Members attended the 70th area convention dressed in bright colours, accompanied by the Women’s Institute’s blue hats. That was holding to the theme of the convention of Find Your True Colours. The meeting was held in Kurtzville.
Huron Perth district president Marg Greig welcomed everyone to Perth County with Huron only a short jaunt down the road.
The Walton branch members conducted the In Memoriam in remembrance of past members.
Glenna Smith presented a report from the Country Heritage Park, at Milton and said it had been a very successful summer at the WI Hall.
There were visitors from the United States as well as from the other Canadian provinces. A Christmas tree was decorated half in 1920 and the other half in 2009 styles. Smith asked that another year those looking after the flower beds could put names on the flowers planted, and that there be a book of the WI resolutions on display.
Committee heads for the 2010 FWIO Conference in Waterloo gave a colourful presentation promoting the conference. Lots of enthusiasm and information was given.
After sitting and listening to reports, Kurtzville WI had a stretch break which had everyone limbered up.
Provincial president Joy Tremble based her talk on Observe, Think, Change, Dare, Try, Empower, Question, Banish, Grow, Do and Enjoy.
There was also a revision of the vision and mission statements to make them more concise and applicable to today. There will be a fee increase on the 2010 fee sheets for the membership. Four members with 75-plus years with a special crystal vase.
Three paintings from Joan Folkard, a deceased WI member, have been given to Federated Women’s Institute of Ontario, and they have in turn used copies of them to make Hasti-notes as a fund raiser for FWIO. Although the WI organization membership is in decline there are new members coming on board and the top three recruiters were presented with a paid membership for 2010 and a certificate – Anne Ropp, Young So Franklin, and June Schatz for Guelph Area.
Convention chairman Darlene Harding presented Tremble with a monetary gift as thanks from Guelph area for all her work on WI’s behalf.
Margaret McMahon introduced guest speaker Bonnie Baynham, who presented a True Colours workshop in the afternoon session. Baynham has experience in the social service settings in Huron County and has enjoyed 12 years of leading workshops. Assisting her in her workshop were members from the Howick branch. She explained that True Colours is a personal assessment. Members were able to apply those colours to their own personal assessment.
Baynham was pleased to see so many members dressed in bright and bold colours. Each colour also has a temperamental type. Orange represents skillfulness and freedom; gold, duty and responsibility; blue, relationships and authenticity; green, intellectual, competence and knowledge. In her summation She said True Colours is “celebrating yourself” as there is only one you.
Tremble installed the new officers for 2009-10 and ratified the area and alternate voting delegates. Eleanor Berry invited the membership to the 71st convention being held Oct 13, next year in Waterloo district at the Bethel Evangelical Church in New Dundee.
from Margaret E. McMahon
Guelph Area Voting Delegate
