The Watch Lake and District Women's Institute (WI) have a long and storied history of volunteerism and activism in the South Cariboo.
The Women's Institute, which the Watch Lake WI is a part of, is an educational organization for women with a mission to work together to expand the skills of women to improve the conditions of their home, community and the world as a whole, with a focus on service, self-fulfilment and sociability. It was founded in 1897 in Stoney Creek, Ontario - after Adelaide Hoodless' son died of tainted milk.
The Watch Lake and District WI was founded in 1939 by Charlotte Lenz, Sadie Eden and Allison and Enid Horn. It was formed for social and educational reasons and to fill the void left in the community by the folding of the Lone Butte Women's Institute in 1938. The Watch Lake and District Women's Institute held its first fall fair in 1945 - and supported the start of the 70 Mile Women's Institute in 1958. They had held their first meetings at the old Watch Lake Schoolhouse.
"That was at 9:30 [p.m.], so they didn't finish until 11 o'clock at night. Obviously, a good time was held by all, at least it was in August - because later on, the ladies had to come on horse and slept (there)," explained Karin Forbes, the president of the Watch Lake and District WI, who has been a member of the group since 1970.
During the Second World War, the Watch Lake and District WI made several contributions to the war effort.
"They contacted Bridge Lake Women's Institute, to see if they wanted to go together with collecting scrap iron for the war, because they could get a railroad car to send it down to Vancouver, so it would be a little cheaper," Forbes explained. "And of course, the ladies did a lot of sewing and knitting to send over for the war, they made baby layouts and children's clothing - and they would knit warm socks and toques for the adults."
Activism was also a key part of the Watch Lake and District WI. In late 1986, Watch Lake and District WI sent nine letters in protest of a proposed Koster Siding application for a waste management permit in the South Cariboo.
"After considering the protests, the application was withdrawn. We didn't want the toxic waste and Vancouver garbage to endanger our area for the environment," Forbes said.
Forbes loves being a member of the Watch Lake and District WI, but says she was once asked to consider joining the 70 Mile House WI instead.
"Because it would be closest to me, because I'm the furthest away from Watch Lake - because I live on Green Lake, so it's a half an hour almost for me. And she suggested that maybe I should join the 70 Mile House, which would be 10 minutes. And I said, no - if you want to get rid of me, you're gonna have to vote me out," Forbes recalled.
The Watch Lake WI has also done several upgrades to the Watch Lake Community Hall throughout its history. In the 1970s, a large frame addition was added that had been bought and paid for by the Watch Lake and District WI, as well as in 1998, when Watch Lake and District WI raided around $23,000 to replace the hall. But the WI isn't merely into renovations.
"We also donate to anybody in the community who needs help, whether it be keeping appointments or a little bit of food or money, or just maybe somebody's ill - (we give) a little help," explained Joni Guenther, the current treasurer of the Watch Lake and District WI.
"We do a lot of fundraising, and all of our funds are distributed in the community," Guenther said.
Three $500 bursaries are given to graduates of Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School every year. Additionally, the institute has also donated money to the 100 Mile District General Hospital, the 100 Mile House Food Bank Society, the B.C. Cancer Foundation, the Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops and the Children's Foundation on Vancouver Island - among others.
They raise this money from the annual Watch Lake Fishing Derby and the two Watch Lake Gykhamanas held every summer.
"We raise a lot of money there," Guenther says about those events.
Guenther says that the Watch Lake Women's Institute is always looking for new members to join the group and welcomes any women interested to reach out to them. Forbes can be reached at 250-456-7740 while Guenther can be reached at 250-456-7330.
"We're getting old, or should I say, more mature, and actually - this last meeting we had, we have actually acquired three new members. So we're up to, I believe nine, and one of the members comes from the Lower Mainland, and she is very enthusiastic," Forbes remarked. "So we're very happy to see because maybe we can start doing the things we used to do."
