Colwood Women's Institute

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  Benefits of membership:

- New friendships with women

- Helping to make a positive change in your local community 

- Having a political voice in women’s issues provincially, federally, and internationally

- Be ready for crafting and laughter! 

Gatherings: 1st Tuesday of each month

 Where: Colwood Community Hall WI Annex 

Time: 6:00-8:30pm   

On October 18, 1910 the Colwood W.I was formed. One of the first projects was to raise funds to add an extension onto the Colwood Hall for a Women’s Institute meeting room, kitchen and rest room. During the war years several members joined the Air Raid Precaution and took first aid and HOE nursing classes. The Colwood Hall was a first aid station post.  Agnes Parker’s Certificate and badge are now in the Colwood Fire Dept Museum along with the first aid box and book of thank you letters from the local servicemen for parcels received during the war. Mrs. Bickford spent an hour once a week showing children at school how to transplant and care for their garden.  Lessons were given to Members on dress making and cooking. They purchased a steam canner and held demonstrations of steam canning.  Colwood and Luxton WI combined meetings regularly.

 The first event held in the Colwood Hall was a dance put on by the Colwood, Metchosin, and Sooke Women’s Institute . James Dunsmuir recommended that Colwood WI get a church started in Colwood.  St. John the Baptist Anglican Church was built. Colwood W.I. held the deed to the Colwood Pioneer Cemetery until 1993, when we passed the trusteeship to the City of Colwood. Funds were also raised to start a W.I. Library. Concerts and dances were held in aid of the Red and Blue Cross.  Sewing and knitting was done for the Red Cross as well. Colwood WI made a resolution that a special day be set aside to commemorate the founding of the Women’s Institute and honouring the founder. It was adopted by the W.I.’s throughout Canada. We held an Adelaide Hoodless Day Tea Feb. 20, 1935. We were the first Institute to commemorate Adelaide Hoodless Day. 

Mrs. Laura Dunsmuir gave permission to hold a garden tea on the grounds of Hatley Castle.  This became a yearly event until her death. They were grand events indeed! The proceeds went to aid the solarium. Colwood, Langford, Luxton W.I held there first fall fair in 1937. Colwood WI Celebrated their 35th Birthday in 1945. During this era, the Colwood WI sponsored a well baby clinic once a month, and members helped the district nurse.  One day a week was also devoted to quilt making.  

The Colwood W.I. took over the trusteeship of the Colwood Hall in 1950.  Their 50th birthday was celebrated with a tea.  Members dressed in the attire of the 1910 era to re-enact the first meeting held.  In1962, a new addition to the WI Annex was completed. During this era, Soft toys were sent to the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.  Members taught the Brownies how to knit and crochet.  Donations were made to the Children’s Hospital in Vancouver and to the Queen Alexandra and Children’s Hospital on Vancouver Island.  The members held fall fairs, card parties and bazaars. They made quilts, learned loom weaving, how to use a spinning wheel, and carding sheep wool for the quilts. They held many crafting and skills classes.  

Today, our fundraising contributions continue to go to the Community Children’s foundation ( Queen Alexandra Foundation )and to the BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, and to our local community in need. 

Colwood Women’s Institute is still active in the community today. Come join us and help us bring community together!

Are there craft projects, you have always wanted to try? During our gatherings crafts are happening, as well as event planning and fundraising for our community. We also network and participate in many different fun and friendly events with other sister branches both locally and abroad.

Women's Institutes are worldwide and we support all women around the world. 

"The real value of life can only be gauged by what it gives to the world. The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth.”

                                    -Sir William Grenfel 

   BCWI Resolution 2021: Forensic Nursing

Be it resolved the BC Women’s Institute request that every community in BC have either an established clinic staffed with forensic nurses and support workers that are accessible for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse, and human trafficking or have a forensic nurse accessible for victims via a mobile service in partnership with hospitals/urgent care centres in more rural communities.”  

"Forensic nurses help meet the physical, emotional, and legal needs of victims of violence. Critically, they also ensure that forensic evidence is properly collected and will offer to testify in court. These nurses understand the interlinking roles of forensic science, law enforcement, and the justice system. They are versed in the provincial and federal laws pertaining to trauma, crime, and violence. They care for both the victims and perpetrators—people who have been involved in sexual assault, child abuse, elder abuse, trauma, violence between adults, and sometimes death".  

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CWI is now fundraising to offer a bursary to registered nurses that want to complete their education to become a forensic nurse. This bursary is being collected by us locally, and then sent to the BCWI head office fir dispersement. Each nurse requires $1000 to cover the costs associated with the Forensic Nurse Training Program through BCIT. So each time funds are raised to $1000, we will award this bursary to RN’s across BC.   

   BCWI Resolution: Aquamation;

Be it resolved the British Columbia Women’s Institute petition the Solicitor General of the government of British Columbia to amend the Cemetery, Internment and Funeral Services Act and all regulations to include a definition of cremation and in that definition include the provision for Alkaline Hydrolysis (Aquamation) to be an approved method of cremation within the Province of British Columbia.”(2020) 

We currently only have two legal ways to lay a body to rest. The options are burial and cremation. With burial we have some opportunities for green/natural burial. With cremation we only have one option, flame based with an environmental impact as follows - 29 kilowatt hours of electricity; 285 kilowatt hours of gas, 350lbs of greenhouse gases; emissions 573 lb of CO2. The cremation rate in BC is the highest in North America at 80% 

Ms. Ngaio Davis - www.korucremation.com gave us the following statistics:
Some of the Environmental benefits of Aquamation are:-uses 13-25% the amount of energy as flame cremation-considered zero emissions

-creates a sterile fluid, drained to a water treatment system or used as 

fertilizer.

-uses only twice as much water per person as they would use daily in life 

-not carcinogenic to the operator 

Aquamation is a far more environmentally way to complete the cremation process 

Sign the petition supporting aquamation: http://www.change.org/aquamationbc