Seventy Baby Outfits for Seventy Years on the Throne
In honour of Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee, St. Matthew’s parishioners enjoyed tea and scones following worship on Sunday, May 29, 2022. The price of admission? -- a baby outfit. The Anglican Church Women of the parish (ACW) set a goal of 70 outfits (for the 70 years of Queen Elizabeth's reign) and during the month of May, parishioners rose to the challenge with many more than 70 new outfits gathered. These will be part of the diocesan ACW’s outreach -- to northern Canada and to local needs.
As part of the gentle fun of the day, the Queen's smiling photo and the Union Jack took pride of place on the mantel in front of the display of baby outfits. A real live corgi (courtesy of Belinda Kishimoto) padded royally around adding to a festive atmosphere. A vintage Vancouver Sun newspaper (courtesy of Paulette Farquhar) displayed 1953 photos and accounts of the coronation. Our chef, Rose Rourke, prepared homemade scones, and Fran Bates made the clotted cream. Others contributed jam, china teapots and silver spoons. Lloyd Bates (with careful moving) wheeled the grand piano into the tea area and played appropriate palm court teatime music, starting, of course, with everyone standing for "God Save the Queen.”
After so many years without an in-person event, it was a pleasure to dress up in our finery with fancy hats and fascinators and celebrate outreach and fellowship.
IMAGES
- The goal of 70 baby outfits for ACW outreach initiatives in the north and our local community was surpassed.
- Author and photographer, Linda Burton (foreground) and her intergenerational "hatted ladies".
- A view of the “Tea Room”
- Another view of the room from the repositioned piano
- Belinda Kishimoto kindly made her Corgi named “Pippit” available to add to the British atmosphere.
Photos Linda Burton