International Women's Day. Let's celebrate all those women that paved the way for us.
The first lady is Susannah Oland who started Canada's first brewery back in 1867 in New Brunswick. The family still owns and operates Moosehead Brewery.
Viola Desmond was a civil rights activist and came from Nova Scotia. She refused to sit in the blacks only section of a movie theater in New Glasgow. We honour her on our $10 Canadian bill.
Flora McDonald was a Canadian politician who was instrumental in obtaining Canadian passports for 6 Americans who hid in the Canadian Embassy in Iran for 79 days. When they were free back in N. America a male politician said to her "I didn't know women could keep a secret."
Lucy Maud Montgomery. A Canadian icon who wrote the wonderful series of books Anne of Green Gables. The books made Prince Edward Island famous and after many times of trying her books were finally published. Now look around and see how many Canadian women authors they are.
Eleanor Thompson and Meta Hodge were both nurses during WW1. They were the first women to win the Military Medal for Bravery. After their hospital was bombed they climbed out of the rubble, ignored their injuries and rushed their soldiers to safety. The photo is of Meta Hodge.
Dr. Jean Rumney was the first woman to graduate from the Ontario Veterinary College here in Ontario in 1939. Today more women are veterinarians than men are. I'm sorry I searched and could not find a photo of this lady.
I have to honour my grandmothers. Both of them lost their husbands long before they should have. Both women didn't whine, or complain they got on with their lives. Granny Mason took in people's laundry. She taught me how to iron a shirt to perfection via the quick and easy method. No, I didn't have to warm the iron up on the wood stove to do it. Grandma Lindsay had 7 mouths to feed when Grandpa died of a massive stroke. My Dad had just finished grade 8, so he quit school and finally got a job in the Toronto Shipyards where he learned his trade, which was welding.
They both taught me to work hard, but to enjoy what you do. To tackle anything that came your way and don't whine, don't complain. Just do it and get on with it.
All these women were outstanding in what they did as are so many others. Ladies of the past, that set the future for all of us.