Al4- Sunday News, October 18, 1981

A

ing human being are some of
the words used. to describe

chosen for the “Woman of
the Year” award by- the
North. Shore Business and
Professional Woman’s Club.
She was nominated by the
United Church ‘Women’s
unit of West Vancouver

United Church, who said of .

her > “Ferne Archer is a.
woman of extraordinary
_ courage,
‘energy, who in spite of being
burdened by severe physical
handicaps of her own, has
nevertheless devoted a great
deal of time and love to
those in our society who suf-
fer from mental, physical or
emotional handicaps”.

‘SHO

St. David’s Church, West
Vancouver Parks and
Recreation Board, North
and West Vancouver Adult
Education Board and Mrs.
W.D. McEwen joined in
nominating Ferne Archer
who was a mother of four in
1966, with two children af
her own and two adopted
spastic babies, when she suf-
fered a near fatal car crash.
Her neck was broken in
several places, and_ she
received severe internal in-
juries and a badly damaged
right side.

She was hospitalized for
over fourteen months, most
of the time kept immobile in
a Minerva cast which
covered her from head to
toc. She was not expected to
recover and was allowed
visits only from her husband
and a visiting minister.

It was the minister who
taught her never to accept
the words “You can't” --
“You can, if you make up

“choestar. “battler, . ‘g 7
tireless volunteer and a lov--*

ing a -mirtor installed over
cheerfulness and ~

er handicrafts is Ferne Archer,

~

your mind to. it. There is
always a way.” This is the
philosophy that Ferne brings

_. to.her handicapped students,
,: having “proved . the ‘truth

herself.

‘While recovering after a

‘-risky-.operation which gave
cher a 20/50 chance to sur-
. Mive,and which still forced.

her té lie in ‘a horizontal
position, she taught herself -
one-handed needlepoint, us-.

her head and her plaster
wrapped arm as a buffer.
She went on to‘ other crafts
and now incorporates these
methods when teaching
those who have the use of

_ only one hand.

After her discharge from!

the hospital, even though .

wearing neck and body
braces, she became deter-
mined to put the methods
she had taught herself to
practical use. She invited
four handicapped people to
her home in the evenings
and began to teach them, us-
ing the one to one relation-
ship she had developed with
her two spastic children. The
results were so good that she
approached the Toronto
YMCA and the Toronto
Parks and Recreation Board
and they agreed to set up
classes for the handicapped.

She also suggested the “Y"
set up a lunch programme
for troubled teenagers,
which was done in 1972 and
was still running when they
left to come to Vancouver in
1975.

On the North Shore Ferne
continued her classes in her
home for not only the
physically and mentally
disabled, but the emotional-
ty disabied also, where she

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could ‘help them i in a non-
clinical way. She now holds
classes from::7 o'clock unitl
10 or 11 o'clock each Tues-
day and. ‘Thursday ‘evening .
and sometimes on. ‘Wednes- .
dayalso. .
In the. meantime. her boys
joined West . Vancouver

ver; and -now .
of. the. bake -
sales> She joined St. David's

Pe Churchiand helps there also.

To teach on a larger scale
‘and. in‘schools and colleges
Ferne needed a Diploma. ©
She approached the B.C.
Board of Education and
eventually was given permis-
sion to work for a two year
diploma in handicrafts at
U.B.C. Ferne was the first
craftsperson in B.C to

who overcame her disabilities and
now teaches handicrafts to those who have not been so lucky. In the year of the han-
dicapped she is an appropriate choice for Woman of the Year.

graduate.

At this time she became
excited about the possibilites
of the crafts she was
teaching, for example the
special type of rug hooking
which is a form of true Cana-
dian folk art and is now
recognized as such by
Canada Council and gaining
acceptance throughout the
country.

Her dream was to have
handicapped people produc-
ing folk art of professional
quality for sale at specially
designated outlets, for she
had discovered that the great
majority of the physically
and mentally handicapped
can and do produce the most
delicate and beautiful hand-
work.

To this end she bought a
partnership with Mrs. Howie
Devlin) and opened the
Pioneer Craft shop in West
Vancouver and sells the pro-
duct of the handicapped in
the store. She insists on a

“high standard — - the aim is
not ‘charity. but profes-
sionalism.:The shop was fit-
ted with tables.and chairs so

it: would ‘become a drop in®
“spot for young, old,. and han-

; dicapped people, where they
could find a haven and be
- welcome.

Boy's Band. and: Feine. served
-on-the Executi
takes ‘charg

Avery: important part of

Ferne’s work jsteaching the

severely handicapped to
operate on, @ social level —

‘such. simple thingsas. laying a

table,. greeting a guest, or
travelling’ by bus sonietimes
have to be taught to give the -

handicapped-the confidence .

to become part of; the com-
munity.

There are many examples
of how Ferne has been able
to get response. from people
who were so badly disabled
that they were given up as
hopeless, and they
themselves had retreated in-
to a silent. world of their
own. Several who had been
considered retarded or ‘who
had not ‘spoken for years or
who were thought to be in-
capable of doing anything,
have responded with at-
tempts to speak to others,
with excellent pieces of
work, and by becoming
cheerful, members of the
community. Some of the
beautiful work has been
done by young drug addicts,
who were formerly deeply

suicidal, but who now have -

great pride in their work.

Ferne now aims to gather’:

enough support for her work

to approach the Minister of.

Education with proposals of
how the Province can help
the handicapped by pro-
viding classes and outlets for
the sale of their work. This
will offer them the hope and
dignity of contributing to
their own living.

All this has been done by a
woman who has a limited
amount of energy, who must

i)

pt

? }

. wear a neck brace and spinal
jacket whenever she travels -

any distance, is unable to

_ {this has. resulted i in two falls

in the first-year in-which she’
has broken a leg and’ both.

arms) and. her right hand
must be constantly exercise
or it stiffens. It is not only in
this Year of the. Handica
ped that we salute her -- she
wil] remain an inspiration for
all of us for many years. —
She will receive the
Woman of the Year Award
at a dinner on Tuesday, Oc-

stand for. any.length of.time,.

, who has no feeling
. whatever in her right leg

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