The Rural Voice, 1982-11, Page 12PROFILE
OFA president,
Ralph Barrie
Heading the organvation since 1979, Barre is a ate man in a public place, at ease in the barn or at Queen's
Park. He, along with delegates from across Ontario will be discussing policy and resolutions at the OFA Annual
Convention in November.
by Lise Gunby
The biographical sketch of Ralph
Barrie, President of the Ontario Federa-
tion of Agriculture that is released to the
press and public is only three paragraphs
long.
He's a private man in a public position
keeping Ilialph Barrie , the person, sepa-
rated from Ralph Barrie, OFA President!
People would be more interested, he says,
to read about his accomplishments as
president than his accomplishments as a
private person.
Gordon Hill, chairman of the Bean
Board and past president of the Federa-
tion and Ralph Barrie became friends in
1970 when Hill, then President of the
OFA, was touring with the late Delmer
Bennett, an OFA executive member at
that time from eastern Ontario, in order
to drum up memberships. Ralph Barrie
was the only person to show up at a
meeting held in Perth.
In 1970, Barrie was interested in
involving himself in the federation, but
his time was committed to the presidency
of the Balderson Cheese Factory and his
dairy farm. He was also a little dis-
illusioned by the failure to get a positive
response to the "GFO" vote, a proposal
coming from the "Challenge for Abund-
ance" report - - where there would be a
general farm organization supplemented
by a levy on all farm products.
But Barrie soon did get involved at the
county level of the federation. After
serving as county president, he became an
OFA director for more than six years and
spent three years as First Vice -President.
In November 1979, he was elected
President.
Hill and Bennett had encouraged Barrie
to run for a position on the OFA
executive, and even helped him to
organize a campaign. There were two
practical considerations behind their
support: Barrie was from the east and was
knowledgeable about the dairy industry.
And there was a third: "I have felt for
quite a number of years that Ralph has a
great deal of potential as a
Hill.
Hill has watched that potential realized.
"Ralph has really changed a lot through
the courses he's taken in leadership
liaining and personal development.
Barrie describes himself as having
been "an extremely shy person" - - the
last one who would initiate a conversation
with neighbours on a bus or train, for
example. At fifty-four, Barrie has
leader,"
says
PG. 12 THE RURAL VOICE / NOVEMBER 1982
changed. He has put the several leader-
ship and personal development courses
he's taken over the past years to good use
privately and publicly.
'`Ralph has overcome his shyness to a
considerable degree. He really has great
Presence in chairing a meeting. That
presence was particularly notable," says
Hill, "at a meeting a year ago last spring,
at which Barrie shared the stage with