Highlights 1994

Our patrons, their Excellencies, the Right Honourable Ramon John Hnatyshyn and Mrs. Gerda Hnatyshyn, sent Good Wishes to the Society for 1994. The Interim President was honoured to represent the Society at the Governor General's New Year's Day levee and in October the Past President was invited to a luncheon on the occasion of the visit of President and Mrs. Kuchma of Ukraine.

The Society held ten program meetings with an average attendance of seventy. The acquisition of a sound system has improved the enjoyment for members. The Society staged six horticultural shows, a spring plant sale, a plant auction, three field trips, a garden competition and a photographic competition.

The Society produced a Yearbook and four Newsletters. It provided demonstrations, workshops, speakers, displays, written articles, representation to the Ontario Horticultural Association and to environmental meetings. In addition, the Society participated actively in the turf trials of the Downtown Ottawa Boulevard Greening Project. Details of these and other activities appear elsewhere in the Yearbook.

The Society is grateful to Margaret Atack and her committee who have catalogued our library in the Dewey Decimal System. The library operates on the honour system; members simply sign books in and out. Topical editions are displayed during program meetings but the entire library is accessible at each meeting.

In the early years of this century the Society amassed a considerable collection of glass milk bottles for use at shows to display horticultural specimens. Local dairies discontinued the use of bottles about 1957. Since then some of the Society's collection have become valuable to collectors. Because we had more bottles than required, some of the more interesting ones were sold by auction and private sale, netting over $300. A bottle from the Sorely Dairy was presented to present long-time member Margaret Sorely from whose grandfather's dairy the bottle had originated. Margaret's grandfather had been an early member of the O.H.S.

After ten years as convenor of publicity, Patti Allen left for a year in England where she will enjoy Christmas roses (Helleborus) while we are shovelling snow.

Members and friends of Arlene Gustafson (Shows Convenor) were delighted to help celebrate her 80th birthday on September 24. Her horticultural expertise, for both indoor and outdoor gardening, her integrity and especially her sense of humour are invaluable to the O.H.S.

The Christmas banquet, with its accompanying festivities was the grand finale of the year. A full slate of officers was elected. Her Worship, Jacquelin Holzman, the Mayor of Ottawa and Honorary President of the Society, presented trophies to the winners.

Donna Christie, Director District 2, O.H.A. presented Judy Shedden with her Past President's pin and Herb Cheesman with a very special Award of Merit in recognition of his long and dedicated service as Treasurer of O.H.S.

Please contact the OHS or the author if you wish to republish these articles. © Ottawa Horticultural Society

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