A Women’s Institute (WI) history quiz was given by Helen Overnes at a recent meeting. Members were quite surprised at some questions as institutes were formed over 100 years ago in Ontario.

Adelaide Hoodless was asked by Erland Lee of the Farmers Institute at the time for the Stoney Plains area in Ontario to speak about the education of women.

They discussed the idea about forming a Women’s Institute to learn about all aspects of raising families, growing gardens, nutrition and health. A week later Lee and his wife informed all farm women in the district to come to a meeting to form the first Women’s Institute. One hundred came with their small children to hear about this amazing idea and agreed to it. The first WI was under the Act of February 19, 1897 (Parliament for Farmers Institute).

Adelaide had already lost her fourth child through her own ignorance and learned from her doctor that it was common.

Laura Rose Stephens had worked as lecturer for 13 years from Guelph University on animal husbandry. She got together with Adelaide to form many new WIs.

In 1908 the BC Department of Agriculture minister became interested in Women’s Institutes and asked Laura Rose to come and speak to the Farmers Institute about the idea. Quite a lot of the farmers were against it but were convinced it would help their women as they all were getting good advice on growing healthy livestock that would help their families.

In 1909 Laura Rose was invited back to judge at all agricultural fairs where everyone came out to enjoy competitions. On seeing all the mothers and young women she quickly talked to these groups about forming WIs and started 15 the first year.

Penticton, Summerland and Salmon Arm were started. And 1909 was the start of women in BC becoming women as persons in their own right and not “a man’s goods and chattels.”

Judge Emily Murphy, first president of Federated WIs in Canada in 1919, was the first judge to have an all-women’s court in Edmonton and the first in the British Empire in 1916 – much to the disgust of lawyers. A woman’s place was in the home.

The Power of Attorney in Alberta was ready and asked if she would do it. She had a tremendous knowledge of the law and

saw how badly treated women were and the injustice they suffered in court.

They told her that she was not a person under the British North America Act of Canada. Other prominent women and friends of Emily got their heads together to change this. First they went to the Supreme Court of Canada, but after deliberating for five weeks they turned it down. Quietly they were disappointed but felt they had given their judgment in all sincerity.

Undeterred, Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Irene Parlbury, Louise Kenney and Henrieta Muir Edwards requested that the Honourable Newton Howell take it to England and present it to the judicial committee of the Privy Council in Westminster.

Much deliberation took place and finally in October 1929 London newspaper headlines read that Canadian women had the right to sit in the Senate. Their statue was recently put on Parliament Hill in Ottawa in honour of them.

In other WI news:

Everyone was asked why they joined the Women’s Institute – friendship, support group, exchange of knowledge and ideas.

When you are a body of women who find the need to change laws and you are organized,  you learn to do the necessary research, put a brief together and present it to government. You are listened to and changes in laws can happen.

Emily Murphy  would be glad that we carry on what she was teaching us to do.

This year we are supporting Desert Sun Counselling for two safe homes and anger management for men; also BC Children’s Hospital and palliative care for the Oliver area.

The next meeting will be held March 5 when we will once again learn how to work towards affordable housing in Oliver.

Helen Overnes

Special to the Chronicle