Vivian Berkeley (born August 9, 1941) is a Canadian two-time World Blind Lawn Bowling Champion,1996 Paralympic Games Silver Medalist and 2002 Commonwealth Games Bronze Medalist.
Over her 21-year decorated career (1994 - 2015), Vivian would accumulate a total of 60 medals; including 22 straight Provincial Gold medals, 21 National Gold medals (16 straight), along with an impressive 17 International medals from 8 countries (2 Gold, 10 Silver, 5 Bronze). Berkeley is accredited to helping build the sport of lawn bowls for the blind and visually-impaired in Canada and abroad.
On November 7, 2021, Vivian was Inducted into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (CDHF). Founded by the Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons (CFPDP), this public exhibit is located in Metro Hall in downtown Toronto Ontario, and is where a honorary plaque with her name and etching of her portrait is on display. The Induction Ceremony took place on October 20, 2022, at the Fairmont Royal York in downtown Toronto.
On April 24, 2022, Vivian was Inducted into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame, located on the second floor of the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum in Kitchener Ontario. The Induction Ceremony took place at the same location.
On April 28, 2023, Vivian was Inducted into the Ontario Lawn Bowls Association Hall of Fame. The Induction Ceremony took place in Oakville Ontario.
On June 13, 2023, Vivian was Inducted into the Glace Bay Old Town Hall Museum, located in her hometown of Glace Bay Nova Scotia.
"As an athlete I feel that year-round physical training and mental preparation are the keys to success. To reach your goals you must be prepared to be persistent and dedicated to your sport. An athlete must be able to accept winning as well as defeat, and meet new challenges head on. In order to succeed in any sport, this philosophy should be applied on a daily basis." - Vivian Berkeley
Born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Vivian received her primary and secondary schooling at the Halifax School for the Blind, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where she won a trophy in competitive swimming, before graduating in the mid-1950s. Vivian would move to Kitchener, Ontario, in 1968, where she would work in the radiology department at Grand River Hospital for eight years, as a darkroom technician. After leaving her job at the hospital, Vivian would become an in-classroom teachers aide for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, two days a week, for 16 years. She also delivered the K-W Record newspaper for several years and took up the hobby of breeding budgie birds. Berkeley has always been very involved within her community, contributing to many committees and service groups. Her main objective, to improve the safety, mobility, and well-being of the blind and visually-impaired in the Waterloo Region. Vivian has a husband Richard (of 50 years), two children Laura-Lee and Michael, and a granddaughter Samantha. She also has a guide dog, a black Labrador retriever named Angora. In her spare time Vivian enjoys knitting afghans, puzzles, audio books, and listening to her favourite team the Toronto Blue Jays, as she "loves Jerry Howarth's work."[1]
Berkeley's lawn bowling career has span over 25 years, beginning in 1989. At the time she was also competing in Shuffleboard on the provincial level, along with five-pin and ten-pin bowling. Vivian initially played out of the Rockway Golf and Country Club in Kitchener, Ontario, however its lawn bowling club was forced to close at the end of 1996 for the expansion of its golf course. The following year, a new local lawn bowling club would open its doors, Heritage Greens. For the first several years, Vivian would just play one night a week with the other blind and visually-impaired members. Berkeley has had several coaches throughout her career, all of them playing a pivotal role in helping her achieve success, including Don Mayne (1989 - 2004), Jean McCron[2] [3] (2005 - 2013), and Betty Mayne (2014 - 2015) (Don's wife), to name a few. Vivian stated that "I started (lawn) bowls because I enjoy sports and the challenge of competitions."
| 1994 - 2015 | Ontario Blind Bowls Association (OBBA) | 1st | |
| TOTAL NUMBER OF GOLD MEDALS | 22 | ||
| 1994 | Canadian Blind Sports Association (CBSA) | 4th | |
| 1995 - 1997 | Canadian Blind Sports Association | 1st | |
| 1998 | Canadian Blind Sports Association | 3rd | |
| 1999 - 2006 | Canadian Blind Sports Association | 1st | |
| 2007 - 2015 | Blind Bowls Association of Canada (BBAC)[4] [5] | 1st | |
| TOTAL NUMBER OF GOLD MEDALS(Singles Competition = 19 / Pairs = 2) | 21 | ||
| 1995 | International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships | Worthing, England | 4th | |
| 1996 | 10th Paralympic Games[6] [7] | Atlanta, United States | 2nd | |
| 1997 | 6th International Blind Bowls Association (IBBA) Championships | Hamilton, New Zealand | 4th | |
| 1998 | International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships | Germiston, South Africa | 2nd | |
| 1999 | International Tri-AM Mixed Pairs | Paisley, Scotland | 2nd | |
| 2000 | International Lawn Bowls Open | Tel Aviv, Israel | 2nd | |
| 2001 | 7th International Blind Bowls Association (IBBA) Championships | Girvan, Scotland | 3rd | |
| 2002 | International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships | Adelaide, Australia | 1st | |
| 2002 | 17th Commonwealth Games[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] | Manchester, England | 3rd | |
| 2004 | International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships | Kuala Lumper, Malaysia | 3rd | |
| 2004 | International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships Pairs | Kuala Lumper, Malaysia | 3rd | |
| 2005 | 8th International Blind Bowls Association (IBBA) Championships | Johannesburg, South Africa | 2nd | |
| 2006 | International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships Quadram | Edinburgh, Scotland | 1st | |
| 2007 | International Bowls for the Disabled (IBD) World Championships | Sydney, Australia | 2nd | |
| 2007 | International Bowls for the Disabled (IBD) World Championships Pairs | Sydney, Australia | 3rd | |
| 2009 | 9th International Blind Bowls Association (IBBA) Championships[16] | Melbourne, Australia | 2nd | |
| 2010 | International Lawn Bowls Championships for the Blind (ILBCB) | Tel Aviv, Israel | 2nd | |
| 2010 | International Lawn Bowls Championships for the Blind (ILBCB) Pairs | Tel Aviv, Israel | 2nd | |
| 2011 | International Bowls for the Disabled (IBD) World Championships | Pretoria, South Africa | 2nd | |
| 2013 | 10th International Blind Bowls Association (IBBA) Championships | Worthing, England | 4th | |
| TOTAL NUMBER OF MEDALS(2 Gold, 10 Silver, 5 Bronze) (Singles Competition = 2 Gold, 8 Silver, 3 Bronze / Pairs = 2 Silver, 2 Bronze) | 17 | |||