On June 8th, 2024, the St. Lawrence GA held their 60th anniversary celebration in conjunction with their annual Mother and Daughter Banquet. Among the invited guests were Elaine and Marilyn, daughters, of the group’s founder, Mrs. Enid Smith. The rector of the parish at the time was The Rev’d T. E. Smith. Carol McDonald, Mayor of Portugal Cove-St. Philips, was also in attendance. Mayor McDonald was one of the leaders of the original group.
The meal was a cold plate prepared by our ACW ladies. After the meal, leader Ruth Bugden conducted the presentations and awards. The GA Executive made presentations to all the leaders: Ruth Bugden, Heather Greeley, Sylvia Greeley, Christina Hall, Natasha Thorne, and Danylia Codner. Ruth was honoured as being a GA leader for 60 years. As a thank you to all mothers and grandmothers over the years for all their support, flowers were presented to Barb Mitchell, Marg Churchill (posthumously), and Loretta Collins. Loretta was one of the original GA girls in 1964.
A Tree of Memories was decorated with personalized handmade souvenirs for all Honour Ring Girls attending the banquet. The entertainment took us through the years, and souvenirs were presented to each girl throughout the evening in accordance with the year she received her Honour Ring. Loretta Churchill Dicks and Elaine Churchill Hann were the first girls to receive a ring in the 1960’s. Loretta attended the banquet and carried the banner at our Anniversary Service on Sunday morning.
Two special awards were given to the present GA girls. The Krista Lynn Mitchell Award for Most Improved GA girl was presented to Morgan Ploughman, and the Chesley Moss Memorial Award was presented to Laura Peckham. These awards were given in memory of GA members who have passed from this life, and presented by members of the respective families. A donation to the Guatemala Mission Team was made in memory of Donna Murphy. This was a very emotional time for the recipients and the presenters, as well as for the majority of those of attendance. Congratulations from the parish were given by The Rev’d Wayne Parsons, and from the St. Lawrence ACW, given by President Pam King.
Then we had an hour of entertainment in the form of dancing, singing, and skits, all performed by the current and former GA members, all of which brought tears of laughter from the antics of the jokes, skits, and performances. The entertainers did a fantastic job as they took us through the decades, it was certainly a night to remember.
For the past year, this group has held numerous events giving all previous and current members an opportunity to socialize and reminisce. They held a family brunch, a craft night, a Hallowe’en party, a high tea, a reunion night, and an anniversary church service. This group, consisting of grandmothers/mothers/daughters/aunts/nieces and lifelong friends, is a very big part of the St. Lawrence parish. Our prayer is that this will continue for many years.
