Introduction
As a child in elementary school in Ontario, I remember standing for the playing of “God Save the Queen” as we faced a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. I also remember singing with pride Bobby Gimby’s 1967 song “CA-NA-DA” to commemorate Canada’s 100th Anniversary of Confederation.
On April 17th,1982, Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, the Minister of Justice, Jean Chrétien, and André Ouellet, the Registrar General, signed the Proclamation which brought the Constitution Act 1982 into force, confirming that Canada had formally assumed authority over its constitution. The day marked the official birth of Canada as a sovereign nation.
I am one of a generation of Canadians who has one foot rooted in the past and one foot planted in the new Canada. I love and respect tradition, while being open to change. Schools, clubs, and holidays have experienced many changes over the years since my childhood. Today, I would like to talk about one holiday and one very special club that have moved with the times, while keeping long standing traditions in place.
Victoria Day
Monday, May 18th, 2020, is a federal statutory holiday in Canada and it is a uniquely Canadian celebration. Canada is the only country that commemorates Queen Victoria with an official holiday. The holiday has been observed in Canada since at least 1845, originally falling on Victoria's actual birthday, May 24, 1819. It continues to be celebrated in various fashions across the country and remains a distinctly Canadian observance.
The birthday of Queen Victoria was a day for celebration in Canada long before Confederation, with the first legislation regarding the event being passed in 1845 by the parliament of the Province of Canada to officially recognize May 24th as the Queen's birthday. It was noted that on that date in 1854, the 35th birthday of Queen Victoria, some 5,000 residents of Canada West (Ontario) gathered in front of Government House (near present day King and Simcoe Streets in Toronto) to "give cheers to their queen". An example of a typical 19th century celebration of the Queen's birthday took place on May 24, 1866, in Omemeee, also in Canada West. The town mounted a day-long fête to mark the occasion, which included a gun salute at midnight, pre-dawn serenades, picnics, athletic competitions, a display of illuminations, and a torch-light procession. Such events were common around the colony; and by the 1890s, the day had become a "patriotic holiday".
Much has changed over the years. Across the country, Victoria Day now serves as the unofficial marker of the end of the winter ski season and the beginning of cottage season. The holiday enacted to celebrate Queen Victoria, is now colloquially known in many parts of Canada as May Two-Four (referring to both to the date around which the holiday falls—May 24 and Canadian slang for a case of twenty-four beers ("two-four"). Victoria Day is also now known as Firecracker Day. In the song "Lakeside Park" by Canadian rock band Rush in their 1975 album “Caress of Steel”, the holiday is referenced in the line, "Everyone would gather on the 24th of May, sitting in the sand to watch the fireworks display" (2:50). And many will no doubt remember singing, "The twenty-fourth of May is the Queen's birth-day. If they don't give us a holiday, we'll all run away!" as kids.
Two very different songs by Canadian artists that celebrate Canada and Victoria Day.
This year will be a low-keyed celebration with restrictions on public gatherings due to CoVid 19. I do expect to see and hear firecrackers and smell the aroma of bar-b-ques wafting from neighbouring backyards—just enough to remind us all that today is Victoria Day.
Canadian Clubs: The WCCH
Canadian Clubs are unique. The Honourable Vincent Massey described them as forming “the only organization in Canada that exists for the primary purpose of promoting a faith in our country and a love for it.” Back in the 1890s, the “Canadian identity” we take for granted, did not exist. We saw ourselves as English, Italian, Chinese, or whatever our country of origin, not as “Canadian”.
Aerial view of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Photo Credit: WCCH.
The Canadian Club originated in Hamilton in 1893. Canadian Clubs formed quickly across Canada. A national organization was created in 1909 and incorporated into a national “Association of Canadian Clubs” by an Act of Parliament in 1939. On May 3, 1912, the first public meeting of the Women’s Canadian Club of Hamilton was held. It appears that the ladies were welcomed as guests in the former club before deciding to start their own club with the assistance of members from the original club.
The first WCCH, which consisted of forty-three women, elected a seven-member executive and six councillors. It should be noted that, unlike today, for many years members were required to be British subjects.
Lester B. Pearson served as Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957 for “saving the world” as a Canadian diplomat with a UN peacekeeping force during the Suez Crisis in the Middle East.
Their first project was a recital held to benefit the Titanic victims. The substantial sum of $54 was raised. A second project was the mounting of a bronze plaque on the Pigott Building to honour the location of the first Canadian Club.
In addition to informing members of the issues of the day through a variety of speakers, the Women’s Canadian Club of Hamilton of today has also undertaken activities to promote a broad, healthy nationalism. Over the years, support has been given to students, new Canadians, artists, authors, events celebrating local, regional, provincial and national history and projects that foster and promote pride in Canada and Canadians. In 1967, Canada’s centennial year, the WCCH helped to welcome our Prime Minister, former Hamiltonian Lester B. Pearson, who attended the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Canadian Club of Hamilton.
Encounters with Canada is one of the many organizations supported by the WCCH. Photo Credit: Carolyn MacArthur.
The WCCH continues this work in various ways. It continues to encourage students in an appreciation of Canadian culture through the Encounters with Canada program, and by making donations to many of our speakers’ favourite charities. The club donated a painting to the Art Gallery of Hamilton, the flag poles on Jackson Square and an epergne to Dundurn Castle. Members of the Women’s Canadian Club of Hamilton have long participated in swearing-in ceremonies for new Canadians. This particular activity is dear to the hearts of our members, as each ceremony reaffirms the privileges we enjoy and the responsibilities we share as Canadians.
The Women’s Canadian Club of Canada has donated its records and documents for safe keeping to the Hamilton Public Library. There are many original books with meeting minutes written in beautiful longhand script, discussion materials, copies of speeches, a book of famous signatures, as well as a wide variety of ephemera.
Former WCCH President, Pat Saunders, with WCCH Councillor, Christina Begley. Photo Credit: Carolyn MacArthur.
As with everything, change is unavoidable. However, the WCCH still has the desire to strengthen Canadian unity and identity, encourage the preservation and promotion of Canadian heritage and history, and to extend the knowledge and understanding of Canadians to the people of other nations.
Editor’s Notes: I had the pleasure of serving as a WCCH councillor for three years until my writing duties for SIDEBURNS Magazine took over my time. I have fond memories of those three years: connecting with other members, listening to wonderful presentations, enjoying lovely dinners, and being part of a club steeped in tradition while changing with the times. At meetings and club events, I looked forward to the moment when members and guests were asked to stand for the singing of “God Save the Queen”. As we stood facing the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, I was transported back to the days of my youth when my Canadian identity was firmly established. The singing of “Oh Canada” and “God Save the Queen” will forever fill my heart with immense pride and joy.
In December 2019, I was invited by former WCCH president, Pat Saunders, to be her guest at Liuana Station for the WCCH Christmas luncheon. It was wonderful seeing familiar faces and meeting new people. If you are looking for a welcoming club that offers comradeship and interesting events, please contact the Women’s Canadian Club of Hamilton via their website: https://wcchamilton.ca/
Photos: WCCH 2019 Christmas Luncheon
Photos: Past WCCH Events
Edits, and photos in above album, are credited to Carolyn MacArthur, Editor, SIDEBURNS Magazine. Information sources: https://www.wikipedia.org/ and https://wcchamilton.ca/