The Business and Professional Women's Club of Brandon was created in November 1932. The club grew out of a meeting of business and professional women who were interested in forming an association. Guest speakers at the meeting were Miss Hilda Hesson, the Vice President of the Federation of Canadian Business and Professional Women's Clubs, and Miss F. Ingram, the President of the Winnipeg Business and Professional Women's Club. The objective of the Brandon club, according to its constitution, was the "promotion of educational, service, and social facilities for the business and professional women." The club consisted of active and associate members and belonged to the greater Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women's Club. The first President of the club was Miss Margaret Gemmell, with approximately 80 women attended the club's first meeting. The club established sub-committees on a variety of subjects including current events, sports, bridge instruction, public speaking, dress making, photography, stitch craft, manual training, and physical culture. The club also put on exhibitions, participated in drama festivals, held rummage sales and an annual Christmas party. During the Second World War, it established a War Effort Department. This department organized activities such as sewing and knitting in support of the war effort. The War Effort Department also raised money for charities such as the Red Cross. During its meetings, the club often heard local and national speakers or watched films. Women of many different vocations joined the club including florists, teachers, salesclerks, nurses, and housewives. Over the years, additional departments were added to the club including those named poetry, pottery, woodcraft, and drama.
Custodial History
This fonds was accessioned by the McKee Archives in 2002. Previous custodial history is unknown.
Scope and Content
Fonds contains three small scrapbooks, which cover the years 1932-1939, 1939-1949, and 1950-1959, respectively. The scrapbooks contain newpaper clippings from the Brandon Sun, the Winnipeg Free Press, and the Flin Flon Daily Miner. The scrapbooks also contain exhibition and meeting programs from the Brandon Club. Fonds also contains meeting minutes for the years 1932-1972.
Brandon Business and Professional Women's Club (10-2002); Minnedosa Business and Professional Women's Club (11-2002); Neepawa Business and Professional Women's Club (12-2002); Trilliam Business and Professional Women's Club (2-2006).
Manitoba Pool Elevators was quick to realize the usefulness of the radio medium as a educational and promotional tool. It was also often used to defend the Pool and the co-operative movement in general on programs such as Farm Radio Forum. See fonds level description of RG 4 for complete history/bio of MPE.
Scope and Content
Sub-series MPE B.10 consists of textual radio broadcast transcriptions. The records include transcriptions from 1930 until 1971. Radio broadcasts are on a wide variety of topics, including argicultural science, the grain market and general economy of Canada and the world, government acts and legislation that affected the producer, co-operatives and the co-operative movement, rural life, young people, WWII, Manitoba, and the Manitoba Pool Elevators.
See fonds level description of RG 4 for history/bio of MPE
Scope and Content
This artificially created sub-series consists of documents and correspondence pertaining to MPE's acquisition of private companies. The records include the following:
1. Kenmore Industries 1959-1977
2. Seed Plant 1945-1971
3. Northern Canadian Seed Sales Ltd. 1947-1971
4. Fairway Milling and Grain Co. 1970-1971
5. Terminal #2 – Horne Elevator 1937-1977
6. Douglas Depot 1968-1972
7. Ogilvie – Lake of the Woods Purchase 1955-1961
8. Western Canada Elevators 1940
9. Northern Canadian Seed Sales Ltd. 1965-1970
10. Westland Elevators Limited
11. Kenmore Industries Share Certificates 1959-1975
12. Gillespie Grain Company Ltd. 1935-1944
Kenmore Industries Minute Book 1959-1975
13. Burns Foods Ltd. (Pool Packers Ltd. Purchase) 1969-1971
Co-enerco was a co-operative energy company that resulted from the Co-operative Resources Project.
See also fonds level description of RG 4 for history/bio of MPE
Scope and Content
This sub-series consists of records pertaining to the formation of Co-enerco.
CSP Foods Ltd resulted from an amalgamtion of Co-op Vegetable Oils Ltd with MPE in 1975. The company operated crushing plants in Altona, Manitoba and in Saskatchewan, and was overseen by members of MPE and the Sask Wheat Pool.
See also fonds level description of RG 4 for history/bio of MPE
Scope and Content
This sub-series consists of minutes, correspondence, reports, and promotional materials.
Notes
Description by Jillian Sutherland (2010)
History taken from F.W. Hamilton's "Service at Cost"
Pool Insurance Limited was created in 1939 and re-incorporated at Pool Insurance Company in 1940. It was designed to internalize some of the insurance risk of MPE, which had previously been carried by an extenal company.
Co-operative Life Insurance Company was formed in 1945 to offer pool members affordable life insurance tailored to their lives as producers.
See also fonds level description of RG 4 for history/bio of MPE
Scope and Content
This sub-series consists of documents and minutes.
