Our history

In 1968, the provincial organization, The Superannuated Teachers of Ontario, was formed with one of its objectives being the assurance of full and adequate pensions for all retired teachers.

On January 13 1971, Murray McDiarmid, at the request of Norman McLeod, Provincial President of the S.T.O. called a small group of local representatives to his home with a purpose of organizing retired teachers in the Hamilton area. The former teachers and their affiliates were:

Miss Phyllis Robinson, Public School Women
Miss Jean Boyes, Secondary School Women
Mr. Harry Belyea, Public School Men
Mr. David Bridge, Secondary School Men
Mr. Austin Hewitt, Public School Principals

It was decided that a larger group was needed to organize the area’s retirees and so on January 27, 1972, 27 S.T.O. members assembled at the Hamilton Board of Education Auditorium. Under the chairmanship of Mr. McDiarmid they heard Mr. Ivan McIvor, an S.T.O. past-president and Miss Marion Tyrell, Secretary-Treasurer of S.T.O. emphasize the need for a Hamilton-Wentworth district organization. An Interim Publicity Committee was formed to draft a letter to all superannuated teachers of the area’s elementary, secondary and separate schools inviting them and their teacher acquaintances to a February 24th meeting at the Education Centre when Mr. Norman McLeod would be the speaker.

Some 180 former teachers assembled at the meeting on February 24, 1972. With Mr. McDiarmid as chairman, Mr. McLeod explained the organization of S.T.O and its work. Already pension adjustments had been obtained and now the Executive was working on the indexing of superannuation pensions. A motion was passed authorizing the setting-up of a Committee For Progress to organize a Hamilton and area District of the S.T.O. with the inaugural meeting to be the following November, and committee membership to be as follows:

President: Murray McDiarmid
Vice President: Phyllis Robinson
Secretary-Treasurer: David Bridge
Committee: Madeline Warren, Sister St. Peter, Jean Boyes, Austin Hewitt, Harry Belyea

The groundwork had been done and now there were eight and a half months to prepare for the first meeting of the Hamilton District.

The Committee for Progress met on September 21st under the chairmanship of Murray McDiarmid. A formal request had already been received from the Provincial Office to include Haldimand County in a Hamilton-Wentworth district. The natal day for District 13 was set as November 8, 1972, at the Education Centre, 100 Main Street West. Mr. J.R. Causley, Director of the Teachers’ Superannuation Commission, was to be invited as a speaker. A Nominating committee was set up to bring in the District’s first slate of officers.

At that inaugural Meeting, Jim Causley explained the work which had been done by the Provincial Executive setting up S.T.O., in forming districts throughout the province and in helping the districts to become established. Graded pension adjustments, the Co-operative Health Services of Ontario and the Provincial fee structure were also dealt with by the speaker. The Nominating Committee’s report resulted in the following Executive for District 13′s first year, 1972-73.

President: Murray McDiamid
Vice-President: Madeline Warren
Secretary-Treasurer David Bridge
Representatives:
Keith Watson Secondary School Men
Florence Hodgson Secondary School Women
Austin Hewitt Elementary School Men
Eva Wilkins Elementary School Women
Sister Imanda Separate Schools
Earl Marcy Wentworth County
Jacob Venkessei Haldimand County
Phyllis Robinson O.A.S.W.T.

On November 21st, the Executive met for the first time. It was decided to hold two such meetings a year, and more if necessary. A constitution committee was created. In regard to District finances, collection difficulties were foreseen and a recommendation was drafted to the Provincial Senate, “that sufficient fees be deducted for the S.T.O. head office to give each District a rebate of $1.00 per member”. Other committees were formed to deal with Health Services, Publicity and Public Relations and the aims, objectives and services rendered by the S.T.O. and the O.A.S.W.T.

The Executive met again on February 12, 1973. Difficulties were being experienced in obtaining an up-to-date alphabetical list of all retired teachers in the District. A first draft of a district constitution was tabled and the date of a Spring Assembly was planned with Miss Marion Tyrell, Secretary-treasurer of the S.T.O., to be the invited speaker.

This second assembly was held at the Education Centre on April 26th. Miss Tyrell related how the S.T.O. had won official recognition under amendments to the Teaching Profession Act. She detailed changes that the government had made in raising minimum pensions and in percentage adjustments based on years of service. But now the S.T.O. was requesting an escalation clause based on the cost-of-living and this was supported by the O.T.F. and its affiliates. Miss Tyrell explained that the 12 provincial districts had been increased to 21 geographical districts. President McDiarmid was chosen to represent our District at the upcoming Senate meeting.

District 13 Presidents
Murray McDiarmid 1972-1973
Madeline Warren 1973-1974
David Bridge 1974-1975
Edith Filsinger 1975-1976
Keith Watson 1976-1977
Reg Chapman 1977-1978
Gwen Day 1978-1979
Sister Maria Cordis 1979-1980
Tom McGuffin 1980-1981
Ken Hunt 1981-1982
Hazel Kerr 1982-1983
Alan Meiklejohn 1983-1984
Jim Carey 1984-1985
Colin Crozier 1985-1986
Florence Irvine 1986-1987
Art Sweeney 1987-1988
Charles Forbeck 1988-1989
Joan Rapsavage 1989-1990
Douglas Copeland 1990-1991
Sidney Hawker 1991-1992
Audrey Beeler 1992-1993
Gordon McLennan 1993-1994
John Guenther 1994-1996
Jacqueline Carson 1996-1997
Norman Walpole 1997-1998
Rita Mauro 1998-1999
Carl Ouellette 1999-2000
Bruce Evenden 2000-2001
Marvin Sheppard 2001-2002
Alexandra Gall 2002-2003
Sylvia Kajiura 2003-2004
Ralph Edwards 2004-2005
Jim Wilson 2005-2006
Leo Normandeau 2006-2007
Helen Szydlowski 2007-2008
Gordon Near 2008-2009
Joanne Weeks 2009-2010