It is unquestionable that Canadians of Scottish descent have made incredibly important contributions to the development of Manitoba’s character starting with the Orcadian employees of the Hudson’s Bay Company who arrived on ships at York Factory in the 17th and 18th centuries. And, of course, we cannot forget the Selkirk Settlers who arrived on the banks of the Red River in 1812. Throughout the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, numerous Scottish immigrants have chosen Manitoba as their homes.
In 1871, just one year after Manitoba joined Confederation, a group of these Scottish expatriates under President Donald A. Smith, formed the Selkirk St. Andrew’s Society of Manitoba. It gained formal recognition by the Manitoba Legislature in March 1896 as the St. Andrew’s Society of Winnipeg. Its membership list is a veritable Who’s Who of Manitoba society, including premiers, senators, MPs, MLA, mayors, city councillors, chief constables, and numerous members of the military, business community, academia, judiciary, the clergy, the arts, and professions. And their names live on today in the names of numerous Winnipeg city streets, such as Smith, Donald, Bannatyne, Taylor, Emslie, and McMicken.
The Society’s fundamental purpose is to preserve and promote Scottish culture in Manitoba and, secondarily, to promote recognition of the historic contribution of Scots and those of Scottish descent to the building of Manitoba. Among the groups’ annual events are the St. Andrew’s Day Dinner, a Selkirk Settlers Fall Commemorative, a New Year’s Levee, and an annual golf tournament. It provides annual grants in support of the St. Andrew’s Society Pipe Band and other Scottish cultural and dance groups and pipe bands. Special projects have included the erection of the Fort Douglas Cairn and the Scots Thistle Monument on Waterfront Drive in Winnipeg.
In 2015, the Society began accepting female members for the first time in its history.
Period
President
1871-1872
Donald Alexander Smith (1820-1914)
1872-1874
Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne (1829-1889)
1874-1875
Gilbert McMicken (1813-1891)
1875-1882
Andrew Graham Ballenden Bannatyne (1829-1889)
1882-1883
John Emslie (1846-1907)
1883-1885
Alexander Brown (?-?)
1885-1886
Captain W. G. Clark (?-?)
1886-1889
Robert Strang (1833-1900)
1889-1891
John Palmerston Robertson (1841-1919)
1891-1893
Donald McLeod Telford (1845-1921)
1893-1895
H. Cameron (?-?)
1895-1896
Duncan Wendell McDermid (1858-1909)
1896-1897
Thomas William Taylor (1852-1924)
1897-1898
Mark Fortune (1847-1912)
1898-1899
Hugh John Macdonald (1850-1929)
1899-1900
Daniel Hunter McMillan (1846-1933)
1900-1901
Dr. J. A. McArthur (?-?)
1901-1902
John Russell (c1850-1905)
1902-1903
John Robert Grant (1844-1927)
1903-1904
Henry “Harry” Sandison (1861-1942)
1904-1905
Alexander Dawson (1849-1928)
1905-1906
Hugh Savigny Paterson (1855-1936)
1906-1908
Douglas Colin Cameron (1854-1921)
1908-1909
Kenneth Mackenzie (1839-1928)
1909-1910
Andrew Strang (1849-1913)
1910-1911
Andrew Boak Alexander (1872-1937)
1911-1913
William Methven Whyte (1843-1914)
1913-1915
Robert Rennie Swan (1876-?)
1915-1916
John Young Reid (1872-?)
1917-1918
George Paterson (1857-1923)
1918-1920
John Young Reid (1872-?)
1920-1921
James Auld (1881-1922)
1921-1922
John Macgregor (?-?)
1922-1923
William Grassie (1872-1935)
1923-1924
John Dingwall Sinclair (1874-?)
1924-1929
John McEachern (1867-1942)
1929-1930
John Hunter (?-?)
1930-1932
Duncan Cameron (?-?)
1932-1935
W. L. Alexander (?-?)
1935-1937
Hugh Amos Robson (1871-1945)
1937-1939
George Smith (1882-1963)
1939-1941
Robert Stevenson (?-?)
1941-1943
George Skinner (?-?)
1943-1944
Donald Williamson (?-?)
1944-1946
John Dale McKelvie (1876-1959)
1946-1948
Thomas Walter Laidlaw (1897-1965)
1948-1949
Arthur Long Dysart (1886-1964)
1949-1950
George S. Mathieson (1873-1951)
1950-1951
Charles MacIver (1887-1973)
1951-1952
Peter McAusland Millar (1889-1964)
1952-1954
Thomas Saunders (1909-2005)
1954-1955
Alexander D. Muir (?-?)
1955-1956
J. C. Irvine (?-?)
1956-1957
David Alexander Bruce Murray (1891-1970)
1957-1958
Norman MacLeod (?-?)
1958-1959
Charles McKelvie (1916-2013)
1959-1960
James Sivewright Stephen (1899-1985)
1960-1961
Robert Tremaine Taft (1904-1990)
1961-1962
Ian Muir (?-1996)
1962-1963
Dr. J. H. McBeath (?-?)
1963-1964
Robert DuVal Guy (1912-1985)
1964-1965
A. Stuart R. Tweedie (?-1994)
1965-1966
Hugh Comack (1920-2013)
1966-1967
Alexander McInnes “Mac” Runciman (1914-2000)
1967-1968
Robert Nicol Bruce (c1916-2006)
1968-1969
Ian Murray Grant (1921-2012)
1969-1970
Norman MacGregor Stewart (c1916-1998)
1970-1971
Roderick McLaren “Rory” MacLennan (?-1995)
1971-1972
Harold W. Gillis (?-?)
1972-1973
Donald Bruce Macdonald (1913-1973)
1973-1974
Dr. Robert G. Bankier
1974-1975
Andrew Crawford “Andy” Tough (1921-2016)
1975-1976
Duncan Kenneth “Ken” McCrimmon (1905-1992)
1976-1977
Charles S. Tully (1921-2013)
1977-1978
Alexander John MacIver (1924-2008)
1978-1979
John Hope Webster (1926-2015)
1979-1980
Lawrence Joseph “Larry” McCombe (1932-1989)
1980-1981
Allister F. McDiarmid (?-?)
1981-1982
Colonel J. McManus (?-?)
1982-1983
P. Kelly (?-?)
1983-1984
Andrew Lorne Campbell (1920-2014)
1984-1985
G. R. S. Inkster
1985-1986
J. H. Gillis
1986-1987
J. A. Bracken
1987-1988
Jack Llewellyn MacDonald (1925-2014)
1988-1989
Chief Constable H. B. Stephen
1989-1990
Dr. P. Connelly
1990-1991
R. A. MacIntosh (?-?)
1991-1992
R. J. McRae
1992-1993
Robert Ian Morton (1931-2002)
1993-1994
Glen Harrison Lowther (1926-2019)
1994-1995
Eldon M. Ross (1931-2016)
1995-1996
Neil Stuart Wither (1935-2014)
1996-1997
Dr. J. B. Morison (?-?)
1997-1998
Reverend Canon J. D. Caird (?-?)
1998-1999
D. M. Kilgour
1999-2000
J. W. Lawson (?-?)
2000-2001
Paul Larkin Haverstock (1947-2022)
2001-2002
Donald H. Comack
2002-2003
Robert H. Vandewater
2003-2004
Reverend D. I. Wilson
2004-2005
R. G. Darling
2005-2006
D. J. MacDonald
2006-2007
Major W. K. Worden
2007-2008
V. A. Ness
2008-2010
Timothy G. Flook
2010-2012
Robert W. Tisdale
2012-2014
2014-2015
William Alexander “Bill” Blaikie (1951-2022)
2015-2016
Reverend J. T. Christie
2016-2017
Arthur J. Stacey
2017-2018
Lawrence G. Prout
2018-2019
William Jae Eadie (1947-2024)
2019-2021
Major Andrew Flook
2021-2022
Evelyn Mitchell
2022-2023
?
2023-2024
Peter Heavysege
An MHS Centennial Organization Award was presented by Gordon Goldsborough to Mr. Tim Flook, President of the St. Andrew’s Society of Winnipeg, on 19 April 2009.
See also:
Obituary [Paul Larkin Haverstock], Winnipeg Free Press, 31 December 2022.
We thank John Perrin, Robyn McCombe, and Colin T. Harris for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 June 2024
