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Page Saturday July 1 1989 An 80s man helped start Institute By RUTH RAN EN DON K Public Relations Officer Halton District Acton You may wonder what an 80s man has to do with a womens organization like the Womens In stitute You may think his role might only be that of a husband who stays home to mind the house and relaxes while his wife attends meeting There was an 80s man who not only had a wife raised a family and supported her activities but who was cofounder of the Womens Institute organization The difference was that this 80s man was from the 1880s Erland Lee was a public spirited and prominent farmer who raised purebred Jerseys on his farm in Saltfleet Township near Stoney Creek He was a school teacher also received a certificate in agriculture in His wife Janet was a school teacher as well and they married in In Erland attended a meeting of the Farmers Ex perimental Union at the Ontario Agriculture College in Guelph There he heard a dynamic ad dress by Adelaide Hoodless of Hamilton Mrs Hoodless had great ideas on the need to educate farm women and emphasized the need to raise the standard of health and safety while improving homemak- skills It was with Lees encouragement that he and his wife Janet invited Mrs Hoodless to speak at Ladies Night of the Saltfleet Farmers Institute Erland and Janet travelled the roads and encouraged all the women to attend this meeting in Squires Hall Stoney Creek on Feb 1897 Assisted by Senator Smith and Major Carpenter Lee helped the women draft the original bylaw and constitution and carried out the necessary negotiations with the Minister of Agriculture to secure the Charter These were hand penned by Janet Lee sitting at the walnut dining- room table which remains in the Lee Home today The Erland Lee Home is now- historic Museum purchased in by the Federated Womens In stitutes of Ontario It has been beautifully preserved and main tained and as you enter the kit chen the scent of homemade bread and freshly churned butter is wonderful If you havent been to see this lovely home filled with everything from antique chandeliers to childrens hand made toys and beautiful quilts then you have missed a very uni que visit They have plenty of picnic and parking facilities and an in teresting craft shop- They are located at Ridge Drive Stoney Creek Buses should book in ad vance by calling They are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am pm year round except for the month of February RECYCLING It on works If we all do our pari Please Remember to Recycle This Newspaper Education meetings The Ministerial Inquiry on Religious Education in Ontario public elementary schools will hold a series of- public meetings across the province this fall chairperson Dr Glenn Wat son has announced We want to give as many groups and individuals as possi ble an opportunity to make their views known on this important educational issue Dr Watson said The meetings will be held as follows Southwestern Ontario Wind sor Sept 6 Sarnia Sept 7 don Sept 8 Central and Eastern Ontario St Catharines Oct 3 Kitchener Oct Cobourg Oct 5 Ottawa Oct 11 Brockville Oct Oct 17 Toronto Oct 18 19 Mississauga Oct 20