History of the Woodstock Branch

In the summer of 1992 the Society's newsletter carried this account of the Woodstock Branch, written by Madeleine Mitchell — Woodstock member and the Society's Membership Chairman — for the issue reporting the 42nd Annual Meeting. It is reproduced as printed.

In the mid-1960's a small group of leathercrafters from the Woodstock area attended an International leathercraft meeting in Michigan. During that event they met members of the Canadian Society for Creative Leathercraft who convinced them to become members. They travelled to C.S.C.L meetings in London, Ontario for about two years before forming the Woodstock Branch in 1968.

The Society’s own report of that year says the same: Woodstock “was welcomed as the sixth CSCL branch at the Eighteen Annual meeting”, with eight members to date. (Summer 1968, page 3.)

Woodstock's first president was Beula Reynolds, A.C.S.C.L. Other early members were Loreen Manuel, Jean Rachnor, Dorothy Aird, and Carol McLean, F.C.S.C.L.

Loreen Manuel — printed Manual on the branch's own first officer slate — was Vice-President and Joy Hutcheson Secretary in that founding 1968 executive. (1968-summer, page 3.)

In 1969 Woodstock entered its first Weston Trophy branch competition. 1971 marked the first Annual Meeting held by Woodstock. Members of the branch taught night school courses and by 1972 membership swelled to 30. During the 70's Woodstock members brought home numerous Salon and Craftsman ribbons and in 1975, the Weston Trophy.

Among those ribbon-winners: Margaret Monteith took a 1st and two 2nds in the C.N.E.'s Women's Division leathercraft classes in 1975, the branch's Weston Trophy year; Jean Pickering and Joy Hutcheson both appear repeatedly in the Society's Craftsman and Salon award lists across the decade. (Fall 1975, page 3.) (See the Weston Trophy roll.)

Membership dwindled in the 1980's but the small, eager group continued to participate in workshop exhibitions and to take active part in the C.S.C.L Executive Council. Woodstock members held positions including President, Secretary, Archivist, and Director.

Sharon Alderson, of the Woodstock branch, won Craftsman Ribbons at the 1981 and 1983 Annual Meetings, for a fluted round tray and a book cover. (1981-summer, page 9; 1983-summer, page 6.)

Named across the Society's own executive rosters and the branch's annual reports to the Annual Meeting, the branch's Presidents in these years were Kay O’Riley (1974; the branch’s Treasurer in 1976 and its Past President in the 1977 programme), Jean Pickering (1982–85; the branch’s Vice-President, and a Society Director, in 1990), and Nancy Durham (1991–97, and again in 2005); its Secretaries included Christine Kingston (1976–78) and Kathleen O'Riley (1979); its Treasurers Terry Burt-Gerrans (1978–79) and, later, Loreen Manuel (1989–93; the branch’s Librarian in 2007, when Jean Pickering was Treasurer); Margaret Stevens held the branch's Telephone post in 1978, and David McPherson — the branch's Editor and later its own President, from 2006 — and Nancy Durham as Librarian were both active on the Society's wider Executive Council by the 1990s and 2000s, the "Director" the account above refers to. (1974-spring, page 12; 1976-summer, page 2; the 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 35th, 38th, 39th and 40th Annual Meeting programmes; 1982-summer, page 2; 1983-84-winter, page 3; 1990-spring, page 12; 1991-summer, page 8.)

Heather Atkinson served as the branch's President from 2000 through 2003, while also sitting on the Society's own Executive as Corresponding Secretary and, in 2003, 2nd Vice-President; Lauren McPherson served as Secretary/Treasurer of what its members have since called the Woodstock Leather Guild from 2007 to 2010. (2000-spring-summer; 2002-summer, page 8; 2003-fall, page 8; her CSCL 60th Anniversary biography.)

The 90's started with the hosting of C.S.C.L's 40th Annual Meeting and in September, hosted the Leather '90 Biennial Exhibition.

Woodstock membership presently hovers around 12, but members remain enthusiastic, active and dedicated to C.S.C.L.

The branch outlasted this account by eighteen years and then disbanded in 2010, its members passing on to the Members-at-Large, whose roster rose above twenty as a result. The Society’s final Members-at-Large report gives the branch’s span as 1967–2010 and names its first Vice-President in 1967 only as “Loreen”; the Society’s own report of the year welcomed Woodstock as its sixth branch in 1968, and the branch’s own history above, written in 1992, dates its founding to 1968. Both stand as printed. (Fall 2026, pp. 4 and 6; Summer 1968, page 3.)

Written by Madeleine Mitchell and printed in Canadian Leathercraft, Summer 1992. Officer and award notes added from Summer 1968 p3, Spring 1974 p12, Fall 1975 p3, Summer 1976 p2, Summer 1982 p2, Winter 1983/84 p3, Spring 1990 p12, Summer 1991 p8, Summer 1981 p9, Summer 1983 p6, Spring/Summer 2000, Summer 2002 p8, Fall 2003 p8, Lauren McPherson's CSCL 60th Anniversary biography, and the 26th, 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, 35th, 38th, 39th and 40th Annual Meeting programmes.