Wawanesa has recognized the community's ties to well known Canadian Nellie McClung.

Nellie Mooney was born at in Ontario in 1873, the youngest daughter of John Mooney. Her father's farm failed and the family moved to Manitoba in 1880. She received six years of formal education in the Wawanesa area and did not learn to read until she was ten.

A group in Wawanesa felt the need to put up a commemorative plaque honouring Nellie McClung and her ties to the community. About 50 people including some local school children attended Wednesday’s program in front of the church where Nellie was married to Wesley McClung, who she met while teaching in Manitou.

One of the invited guests of Dave Mooney a great-nephew to Nellie McClung and he was thrilled the community got together to put up a plaque to remember his great aunt.

“It’s quite an honour to be part of Nellie’s family because of the great woman she was. It’s amazing what came about because of her efforts and the work of other women of her time. It’s just a nice thing to have Nellie McClung as a relative.”

Oakland-Wawanesa Mayor Dave Kreklewich says a Canadian as special as Nellie is worth doing something special for.

“This is good for the community and anytime you can promote the region and its people, especially a person who had such a huge impact on society, you have to make the effort to mention it somewhere whether it’s through signage or word of mouth to let people know the region’s history.”

Between 1904 and 1915, Nellie McClung, her husband Wesley, and their five children resided in Winnipeg where, from 1911 until 1915, McClung fought for women's suffrage. In both the 1914 and 1915 Manitoba provincial elections, she campaigned for the Liberal party on the issue of the vote for women. She helped organize the Women's Political Equality League, a group devoted to women's suffrage. A public speaker known for her sense of humour, she played a leading role in the successful Liberal campaign in 1914.

Marguerite Cory is a retired nurse in Wawanesa and an avid history buff. She helped make the plaque a reality and says it’s the right thing to do for Nellie. “She helped women get the vote and Manitoba was the first province to give women the vote. She has strong ties to our community and was married in the Presbyterian Church and many of her Mooney relatives remain in and around Wawanesa today. We felt this plaque was a great way to honour her legacy.”

Marguerite Cory and Dorothy Haithwaite unveil plaque

Nellie and her colleagues celebrated the defeat of the Roblin government in 1915 but by the time Manitoba became the first province in Canada to grant women the vote in early 1916 she had already moved to Edmonton. There she continued her career as an orator, author, and reformer. In 1921, McClung was elected to the Alberta Legislative Assembly.

She moved to Calgary in 1923 and dedicated herself to writing. She had already written her first novel, Sowing Seeds in Danny, published in 1908. A national bestseller, the book was succeeded by short stories and articles, McClung wrote in several Canadian and American magazines.

McClung's house is in Calgary, Alberta, her residence from 1923 to the mid-1930s, still stands and is designated a heritage site. Two other houses in which McClung lived were re-located to the Archibald Museum near La Rivière where they have been restored. The McClung family residence in Winnipeg is also a historic site.

It was largely through her efforts that in 1916 Manitoba became the first province to give women the right to vote and to run for public office. After moving to Edmonton, she continued the campaign for suffrage.