The Rural Voice, 1982-11, Page 13Premier Bill Davis. Ralph was perfectly
comfortable in that circumstance and I
thought,handled himself extremely well."
Shyness appears to have given way to a
quality more properly called "reserve" - -
the reserve of a confident and thoughtful
man who values his privacy but who is
still candid when answering questions
about himself. The confidence is reflected
in strongly worded press releases: "Damn
it, it's about time they (government
leaders) started doing something sensible.
We need help now. Even now is too late
for many. Failure to get positive action is
bound to cause farmers,in ugly moods, to
rally into this city and let the government
know we mean business."
He is reserved about his private
accomplishments, but offers a "rough
profile" of his self-awareness. He calls
himself impatient and says that while he
had problems with concentration he is
above average in perception. He is a
"conceptualizer", a term he borrows
from a leadership course taken in Sun
Valley, Quebec. While others organize on
paper, he puts together the pieces of a
problem in his head and arrives at a
mental picture. He is an "idea man." At
times, he says, he has been too much a
conceptualizer, and has been encouraged
to map out questions on paper.
"1 like to believe that I've become fairly
flexible," he says. He has enjoyed, he
estimates, "modest success as president."
He describes his style of leadership as
"situational," which implies not only
flexibility according to situations, but also
an ability to deal with people while getting
the job done efficiently.
The combination of the practical and
conceptual in Ralph Barrie is evident even
in a casual comment. A life and a summer
are rolled together in one sentence: "My
life's going by me in a real hurry and 1
really haven't enjoyed the summer."
For Barrie, enjoying the summer would
probably have included time spent
swimming and fishing. He loves water, he
says, whether "on it, in it, or under it".
He also skis and practises yoga "off and
on". "I have a strong personal belief that
if you have a strong, healthy body, you'll
have a healthy mind too."
Barrie's office door is rarely closed,
and he's often on the road attending and
speaking at meetings. He prefers, he says,
"an open door policy."
"I think one of Ralph's strongest points
is that he works at involving people," says
Hill. "Ralph is an organization man. He
doesn't try to do it all himself. He tries to
get other people involved."
After a weekend at home on the farm,
Barrie often drives to Belleville on a
Sunday night to stay at an inexpensive
motel so that he gets a head start on the
trip to Toronto. Monday morning, he is
on the road by 7 a.m. so he can arrive at
the office by 9.30. Many other weekday
mornings, he arrives at 491 Eglinton West
by 7:00 or 7:30 a.m.
Meetings with his own executive and
staff, with politicians (the provincial
treasurer and the provincial minister of
agriculture, for example) and with various
other VIPs and representatives of interest
groups fill up many office hours and
business breakfasts, lunches and dinners.
A working dinner at the Pygmalion, a
Toronto restaurant owned by the Pork
Producers Association, might end
Barrie's business day around 9:30 p.m.
Although Barrie is "prone to get
involved," he admits to no capital "p"
political ambitions. While watching
politicians at the opening of the Perth
Fair, he says, "I didn't really want to be
in their place."
In the meantime, Barrie juggles the
urban and the rural. "l guess l get the best
of both worlds. If 1 have three full days
(on the farm) a week, 1 don't feel I've
been cheated too badly."
Barrie misses the beauty of the country.
"You look out of the window on a day
like this (it is sunny and warm and the
view includes the CN Tower) and you
wonder what the hell you're doing here."
"They'll tell you around here that I can
get irritable after lunch on Friday."
Barrie and his wife, Verna, have five
children, Brian, Douglas, Paul, Diana
and Shirley. Two boys work on the farm.
Whether one or both boys will take up
farming permanently is still a question.
Being unable to devote his full time to
his 300 acre dairy and beef farm near
Perth have been some frustration for
Barrie. The farm has "treaded water"
during Barrie's presidency and he esti-
mates his job has cost him $100,000 in lost
farm potential. "It's okay as long as I
don't see it getting into deep water."
Weekends at home for Barrie are a time
for "catch-up management" rather than
a holiday. Adds Verna, his wife, "His
mind is on Federation even when he's at
home." "I wish there was another day in
the week for me to catch my breath," says
Barrie. Verna agrees. She and Ralph work
weekends and give the boys time off.
Despite missing the farm, Barrie says
his attitude toward the city has mellowed.
And, he adds, "I'm a people man more
than a cow man. I've made a judgement
call and I don't regret it." 1
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HE RURAL VOICE / NOVEMBER 1982 PG 13