Experience, Learn, Publish!
During CFUW Sherbrooke & District’s 50-year history, publications have played a key role. One of the significant projects was the publication of Days to Remember: One-room Schoolhouses in the Eastern Townships of Quebec in 2007. Club members taped a series of interviews with former teachers in the 1990s and the project was revived in 2006 when it was discovered that there were many more former teachers and students who had attended one-room schoolhouses. The oral history project took on a life of its own when we discovered the many people who had fascinating historical information about their experiences. It was then that the decision was made to publish a book.
Some readers may recall that during the first few decades of the 1900s, one-room schoolhouses dotted the rural landscape of the Eastern Townships. Functional in style and constructed of local materials such as wood, fieldstone or brick, schoolhouses were built wherever families of school-aged children lived. Almost all of the teachers in these early schools were young women in their late teens or early twenties. Many had attended Mcdonald College, but some had come directly from high school into the role of teacher. Nevertheless, they assumed sole responsibility for education of all children from grade one to seven within their schoolhouse. Often other duties such as cleaning the schoolhouse, organizing events, and stoking the wood stove were also part of the position.
This was an interesting period in Townships’ social and educational history and Days to Remember; Oneroom Schoolhouses in the Eastern Townships of Quebec offered a unique window into that time. Following are some comments that have been given about the publication: “...this book is a treasure trove of local social history. The reminiscences contained therein seem as fresh as in the minds of the tellers as though they had just happened yesterday, and we are fortunate that they have been preserved for posterity,” stated Matthew Farfan (QAHN). Ardith Toogood, national CFUW President in 2007, stated that CFUW Sherbrooke & District promoted education and community involvement with this social history book. A Book Launch was held to honour contributors and special guests.
In 2010 the walking group published a 2011 calendar with the aim of highlighting some of the wonderful walking locations in the Townships with photos, description and directions,. The chosen sites were in Eastman, Mont Bellevue, Murals (Sherbrooke), Danville, Johnville Bog, Rock Forest, Richmond, Cookshire, Ayer’s Cliff, Baldwin Mills Pinnacle, Racine-valcourt, and Academy St. Woods in Lennoxville. Teams of two or three members collaborated on text and pictures for each walk. Written eight years ago, the process of preparing and printing the calendars turned out to be a challenging summer learning experience for all members. Some examples of communications during the editing process were: ‘’We need a better photo of Danville Square clock..who can take a pic? Should we include the phases of the moon, holidays? The cover photo is not working; let’s change it. ’’ And then, at the last minute on the printer’s recommendation, we had to improve the resolution of all the photos. CFUW launched the Walking Calendar at the 2010 Townshippers’ Day in Danville. Looking back now, the calendar proved to be a bigger task than first anticipated but a rewarding learning opportunity in the end. Funds from sales of the calendars were donated to the Johnville Bog and Forest Park.
Inspired by the International Cooking interest group, CFUW published a cookbook called Gateways to the Kitchens of the World in the 1970s. Linda Allen remembers the first meeting held at the late Elke Rodger’s house. ‘’We first decided to feature one course per monthly meeting but that decision quickly changed after tasting 18 different soups at our opening meeting. “One of their best dinners ever was at the late Sue Haddon’s for a Hawaiian luau, complete with roast suckling pig (and the instructions on how to carve it). Partners were invited to join on this special occasion.
The out-of-this-world recipes introduced new flavours, different ingredients, and innovative cooking techniques that begged to be recorded. A group of women undertook the task of writing and then typing a cookbook. To start, members researched different customs pertaining to the culinary art of the country to get a feel for the chosen nation. Wine pairings were suggested.
The final selection included a ‘Dinner Menus’ section featuring complete meals from Russia, France, China, Spain, Greece and Hawaii. It was impossible to omit some favourite recipes from other countries and sources. “The Gazpacho recipe is my favourite and most often used.’’ said Josée Rourke. “Marinated mushrooms and Moussaka à la Grèque are a close second.” Several members still refer to their well-used copies. The proceeds from the sale of the book were donated to the career counselling project at Champlain College, Lennoxville.
This is the third article in a series about CFUW Sherbrooke & District, celebrating 50 years in 2018. Its vision is to be a dynamic club for all women in the Eastern Townships, engaged in our community by promoting education and life-long learning in a gender-equal society. To learn more about CFUW Sherbrooke & District, please contact cfuwsherbrooke@gmail.com.