CWRFC Coming Home Capital Fund

Castaway Wanderers RFC

The Castaway Wanderers Rugby Football Club has a long, storied history in British Columbia Canada. Our journey dates back over 100 years. The club is the amalgamation of the Oak Bay Wanderers (founded 1912) and the Castaway (founded 1965) Rugby organizations in 1989. The Club proudly displays BC Championship banners from 1999 to 2002, three consecutive seasons of interlock play involving Vancouver Island and Mainland clubs- a feat accomplished by only one other BC Club – and another BC Championship in 2011. Whether it is via Club tours of visiting teams of all ages, the National Senior Men’s Team members, players from coast to coast and internationally, or CW players currently on professional contracts, the Castaway Wanderers name and brand is known across Canada and around the world. It is a respected Club of choice for local players, national team players and international players looking to play on the West Coast of Canada.

CWRFC is a member of the VIRU, BCRU and CRU and fields 3 Senior Men’s and 3 Senior Women’s teams, along with Boys and Girls in Junior Divisions, and a flourishing Mini Rugby program.

 

Clubhouse

Castaway Wanderers Rugby Football Club, is a member of the Discovery Street Sports Club in Victoria, BC. The Discovery Street Sports Club is currently located in downtown Victoria at 714 Discovery Street, a 15-minute drive from Windsor Park or Carnarvon Park in Oak Bay where home games are played. Due to the distance, and the neighbourhood in which the house is situated, and the increased maintenance costs of the house, plans are underway to relocate the clubhouse.

CWRFC Coming Home Capital Fund

A unique opportunity has now presented itself. A property adjacent to Windsor Park is for sale. It is owned by a former rugby player; a person who could be described as a “rugby man”. The owner has expressed his interest in CW rugby purchasing his property at what could be deemed a price point for an Oak Bay property, never to be seen again! This is a unique, “once in a generation” chance to bring a social gathering point to our “Home” – a post-game location and beacon in the community. What better joy could there be than for those boys and girls who were playing in Vancouver Island Finals this 2023/24 season to be able to enjoy the relationships they have made as Oak Bay residents of the future at a rugby club in their neighborhood? We have now developed a prospectus to implement fundraising on an abbreviated timeline to purchase the property. How exciting to have any portion of your legacy “Coming Home” to a clubhouse in Oak Bay, proximal to the playing fields. An organization growing with the community’s youth, an organization forged with local business leaders and entrepreneurs.

Established in August 2025, the CWRFC Coming Home Capital Fund is intended to provide funding from donations, interest earned, and capital withdrawals to enable the development of a home for the Oak & Palm Sport Club Society whose sole mandate is to serve the needs of Castaway Wanderers RFC and to be their social centre adjacent to the Windor Park pitch. This includes the purchase of the aforementioned property. The following photos show the proposed house photoshopped onto the target property and its location relative to Windsor Park, and the rugby pitch..

The first step in this initiative is the purchase of a property adjacent to the playing fields of CWRFC [Windsor Park],
where in the past season, 475 players were registered with the CWRFC.

The District of Oak Bay’s Windsor Pavilion will continue as the CW Rugby locker rooms and meeting space as required

Once sufficient funds have been raised to enable purchase of the property, we will continue discussions to acquire the property,
and to prepare the property to receive a new home, and then have a new home moved and installed on the site adjacent to Windsor
Park. The final step is to renovate and make this building fit the needs of the Oak & Palm Sport Club Society, working in support of
CWRFC. The plans call for the purchase once all municipal and community approvals have been granted to enable the
operation of this building as a sports club.

For more information, contact Chris Spicer at 250-888-8859 or cspiceradvancement@shaw.ca

TO SUPPORT THE COMING HOME CAMPAIGN, AND MAKE A DONATION LESS THAN $1,000 TO THE CWRFC COMING HOME CAPITAL FUND, GO HERE:

IF YOUR DONATION IS $1,000+, TO REDUCE TRANSACTION FEES, PLEASE PAY BY: 

  1. Cheque c/o Canadian Rugby Foundation, 709 Yates St., PO Box 8003, Victoria, BC, V8W 3R7 with the Fund name in the memo line of the cheque and the donor’s name if it is written on a company cheque. Beware of any Canada Post labour disputes, If you plan to send a cheque.
  2. EFT/Interac : Send to payments@canadianrugbyfoundation.ca and also send email with the details of the deposit for tax and allocation purposes; i.e., Amount, Full Name, Address, Fund name to Breann King at cdnrugbyfoundation.financial@gmail.com
  3. Bank wire transfer using the banking information and address below and also email Breann King with the details of the deposit for tax and allocation purposes; i.e., Amount, Full Name, Address, Fund Name at cdnrugbyfoundation.financial@gmail.com    Wire information your bank may require: CIBC 3147 Douglas Street, Victoria, B.C. Account No. #05030-7605617, Canadian Rugby Foundation, Bank No. # 010, Swift # CIBCCATT
  4. Securities or mutual funds Go to: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/securities/donate for our Securities Donation or Mutual Fund Donation form with Leith Wheeler or email Jeff Chan