decided to try to interest our W.I. District Convention Group, which 
     
     consisted of nine districts, e.g., South Milton, Harrington, Maple 
     
     Hills, Brackley Beach, Spring Park, Parkdale, East, West, and Gen- 
     
     tral Royalties. 
     
    

    
     We contacted the Secretaries of the above mentioned Insti- 
     
     tutes several times and finally invited them and Miss Haszard of the 
     
     Provincial Women’s Institute office to a meeting in my home in 
     
     October, 1945. 
     
    

    
     After an evening of enthusiastic presentation of Festival idea, 
     
     the group decided to organize, and elected the following officers :— 
     
     P'resident, Mrs. Preston Beck, Central Royalty, Vice President, Mrs. 
     
     Edwin Cook, Parkdale, Secretary-Treasurer, Mrs. Nadine Archibald, 
     
     Central Royalty. Other charter members were: Mrs. Robert Mac- 
     
     Kinnon, Spring Park, Mrs. Stillman Frizzell, West Royalty, Mrs. 
     
     James Coles, Milton, Mrs. Preston Rodd, Harrington, Mrs. J. C. Mac- 
     
     Millan, East Royalty, and Mrs. Frank Ross, Spring Park. 
     
    

    
     Following the election of officers it was decided to proceed 
     
     with plans for a Spring Festival to be held May 10, 11, 1946 in Prince 
     
     of Wales College Auditorium. This was really a bold step as we had 
     
     no money to finance the venture, and no experience in such an organ- 
     
     ization, and we were in a position of selling a new idea to the public, 
     
     so we had much uphill work. However we had a firm belief in the ul- 
     
     timate benefits to the province of such a movement, and the know- 
     
     ledge that Festivals were making a definite contribution in raising 
     
     the standard of music in other provinces. 
     
    

    
     We approached the Government through Dr. L. W. Shaw, Dir- 
     
     eCtor of Education, and were successful in obtaining a $200 grant. 
     
     A ways and means committee was appointed to procure additional 
     
     funds, with Mrs. Frank Ross as convener. A mammoth cake sale was 
     
     held in the Market Building on March 23rd for which each Institute 
     
     member and parent donated an article to the value of one dollar. 
     
     Thus our first budget was constituted by the $5 membership fee 
     
     from each of the nine Institutes, the Cake Sale proceeds, the Govern- 
     
     ment grant, and the door receipts. No entry fee was charged and the 
     
     Music was free to pupils. All Institutes in the Province were invited 
     
    
   
   
    
     to send a delegate to the Festival. 
     
     In addition to the above named officers, the first executive 
     
    
   
   
    
     was as follows z~ Mrs. Robert MacKinnon, Spring Park, Mrs. Preston 
     
     Rodd, Harrington, Mrs. James Coles, South Milton, Mrs. Stillman 
     
     Frizzell, West Royalty, Mrs. J. C. Mac‘Millan, East Royalty, Mrs. 
     
     George Shaw, Brackley Beach, Mrs. Keir Duggan, Maple Hills, Mrs. 
     
     Harold Heartz, East Royalty. Committees werez— Publicity, Mrs. 
     
     Frank Ross, Mrs. Robert MacKinnon, Ways and Means, Mrs. Frank 
     
     Ross, Mrs. Edwin Cook, Mrs. Preston Rodd, Mrs. John Rodd. Hall 
     
     and Tickets, Mrs. Stillman Frizzell, Mrs. Fred Gates. Programme, 
     
     Mrs. James Coles, Mrs. Frank Miller, Mrs. Fred Gates. Ribbons, Mrs. 
     
     Harold Cudmore, Mrs. Robert MacKinnon. Platform Secretary, Mrs. 
     
     Preston Rodd. 
     
    
   
   
    
     We were fortunate to secure Mr. Walter MacNutt, A.T.C.M. 
     
     to draw up the first Syllabus of 55 classes. He also instructed the 
     
    
   
   
    
     ——102-