To most people in the archery world, Ewan Ferrier was known as “Red” even after his red hair turned grey. He was a skilled competitor, a fair judge, and an excellent coach.
Red’s love for archery was evident in his participation both at the club and provincial level. He was a founding member of the Calgary Archers Club and sat on the Executive Committee in various positions including President. He was also a driving force of the Alberta Target Archers Association for many years and acted as President of the provincial association.
Ewan was a Level III NCCP coach who enjoyed passing on his knowledge to young and old alike. With Eileen (his wife of 61 years), he taught junior programs in Calgary to thousands of young archers. He was named the Alberta Coach for the Alberta teams attending the Canada Summer Games four times. He also was the Alberta coach when archery was moved to the Canada Winter Games three times. He was a personal coach to many archers as they aged into senior categories. Many of these archers went on to achieve Provincial, National, and International recognition. He was inducted into the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame in recognition of his dedication as a coach.
Red would also provide shooting clinics when asked. He was very knowledgeable and every attendee gained something and appreciated his down to earth approach to the sport.
Red was also a talented bagpipe musician who really enjoyed “piping” the competitors into Nationals for Opening Ceremonies. For many years, Red was a Provincial and National judge who judged at several National competitions.
Ewan spent thirty years as a Calgary Police Officer and was manager of the World Police Fire Games when they were in Calgary. He participated in several other Police Fire Games winning medals at all of them. He was a recurve, longbow, and compound archer. He attended tournaments in all three disciplines winning many awards. As an avid bowhunter, he was excited to go hunting every year.
“Always keep your sense of humour and don’t take yourself too seriously.” – Ewan Ferrier
