Stick major part of Brandon College history
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/10/2016 (3356 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Anne Taylor still remembers the day she was elected by the student body of Brandon College to be Lady Stick in 1965.
“There was a special ceremony and we got to carry (the sticks) in the Freshie Parade. I remember sitting on the back seat of the Cadillac, on top of the car, with red and gold streamers all around,” Taylor said. “It felt a little like I was in the Rose Bowl Parade.”
For decades, the Senior Stick and Lady Stick were some of the most senior roles in the student executive at Brandon College.
Each Stick also carried an actual stick — a three-foot-long ceremonial wooden staff, topped in silver and covered in silver rings that bore the name and year of every Stick that came before.
“(The sticks are) a real piece of history,” Taylor said. “We were very proud and happy to be part of Brandon College …our social life and school spirit was quite amazing.”
The history of the stick goes back to 1919, when Senior Stick was introduced. In 1923, a group of women successfully lobbied to have the Lady Stick introduced.
Among all the names etched in silver on the Senior Stick is Thomas Douglas, who was elected from 1929 to 1930.
The positions were phased out in 1967, just as Brandon College became Brandon University. The sticks were placed on display in the university library, a token of traditions passed.
But at some point over the years, the Senior Stick went missing.
“It disturbed me that this very important symbol to us was gone,” Taylor said. “I discussed it with other alumni and thought we should replace it. So we started fundraising.”
To recreate the Senior Stick, Brandon University found Alex McPhie, a Winnipeg-based archeological silversmith who specializes in old-fashioned metalwork. Basing his work on the existing Lady Stick, as well as photographs of the original Senior Stick, McPhie crafted a reproduction.
The total cost of the recreation came to just under $5,300, but alumni raised more than enough to cover the cost, Taylor said.
“I think it’s really important to honour tradition, not because I think things should stay the same … BU has a strong history of including women in student government and of being inclusive … since we’ve been here that has just continued,” Taylor said.
“It was important to replace the Senior Stick so we can acknowledge the past and the good things that come from it, and take the best of it and build on it to work toward even better things in the future.”
» edebooy@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @erindebooy