U.B.C. Womens Institute Convention
This photograph is of the Women’s Institute Convention at U.B.C. in 1956 The Women’s Institute in Pitt Meadows should credit Mary Jane Harris with the establishment. Alongside 42 other women (Blaney, Sharpe, Prevost, Menzies, Harris, Stewart, Sutton, McDermott, Fenton, Ford to name a few) the Women’s Institute was incorporated on February 7th, 1921. Once of the first things the Institute did was establish a library, exchanging books with Haney and Port Kells. The library van started on February 6th, 1931. The Institute donated $25.00 to establish a permanent library in Pitt Meadows schools. When the Institute disbanded in 1965 the remaining funds were donated to the school district for purchase of reference books for the PMSS, a plaque in memory of W.J. Park, and a trophy for the Home Economics department. Until April 1948, the Institute looked after the Hall. It was that month that a committee was founded for the hall with L.L. Howe representing the Women’s Institute (other members of the committee came from the Gun Club, the Athletic Association and Council). The Women’s Institute is a national organization that “advocates for national directives in health, poverty, food safety, environmental preservation and community support”. It started as a movement to give women access to more domestic education, but ultimately has grown to encompass more than that. The Women’s Institute advocated for women’s rights to education, health care for all Canadians, and community development just to name a few. The Womens Institute is still active and if you want more information we encourage you to visit their website: https://www.fwic.ca/history
Details:
Latitude: 49.2546067576487
Longitude: -123.24362460084
Direct Link: https://www.pittmeadowsmuseum.com/locations/ubc-womens-institute-convention
