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Northside Women’s Institute celebrates 75th

A little bit of our history not to be forgotten, “for home and country,” celebrating Northside Women’s Institute from March 6, 1941.
87933vanderhoofWIpictures
Historical photos of the Queen Alexandra Solarium for Crippled Children in Victoria.

Myna BaileyPresident of Northside Women’s Institute

 

A little bit of our history not to be forgotten, “for home and country,” celebrating Northside Women’s Institute’s 75th year from March 6, 1941.

I would like to tell you about the history of Othea Scott and the Children’s Hospital.

In 1921, Mrs. Scott wrote a letter to the secretary of the B.C. Women’s Institute and asked how she could get help for her little girl Othea, who was very ill with a tubercular spine. Mrs. McLachlan, who was the BCWI’s secretary, sent appeals out to 126 WI branches throughout the province to help raise funds to provide treatment for the child.

This was the starting point for the Funds for Crippled Children of B.C., which held its first meeting in 1923. The purpose of the fund was for those crippled children who could only pay part of their expenses for treatment. The following year, King George V gave money to Canadian crippled children. B.C. used their share to start a building fund for a hospital in Vancouver. A clinic was opened in downtown Vancouver and patients were referred there from other hospitals. In 1925, the Women’s Institute Hospital Association for Crippled Children was incorporated.

Dr. Wace had a dream to start a solarium for children on Vancouver Island. This came true when he got in touch with three funds, which were raised in B.C. to help children. In 1927, the 30-bed Queen Alexandra Solarium for Crippled Children opened with Dr. Wace as superintendent and Othea Scott as one of the first patients. That same year, the Crippled Children’s Hospital opened in Vancouver with a 16-bed capacity.

By 1930, WIs in B.C. established 132 practising public health nurses. In 1948, the official name of the hospital became Children’s Hospital. By the time it celebrated its 30th year, 70,000 patients had been treated.

Shortly after the solarium opened, an outbreak of spinal meningitis caused many tragic cases in need of help. By 1953, the original building at Mill Bay (Victoria) was worn out. All through the years, the Women’s Institutes around B.C. have continued their support to these institutions.

 

Locally:

St. John Hospital

Riverside Place

Jaws of Life

Crime Watch

Stewart Nechako Manor

Vanderhoof Museum

NeighbourLink

Santa’s Anonymous

Nechako View Seniors Common Room

Provincially and internationally:

Samaritan’s Purse

BC Children’s Hospital

Queen Alexandra Hospital

Water Wells for Africa

Collecting Stamps for B.C. Cancer

Institute

Pennies for Friendship for Associated Country Women of the World

 

Past resolutions from the Northside Women’s Institut

Whereas: Evening closing hours for the Lobby of the Post Office is 7 p.m.

Whereas: This early closing hour is inconvenient for those who rent postal boxes,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED; that the Post Office Lobby remain open until 8 p.m

 

Whereas: With the new location of the Co-op Shopping Centre and the new Arena, traffic has increased considerably at the intersection of Burrard and Stewart Streets in the Village of Vanderhoof,

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that a further study be conducted to review the necessity of a traffic light on this busy intersection.

Submitted by Northside W.I.