A special memorial service will be held for Rod "The Arrow" Hunter, one of Canada's greatest curlers ©Curling Canada

Canada’s world champion curler Rod Hunter, who died earlier this year aged 74, will be honoured this Saturday by a celebration of his life in the rink where he threw so many rocks. 

Hunter was part of the legendary Don Duguid team, and will be remembered at the event hosted by the Granite Curling Club in Winnipeg - affectionately known as the Mother Club - at 13.00, which will be open to members of the general public, the Winnipeg Free Press reported. 

Nicknamed  "The Arrow" for his straight-as-an-arrow shots, Hunter was vice-skip of the team when it won back-to-back World Championships in 1970 and 1971.and back-to-back Briers – Canadian men’s titles.

Duguid, winner of the Brier in 1965 and had then retired from curling, still remembers getting the phone call in 1969 from Hunter, who said he was putting together a curling team and wanted him on it.

The Granite Curling Club in Winnipeg will host a special event to honour its late world champion Rod Hunter ©Twitter
The Granite Curling Club in Winnipeg will host a special event to honour its late world champion Rod Hunter ©Twitter

Following the death in 2016 of second lead Jim Pettapiece, Duguid, now 83, and lead Bryan Wood are the remaining living members of the team.

After moving to Alberta, where he died on January 6, Hunter later won the silver medal in the Canadian 55-plus Winter Games.

Hunter has been inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame, and the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame.