Fonds 0026 - Agnes Forbes Auxiliary fonds

The Agnes Forbes Auxiliary was founded as the Glen Leslie Auxiliary in 1916, a women's auxiliary to the Glen Leslie Presbyterian Church, which had been built in 1915. The name was changed to the Agnes Forbes Auxiliary in May of 1916. The ladies met monthly in the homes of members; it appears that the "meetings" were used for practical occasions such as quilting, preparing for events or cleaning the church, as well as social occasions such as farewells. Devotional exercises, readings and music were a regular part of the meeting. Founding members were, "Mesdames Leslie, Milne, Minchin, Weatherly, Hackwell and Miss Johnston. Mesdames Forbes and Shuttleworth of McQueen's Auxiliary were present to organize the society." The women participated in many community events such as the Frontier Exhibition and held an annual 'Christmas Tree' for the Somme School children, (Glen Leslie Church being also used as a school). They also did quilting, sewing, knitting and fancy work for fund-raising sales and the Red Cross, and supported soldiers from the Glen Leslie area through letters and gifts. In 1918, the club was enlarged to include all the women in the community and the name changed to the United Women's Community Club. They supported the church and the Smoky Community Hall through membership dues and fund-raising through fowl suppers, dramatic presentations and sales of work, and introduced new programs such as a community Sunday School. They also planned and prepared for the annual community picnic and sports day and worked with other community groups such as sports organizations to sponsor events. In 1928, a new society was formed, patterned after and taking on the name of the previous, "Agnes Forbes Auxiliary", while focusing on spiritual needs rather than community events.