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M0unt Elginmem berrecaHs stories in Institute book By LINDSAY OLDHAM For The Ingersoll Times Verna Hartnett recalls the time she and a friend used some makeshift equipment to go fishing. "We took a branch off of a tree and some string and went fishing," says the 85-year-old Mount Elgin resident and member ofthe local branch of the Women's Institute Sims 1937. That story is one of the anecdotes related in From This Place: Recollection of the Lives of Women of the 20th Century. a book put out by Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario (FWIO) The different branches of the FWIO were asked to find their oldest member and see what growing up had beenlike before they were married. Then they decided to make a book with all the different sto- ries as a legacy for the mem-- bers families. The writers range in age from 70 to l02. Hartnett says her seven grandchildren enjoyed her portion of the book. Her sto- ries about riding in the cutter, playinginthechurch shed and pushing a wagon down a hill, would be interesting for any-- one to read. She says she mostly wrote about "games we played and experiences I had". She has sent the book to two of her grandchildren whom shecan'tsee verymuch, and her brother. She got let- ters back saying how much they liked the book. Hartnett said that she liked writing the book because "it was the only opportunity to record the his- tory in her family". The book is available through the Women's Institute by calling MargaretArmstrong at 485-3288. If you'd like to read a copy but not buy, there is a copy available now at the Mount Elgin Library. The institute has been around for 104 years, its 100-- year anniversary taking place in 1997. , The Mount Elgin branch, containing 24 members, meets once a month at the Mount Elgin Hall to discuss and act onlaw and healthissues,bring in speakers and take trips to companies and institutes. Armstrong, the public rela- tions officer for the London area, says "the FWIO is a non-pro?t organization and they try to be as active as they can in the community". They cater dinners, takehome made and purchased items to the London Children's Hospital, sponsor scholarships to mem- bers of 4H and take a stand on issues. In the past, they have helped getfull orpartial wrap- ping on bread, white mark- ings on highways, stop signs on school buses and manda- tory recycling in many places. MargaretArmstrong and Verna Hartnett read through the book that was put out by the Women's Institute. (Lindsay Oldham photo)