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).
As a co-operative company, the Manitoba Wheat Pool and later the Manitoba Pool Elevators was member controlled. In order to run the company successfully members needed to be educated and kept updated about the companies financial and organizational situation. Annual reports were one of the many ways the Pool tried to do this. See fonds level description of RG 4 for complete history/bio of MPE.
Scope and Content
Sub-series MPE B.7 consists of annual reports. There are two complete sets of annual reports, one for archival storage and one for use by researchers. Neither set contains a report for 1931. Reports from 1926 until 1928 are Manitoba Co-operative Wheat Producers, Ltd. Reports, 1929 - 1930 are Manitoba Wheat Pool Reports. All reports subsequent to 1931 are Manitoba Pool Elevators.
Archival set: (1) Bound Copies, MPE Annual Reports Vol. 1 1926 - 1949; MPE Annual Reports Vol. 2 1950 - 1959; MPE Annual Reports 1960 - 1969; (2) Individual MPE Annual Reports 1970 - 1998
Reserch set: Individual MPE Annual Reports 1926 - 1930, 1932 - 1998
