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FWIO President’s Perspectives By Margaret Eberle As I return home from my trips to the FWIO office in Guelph, there is a certain stoplight between Guelph and Highway 401 that I have to stop at every time. Directly in front of me at this stoplight is a cycle shop, and hanging in the window is a shiny new bicycle wheel, The vision of this wheel often remains in my mind as I continue on my journey. In many ways, the Women‘s Institute is like this shiny wheel. Each spoke could represent a Branch. Just as the strength of the wheel depends on the spokes. the strength of the Women’s Institute orâ€" ganization depends on the strength of its Branches. The more spokes, the stronger the wheel. And if these spokes are al- lowed to rust or tarnish, they make the wheel weak. Likewise, it is up to each Women’s Institute member to keep their Branch polished and rust-free. A very clever engineer figured out that ifthe spokes did not go directly to the hub, they would make a much stronger, more durable wheel. This miss-crossing of spokes is similar to our Branches joining WI Members Treated Like Royalty together in Districts and Areas to strengthen our organization. The spokes or Branches in this crissâ€" cross pattern are joined to the hub of the wheel, which could represent the FWIO Executive. The Executive has the respon- sibility to decide where this wheel will go. The hub, however, has no strength on its own. The hub must rely on the spokes for guidance and strength; just as the FWIO EXecutive relies on the Branches, Disâ€" tricts and Areas for guidance and strength. A wheel, however. will not work with only spokes and a hub. There must be somethingto hold it all togetherand make it run smoothly over bumps and up and down hills along the road. The rim and tire do this of course. In the Women's Institute, the rim and tire ofthe organiza- tion are the Board Directors. These mem- bersjoin hands several times each year to hold everything together. smooth the path and carry the organization along its roads. A wheel can only do so much on its own. It must link up with other wheels and carry frames of other things to be effective. Similarly, the Women's In- By Peggy Knapp The 62nd Royal Agricultural Winter Fair was both exciting and challenging for Women's Institute members as we were asked, for the first time, to be par- ticipators. "Women's Day" at the Royal hosted by the Federated Women‘s Institutes of On- tario was a great success as 240 women sat down for luncheon in Cafe Royale. Chaired by Board Director, Peggy Dadd, the day consisted of a challenging and thought-provoking address by Mavis Wilson, former Minister of Women's lsâ€" sues for the Province of Ontario, who spoke on "Issues Facing Women in the '905." A fashion show featuring wool, "The Oldest New Fibre," drew many admiring comments from the audience as WI models, under the direction of Eva Mar- tin, presented a wide assortment of wool- len sweaters, skins, slacks and dresses from The Casual Way. An exciting evening at the Royal Horse Show began with a visit by Her Royal Highness, the Duchess of York, who arrived in her Iandau to the skirl of the pipes, and concluded with a win by Canada'a Ian Miller on Big Ben during the International Equestrian Event. [n the Crafts Area, at the invitation of the Royal, the FWIO mounted a major exhibit of Canadian handicrafts. Co-or- dinated by Doris Dunn and Corinne Croxall, the sixâ€"booth area changed scenes each day as craftswomen dis- played, demonstrated and/or sold their handicrafts. That WI members sat down each day at the quilt frames and invited passers-by to add a few stitches greatly added to the charm and country hospitality of the area. The FWIO Booth Committee under the chairmanship of Ruth Halpert, as- stitute hooks up with many other or- ganizations and agencies to produce results for the betterment ofourselves and our communities. The FWIO has been rolling con- tinuously for almost 100 years. We have done many, many things and then rolled on to the next job without waiting for recognition or thanks, Unfortunately, this habit has caught up with us. Now, we must polish our spokes, and he sure that as part of ourjob we tell others what we are doing. And as we polish, we must realize that more spokes make a stronger wheel and more Branches make a stronger organization. Today, as the Federated Womens's In- stitutes of Ontario progresses into a new partnership with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and as we continue down new and untried paths, it is up to each member in each Branch to keep this wheel polished and in good repair in the years to come. Margaret Ebcrle is the new President of the Federated Women ’s Institutes of Ontario. sisted by Barbara Pinkncy and Rosine Findley, promoted our organization ad- joining the Craft Exhibit. Many members took their turns as volunteers. Altogether. in spite of the work load for dedicated volunteers, the excitement of this kind of exposure at "Canada‘s Show Window on Agriculture" was a highlight ofour year. My grateful thanks to all who convened this major event, and to all the willing volunteers who pitched in to make it a success. Peggy Knapp was the 199! F W10 Royal A gricultural Winter Fair C a-ardt' nalor. Special Thanks I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for the flowers, cards and letters of sympathy I received from members on the death of my son. Margaret R. Munro H 6: C January. February. March 1992 3