky House as they experienced the School. Lecky House has also housed members of Shawnigan’s Board of Governors when they were on campus for Board meetings.
We acknowledge with respect the Coast Salish Peoples on whose traditional lands and waterways we live, learn and play. We are grateful for the opportunity to share in this beautiful region, and we aspire to healthy and respectful relationships with those who have lived on and cared for these lands for millennia.
Shawnigan Lake School is an independent co-educational boarding school for ages 13 –18 on Canada’s beautiful West Coast. Our diverse, interdisciplinary and innovative programming helps shape the next generation of global leaders.
