Sault Ste. Marie RWTO/OERO Branch was formed when it was still known as OASWT, in 1966. There were eight members and the first Branch president was Edna Mertes. The meetings were held in the reception room of St. Andrew’s United Church in the afternoon with tea and cookies. From 1973 to 1975, Edna was the first provincial president from northern Ontario. She was followed by Annabelle Harten from 1975 to 1976. The first Provincial Convention held in northern Ontario was in 1997. It was followed in 2012 by North To Algoma.

The membership has grown from 25 in 1993 to 66 members in 2025.

From 1971 to 2021, 160 bedkits were purchased for Sleeping Children Around The World. Now we support a variety of charitable organizations. The Executive has been recycled a number of times and we welcome any interested member to join as a Member-at-Large. During COVID, Zoom became the meeting format which was difficult as there are areas where internet is spotty at best. Geographically, we are the last bastion of RWTO/OERO in the north. Our most remote member lives in Pickle Lake. We are a social group, with an activities’ monthly calendar, with an activity for everyone.

 

Click HERE for our full 2026-2027 Executive