Eira Friesen (1 April 1917 – 11 December 2008) was a Welsh-born Canadian community activist, inducted into the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the ...
in 2003 for services to women in Manitoba.
Early life and education
Eira Alice Charles was born in Wales, the daughter of Major
John Leslie Charles Major John Leslie Charles (1892-1992) was Chief Engineer for the Canadian National Railway (Western Region) and consulting engineer for the Canadian National Railway. He worked and published on the subject of railway development in remote or difficu ...
, chief engineer for the
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company (french: Compagnie des chemins de fer nationaux du Canada) is a Canadian Class I freight railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, which serves Canada and the Midwestern and Southern United States.
CN i ...
, and Helena Violet Hamilton Charles."Obituary: Eira Friesen" ''Winnipeg Free Press'' (December 13, 2008). Her brother John Hamilton Charles was killed in action during World War II, in 1942, as a member of the
Royal Canadian Air Force
The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
. Eira attended St. Mary's Academy as a young woman, and earned a bachelor's degree from the
Eira "Babs" Friesen started the Y-Neighbours, an early at-home mothers' support and social program in Winnipeg, based in
YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
locations. In 1973 she also helped found the YWCA's Women's Resource Centre in 1973, before there were other options for women in western Canada. She volunteered at the women's centre full-time for over 28 years. In 1985 she was part of Canada's delegation at the Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi, and again in 1995, when the Fourth World Conference on Women was held in Beijing.
Eira "Babs" Friesen received the
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...
in 2003, and was inducted into the Order of Canada in that same year. Her Order of Canada citation stated, "She has helped countless women to take a stand, improve their lives, and thrive in a community of peers." She was one of the twenty recipients of the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medals allotted to the National Council of Women of Canada.
Personal life and legacy
Eira Charles married Rhinehart Friesen, an obstetrician, in 1944, while he was in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps. They had four children together. She died in 2008, age 91, in Winnipeg. Rhinehart died within two months after Eira.
The Manitoba Women's Advisory Council and the YMCA-YWCA of Winnipeg present an annual Eira "Babs" Friesen Lifetime Achievement Award to honour contributions to women's equality in Winnipeg.
A scrapbook of Eira Friesen's is in the collection of the University of Manitoba Archives.Fonds Mss 229 (A.03–28) †Eira "Babs" Friesen fonds University of Manitoba Archives and Special Collections.