MHS Centennial Organization: St. Andrew’s Society of Winnipeg

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.

Presidents

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

John Draper Perrin III

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:

St. Andrew’s Society of Winnipeg

Sources:

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