Verona hosts 92nd annual Kingston Area Women’s Institute convention

Craig Bakay | Oct 17, 2018

Ladies from all over Lennox & Addington, Frontenac and Leeds & Grenville Counties filled the Lions Hall in Verona Tuesday morning for the 92nd annual Kingston Area Convention of the Women’s Institute.

President Linda Bates welcomed the delegates before introducing former Warden and current South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal and Coun. John McDougall, who brought greetings from Frontenac County and South Frontenac Township respectively.

After the Institute Ode and the singing of O Canada, roll call was taken and answered by Amherst Island, Grandview, Hay Bay, Maple Ridge, Reidville-Camden East and Victoria II in Lennox & Addington; Frontenac, Glenburnie, Harrowsmith, Joyceville, St. Lawrence, Sydenham, and Wolfe Island in Frontenac; and Bishop’s Mills, Fairfield, Frankville, Junetown, Lansdowne and Philipsville in Leeds & Grenville.

During her opening address, Bates highlighted the WI’s achievements since the October 2017 meeting including support for Lyme Disease, the plea for Erland Lee, Camp Trillium, hosting the 120th Annual General Meeting in Kingston, and the first ever Sewing Bee Sept. 8.

“My year has been very busy traveling to each District meeting, along with visiting five of our 17 WI branches” she said. “With 12 branches to visit, I expect 2019 to be another exciting year.”

Bates said one of the things she learned after speaking at the Lansdowne last year is “less talk, more fun.”

To that end, after the obligatory treasurer’s report and such, much of the rest of the meeting was given over to demonstrations by local firefighters in the use of fire extinguishers and evacuation and scrapbooking sessions with Carol Foo.

There were also several displays around the room including photos of the Sewing Bee, Food Bank donations, and the ROSE program (Reaching Ontario Sharing Education).

“We’re advocates,” Bates said. “We’re quite a busy group.”