A Brief History of H&DAS

Before the Second World War an aquarium society was in existence in Hamilton. The exact time during which it functioned is not known but magazines of the time do suggest that it was flourishing as early as the mid thirties.  We assume that the war caused the end of the club.

After the war, we believe about 1950, the present Hamilton & District Aquarium Society (H&DAS), was started and has continued ever since without interruption. The society has held its monthly meetings in a variety of locations such as Dom Polski (just off Barton Street), the Ottawa Street “Y”, the old Jewish Community Center at Sanford & Delaware (no longer there), the Firemen’s’ Hall on Concession and our present meeting place, the Church of the Resurrection.

The H&DAS was one of the founding members of the Canadian Association of Aquarium Clubs (CAOAC), and Hamilton members have served on the CAOAC Executive & Committees regularly since the beginning  Our club has been host to five of the annual CAOAC conventions.

For the last 30 years or so the Society has held an annual show open to the public. For a number of years this was a week long affair in which many large setups were displayed. In recent years for various reasons the show has been a one day display in conjunction with an auction. We have also taken part in a number of other events over the years including the Mum Show and Aquafest. From time to time the club has arranged other activities for its members. These include things such as Home Shows, trips to public aquaria, live food hunts, summer picnics & pet shop tours.