St. Andrews 4-H Club is one of the biggest in Nova Scotia
/by Bree Stewart
Nestled in our rural community just outside the town of Antigonish is the community centre where the St. Andrews 4-H Club comes together for everything from general meetings to achievement days. Ours is one of six clubs in Antigonish County, Nova Scotia.
Our club, like many others, has a rich history. What is now the St. Andrews 4-H Club began in the late 1920s as a boys and girls club – a youth agriculture club with gardening and calf projects. Some members competed in the provincial exhibition, with one source naming Charlie Landry of the St. Andrews group as the one who took the top prize in gardening in 1929 despite the club only being active for about a year at that point.
Dr. W.V. Longley was instrumental in the growth of the club throughout the early 1930s, and the St. Andrews 4-H Club has only grown in both numbers and 4-H spirit since.
Given that we’ve had nearly 100 years to grow, it’s no surprise that the St. Andrews club has become one of the biggest in Nova Scotia, boasting more than 100 members for several years in a row and continuing that trend into 2020.
This large, dedicated membership is reflected in our leaders. The St. Andrews club currently has more than 25 registered leaders and typically has between four and eight junior leaders on a yearly basis. Some of our leaders include our general leaders Sally Van de Wiel, Sam Stewart, and Anna Vanzutphen. While we have a multitude of leaders, some still end up pulling double duty. Brenda Berger leads crafts and scrapbooking, Anna Vanzutphen leads dairy on top of her general leader duties, and Will Stewart co-leads both great outdoors and cake decorating.
In addition to our leaders, we have a wonderful set of executive members and junior leaders who help to run the club. Our executive members for the current year are me as president, Jeryka Berger as vice-president, Charlotte Boyle as secretary, and Maria MacHattie as treasurer. The executive members regularly work alongside both our registered and junior leaders in the planning of our club-specific events, as well as regular events such as club rallies and achievement days.
Our members participate in numerous annual community service events. We collect donations for the Canadian Association for Community Living and clean up roadside garbage as part of the Adopt-a-Highway program.
In the fall, we have our 4-H farmers’ market, which functions as our major club fundraiser for the year. Members and leaders donate baked goods, fruit, vegetables, and small handmade items such as dishcloths to sell to the community. Later in the year, we celebrate the holidays with a Christmas party and we organize the county’s float for the Christmas parade, with an open invitation to any Antigonish County 4-Hers who want to join in.
St. Andrews 4-H has also been a part of numerous exchange programs, most recently visiting Saskatchewan in 2017 and Alberta in 2016. Unfortunately, our 2020 exchange was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of our club have also gone on to contribute to various improvements to our county and province.
In 2019, the cavy (Guinea pig) project had its first year as a recognized project in Nova Scotia. This was in large part due to the efforts of one of our leaders, Jordan Vosman, in increasing the numbers and awareness regarding the project.
The club leads the largest great outdoors project in Nova Scotia. Leaders Tim Bellemore and Will Stewart provide an annual workshop for other members and leaders to further develop skills in this project.
In terms of the county, one of our recent alumni and longtime leaders, Julia Vosman, brought more chances for members to gain experience in judging by co-planning and hosting a judging competition for the county’s members. It’s these kinds of contributions that help us become a stronger club, community, country, and world.
I’ve especially appreciated my 4-H community and family during this time of COVID-19. Although the 4-H program was formally cancelled for the year in Nova Scotia, I and many other members of the St. Andrews club have spent time reflecting on our pledge to “learn to do by doing.” While this typically alludes to leadership and skills development, it can be comforting to think of it in terms of learning how to cope with new challenges by doing our best to manage issues from online school to struggling with mental wellness in isolation.
In that vein of thinking and to keep our members involved throughout this time, the club created a video that was shared on Facebook about the 4-H pledge. While unable to hold meetings, members are finding companionship caring for 4-H project animals, and some members have expanded their herds and flocks.
Members also pass the time in social isolation by working on project skills such as cake decorating, foods, crafts, and exploring the great outdoors. It’s both inspiring and motivating seeing my fellow 4-Hers post experiences showing how they’re using and developing their project skills during the pandemic.
The St. Andrews 4-H Club is one of many similar yet unique clubs around the world and has provided an incredible experience for so many kids in our community. As a member of 10 years, I can say that 4-H has absolutely shaped who I am, and I could not be more thankful for the volunteers and my fellow members in St. Andrews 4-H.
(Bree Stewart is a Grade 12 International Baccalaureate (IB) student at Dr. John Hugh Gillis Regional High School in Antigonish, N.S. She enjoys 4-H, arts, leadership, and music, and plans to pursue wildlife biology in university.)
