Starting with his own athletic involvement in amateur boxing in the 1930s Bert Lowes has been involved in most aspects of the sport during his career. In the 1950s, Bert set up his own club, the South Hill Athletic Club, and over a twenty-two year period, won thirteen consecutive “Best Club” awards from 1954-66 and produced two Commonwealth medal winners, numerous Canadian champions, and countless Golden Glove winners. He also coached the Canadian boxing teams that competed at the 1959 Pan American Games and the 1972 Olympic Games, and managed the 1975 Pan Am Canadian boxing team.

In addition to coaching, Lowes was involved in judging and refereeing. He refereed many national and international meets including the Pacific Northwest Golden Gloves and the World Diamond Belt tournaments in Seattle in 1957 and Mexico City in 1958. In 1959 he officiated at the 1959 Central American and Caribbean Games in Caracas, Venezuela.

Following the Diamond Belt Meet in Mexico, Lowes became the first Canadian boxing referee to be given international accreditation by the International Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) and he remained the only Canadian to do so for many years. In addition, Lowes was head referee and judge for both the BC and Canadian Amateur Boxing Associations.

Lowes was always in high demand for refereeing international matches and was appointed to officiate at six Olympic Games. Due to insufficient notice for the 1960 Games, the American boycott of the 1980 Games, and his coaching duties at the 1972 Games, he was actually only able to referee at three Olympics (1968, 1976, and 1984). He also refereed at the 1954, 1966, 1970, and 1974 Commonwealth Games, and the 1967 and 1971 Pan Ams.

Lowes has been the recipient of numerous awards for his involvement in boxing, including the “Best Referee Award” in 1958, the 1972 Festival of Sports Award, and the 1972 Harold Mann Award. Upon his retirement for the AIBA in 1986, the president personally bestowed upon him the title of “Honourary Referee.”

Throughout the years, Lowes never lost sight of his commitment to the sport at the “grass roots” level. He ran coaching and teaching clinics all over the province, often paid his own way to travel worldwide to officiate at meets, worked diligently to promote safety in boxing, and spent countless hours in the gym training young boxers. His motto was “Anytime is your time, just give me a call.”