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This bursary was established by John Wilkinson in memory of his late wife, Leila Joyce Wilkinson, beloved wife, mother and grandmother.  After her family emigrated from England to Canada in 1921, when Joyce was fourteen, they settled first in Proctor and then in Nelson, BC.

After completing high school in Nelson, Joyce completed her first year of university at the Normal School in Victoria from 1926-27.  Due to financial difficulties, Joyce was unable to continue her education and was obliged to start teaching as an elementary school teacher first at Dewdney and then in Longworth in Northern BC for several years.  Nevertheless, she remained close to her friends in the Class of ’27 throughout her life.

This bursary is open to women who reside in all regions of the Province, but in recognition of the problems, Joyce faced coming from a rural area of British Columbia.