The Waterloo District Annual Meeting of the Women’s Institute was held on Thursday, May 24th with a potluck lunch at 12:30 p.m.in the Bloomingdale United Church. The ladies sang the Women’s Institute Grace “We thank Thee Father for Thy care, Food, friends and kindliness we share, May we forever mindful be, Of Home and Country and of Thee. Amen” and then enjoyed the many wonderful main courses and delicious desserts.
The meeting began at 1:30 p.m. with the reciting of the Women’s Institute Ode and the Mary Stewart Collect. President Brenda Hallman welcomed all present, with Carol Sararus gave the “In Memorium” and remembered the members in our branches who have passed away during this past year.
President Brenda Hallman gave her report and reminisced about past memories of the Institute. Brenda also had a short quiz for the members.
“Why the blue and gold colours for Institute? The WI Colours came from Guelph (which was named for Queen Victoria, the reigning monarch at the time, whose family name was Guelph). As Guelph is called the ‘Royal City’, the royal colours of blue and gold were chosen for Institutes.
When did the Tweedsmuir Books begin and why? In 1933, Miss Applebe, a Provincial Convener, urged the Women’s Institute branches to collect and save the history of barns, buildings, and places of interest. Many branches started scrapbooks to carry out this request. During Lord Tweedsmuir’s term as Governor General of Canada, Lady Tweedsmuir, who had become a devoted W I member in England, took a great interest in the W I of Canada. At a meeting Lady Tweedsmuir stressed the need for preserving the interesting history of our Canadian people, the places, customs and activities of our developing land. In 1936, a proposition to preserve local history was forwarded to the provincial board of the FWIO, and slowly the wheels began to turn. The Provincial Convener proposed in her 1940 report that branches begin “Village History Books”, and, in 1945, the program was officially launched. The Tweedsmuir Histories of local communities have become one of the WI’s most outstanding and valuable projects.
When was the Women’s Institute Ode written? The author of the Women‘s Institute Ode’, is not known – but thought to be written between 1910 and 1915. The words were first used by the Royal Templars...sons of a temperance lodge “A goodly thing it is to meet in friendship’s circle bright, Where nothing stains the pleasure sweet nor dims the radiant light. No unkind word our lips shall pass, no envy sour the mind, But each shall seek the common weal, the good of all mankind.”
When did the Mary Stewart Collect come into being? Mary Stewart, the author of the Collect, was born in 1876. After graduating she became principal of a high school where she joined a Women’s Club. She wrote the Collect as a prayer for the day, and called it a Collect for Club Women. It was offered for publication in 1904, and has been adopted throughout the world by English speaking women.
Ann Snyder gave her secretary’s report and the treasurer’s report was given by Eleanor Berry. Pauline Weiland, Western Region Board Director gave a report from the Federated Women’s Institute of Ontario (FWIO).
People rarely read the warning labels on the products they buy, but sometimes it can give you a good laugh. Eleanor Berry closed the meeting with just such humours warning labels.
The Guelph Area Convention will be held on Wednesday, October 25th at the New Dundee Community Centre. Cost is $40 which includes a lunch. Registration at 9:30 a.m. with the meeting beginning at 10 a.m. Theme this year is “What’s in a Name?”
