Although the weather was blustery outside, it was a
warm and gentle atmosphere at the Anglican Church
Hall as women gathered to enjoy a satisfying cup of
tea or a bracing cup of coffee along with delicacies and
sweet treats galore. Quesnel’s Gold Pan Grannies set
tables with linen ware, fine china, gleaming silver and a
variety of tea and coffee pots. Carts of sweet selections
were wheeled around the room by Gold Pan Grannies
resplendent in their Sunday finest with hats of all
descriptions. It seemed the appropriate finish to each
women’s ensemble. The entire soiree harkened back to
days long gone, when afternoon tea was a highlight in
the lives of women. It was a time to dress in your finest
and sport a spiffy new hat. However, this event has
another purpose, one not quite so refined. The Gold Pan
Grannies were formed to support and stand together
with grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa who are raising
their grandchildren and other’s grandchildren who
lost their parents to violence and the AIDS epidemic. As
part of the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers
to Grandmothers campaign, Quesnel Gold Pan Grannies
are celebrating 10 years of solidarity with their amazing
counterparts across the ocean.
