Margaret Bemister was a Canadian author, journalist, and educator whose career spanned the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, to parents from Newfoundland and Ontario, she pursued an education at the Winnipeg Normal School, where she earned her teaching certificate. This training laid the foundation for her lifelong engagement with education, storytelling, and community service.\n\nBemister became a prominent figure in the early Canadian literary scene, particularly in western Canada. She was an early member of the Winnipeg branch of the Canadian Women's Press Club and contributed regularly to the Manitoba Free Press. Her writing was diverse, encompassing non-fiction, short stories, and novels. Notably, she dedicated herself to collecting and retelling traditional stories, including several shared with her by a chief of the Syilx First Nation, preserving these narratives for a broader audience.\n\nDuring World War I, Bemister channeled her literary talents into supporting the war effort by helping to compile and publish The Christmas Knapsack, an anthology designed to raise funds for Canadian soldiers. Later in life, she relocated to Vancouver, British Columbia, where she lived until her death in 1984 at the remarkable age of 107. Her legacy remains tied to her pioneering role as a female journalist and her dedication to preserving regional folklore.
