Dunrobin

K0A 1T0

Carleton

Eastern

Meeting Times: 7pm, first Monday of the month

Main Focus:

Community!

Provide companionship for members

6 or 7 informative speakers every year, at meetings open to the public

Fund-raise and donate to various local charities

Support local residents and the Dunrobin Community Centre through difficult times (tornado and 2 floods in the past 3 years!)

Participate actively in the Carp Fair every fall

Enjoy the advantages of living in the Ottawa Valley! Day trips to plays in Ottawa, local farmer’s markets, etc.

Links to Dunrobin WI Tweedsmuirs

Volume 1: http://collections.fwio.on.ca/3505001/data?n=3

Volume 2: http://collections.fwio.on.ca/3505003/data?n=4

Volume 3: http://collections.fwio.on.ca/3505004/data?n=2

(Under “Pages:” pick “1”, then you can use the arrow at the bottom of the page to go to p2, p3 etc. )

George Kennedy’s photo album of Torbolton township history (listed as “Dunrobin WI Tweedsmuir Community History, Torbolton Township History Scrapbook, 1967”).

http://collections.fwio.on.ca/3505000/page/3

Under “Pages:” pick “1”, then you can use the arrow at the bottom of the page to go to p2, p3 etc.

Branch Secretary: Pam Smith-Hlady

psmithhlady@gmail.com

Phone: 613-832-3599


Branch Officers:

President: Beth McEwen
Vice-President: Wendy McKay
Secretary: Pam Smith-Hlady
Treasurer: Bethany Braun

Latest News:

An early Valentine surprise for our members living alone, February 2021

Our member Pam Smith-Hlady started a secret valentine ploy for some of our members. She thought it would be nice to give bouquets to five members who live alone, and might be feeling the effects of the long months of covid more than most. So with a few donations, she bought flowers, and arranged them in some vases she had stored away. She also wrote a sweet little poem to go with the flowers! And another member and her young son created 5 beautiful unique valentines for them. Then two of us drove all over the countryside west of Ottawa to deliver them. Of course everyone was home, and thrilled and surprised and touched.  Everything went perfectly – they all LOVED the flowers, AND the poem, AND the valentine from a young boy. I have attached one picture of a happy Jane with her flowers. Everyone was fine, obviously managing alright, but covid has not been easy for anyone, so I am sure glad Pam suggested this!

Annual lighting of the Dunrobin Christmas tree

In December 2020, for the fifth year in row, a few of us gathered (with masks!) at the Dunrobin Christmas tree. This time we added a big lighted star to the tree’s lights, since the tree itself has been lit every evening right through the summer, ever since covid appeared in mid-March, to keep up the spirits of our little town. We are hoping to give the tree a rest soon!

Support for local food bank Christmas, December 2020   

This time the food bank asked for help sewing gift bags for local families. Usually at Christmas we support a family with a Christmas dinner and some gifts, but this is not possible in covid times. So the food bank handed out gift cards instead so the families could do their own shopping, and we made 75 gift bags and added a hand-made Christmas decoration and quite a good selection of candies to make the bags more fun.

Gathering at Dunrobin corner for Remembrance Day, November 11, 2020

We placed a small wreath and had 2 minutes of silence, in memory of the members of all our families who served Canada in her wars.

Support for local food bank, September 2020

The West Carleton Food Access Centre has been very busy since the covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020. We decided to provide some meal kits to supplement the supplies available at the food bank. The meal kits would have everything to put together a main meal for a family of 4. So we purchased enough for 25 tuna casserole kits, 25 taco kits, 25 birthday kits (including cake mix, icing, candles and balloons) and some small after-school snack kits.  With the labels identifying the kits from Dunrobin WI, we hope local families will enjoy the meals and maybe find out who we are too!

Meetings during Covid-19 pandemic, summer 2020

We have had 2 get-togethers this summer, in a member’s garden, of 8 and 5 members, to catch up with each other. We also needed to discuss the Carp Fair, which will not be put on for only the second time in over 150 years. In August, we helped a member hold a yard sale, which was a bit more involved because of covid19 restrictions.

Also, on May 4 we participated in a drive-by birthday party for Juanita Snelgrove, our oldest WI member, who lives in a senior’s home in Kanata. She was thrilled by the people who decorated their cars and participated in a parade of about 20 vehicles past where she sat in splendor on the front steps of the home with her family.

February 2019 Winter Carnival at Dunrobin Community Centre

During the winter after the terrible tornado of September 21, 2018, Dunrobin village really needed a party, so the Dunrobin Community Centre put on a winter carnival on Valentine’s Day. Meanwhile, in sympathy, the Coningsby WI from the Toronto area had just sent 10 handmade quilts to our Dunrobin WI. So we handed the 10 quilts out at the carnival, to comfort some of our local families, many of whom lost their homes in the tornado. We also provided all the baking and hot chocolate at the party!

(see also https://westcarletononline.com/dunrobin-carnival-a-sunny-reunion/)

100th Anniversary celebrations in May, 2018

Commemoration of a plaque at the greenspace in the centre of Dunrobin, to remember the Younghusband family. They established the first store in Dunrobin in 1861, and added a post office in 1964.

Gathering of the Dunrobin WI members at the hundredth anniversary party.