6 Friday, January 13, 2023 brooklintowncrier.com The Brooklin Men's Hockey League (BMHL) recently completed a league-wide campaign to raise money for Feed the Need Durham. The league raised $4,995 which provided 13,485 meals to people in need this past holiday season. Pictured (left to right): Jamie Neault (from the BMHL), Emily Moor- house (Stewardship & Events Officer from Durham Feed the Need) and Rob Swan (from the BMHL) Men's League Donates to Food Bank Our first library. Rescuing Grass Park from developers. Painting white lines on roads. Milk pasteurization. Advocating for safer railway crossings. The collection of narratives about Brooklin's earliest settlers. Assisting with immunization clinics And, most remarkably, performing tonsillectomies. These were some of the activities of The Brooklin Women's Institute (W.I.), one of many such groups across Ontario under the Federated Women's Institute banner. Its role in the community's history had a profound impact on our past and present. Supporting women Founded on May 10, 1910, in the basement of the since demolished Brooklin Presbyterian Church, the organization was created to provide support to local women who wanted to develop a deeper connection to their families and communities through education. With a motto of "For Home and Country," the W.I. was free from party affiliation and was not restricted to race or any religious group. From the start, the Brooklin W.I. had a significant influence on the village. Some members who studied health did indeed assist with immunization clinics and tonsillectomies, with operations performed in local homes. The W.I. also held courses in bread baking, sewing, and quilt making, with classes being well-attended as local women learned new skills. Many improvements In addition to providing education and training, the W.I. made improvements in the village. They remodelled the kitchen in the town hall at 45 Cassels Road, E. and set aside an area in the hall for Brooklin's first library, which they equipped and maintained until the library was moved in 1961 to 8 Vipond Road. The W.I. also played a key role in the organization of the Brooklin-Whitby Garden Club to meet the village's need for a horticultural society. When in 1951 residents discovered that Grass Park might be sold to developers, the W.I. led the charge to raise funds for the village to purchase the park. The W.I was also involved in lobbying activities, submitting resolutions to municipal and provincial governments on a variety of issues. Through this system of resolution, the group was able to advocate for changes such as the painting of white lines on highways, the pasteurization of milk and safer railway crossings. In addition to lobbying, the women hosted hobby shows, educational programs, and essay prize programs for children. To raise funds, they delivered radio broadcasts and served at fairs, concerts and the 1956 International Plowing Match. Our first history As its membership grew, so also did its purpose. Through the encouragement of Lady Tweedsmuir, widow of Canada's governor -general Lord Tweedsmuir (1935 -1940), the W.I. began collecting narratives about Brooklin. Thus the Tweedsmuir history book was launched. Charlotte Batty, wife of Frank Batty of one of Brooklin's farming families, took up the important cause of compiling a detailed account, complete with photographs. This book includes the history of the community's earliest settlers, agricultural practices, industries, churches, schools, community centres and local personalities. Copies can be found at the Brooklin and Central libraries. Over time, as women began to work outside their homes, they had less time to participate in the W.I. Consequently, membership declined and it became evident that the institute could no longer function as it had. The Brooklin branch disbanded on November 19, 1997. The Women Who Helped Shape Brooklin By Jennifer Hudgins