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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-01-23, Page 11$ave On SUPER PLENAMINS 288 Tablets $14.95 • Plus 144 (Value $8.69) FREE 144 Tablets $8.69 36 Tablets (Value $2.69) FREE 72 Tablets $4.98 18 Tablets (Value $1,49) FREE Don't Be Miserable! Get Relief With Our Wide Assortment of COUGH & COLD REMEDIES Hankscraft Vaporizers VITAMIN SPECIALS Sugg. List $11.95 $888 Paramette Syrup Pardec Chewable Vitamins 100's Sugg 7 . 5 List $4. Sugg. List Penta-Kaps Multiple Vitamins lows $3.20 Sugg. List 20 oz. $5.50 $395 $375 $199 EXETER PHARMACY LTD. 373 Main St. Phone 235-2070 DOING WHAT CAME NATURALLY — Elaine Townsend explained that no one really taught her to do many of the things she learned to do with her feet, it "just came naturally". When other children picked up their rattles with thejr hands she picked hers up with„fterieft foot. Here Elaine works Of her desk at home, writing with the toes on herleft foot. ' 1%A photo CHARGIEX The Caboose Is In Sight! Shovel. In Some Coal and Chug On Down To Get In On The $11111 NG$ During Our January Clearance til 50% Off * Men's Wear * Ladies' Wear * Children's Wear * Luggage * Yard Goods * Bedding * Wool 441L1/6'NI '11M11-. 4•11 4. Use Your Chargex or Mastercharge • :4. • “-• FLOOR COVERING • WALLPAPER FAMILY CLOTHING • DRAPES. • FABRICS • • • . • . • : • <4:4: • : • :4:. : • : • • • • the EXETER'S junction L ARGEST DEPARTMEN T ST OR E NOW OPEN 6 DAYS A W E & FRI DAY NIGH T FORMERLY GOULD & JORY A DREAM OF SHORT STORIES — While Elaine has been involved recently in writing a weekly newspaper column for the Times-Advocate and some feature stories for other local papers, her real ambition has always been to write short stories. Here Elaine works on her column for next week. T-A photo MY ERASER IS MY BEST FRIEND — Elaine says that when typing her column she often finds that her eraser is her best friend. This was the subject of a recent column she wrote for the Times-Advocate. Elaine can type faster and with more accuracy than most of us who use a hunt and peck method but, Elaine types with her toes. T-A photo Think Metric The Huron County Board of Education is offering a course in metric measurement. • -FOUR EVENINGS No Charge South Huron District High School will offer the course on Tuesday evenings at 7:30 beginning January 28 W. Shortreed D. J. Cochrane Chairman Director A zest for life, a will to succeed and a determination to continue despite obstacles, are things that don't always come easy for most of us but, one young woman who has had to overcome a severe physical handicap since birth c?uld teach many of us some lessons in these qualities. Elaine Townsend, author of the "Odds and Ends" column, found on the women's pages of the Times-Advocate every week, was born with a defect called F,FU which left her armless. With more speed and accuracy than most of us can muster with our hunt and peck methods, Elaine types and corrects her column with her feet. The column, which deals with the little things peculiar to life in a rural community or small town, is filled with personal ex- periences and a warm feeling for people, Elaine never mentions her own problems in her column because, she says, "that doesn't matter so much", All material for her column is drawn from personal experiences and has a quality of wit and nostalgia thatallows most of us to identify with the feelings or experiences expressed. This is one of the main purposes of the column, according to Elaine who says that through her column she hopes to "tell people that those with physical handicaps are no different from others, they have the same thoughts and the same feelings. Elaine attended public school in a "little red schoolhouse" just like the one described in a recent column and commented that she "grew up with a great bunch of kids". "People often say that children are cruel but I guess I was lucky, I had no problems". Elaine studied high school through correspondence courses. "I regret, now, not being with kids my own age, but I was scheduled to have surgery on my back and there was a problem with arrangements for a desk". Elaine works at a sloped desk placed on the floor and moving from class to class on a rotary system in high school would have meant devising a portable desk or having to carry her books. As it turned out she didn't,have the surgery and a desk could have been arranged but, Elaine said, "correspondence courses seemed logical at the time". Elaine describes herself as a stubborn person and her stubborn streak has helped her to over- come obstacles that would have stopped others, In the first article she wrote for a paper (Clinton News Record, December 1973) Elaine recounted the steps she took to obtain a car she could drive entirely with foot controls. She and her father visited many car dealers looking for one that would adapt a car for her talents, similar to the cars which are being built with hand controls for paraplegics, those without the use of their legs, "Some of the reactions we got from dealers are pretty amusing local papers. She said that she has always had an interest in writing, and that English was always her favourite subject in school. One of the things that helped her most,she says, is the year she spent at Conestoga College, after high school, taking an academic upgrading course in English, Her training there leaned towards creative writing and she is thank- ful to the instructors for the guidance and encouragement they gave her with her writing. "It was one of the best decisions I ever made", Elaine said, "At that time most of my friends were away and I wasn't getting out much." A couple of essays written in the course were published in weekly papers with the help of the instructors and her career in journalism started from there, "When I started out I had writing short stories in mind", she said and she still hopes to get around to writing some, some day. But, for the present her column and features take up most of her time. "If I had a part- time or full-time job," she said, "I would never do as much writing as I would like to. Right now I devote most of my time to writing. Elaine has just finished g one semester creative writing course at Fanshawe college in London, where she said "they literally tore your stories apart" but She felt that the training has helped her writing and she is presently embarking on an ambitious program of widening the cir- culation of her weekly column, Elaine says that she tries to write her column a week ahead and would like to be even farther ahead, But, there are problems to be overcome in her journalistic career. She jokingly relates the problems she ran into when doing a recent article on the boat yards in Vanastra. "The manager gave me a very good interview in his office and then took me on a tour of the plant. The problem was that I couldn't take notes while I was walking so I had to rely on memory", But, with her drive and "stubborn streak" Elaine will overcome this new problem, as she has tackled every other obstacle in the past, with a determination to succeed and by doing "what comes naturally". Times-Advocate, January 23, 1975 Page 11 auounuoulluniwoulmotionuotoonoomnownnolowouifitowimmugolloolowomioffinom FINAL 3 DAYS of our = --_-g FOO • WINTER sALE :_.... :,.._. .E. myth's SHO E STORE El MAIN sT. PHONE 235-1933 EXETER Mortgages get quick action That addition to your home or cottage —get it done now so it will be ready in the Spring. Borrow the money you need from Victoria and Grey— the old established company that has been custom building mortgages for people like you since l 889. Start your Winter work today at Victoria and Grey. VG VICTORIA and GREY TRUST COMPANY SINCE 1889 introducing T-A columnist journalist labours under handicap A dynamic girl with a talent to share when you look back on them". A mechanic in Clinton adapted the car for her. He replaced the original steering column with a short column and a small steering wheel which sits ap- proximately 17 inches from the floor of the car, Elaine steers with her left foot and uses her right foot for the accelerator and brake. A built-up seat raises her to the proper level to see and she operates the blinker, radio, horn and heater with her toes on the left foot. Elaine jokes that her brother- in-law in London took out extra life insurance before he would ride with her in the car but she is a capable and cautious driver and is proud of her new vehicle and the freedom and in- dependence it offers. Elaine's first journalistic at- tempt was published in several papers throughout Canada and eventually made its way into the United States. "From what I can find out, mine was the first foot control car built in Canada", Elaine said. But since her article several more have been constructed for people with similar handicaps. Elaine tells of correspondence received from a young man in Ottawa "who had been trying for months to have a car adapted for foot control and was interested in my system". The article also produced correspondence from a doctor in Atlanta Georgia who had spent 17 years researching the birth defect that crippled Elaine. Until hearing from him, Elaine said she never knew what the defect really was. "Why was never important," she said, "except if they can stop it from happening again". The doctor identified the defect as FFU and has traced it to a virus in chickens that the pregnant women had come in contact with. The defect is ap- parently more prevalent in rural areas. Elaine says she takes this in- formation "with a grain of salt" because her father "hates chickens" and as far as she knows they never had chickens_ on their Bayfield area farm. She said, however, that she has learned a lot about the defect from this doctor and that there are about 1000 armless people in North America. She considers herself "one of the lucky ones" since some have parts of both arms and legs missing and others have no arms or legs at all. Elaine says that her talents with her feet, "just' came naturally. When other children were picking up their rattles with ,their hands, I was picking mine up with my left foot", she said. And since that time she has developed a dexterity that will allow her to fend for herself, drive a car, type a newspaper column and otherwise use her feet as hands and these too have "come naturally", At the present time Elaine is trying to widen the circulation of her column to other weekly newspapers and is writing more feature stories and articles for Sorority enjoys talk about Russia Tuesday, January 21 was the regular meeting night for Xi Gamma Nu sorority, at the home of Mrs. Bev Delbridge, 31 Riverside Drive. • President Elaine Bogart conducted the business and plans are being made for a daffodil day in early April. A wide variety of answers were given when the members an- ' swered the roll call with "What do you think of when you hear the name Russia." Carol Arthur and Bev Delbridge did a program on Russia giving many informative facts. Items such as Russian stamps, playing cards, the alphabet, books and carved wooden dolls were displayed. Lunch was provided by June Essery and Sally-Lou Raymond. The trouble with having a `doctor who doesn't make house calls is you have to bein pretty good health to find out how sick you are. Dominion Driver Training LONDON is pleased to announce that LINDA FINKBEINER has been appointed Driving Instructor For This Area For Information or Appointments Call 432-1001 or 432-3403 or after 6100 call 228-6595 CLEARANCE Don't Miss Out On The Savings ALL SALES FINAL iPtPiw rn. Mil9g9er triwt.) ftt St.; Exeter ' 235-0530