Mission's remarkable women will be honoured at the annual Women of the Year gala, hosted by the Mission Business and Professional Women's Club on Oct. 10.

The club has chosen two outstanding women this year, Marilyn Macdonald and Teresa Yu, who represent the thousands of women who pursued the "respectable" careers of teacher and nurse.

The guest speaker will be Sharon Syrette, who will present a radio-style talk on Women in their Place: Schools, Hospitals, Community. Her 'broadcast' of anecdotes and lessons are from local women who pursued the only two accepted careers for women in the early 20th century - teacher and nurse.

The tales include the histories of the Sisters of St. Anne at St. Mary's Indian Residential School in the 1860s, Mary Ann Trethewey's work as a Canadian Pacific Railway nurse in the 1890s, midwife Etsu Hashizume's delivery of more than 100 Japanese-Canadian babies, First World War army nurse Constance Dempster's experiences, and the post-war role of the women's auxiliary in the effort to build Mission Memorial Hospital.

The awards dinner begins at 7 p.m., Oct. 10, at Cedar-brooke Chateau, 32331 Seventh Ave., Mission.

Tickets are $60, and are available from Pam Alexis at 604-302-2005.

Proceeds will provide bursaries for Mission women pursuing post-secondary education.