Brenda Taylor – Ontario President of the Rebekah Assembly of Ontario

Jeff Green | Jul 20, 2022

Brenda Taylor, long time member of the Princess Elizabeth Lodge #358 Brenda Taylor was celebrated at an inaugural banquet at the Golden Links Hall in Harrowsmith on Saturday Night. The banquet was held to mark her new role as the President of the Rebekah Assembly of Ontario.

Brenda had a different lead-in to the role than she normally would have. In 2019 she was nominated by the Princess Elizabeth Lodge to be a warden of the Ontario Assembly, and she was accepted.

“The way it works is you spend a year travelling and visiting lodges as warden, and the next year they move you up to vice president, and you travel more widely, and then you become president in the third year. That way you get to know a lot of people before your year as president. We were shut down for a lot of that time, of course, but this year will be busy with travel.”

But many people she meets will not be strangers, as she has been active locally and in the provincial organisation ever since joining the lodge 54 years ago.

A lot of people travelled a long way to Harrowsmith on Saturday Night to celebrate with Brenda.

As president, Brenda names a number of people from across the province as officers, and her officers are from diverse places such as Peterborough, Oshawa, Wheatley and North Bay. A number of them traveled to the Golden Links Hall to celebrate with her, including her officer from North Bay.

There were two travellers, connected more with Brenda than with the Rebekah's, who made a much longer trek. Brenda's son Corey and grand-daughter Makala traveled from Taiwan to mark the occasion.

“They were going to arrive on the day of the banquet and hide in the hall, so I would see them when I got there, but that would have resulted in too much crying, so they arrived a couple of days before and are staying a few weeks. Angel, Corey's wife, had to stay in Taiwan so I get to visit with her virtually, which is too bad, but it is wonderful to have Corey and Makala here,” she said.

Because of COVID, Brenda and her husband Reg had not seen their grand-daughter and son in over 3 years.

“Makala was 7 and now she is 10. What a change,” Brenda said.

On Saturday night, the hall, recently starting to host events after being closed for two years, was decked out to mark the occasion.

“Members of our Lodge transformed the hall with such beautiful decorations on Saturday. It was remarkable,” she said.

As president, Brenda is given the opportunity to name a charity that all 39 of the lodges will support, in addition to the other fundraising that they do. It was easy for Brenda to choose. She has been supporting the “Almost Home Kimmy Fund” ever since her daughter Kim died of cancer in 2006.

“Almost Home”, in Kingston, provides free room and board for family members of cancer patients from far and wide who need in-patient treatment in Kingston. The “Almost Home Kimmy Fund”, supported by Lodge #358, has raised over $50,000 since 2007, one bake sale at a time, and will get a boost this year.

While her own lodge has been able to survive and even thrive through COVID, with 25 very active members among a total membership of over 40, many Ontario Lodges are not in as strong a position, and as president, Brenda is committed to doing what she can to help.

“We had been losing lodges over the years, even before COVID, because of aging, and COVID caused a number more to close.”

There are 43 lodges in Ontario now, down from 54 in 2018.

One of the reasons the Harrowsmith Rebekah's and their fraternal organisation, the Odd Fellows, have been able to keep the hall up, and charitable giving going, through the pandemic, is the phenomenal success they have had with take-out versions of the monthly dinners the Odd Fellows and Rebekahs put on for the local community.

“Take-out dinners have been well received, and financially successful,” she said.

The Golden Links Hall is opening for rentals, a source of revenue that is finally returning, as of August 1st.

“We are booked most weeks to the end of the year, and John and Lynda Trommelen [Jolyn Dance Studio] will be starting up again, with limited numbers at first, on Tuesdays to Thursdays. They have been great supporters of the hall.”

Brenda Taylor will be enjoying her family visit this month, but she will not be sitting still very much for the rest of the year. Her term runs until May, and with her trusty chauffeur and companion Reg, she will be on the road for much of that time, with support from her lodge members back home.