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The first meeting of Dewar's Women's Institute was held at the home of Mrs . Donald Dewar, .the home now occupied by Mrs. Duncan Dewar. To Mrs. Findlay' . district president at that time, goes much of the credit of the organizati;n of this group. She had been urging Mrs. Dewar for some time previously to try her bes t Fo get at least ten ladies interested in a W.I. Organization in our distrlct: These two ladies, Lavina Findlay and Lavina Dewar used to meet and have their chats when they were at their cottages at Rhoddy's Bay and seemingly these chats were responsible for our present Dewar's W.I., organized in May 1941. Mrs. Henderson, Mrs. Dewar's sister, also did her bit to get this | institute on its way. O?r first president was Mrs. Crawford Dewar. In this we were very fortunate since Edna's leadership and organization ability helped so much in our institute's childhood days. The first secretarial duties were quite capably handled by Mrs. Elmer McLean. The Charter Members are: Mrs. Donald Dewar, Mrs. Crawford Dewar, Mrs. A.S . Dewar, Mrs. Elmer McLean, Mrs . George McLean, Mrs. Agnus Carswell, Mrs. Stewart Carmichael, Mrs. John Jahn, Mrs. Zelma Cameron, Mrs. Robert MacMillan . Mrs. Duncan Stevenson, Miss Susie Dewar. j The following year Mrs. Charles Bahm and Mrs. Herman Bahm joined. The presidents through the years have been as follows: 1941 -- Mrs. Crawford Dewar, 1943 -- Mrs. Donald Dewar, 1945 -- Mrs. Stewart . Carmichael, 1947 -- Mrs. Herman Bahm, 1948 -- Mrs. Charles Bahm, 1950 -- Mrs. George Lavallee, 1952 -- Mrs. Ronald Dewar, 1954 -- Mrs. Alfred Bahm, 1958 -- ' Mrs. Duncan Dewar, 1962 -- Mrs. Stan Lemmon, 1966 -- Mrs. J. M. MacMillan, 1968 -- vrs. Dalton Bahm, 1971 -- Mrs. Duncan Dewar, 1975 -- Mrs. Alf Bahm, 1980 -- Mrs. Gar Bryan. Through the years our institute.has tried to participate as mfich as possible in institute events, some of which are: F.W.I.0O. Officer's Conferences at Cuelph, the A.C.W.W. Triennial Conference at Toronto, a bus trip to Frank & Ryan's farm and C.F.R.A. station, a tea in Ottawa attended by Mrs. Berry from Australia, president of the A.C.W.W., Area conventions Ottawa, District Annuals, District and area rallies and birthday tea in Toronto. to _ We have tried to do our bit for our Arnprior and District Hospital's Hospital \ o Auxiliary and local S?h?ol. The W.I. equipped the teacher's room here with *g drapes, hot lunch.fa§111ties and a studio. This studio's purpose was to be of comfort to any child who became ill during the day. It is always a reacher's pleasure to stretch out and relax during her spare time! In 1957 when this new school was officially opened our institute served lunch to more than 2 hundred guests .. We also were hostess to a district annual on our twentieth anniversary. This was held in the Dewar's Presbyterian Church on the hill. In the 1970'5 Dewar's and Braeside were hostesses to a district annual in the Church also