The Toronto Branch of the Clan Donald Society of Canada had another successful year with the main event of the year being our Annual Gathering, which takes the form of a Dinner and Dance, held on November 19, 1976. Members and friends from Ontario and the USA attended including members from the two other Clan Donald Society Branches in Ontario, the Grand River Valley and the St. Lawrence-Rideau. This shows that the Branches have a common bond and attend each other’s functions thus exemplifying Clan comradeship.
Along with our Spring and Fall Ceilidhs, we also participated in the following events:
1. The Cobourg Highland Games held on Saturday, July 3, 1976 and officially opened by a member of our Branch, the Hon. Flora MacDonald, Member of Parliament for Kingston and the Islands in the Federal Government. We had a Clan Donald display at the Games which was well received by the public.
2. The official opening of the Clan Donald Log House at Doon Pioneer Village on Sunday, October 3, 1976 when our President presented a framed copy of the Coat of Arms of Sir John A. Macdonald to be displayed in the Log House. This Log House is a project the Grand River Valley Branch undertook and they have been very successful in preserving this historic Log House.
3. In August a framed copy of the Coat of Arms of Sir John A. Macdonald was also presented to Lord Godfrey Macdonald in Skye to be placed in the Clan Donald Museum in Armadale.
4. At the 12th Annual Commencement Exercises of Sir John A. Macdonald Collegiate Institute held on November 12, 1976 where the Outstanding All Round Female and Male Students Awards were presented by a member of our Executive. These are Awards presented by the Toronto Branch annually since the Collegiate, named for Canada’s first Prime Minister, was opened in 1964.