Seaforde Women’s Institute Celebrate 50 Years
Celebration cake
Seaforde WI Celebrates 50th Years
Exactly 50 years to the date that Seaforde W.I. held their first meeting in the
JH McCammon Hall, an Anniversary Dinner was held in the Burrendale Hotel on 26th October 2015.
President Annabel Cleland welcomed Federation Chairman Mrs Elizabeth Warden, Quoile Area Executive member Mrs Edwina Marr and Presidents of neighbouring WI’s along with Founder member Mrs Pearl Shaw and past members.
After a delicious meal the Anniversary cake, which had been baked by Mrs Shaw, was cut by Annabel and past presidents of Seaforde Mrs Helen Rea, Mrs Margaret Broome and Mrs Margaret McCall.
Mrs Elizabeth Warden brought greeting from the Federation and told us that the initial membership in 1965 was 38 and members paid 6d for tea and biscuits at the monthly meeting. It is nice to know that the current membership is also 38.
Mrs Edwina Marr congratulated Seaforde on their 50th anniversary and wished it every success for the future.
Seaforde member Margaret Broome gave an overview of the last fifty years of institute life. Some things haven’t changed much; the monthly meetings are based around cooking, craft and flowers with a bit of travel thrown in, and the monthly competition continues. The institute continues to support a number of charities and whereas a bag of coal was delivered to the elderly in the community, now gifts are collected for the Salvation Army Family Appeal and donations made to such charities as the Mourne Rescue and most recently the Southern Area Hospice.
Then it was time for entertainment which was provided by Arthur Gibson, Wilfie Keys and Hugh McKee on their accordions and banjo. A number of well known tunes were played which got the ladies singing along, interspersed with jokes and even a quiz on the W.I. Needless to say the quiz master was unable to outwit the WI ladies on their specialist subject!
A vote of thanks was proposed by Mrs Susan McDowell and the evening came to an end, everyone clutching their new Seaforde WI mug and the beautifully decorated programme which had been made by our talented member Mrs Helen Newell. A successful and enjoyable evening which will be talked about for some time to come.
Cutting of the cake by President Annabelle Clelland along with former Presidents
Federation Chairman Elizabeth Warden with President Annabelle Clelland
