Lady Tweedsmuir – Susan Buchan
- The very first WI meeting was held in the Navan School on December 19, 1931. Organized by Mrs. George Bradley (Ottawa) and Miss Ethel Rivington (Navan) and chaired by Mrs. Wesley Savage. Ethel Rivington was a recent Home Economist graduate from Guelph and felt that the Navan Community would benefit greatly from a Women’s Institute branch. 17 members signed on to form the Navan WI. The first president was Miss Mary Rathwell.
- The meetings were held the second Thursday of every month at the Navan Public School. The yearly fee was $0.25.
- The Navan WI had a program committee; a sick visiting committee; a refreshment committee and an auditor committee.
- The first roll call was “a supper dish”, the next roll call “uses of a flour bag”.
- In their first year of operation they established a First Aid Kit which was housed at the Navan School. (It was maintained and updated as needed until this function was taken over by the School Board.) Miss Ethel Rivington gave a 3 day nutrition course for interested parties;
- Good Neighbour Policy observed wherever there was trouble or need in the community;
- First Annual Meeting was held in May 1933 where a bank balance of $55.47 was reported;
- In 1933 the second Wednesday of every month was adopted as the meeting date;
- In 1933, the Navan WI held talks on music; home beautification,; canned goods (instruction on canning fruits and vegetables); children and their money; and demonstrations on cottage cheese making;
- Each meeting had a program of solos, – piano renditions, recitations, games and contests; At the Christmas meeting a debate was held – resolved that an energetic scolding wife is to be preferred to a lazy loving wife. The negative won.
- Grandmothers in the community were remembered and entertained annually at a Grandmother’s Tea (Last observed in 1971); This photo was from the 1941 Grandmother’s meeting.
- Navan WI regularly sponsored bridal showers for girls in the community;
- Navan WI regularly entered exhibits in the Navan Fair and Central Canada Exhibitions;
- In 1936 there were five people on the refreshment committee – it was decided that refreshments should be limited to sandwiches and cookies;
- In 1945 the Ottawa Area Convention was cancelled due to problems with gas and food rationing;
- In 1946, the Navan Fair began and the Navan WI was there serving food. A box lunch consisting of four slices of ham sandwiches, one piece of cake, one piece of pie and a donut, fruit and tea were sold at a cost of 50 cents from the basement of the Navan School. Hot dogs and cold drinks were served at a separate booth.
- In 1947 while preparing for the Fall Fair, the WI had to ask for sugar rations to prepare foods for their booth ( a result of the lasting effects of WW II); Net proceeds from their fair booth of $103.15.
- In 1947, A. McCullough noted that the Navan WI had made donations to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, The Ontario Society for Crippled Children, The Tuberculosis Association. During the war monies were sent to the Central War charities along with seeds and honey to Britain and maple sugar to the navy; 37 items of food were sent to the WI in Belbroughton, England
- In 1948, Net receipts for the Navan WI were $317.80. A meat slicer was purchased at a cost of $13.02. The slicer was rented out to others at a rate of $1.00.
- Navan WI was quite involved with the Girls’ Club work – giving prizes to the girls making the highest points in coaching classes. They sponsored girls 4H club and Homemaking Clubs renting sewing machines when necessary;
- The largest project undertaken since 1950 was helping financially with the building and equipping of the Navan Memorial Community Centre. Money was raised catering banquets and serving meals at the fair and hotdog and bean suppers to the boys’ hockey and ball clubs at the end of their season;
- In 1951, the Navan WI served the first of what would be many meals to the Cumberland Township Agricultural Society at their annual meeting ;
- 1952, WI members wore a 2” x 1” purple ribbon to mark the mourning period following the death of King George VI;
- In 1954, the Navan WI undertook the installation of the Honour Roll of Veterans of WWII placed in the school.
- In 1954, the Institute joined the Blue Cross and WI members could join this health plan;
- 1981, Navan WI celebrated 50 years of service to the community, Vera Cotton was the president and Mary Rathwell, the very first Navan WI president was there to celebrate too.
- February 19, 1997, Navan WI celebrated 100 years of the Women’s Institute with a special program and cake.
