A chronology of the Society, 1947–2026
← The Society · 112 entries, 1947–2026
One thread through the Society’s whole life: how it began, what it built, and when. Each entry is short on purpose and links to the account that tells it properly — the Society’s own histories, the branch histories, the Annual Meetings, the Assemblies. Dates are the ones the paper gives; where two sources disagree, the entry says so.
- 1947
The Weston Leathercraft Guild
“As far as we know, prior to 1947 there were no leathercraft organizations at all in Canada. In that year, Mrs. Edith Roscoe organized the Weston Leathercraft Guild.” So Robert Muma opened his account of the Society’s first ten years. The Weston Guild is the body the Society grew out of, and when it later disbanded its treasury was turned over to the Society and spent on a trophy to perpetuate its name.
Spring 1960, p. 7 The Society’s own short history, and its First Ten Years
- 1948
Eleven people at 53 Avenue Road
Sensing the need for something wider than one guild, Edith Roscoe called craftsmen and craft-house representatives to a meeting at 53 Avenue Road, Toronto — an old church then in use by the Handicrafts Guild, and by 1960 the Piccadilly Club. Eleven were present, and Muma names them all: Edith Roscoe, Margaret McFarlane, Clarice Packham and Mrs. Cannon from Weston; Jack and Margaret McDougall; Ray Potter and Evelyn Hamill from Lewiscraft; Bob Wallace, Ruth Home, and Muma himself. They discussed standards and original design and the need for an organization, and — in his words — “nothing concrete was done and we adjourned to meet again if any need arose.” About the same time the Ottawa Valley Leathercraft Guild was formed by Deane Russell.
- February–March 1950
Two or three pieces accepted
The Toronto Art Gallery held an exhibition of contemporary crafts. A great many pieces of leather were entered and only two or three were accepted. “Something must be wrong, what was it? Everybody was discussing the question.” On 12 March 1950 Muma wrote to Deane Russell in Ottawa suggesting the answer might be “an organization of leathercraftsmen on a high standard of creative craftsmanship”; Russell replied on 23 March that he would come to Toronto “prepared to present some rather important information to any group who might make up a first meeting of this nature.”
- Thursday, 8 June 1950
The Society is formed, at the Central Y.M.C.A.
Seventeen people met in the Central Y.M.C.A., Toronto, with Robert Muma in the chair. Russell opened with a discussion of contemporary design — that Canadians “should strive to do more creating and less copying”. Margaret McFarlane moved, and Edith Roscoe seconded, “that an association or society be formed to further leathercraft interests, such a society to be known as: THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CREATIVE LEATHERCRAFT”. Carried. Deane H. Russell of Ottawa was appointed President, Robert Muma Secretary-Treasurer and Margaret McFarlane Vice-President. The minutes of that meeting were reprinted in full forty years later.
How the Society started, and Robert Muma’s First Ten Years the minutes, reprinted Spring 1990, p. 8
- March 1951
The original constitution adopted
The Society gives the day two ways. Reta Larmour, who spent 1956–60 rewriting the document, opens her account of the new one: the Constitution and By-Laws “written during the winter following the organizational meeting in 1950, were formally adopted by the Society on March 29, 1951.” The two-page typescript the Society wrote about itself some twenty years later, and the fortieth-anniversary history that repeats it, both say March 15. Neither is contemporary with 1951; the constitution itself does not survive here.
The Constitution and By-Laws, 1950–1990 Spring 1960, p. 5 The Society’s own short history, c. 1971
- September 1951
The first newsletter, and the first ranks
Canadian Leathercraft No. 1 appeared, edited by Deane Russell, and told the Society’s story for the first time under the heading “A New Craft Society — HOW IT STARTED”. The same month a circular went out headed “Qualifications for Membership”, announcing the two grades above ordinary membership — Associate and Fellow.
Canadian Leathercraft No. 1 How the Society started Associate and Fellow
- February 1952
Canadian Handmades in Leather sets out
The Society’s first travelling exhibition began a sixteen-month tour, and was shown by invitation at the Canadian Shoe and Leather Fair in Toronto and at the M’Lady Fair in Montreal. Reta Larmour was the first Exhibitions Chairman; seven more followed her to 1969.
- June 1952
The first branch: Toronto
Thirty-two leathercrafters formed the Toronto Branch at the Y.W.C.A. on McGill Street, the Society’s first local group, under J. L. Scobbie of Central High School of Commerce. Five members were enough to make a branch; by 1971 there were six of them in Ontario.
- Spring 1953
The first sixteen
A confidential ballot of the Executive and Council chose the Society’s first eight Fellows and first eight Associates. The eight Fellows became its first Board of Selection at the Fourth Annual Meeting that year — the body that afterwards judged every application, and every competition the Society ran.
Associate and Fellow — how the Society raised a member The Annual Meeting, 1950–1990
- March 1954
Canadian Originals in Leather; and an exhibition to England
The second travelling exhibition set out and toured twenty-nine centres across Canada. An exhibition sent to England the same year “received high praise”, and the Society became affiliated with the Canadian Guild of Crafts, whose upstairs room carried the members’ annual sale from 1955 until 1967.
- 30–31 October 1954
The first International Assembly of Leathercraftsmen
Sixteen leathercrafters from Rochester had visited a Society display in Toronto that spring; out of the talks that followed came the Assembly. More than 150 attended the founding weekend at the Hotel Statler in Buffalo. Sixteen Assemblies were held in all, Canada hosting six of them.
- May 1955
Toronto hosts — “the most important event to date in C.S.C.L. history”
The second Assembly came to Toronto and drew 377 people, the largest attendance the series ever recorded. The newsletter’s phrase for it is the heading above.
- 1956
Standards for grading leathercraft teachers
The Annual Meeting approved a set of standards for grading leathercraft teachers, from Grade C (Elementary) upward, reprinted by the editors decades later as a reminder of the Society’s own teaching standards.
- 1956
The Salon of Leathercraft
On a proposal from this Society, the Assembly began judging work against art standards and awarding Salon ribbons. The Executive Committee decided on it at the third Assembly, Detroit, in 1956, and the first Salon was held at the fourth Assembly, Rochester, in 1957, where four Honor Awards went to Canadians. Craftsmanship Ribbons followed in 1963.
- 11 October 1956
The Hamilton Leathercraft Guild
Founded by Irva Ford at an inaugural meeting at the Recreation Centre on Bay Street South, 11 October 1956 — the date the Guild’s own year-by-year history gives for it, and the same date two independent sources agree on: Ford’s own 1977 obituary ("formed twenty-one years ago on October 11, 1956") and the Guild’s 1992 thirty-fifth-anniversary retrospective. It went on to become the branch that would win the Weston Trophy more often than any other. Its own year-by-year history, compiled by Ruth Haig and Muriel McKnight Strongman, runs from 1956 to 2003, continued from the Society’s own records to 2025.
History of the Hamilton Leathercraft Guild, 1956–2002 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 1957
The Tillsonburg Branch
Edith Melchior’s own profile in the Society’s newsletter credits her with being “instrumental in the formation of the Tillsonburg Branch of C.S.C.L.” in 1957 — a branch named again in Muma’s 1960 list. It later dissolved, no date given; Melchior continued as a member at large until the Woodstock branch formed (see the 1968 entry below), and the Woodstock branch’s own founding profile does not say the two are connected beyond her own membership crossing from one to the other.
- 1957
The first Weston Trophy
Each branch entered six of its best pieces, and the winner took home the trophy bought with the Weston Guild’s treasury. London won it first; the judges found the choice “indeed most difficult”. The roll of winners was transcribed off the shield itself when it was filled, and then checked, year by year, against the Annual Meeting report printed at the time.
- March 1958
The Barrie Branch
Grown out of Clara Cavanagh’s adult night-school class and formed under Miss Kay Yasunaka, Barrie went on to win the Weston Trophy six times and to host the Annual Meeting five times before surrendering its charter in 1985.
The Barrie Branch, 1958–1985 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 1958
A point system, and a year with no Assembly
Dr. Ralph K. Larmour set up the point system by which work was judged — workmanship weighted above design for Associate standing, design above workmanship for Fellowship — and it remained the basis of the system for the rest of the Society’s life. The same year the Assembly tried being biennial, and 1958 passed without one; the experiment was not repeated.
- 1960
Ten years old: a new constitution, and a first history
The revised constitution — begun by Reta Larmour, finished with Viola Harris and Fred Brown, and put into legal form by Mrs. G. G. Brigden — was adopted at the tenth Annual Meeting. For the Spring newsletter Robert Muma wrote The Society’s First Ten Years, the account this chronology’s earliest entries are drawn from, and named the branches then running: Toronto, Hamilton, London, Peterborough, Tillsonburg, Barrie and Petrolia.
the constitution, drafted to replaced Spring 1960, p. 7 the constitution of 1951 and 1960
- 9 April 1960
The tenth Annual, and a Tenth Anniversary luncheon
The Annual Meeting was held at WoodGreen Centre, Toronto, with a Tenth Anniversary luncheon seating the Charter Members present — Margaret Jennings, Clarice Packham, E. Hamill, Margaret McFarlane, Dr. and Mrs. R. K. Larmour, Don MacKinnon, Harold Booth and Ray Potter — at the head table. Four members took Associate standing: Sylvia Gerster and Hilda Vaile of London, Fred Brown and Viola Harris of Toronto. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy for the first time, after three years placing second, with a score of 92%; London placed second with 85%, Toronto third with 83%. Robert Muma’s history of the Society’s first ten years was read aloud, in his absence through illness, by Dorothy Muma. The newsletter prints this “the 9th Annual Meeting”, but the Society’s own list of annual meetings numbers 9 April 1960 the tenth, the newsletters of 1961 and 1962 print the eleventh and twelfth, and the Society’s 1990 history puts the new constitution’s adoption “at the tenth annual meeting”, so it is corrected here on that evidence.
- 15 April 1961
The eleventh Annual
The Annual Meeting was held at WoodGreen Centre, Toronto. Eleven members took Associate standing: Jean Carroll of London, Helen Caswell of Welland, Winnifred Comfort of Hamilton, May Corbett of Barrie, James Courneya of Hannon, Elizabeth Henstridge of Hamilton, Lillian Neelands of Mono Road Station, Aileen Schooley of Hamilton, Frank Torry of Hamilton, Jessie Trew of Barrie and Ethel Zimmerman of Hamilton. The report calls this “one from each Branch,” though the list itself names five from Hamilton alone; printed as it stands. No one had come forward for Fellowship standing since 1958.
- January 1962
The Fellows and Associates form their own group
Nora Huyck, Chairman of the Council of Fellows, called a meeting of the Society’s Associates and Fellows to discuss forming a professional members’ group distinct from the Regional Branches and members-at-large — a body the Constitution had provided for but nobody had yet organized. At the time there were sixteen Fellows and thirty-eight Associates; twelve Fellows and twenty-three Associates joined at a dollar a head, meeting six times in the group’s first year under the Chairman of the Council of Fellows rather than a separate executive.
- 14 April 1962
The twelfth Annual Meeting
73 members met at the WoodGreen Community Centre, Toronto. President Harold Wilson asked “Where are we going?”, pointing to leathercraft’s exclusion from Community Programme curricula and the closing of most leathercraft classes as a challenge to the Society. Barrie Branch — then the youngest branch — won the Weston Trophy with 89.7%, the highest of three branches all scoring above 80%.
- 6 April 1963
The thirteenth Annual Meeting, and a new President
The Society met again at the WoodGreen Community Centre, Toronto. Viola Harris became the new President, succeeding Harold Wilson, who had filled the Presidency the past two years — the last six months of it while unwell. Barrie Branch won the Weston Trophy for the second successive year, presented by Dr. R. K. Larmour. The tenth International Assembly of Leathercraftsmen was to be held in Toronto the following year.
- 1964
The C.N.E.
From 1964 the Society took part in the Arts, Crafts and Hobby Show at the Canadian National Exhibition with an exhibition, sales and demonstrations. Its members had been entering the Canadian Handicrafts Guild’s competition there since the 1950s, and those prize lists are among the fullest the archive holds.
- 4 April 1964
The fourteenth Annual, at Barrie — a first away from Toronto
For the first time in the Society’s fourteen years, the Annual Meeting was held outside Toronto: Barrie Branch hosted at the Central United Church Hall. Kay Cloughley of Barrie and Janet Smith of Guelph took Associate standing. Barrie Branch became the first to win the Weston Trophy three years running, its five winning pieces made by Clara Cavanagh, Hilda Darbyshire, Betty Heacock, Jessie Trew and Dwayne Trew.
- 1965–1969
“of” becomes “for”
The Society was founded as the Canadian Society of Creative Leathercraft and the preposition held for some eighteen years. Over the later 1960s the newsletter’s own masthead drifts to for, and that is the name it has carried ever since.
- Spring 1965
The fifteenth Annual Meeting, and a new President
104 members registered at the WoodGreen Centre, Toronto. Dorothy Muma became the new President, succeeding Viola Harris. Belleville Branch was inaugurated, under President Dorothy Harwood — the Society’s report calls a new group applying for Branch affiliation a particular pleasure, bringing in “several members at once, as well as a new Branch.”
- Spring 1966
The sixteenth Annual
Hamilton hosted the Annual for the first time, at the Scottish Rite Club — recalled the same year in Irva Ford’s account of the Hamilton Guild’s own tenth anniversary. Dorothy Muma continued as President into 1966–67. Hamilton took the Weston Trophy at 94.58%.
Summer 1966, p. 3 Spring 1966, p. 3 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 8 April 1967
The seventeenth Annual
Barrie Branch hosted at Central United Church. Dorothy Muma’s President’s remarks looked back on the Society’s whole seventeen years. Toronto Branch won the Weston Trophy at 93.22% (Barrie 89.55%, Hamilton 84.13%, London 71.02%). Jessie Strain and Marg Weldon, both of Hamilton Branch, qualified as Associates; Dorothy Read of Toronto was named an Honorary Associate for her behind-the-scenes work; Weldon also took the new Centennial award, donated by Janis Zalitis for the Associate with the year’s highest points.
- 6 April 1968
Woodstock Branch is welcomed, the Society’s sixth
Welcomed at the eighteenth Annual Meeting as the sixth CSCL branch, with eight members and an increase expected once the fall season began. Its first officers: President Beula Reynolds, Vice-President Loreen Manual, Secretary Joy Hutcheson, Treasurer Carol McLean, Membership Dorothy Aird and Publicity Carol McLean. The Society’s own twenty-fifth-anniversary retrospective, written seven years later, gives only “Woodstock branch was formed in 1968” with no further detail — the contemporary account in Summer 1968 fills in who and how.
Summer 1968, p. 3 the later retrospective, Spring 1975, p. 7
- 6 April 1968
The eighteenth Annual Meeting
The Society met at WoodGreen United Church, Toronto, with Dorothy Muma presiding as President. Hilda Darbyshire received her Fellowship; four members received Associate standing (Evelyn Burgess, Rita DeWitt, Nan Astley and Alice Howe), and Nan Astley of Toronto won the Janis Zalitis award for the highest Associate marks. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy with 87.59%, over Toronto (85.06%) and Barrie (84.44%); Marion Kehoe of London presented the trophy to the winning Hamilton members who had submitted the articles — Irva Ford, Ruth Haig, Jean Newton, Jessie Strain and Muriel McKnight.
- 1969–1972
Irva Ford’s presidency, and the Michigan Leather Artisans Award
Irva Ford of Hamilton — a charter member and first President of the Hamilton Leathercraft Guild — served as the Society’s President from 1969 to 1972, the years of the first Prestige Exhibition (1970) and the second, in Woodstock (1972), and of the Society’s first published Standards for work accepted for sale. At the final meeting of the International Assembly of Leathercraftsmen, the Society accepted a proposal by Paul Payne and Liz Freriks that an award for excellence in creative design be presented at its own Annual Meeting; the Michigan Leather Artisans, disbanding around this time, donated the money that first sponsored it.
- 1969
The fifteenth International Assembly, London
The Society hosted the Assembly at the Hotel London — demonstrations by Society members (Jessie Strain, May Corbett, Fred Brown, Jean Newton, Nan Astley, Clara Cavanagh, Sylvia Gerster, Clarence Redman, Gladys Riddell, Frank Torry among them), a tour of the city and the London art museum, and Salon awards judged by Dorothy Muma alongside two American judges.
- February 1970
Twenty years, and a quarterly becomes a twice-yearly
A prestige exhibition marking the twentieth anniversary was shown at the City Hall, Toronto. In the same year publication changed from four newsletters to two, each branch preparing one in turn, with newsletters sent out as needed — a decision, not a lapse, and the change is visible in the run of issues from that point on.
- 1970
The last International Assembly
The sixteenth Assembly was held in Toronto alongside the Society’s twentieth Annual Meeting, and was the last. “Unfortunately, membership in the American Guilds is decreasing and there will not be an Assembly this year”, the Society wrote the following year; in its place it enlarged its own meeting to fill the day.
- c. 1971
The Society writes itself down
Two undated typed pages, headed only with the Society’s name, set out for a stranger what it was: eight Presidents from Deane Russell to Irva Ford, five editors, eight Exhibitions Chairmen, the constitution dates, the grades of membership, the origin of the Weston Trophy, six active branches — Barrie, Belleville, Hamilton, London, Toronto and Woodstock — and a membership list of 183 names, of whom six had been in the room on 8 June 1950.
- 17 April 1971
The twenty-first Annual
Woodstock Branch hosted the Annual at Old St. Paul’s Church, Dundas Street, Woodstock. No Associate or Fellow standing was awarded that year. The Weston Trophy went to Toronto Branch, accepted by Branch President Gladys Riddell. Anne Hook made Rita Larmour an Honorary President in recognition of her contribution to the Society; ill, Larmour was represented by Fred Brown, who accepted on her behalf.
- 21–22 April 1972
The twenty-second Annual, and the I.A.L.C.’s finances wound up
The Annual Meeting was held in Barrie — the Society’s own newsletter gives both the 21st and the 22nd for it, a page apart, and which is right is not settled here. The Michigan Leather Artisans Award, established at the final meeting of the International Assembly of Leathercraftsmen from a proposal by Paul Payne, was presented for the first time. The I.A.L.C. Advisory Board met the following day: with no American Guild offering to host an Assembly, Payne proposed that all of the I.A.L.C.’s remaining finances be turned over to the Society to invest or otherwise dispose of as its Executive Council saw fit, ending the body’s active affairs. The same meeting installed Helen Wheaton as the Society’s new President; Toronto Branch won the Weston Trophy; Cathryn Bonis was presented a Life Membership; Jessie Little and Gladys Riddell were welcomed as new Fellows.
Summer 1972, pp. 5, 7 notice, March 1972, pp. 1, 4 Summer 1972, p. 1 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 5 May 1973
The twenty-third Annual
Toronto Branch hosted at Central United Church, King & Weston Road, Weston, Ontario — announced in the previous winter’s issue with that date and venue, its own report headed "1973 Annual" printed without a completing clause after "hosted a very successful Annual Meeting on." Toronto won the Weston Trophy at 83.65%. Itsuko Yasui (Toronto) and Marion Bridge (Hamilton) attained Associate standing; Yasui also took the Zalitis pin for the year’s highest marks.
Summer 1973, p. 7 Winter 1972, p. 6 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 4 May 1974
The twenty-fourth Annual, at Belleville
Belleville hosted the Annual at the Holloway Street United Church, 91 members registered plus four visitors. By ballot, under Article 3 of the Constitution, the membership fee was raised to $5.00 for 1975–76. Helen Wheaton continued as President, with Irva Ford as Past President. Barrie Branch won the Weston Trophy.
- 1974-06-08
Leather ’74
The Society’s own exhibition, at the Toronto Public Libraries’ Learning Resources Centre, 666 Eglinton Avenue West in Toronto, ran from 3 June 1974 — the catalogue gives the closing date as 28 June and the newsletter as 29 June — with an official opening on 8 June; President Helen Wheaton acted as master of ceremonies and Robert Secord of the Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services opened the show, introduced by Exhibitions Chairman Irva Ford. Ninety-two entries were accepted by a jury from the Council of Fellows out of thirty-three exhibitors. The Canadian Guild of Crafts (Ontario) prizes went to Itsuko Yasui (Best in Show), Anne Hook (Best Functional) and Daphne Lingwood (Most Original), with an Irva Ford Memorial Award also given. The show coincided with, but was distinct from, the World Crafts Council’s Sixth Biennial General Assembly meeting in Toronto the same month.
- 1975
Twenty-five years
The twenty-fifth Annual Meeting; Muma’s history was reprinted for it as The Society’s First Twenty-Five Years — word for word, so that the first sentence under the new title still reads “This is the tenth anniversary”, and the seven-branch census of 1960 is reprinted unaltered. Life Membership went to Lorna Brigden that year, and Honorary Life Fellowships to Edith Roscoe and Clarice Packham — two of the eleven who had met at 53 Avenue Road in 1948.
1975 — the twenty-fifth Spring 1975, p. 2 The Society’s First Ten Years
- March 1976
Leather ’76, the fourth Biennial
The Society’s fourth Biennial exhibition was held at the Canadian Guild of Crafts (soon to become the Ontario Crafts Council) Gallery, 346 Dundas Street West, Toronto, opening 6 March 1976. Rex Lingwood’s sculpture took Most Outstanding Piece; Gladys Riddell’s boat, Most Original Entry; Carol McLean’s purse, Best Craftsmanship.
- 30 April – 1 May 1976
The twenty-sixth Annual
Hamilton Branch hosted the Annual at West Plains United Church, Burlington, on the Friday evening of 30 April and Saturday 1 May, with 114 members and five guests attending; the business meeting was on 1 May. Hope Drysdale of Hamilton and Dorothy Stanton of Woodstock became new Associates.
- 22–24 April 1977
The twenty-seventh Annual Meeting
85 members met at the Victorian Inn, Stratford, hosted by Woodstock Branch. May Corbett continued as President and presented Deane Russell — the Society’s first President — with his Past President pin. Toronto Branch won the Weston Trophy with an 88% average, including a pendant by Mary Patterson at 93% and a belt and purse by Itsuko Yasui at 92%, over Hamilton and Woodstock, the only other branches to enter.
- 22 April 1978
Beula Reynolds succeeds May Corbett as President, and the Windsor Branch is welcomed
The Annual Meeting was held at the Hotel Triumph, Toronto, hosted by the Toronto Branch, 115 members attending; May Corbett of Barrie, outgoing President, chaired the business meeting, and the 1978–79 Executive Council masthead in the following issue names Beula Reynolds of Woodstock her successor, with Corbett continuing as Past President. May Patterson of Toronto took her Associate standing and the Zalitis Pin. The Weston Trophy went to Woodstock (an average mark of 83.8%), presented, by chance, by the new Vice-President in charge of Branches, Beula Reynolds herself. A new branch — Windsor, Ontario, meeting under the name Leather Artists International of Windsor, President Dan Ouellette — was officially welcomed and ratified at this meeting, represented in Ouellette’s absence by Vice-President Alice Riddle.
Summer 1978, pp. 2–3, 8 Spring 1978, p. 1 Winter (January) 1978, p. 1 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 3 November 1978
Leather ’78, the fifth Biennial
The Society’s fifth Biennial exhibition, at the Etobicoke Civic Centre, opened 3 November 1978 (announced as running 2–23 November in the Call for Entry, later reported as 3–29 November in the opening account — both dates are printed, and both are kept); Exhibition Chairman Clara Cavanagh told the opening audience it was the fifth in the series, three previously held in Toronto and one in Woodstock. Mayor Dennis Flynn of Etobicoke and Nancy Turner of the Ministry of Culture and Recreation were guests, and President Beula Reynolds presented the awards.
December 1978–January 1979, p. 1 Call for Entry, Summer 1978, p. 9
- 20–22 April 1979
Norland Branch is accepted
At the twenty-ninth Annual Meeting, held at the Continental Inn, Barrie, Vice-President Jack Meharg announced that the group of members in the Norland, Ontario area had been accepted as a branch — the Society’s own report calls the newcomers “an enthusiastic group.” Hamilton Branch, presented by Muriel McKnight, won the Weston Trophy with an average mark of 92%, and four new Honourary Life Memberships went to Winifred Coombs, Mae MacKinnon, Jean Newton and Fred Brown.
reported Winter 1979–80, p. 1 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 18–20 April 1980
The thirtieth Annual Meeting, and a new President
The Society met at the Sun Valley Motor Inn, Belleville, hosted by Belleville Branch. Hope Drysdale of Hamilton became the new President, and Bea Austin — a leathercrafter since 1947 and a C.S.C.L. member since 1956 — received her Fellow’s certificate, the only one awarded that year. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy over Toronto, the only two branches to enter.
Spring 1980, p. 1 Summer 1980, p. 1 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 14 November 1980
Leather ’80: the sixth Biennial
The Society’s sixth biennial juried show opened to the public at the Woodstock Art Gallery. The Ontario Crafts Council’s $50 award for Most Original Design went to Jean Hunter, for a rouge/red candleholder; the Best Leather Design award of $35 — funded from interest on the treasury the Michigan Leather Artisans had turned over to the Society when that guild disbanded — went to Ruth Haig, for a soft cowhide shoulder bag; and Bea Austin won the Society’s own $35 Best Craftsmanship award for a deep, round, fluted bowl.
- 1–3 May 1981
The thirty-first Annual Meeting
Eighty-seven members met at the Beacon Motor Inn, Jordan Station (Vineland), hosted by Hamilton Branch. The Annual was held at this same inn in 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992 and 1997. Hope Drysdale continued as President; Joyce Poulson, a member-at-large, took over as Treasurer from the retiring Dorothy Muma, and Ray Potter of Toronto Branch was elected 2nd Vice-President. Jean Hunter was elected a Fellow. Barrie Branch won the Weston Trophy, and Life Memberships went to Clara Cavanagh, Viola Harris, Nora Huyck and Olivia Smith.
- 30 April – 2 May 1982
The thirty-second Annual Meeting, and a new President
About 76 members met at the Holiday Inn, West Mall, Etobicoke, hosted by Toronto Branch. Jack Meharg became the new President, succeeding Hope Drysdale. Gertrude Hilder of Nova Scotia was granted Associate standing — the only one that year — and won the Zalitis pin for her work. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy with an average of 74%. The slate of six Branch Presidents that year was Kay Cloughley (Barrie), Margaret Hunt (Belleville), Ruth Haig (Hamilton), Emma Windatt (Norland), Ray Potter (Toronto) and Jean Pickering (Woodstock).
- 1 July – 1 August 1982
Leather ’82: the seventh Biennial
The Society’s Call for Entry announced its seventh biennial exhibition, to open at The Gallery, City of Brampton Public Library and Art Gallery, on 1 July 1982, with public viewing through 1 August; the exhibition catalogue gives the opening as 2 July 1982 at 7:30 p.m. and public viewing from 3 July to 1 August. Entries went to Bob and Dorothy Muma’s home in Toronto, and only members in good standing as of 1 April 1982 were eligible.
- 29 April – 1 May 1983
The thirty-third Annual Meeting, and the first fee increase in twelve years
The Society met at the Royal Resort, Fenelon Falls, hosted by Norland Branch. Jack Meharg continued as President, thanking Ray Potter for “taking over on short notice at various times throughout the year.” Lillian Kay was granted Associate standing. Woodstock Branch won the Weston Trophy, first awarded in 1957 to London Branch, the meeting was told. Members voted 57 to 3 to raise membership fees effective 1 April 1984 — “the first increase in twelve years,” the Notice of Motion said, citing rising postage, printing and C.N.E. booth costs against falling income. The twelve years are the Notice’s own count: the same issue, page 7, states that “There has been no increase in member’s fees since April 1974,” and the Annual of 4 May 1974 had raised the fee to $5.00 for 1975–76 — nine years before the Notice of Motion of 26 March 1983.
- 14 April 1984
The thirty-fourth Annual Meeting, and a seventh branch
The Society met at the Ethel Finkle Auditorium, Woodstock General Hospital, hosted by Woodstock Guild. Jack Meharg welcomed a new guild, the Mississauga Society for Creative Leathercraft — “making our Society now 7 Branches strong” — with its founding executive named: Harold Brister (President), Paul Kitchener (Vice-President), Joyce Scruton (Secretary) and Lea Love (Treasurer). Toronto Guild won the Weston Trophy with an average of 86.8%, Margaret Hunter received Associate standing, and Tom Swafford of St. Joseph, Missouri, was made an Honourary Associate.
- 5 July 1984
Leather ’84: the Biennial Show
The Society’s Call for Entry announced its juried Biennial Show at the Scarborough City Centre — the same show the President’s report to the 34th Annual Meeting three months earlier had named as “the highlight of the summer” — opening 5 July 1984, with public viewing through 31 July. It went ahead as announced: a Winter 1984 profile of three Hamilton leathercrafters notes that “both Bea and Karla took prizes at Leather’84 this year,” naming Bea Austin and Karla Van Horne.
Call for Entry, Winter 1983, p. 8 prizes noted, Winter 1984, p. 10
- 26–28 April 1985
The thirty-fifth Annual Meeting, and a new President
Billed as the “35th Anniversary Meeting,” the Society returned to the Continental Inn, Barrie. Madeleine Mitchell of Woodstock became the new President, succeeding Jack Meharg, with Ruth Haig of Hamilton elected Vice-President. A newly formed Constitution Committee, led by Dorothy Muma, began updating the Constitution, noting that after 35 years a number of its provisions were “no longer applicable.”
notice, Winter 1984, p. 15 officers list, Summer 1985, p. 1 Constitution Committee, Spring 1985, p. 11
- 2–4 May 1986
The 1986 Annual Weekend
The Society met at the Beacon Motor Inn, Jordan Station (Vineland), hosted by the Hamilton Leathercraft Guild, from the Friday evening of 2 May to the Sunday morning of 4 May; the Summer 1986 newsletter prints the Saturday as 2 May. Madeleine Mitchell continued as President; Hamilton won the Weston Trophy, and George McPhail received an Honorary Life Membership. Two guests from Texas, representing The Leather Craftsman magazine, attended. The Annual was held at this same inn in 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992 and 1997.
- Fall 1986
Leather ’86, and a memorial display for Jean Hunter
The Society’s Biennial Show that autumn, held at Etobicoke with the Oxford County Quilters’ “Quilt Expressions” as an added attraction, carried a memorial display of recent work by Jean Hunter, Chairman of the Council of Fellows, who had died in a car accident near her home in Snelgrove on 6 June 1986. The notice called her “one of our most valued members,” noting her work setting up and dismantling the Society’s shows.
- 24–26 April 1987
The thirty-seventh Annual General Meeting, and a new President
The Society met at the Novotel Hotel, Mississauga — the Mississauga Guild’s first Annual as host. Ruth Haig became the new President, succeeding Madeleine Mitchell, and Karla Van Horne was welcomed into the Council of Fellows; no Associate standings were granted that year. Hamilton Guild won the Weston Trophy with 82.66%, Toronto placed second with 80.03% and Woodstock third with 77.97%.
Winter/Spring 1986/87, pp. 1–2 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- December 1987
Constitution amendments proposed: a Student Membership, and a fee increase
Two changes to the Constitution and By-Laws, carried at Executive Meetings in Toronto, were put before the membership to be brought to the 1988 Annual Meeting and voted on at the 1989 Annual Meeting: a Student Membership class, at half the regular fee, for full-time students up to age 20; and a rise in membership fees, from $10.00, to $15.00 in 1989 and $20.00 in 1990.
- 6–8 May 1988
The thirty-eighth Annual General Meeting
The Society met at the Royal Resort. Ruth Haig continued as President. Betsy Rennie of the Hamilton Leather Guild won the Janis Zalitis pin as the year’s only Associate; Hamilton won the Weston Trophy, the only branch of the three that entered (Hamilton, Toronto, Woodstock) to be named a winner in the report. Carol McLean was awarded a Life Membership, to be presented later. Jessie Little announced the Jean Hunter Memorial Award of $100, for the novice leathercrafter showing the most advancement, to be given every second year beginning in 1988 — the Council of Fellows’ own decision, recorded in the minutes of the 38th Annual Meeting, says every second year starting in 1989, and the archive states both — named for the Fellow and Toronto Branch member who had died in 1986. Members voted to raise Sustaining Membership fees to $35 annually and to phase in a regular-fee increase to $15 in 1989 and $20 in 1990. The 39th Annual General Meeting was to be hosted by Toronto Branch in 1989.
- 27 September – 31 October 1988
Leather ’88: the Biennial Show
The Society’s Biennial exhibition was announced for the Hamilton Spectator Gallery, Hamilton, 27 September to 31 October 1988, with the Hamilton Quilters’ Guild invited to exhibit alongside it; Muriel McKnight of the Hamilton Guild chaired the exhibit. No report of the show’s opening survives in the newsletters.
- 5–7 May 1989
The thirty-ninth Annual General Meeting
The Society met at the Nottawasaga Inn, Alliston, hosted by Toronto Branch. Ruth Haig chaired the business meeting as President, and a new Slate of Officers was elected for the coming year. Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Black of Tandy Leather Canada attended the banquet; Mr. Black spoke on “the shrinking leather industry” and the need to “join together in a mutual effort of education and promotion.” Best wishes were exchanged with Fellows from the Society’s earliest days who could not attend: the report thanks “Iiva Limberg, Willman and Endel Ruberg” for sending theirs, and does not say how many people that list names.
- 28 April 1990
The fortieth Annual Meeting
Ruth Haig read aloud the minutes of the organizational meeting of 8 June 1950, and Ray Potter — who had been present at it, for Lewiscraft — was made an Honourary Life Member as “one of the founding fathers”. The newsletter printed those minutes in full that spring, which is why this chronology can begin where it does.
- 3–5 May 1991
The forty-first Annual
The Hamilton Branch hosted the Annual at the Beacon Motor Inn, Jordan Station (Vineland), with Don MacLeod continuing as President. The Annual was held at this same inn in 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992 and 1997. Lea Love was elected the new Treasurer. David McPherson of Hamilton Branch became a new Associate, taking the Zalitis Pin for the year’s highest average, 81.7%. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy with 85.7%, accepted by Branch President Betsy Rennie.
- 1991
Where the scanned run ends
The 149 newsletters scanned for this archive run from September 1951 to 1991 — 150 counting Winter 1991–92, whose season carries into the next year. Everything above is drawn from them and from the Society’s papers; what follows is drawn from the later record.
- effective 25 April 1992
A By-Law amended: Article XII
A change to Article XII, Section 1 of the By-Laws, voted on at the Annual Meeting, was reported to the membership as effective from this date.
- 1992
The forty-second Annual Meeting
63 members registered at the Beacon Motor Inn, Jordan Station (Vineland), with Don MacLeod as President. The Annual was held at this same inn in 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992 and 1997. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy. Edith Melchior-Hawkins of Woodstock received a Life Membership. Three special cash awards were given: the Irva Ford Award for best moulded work, the Anne Hook Award for best coloured work, and Best in Salon. Norland Branch was named host of the 43rd Annual Meeting.
- 1993
The forty-third Annual, at Royal Resort
The Annual was held at the Royal Resort; sixty members attended. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy with an average of 85.4%, its five pieces a magnifying-glass case by David Windeyer, a hinged box by Muriel McKnight, an oval moulded box by David McPherson, a desk set by Sharon Beasley and a five-strand braided belt by Ruth Haig. Bruce White and Bill Whittingham became new Associates, with Whittingham taking the Zalitis Pin for the higher average. David and Dorothy McPherson demonstrated wet leather mâché — forming a bowl over a field stone, and a fibreboard bowl covered in wet splits — and Hilda Chynoweth demonstrated weed pots from splits, both corroborated by The Leather Crafters Journal, which covered the meeting that same autumn. The newsletter and the Journal place the Royal Resort on Balsam Lake, and the Society’s own printed programme gives it as the Royal Resort, Fenelon Falls: the two describe the same place, by the lake and by the town. The issue itself misnumbers this meeting the “44th”, a label it shares with the following year’s Annual; by the count the Society kept from 1961 onward, in which the meeting number and the year stand 1950 apart — the numbering was inconsistent before that, the newsletters printing “Fourth Annual Meeting” for 1953, “FIFTH ANNUAL MEETING, 1954” and “9th” for 1960 — this was the 43rd, and is transcribed under that count here while the printed “44th” is kept as printed on the issue’s own page.
Summer 1993, p. 2 Dorothy McPherson’s account, The Leather Crafters Journal, 1993 the 43rd Annual Meeting programme the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 1994
The forty-fourth Annual, at Prudhommes
The Annual was held at Prudhommes Place near Vineland, with Don MacLeod reporting on the year’s progress. Nancy Durham and David Windeyer became new Associates, Durham taking the Zalitis Pin for the higher average.
- April 1995
The forty-fifth Annual, and a new President
The Woodstock Branch hosted the Annual, marking 45 years of the Society with a slide presentation set to music. Don MacLeod’s last duty as President was to preside over the Saturday banquet; Betsy Rennie succeeded him. Madeleine Mitchell presented Hilda Chynoweth of Norland with an Honourary Life Membership. Jack Meharg presented the 1995 Weston Trophy to Hamilton Branch.
- 1996
The forty-sixth Annual
The Hamilton Guild hosted the Annual at the Holiday Inn, Burlington, with Betsy Rennie chairing the business meeting. Dorothy Muma, President of the Council of Fellows, noted that no one had entered for Associate or Fellow standing that year.
- 1997
The forty-seventh Annual, and a new President
Mississauga Branch hosted the Annual at the Beacon Motor Inn, Jordan Station (Vineland). The Annual was held at this same inn in 1981, 1986, 1991, 1992 and 1997. Woodstock Branch won the Weston Trophy. Glenn Nelson and Joyce Scruton were presented Associate certificates, Scruton taking the Zalitis Pin. Betsy Rennie received the Past President’s pin as Bill Whittingham became President for 1997–98.
- 8 January 1998
Leather ’98, a joint exhibition
The Biennial exhibition Leather ’98 opened at the Etobicoke City Hall Art Gallery, a juried show shared with the Canadian Wildlife and Animal Art Group.
p. 1 (issue printed early 1998 despite its Winter 1997 dateline)
- 24–26 April 1998
The forty-eighth Annual, at Norland
The Annual met in Norland, with Bill Whittingham continuing as President. Karla Van Horne’s book cover took the Mary Zatyko Award for Best in Show; Bill Whittingham’s feathered mask took the Irva Ford Award for Best Moulded Leather; Loreen Manuel’s bookends took the Robert Muma Award.
- 16–18 April 1999
The forty-ninth Annual
Toronto Branch hosted the Annual at the Best Western Beacon Harbourside Resort, Jordan, with Al Foss, the Branch’s President, as host.
- 2000
Fifty Years of Leather Art
Written for the fiftieth anniversary: the account of how seventeen leathercrafters met in Toronto in June 1950 to make standards for a craft that had none in Canada.
- 14–16 April 2000
The fiftieth Annual Weekend, and a new President
Woodstock Branch hosted the Society’s fiftieth Annual Weekend, at the Quality Inn. Bill Whittingham chaired his last Annual Meeting as President; the new 2000–2001 Executive was presented and Nancy Durham became President. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy, and Silva Fox of Mundelein, Illinois was granted Associate standing.
Spring & Summer 2000, pp. 4, 12 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 20 May – 17 June 2000
Leather 2000: the fiftieth-anniversary Biennial Exhibition
Fifty pieces by fourteen members were shown at the Woodstock Museum for the Society’s fiftieth-anniversary Biennial Exhibition, judged by Fellows Dorothy Muma and Ruth Haig. Seven Special Awards were presented, including the Moore-Pearsall Award for Best Belt to Sean Dalgetty and the Ontario Crafts Council Design Award to Nancy Durham.
- 19–21 April 2002
The fifty-second Annual Meeting, and a new President
The Society met at the Beacon Harbourside Resort, Jordan, Ontario, for its 52nd Annual Meeting — Nancy Durham’s last Annual Weekend as President. Phyllis McHale became the new President, and Peter Grove of Hamilton was presented with his Fellow standing. Woodstock Branch won the Weston Trophy.
- 6 June – 5 September 2002
Leather 2002: the Biennial Exhibition
The Society’s Biennial Exhibition, “Leather 2002”, was held at the Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery, juried on 6 May by Fellows Bill Whittingham and Dorothy Muma.
- 26 April 2003
Norland Branch’s twenty-fifth anniversary
The Society’s 53rd Annual Weekend, held in Lindsay, doubled as Norland Branch’s twenty-fifth anniversary as a Branch of the Society; Charter Members Peggy Weaver and Grace Graham attended the anniversary banquet.
- 2–30 November 2004
Leather 2004: the Biennial Exhibition, Hamilton
The Society’s Biennial Exhibition, “Leather 2004”, was held on the second floor of the Hamilton Public Library — fifty-two articles by sixteen members, judged by Fellows Ruth Haig and Carol McLean. Sean Dalgetty won the Executive Award for Most Functional Article, and Loreen Manuel’s Hummingbird Wall Display took the Judges’ Special Choice.
Leather 2004 — Juried Biennial Exhibition Fall 2004, pp. 2, 5–6
- 2010
The London Jewellery Award
Marion Kehoe co-sponsored the creation of the London Jewellery Award, to be awarded at five consecutive Annual conventions for a piece pleasing in appearance.
- 14–16 May 2010
The sixtieth Annual Weekend, and a new President
About 40 members met at the Woodstock Quality Hotel, hosted by Woodstock Branch. Phyllis McHale’s term as President ended and Barbara Chynoweth became the new President. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy — Rob Regan, Laima Sellmer, Amy Kenny and Lester Pinter — over Mississauga and Woodstock. Walter Muma, son of founding member Robert Muma, spoke on “A Life Lived Creatively.” The Society’s biennial exhibition, “Leather 2010: Containment,” was to open 26 August at the Ontario Crafts Council Gallery, Toronto.
- 18 September 2010
The Woodstock Branch closes, and the Woodstock Heritage Award is founded
At a meeting attended by Loreen Manuel, Janice Sloat, Nancy Durham, Nancy Wilson and Branch President Madeleine Mitchell, the Woodstock Branch — formed in 1968 and host of the 40th, 50th and 60th Annuals among others — decided not to continue, its members choosing to carry on as Members-at-Large. On a motion by Nancy Wilson, seconded by Nancy Durham, the Branch’s remaining bank balance was passed to the Society to found the Woodstock Heritage Award, to be presented at Annuals ($50 a year) and Biennials ($100 an exhibit) for about ten years or until the fund was exhausted.
- January 2011
The Toronto Branch closes
The Society’s first branch, and for most of its life its largest, wound up after fifty-eight years and eleven Weston Trophies.
The Toronto Branch, 1952–2011 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- Spring 2011
The sixty-first Annual, at Dundurn Castle
The Society met at Dundurn Castle’s Coach House, Hamilton, hosted by Sean Dalgetty and Hamilton Branch. Barbara Chynoweth continued as President, and Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy for the second year running. With Toronto Branch’s closure that January, the Society was left with three branches; the notice records that two branches had folded within the year, adding that Belleville and Tillsonburg had also folded in earlier years. Mississauga Branch was named host for 2012.
- 20–22 April 2012
The 2012 Annual Weekend, and a new President
The Society met at the Burlington Arts Centre, hosted by Mississauga Branch. Barbara Chynoweth’s term as President ended and Lauch Harrison became the new President. Mississauga Branch won the Weston Trophy over Hamilton. Peter Main of Houston, Texas — winner of the 1999 Al Stohlman Award and preserver of the Stohlmans’ legacy — was the special guest and was awarded an Honourary Fellowship in the Society. Three new Associates were welcomed: Ken Boroski, Rob Regan and Karen Weber, who also won the Zalitis Pin.
- 12 January – 2 March 2013
Leather 2013: Creative Versatility
An exhibition of contemporary Society work, alongside a look back at the Society’s history, was held at the Woodstock Art Gallery. It carried instructional panels on colouring, technique and pattern prepared by Charter Member Robert Muma, and 22 original articles by nine members: Ken Boroski, Nancy Durham, Peter Grove, Lauchlan Harrison, David McPherson, Lauren McPherson, Madeleine Mitchell, Robert Regan and Jim Wilkes.
- 3–5 May 2013
The 2013 Annual, at Lindsay
The Society’s Annual Weekend Convention was held at the Lindsay Inn, hosted by Norland Branch under President Tracey Howard, with American leathercrafter Rob Beard as guest demonstrator. Mississauga Branch member Eugene Pik won the Robert Muma Award for Best Colour and the Betty Heacock Award for Best Novice Article for a leather quiver, along with a Salon Ribbon and a Craftsman Ribbon.
- 3 May 2014
The 2014 Annual General Meeting, and a new President
About 30 members met at Hamilton Branch’s Annual Weekend. Lauch Harrison conducted the Annual General Meeting as his last official duty as President; Rob Regan became the new President. David McPherson and Peter Grove were each presented a 2014 Honourary Life Membership, McPherson’s accepted on his behalf by Nancy Durham. The Executive Council reported a deficit in the operating budget as a top priority for the incoming Council.
- 1–2 May 2015
The 2015 Annual, and two new Associates
The Society met at the Burlington Arts Centre, hosted by Mississauga Branch, with Rob Regan continuing as President. Mississauga Leather Guild won the Weston Trophy with a mark of 88.1. Eugene Pik and Karen Weber became the Society’s newest Associate and Fellow; Pik’s “Magic Box” was judged Best in Show and his Leopard Skin Cowboy Boots won Best Wearable Article, while Weber’s black handbag helped win the Trophy and her backpack took the Ontario Crafts Council Design Award. Members were told that Annual Membership fees would rise to $40, and Sustaining Membership to $100, effective 1 April 2016.
Spring 2015, pp. 2–3, 5, 7 notice, Winter 2014–15, pp. 3, 5 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- 2 May 2015
A Constitution Review Committee
At the same Annual Meeting, a Constitution Review committee was struck — Paul Kitchener, Rob Regan, Bob Baker, Eugene Pik and Lauch Harrison — beginning the revision that the membership would approve the following year at the 66th Annual.
- 13–15 May 2016
The sixty-sixth Annual, and a new President
The Society met at the Howard Johnson, Lindsay, hosted by Norland Branch. A new Slate of Officers for 2016–2018 was presented by outgoing officer Lauch Harrison and approved; Jim Wilkes became the new President, with Rob Regan as Past President. Mississauga Branch won the Weston Trophy again — Jim Wilkes, Bob Pfister, Kim Winchester and Eugene Pik. The revised Constitution and By-laws were approved, and Honourary Life Memberships went to Madeleine Mitchell and Dorothy McPherson. Anne Rutledge of Norland Branch had died by spring 2016; the Spring 2016 issue announced her passing.
- October 2016
The Newsletter moves online
At the October Executive meeting it was decided to post Canadian Leathercraft on the Society’s website rather than send it by email; the Fall 2016 issue told its members it would be the last copy they received that way.
- 5–7 May 2017
The sixty-seventh Annual General Meeting
The Society met at Hamilton, with branches from Hamilton, Mississauga and Norland represented along with Members-at-Large. Jim Wilkes continued as President. Mississauga Branch won the Weston Trophy for the third year running. Dorothy McPherson made a $100 gift-certificate donation to Tundra Leather on behalf of the Life Members.
Spring 2017, pp. 1, 8, 11–12 the roll of Weston Trophy winners
- Spring 2018
The sixty-eighth Annual, and a new President
The Society met at Acton Town Hall, hosted by Mississauga Branch. Jim Wilkes’s term as President ended and Lauch Harrison became the new President. Mississauga Branch won the Weston Trophy again.
- Spring 2019
The sixty-ninth Annual, a Western theme
The Society met at a Western-themed convention hosted by Norland Branch. Hamilton Branch won the Weston Trophy. Richard Borrow became a new Associate and Lester Pinter a new Fellow — the newsletter itself prints “Pinder” on this page, and the Society’s own 2026 member questionnaire settles the surname as Pinter, so it is corrected here on that evidence. Hamilton Branch was named host of the 70th Anniversary convention, planned for 8–10 May 2020.
- March 2020
The convention is postponed, and then the room is lost
“Due to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) the CSCL Executive have made the decision to postpone the 2020 Annual till the fall.” The notice went out on 31 March. There was no Annual Meeting in 2020 at all, and the Society did not meet in a room again for four years.
- 8 May 2021
Two Annual Meetings at once, by Zoom
The seventieth and seventy-first were held together over a videoconference, the 2020 meeting having been missed entirely. The Society ran its first Virtual Annual Competition the same year, judged from photographs, and announced the results at the meeting.
- 14 May 2022
Twenty-five members
The seventy-second, again by Zoom. The membership report for 2021–22 gives the Society’s size at the end of the year: twenty-five members, of whom eleven were Fellows, fourteen were general members and four were sustaining members. There were no Associates left at all.
- 2–3 June 2023
Back in the room, and a warning
The seventy-third, at the Visitor’s Inn in Hamilton, and the first meeting in a room since 2019. Hamilton, Mississauga, Norland and the Members-at-Large were represented by fourteen people. The report does not soften what it found: “The lack of attendees and Executive Committee members is very worrisome.” A committee under Barry Taylor was struck to probe the viability of the Society and to look to an orderly closure if one were needed.
- 2024
Lindsay, and a bag of scrap leather
The seventy-fourth, at the Ramada in Lindsay. The Friday night contest gave everyone a bag of scrap leather and a time limit, the entries numbered and voted on by all present. Jimmy Wilkes was presented with an Honorary Associate Membership by the President, Sean Dalgetty.
- 10 May 2025
The question of dissolution
The seventy-fifth met at Hamilton with one item that mattered more than the rest. The Continuation Committee, struck in 2023 and meeting on the fourth Tuesday of the month before the Executive meetings — from October 2024, seven times in all — reported: it had been asked “to investigate the possibility of Dissolving the Society and to prepare the ground for a Vote to decide the matter.” It set out what would become of everything the Society owned — the bequests of members who had died to Craft Ontario as bursaries, the guild endowments back to the guilds, the library to a leather museum, caretakers in place of a full executive — and it set down the question word for word: “Do we Dissolve the Society?” Before it came to that, the meeting carried two motions under business arising, both moved by Sean Dalgetty and seconded by Sheena Burger: an entry for the Weston Trophy, and an entry for the Best of Level award, were each reduced to three articles. Sean Dalgetty’s President’s message, the last the Society printed, ended: “The winds of change have been blowing and the tree that is the CSCL is coming down.”
The Annual Meeting, 1950–2025 the minutes of the 75th Annual General Meeting
- 10 May 2025
The Society votes to dissolve
The minutes of the seventy-fifth meeting record how the members voted. Eleven members in good standing were present and six more voted by proxy; by a show of hands and proxies, thirteen voted to dissolve, three to continue, and one abstained. “By a vote of 13 to 3 the Society has been Dissolved.” Lauch Harrison, Sean Dalgetty and Della Chynoweth stayed on as its caretakers “from previous commitment”; Paul Kitchener and Doug Schavo said they would serve “if needed”. Before voting, the meeting amended two of the Continuation Report’s conditions. The Society’s funds were to go to the member guilds “in equal parts”, with a way for the Members-at-Large to draw on what the remaining guilds held, where the report had said they would be shared by membership (moved by Barb C, seconded by Sheena B.). And the website, which the report had expected to carry on “with very infrequent updates for at least 5 years”, was instead to continue for at least two years, at a cost of $40 US (moved by Nancy Durham, seconded by Paul K). What the minutes do not say is what then became of the Society’s funds and the bequests (the library was by then already with Paul Kitchener in Omemee), and the minutes do not record what became of the Society’s funds and the bequests. A report submitted the following year, the Members-at-Large programme’s own final account, describes seventy-five years of the Society in the past tense. The minutes do not name who was in the room; the Society’s last newsletter does — Sheena Burger, Tracey Howard, Della Chynoweth, Barb Chynoweth, James Wilkes, Nancy Durham, Lauchlan Harrison, Sean Dalgetty, Paul Kitchener, Doug Schavo and Betsy Rennie, with Barry Taylor, Colin Paddon, Tammy Gray, Alf Luneborg, David McPherson and Lauren Malec voting by proxy.
the minutes of the 75th Annual General Meeting The Annual Meeting, 1950–2025 the Members-at-Large’s final report, May 2026 Fall 2026, p. 6
- 6 October 2026
The last issue
The Society’s last newsletter, Volume LXXVI, No. Final, was sent to the members on 6 October 2026. Lauch Harrison signed it “Your Last Editor” and opened it “This is my first and last edition of the Bulletin”. It carries Carol McLean’s memories of the Woodstock Branch and the C.N.E. booth, the final Members-at-Large report, the results of the 75th Annual’s two competitions, the Continuation Committee’s account of its work, the vote itself, and the bursary the Society left behind.
- 2026
A bursary in the Society’s name
A fifth share of the Society’s funds went to Craft Ontario as a $500 bursary, “Excellence and Education in Leathercraft”, open to leathercraft at all career levels but restricted to applicants who had never been CSCL members. The proposal gives its reason: at the dissolution “the members wished to encourage education to anyone seriously interested in leathercraft regardless of experience”, and it asks that the fund remain ongoing.
- October 2026
The Caretakers
In place of an executive, five caretakers — Lauch Harrison, Sean Dalgetty, Della Chynoweth, Paul Kitchener and Doug Schavo — were to meet monthly from October 2026, the first on Zoom at 7:30 pm on 13 October, with other members of the dissolved Society invited to join them. They were to oversee the distribution of the Society’s funds to four member guilds — Hamilton, Mississauga, the Members-at-Large and Norland — and the fifth amount to the Craft Ontario bursary.