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a SSS EE oe ---- eT I TT TTA a eee -- i a eT 2) A a 4 ...And so he bought a farm by Alexander J. Mitchell I am a person with cerebral palsy that gives me a speech impediment and minor spasticity in my motor movements. though I was born in Scotland, I was brought with my 'family to Bermuda at the age of three. My early education was at a special school in the United States. At the age of 13, my parents divorced, and I was taken back to Scotland by my mother. I looked forward to my re- turn to the country of my birth, but my opinion soon changed to unhappiness as I found that I would be leading an overfully protective life. My education was continued with private tuition that encouraged little self-development and in turn gave me lit- tle motivation to work. I only wanted to pursue my life long interest which was to work outside on the land. At the age of 19, I had a break from academic studies and started working ona farm. It was difficult to find a farmer who was willing to take on a disabled person so I went to a village community for Down's Syndrome adults and worked on their farm. It was terribly disconcerting living and working among these disabled people, but I gained a realization from this experience that I wanted to one day help the disabled have a more productive life. After eight years, I broke away from the sheltered life that I was leading in Scotland and went back to Bermuda where I now live. Through knowing someone in New York, Iset the goal of finishing with my education. At first I was timid and had little self-confidence, but with achieving a good education and a strong inner deter- mination to better myself, I overcame these self-made ob- stacles. : In the seven years that I spent in New York, I changed from someone who was scared to go into a shop alone to a person who would not bat an eyelid to getting on a plane and then finding my way from the airport to where Iwant- ed to go. ' After reaching college level and spending a brief spell do- ing a degree in New York, I left. Soon afterward, received the chance to fulfil an ambition to go to agricultural college. I began a diploma course at a college outside Montreal, but regretfully I was unable to finishit. For a few years, my life became completely upside down as a result of going through a matrimonial disaster. I suf- fered all the agonies of depression and had to go to a psy- chologist before I could function again in the right frame of mind. The end of this bad period came when I met my sec- ond wife, and we happily settled down in Bermuda. When 1 broke the ties of my parental home, I somehow was able to push back in my mind my worry that I might be rejected by society because of my speech impediment, and began to build a new life. It was difficult, but I soon learned that I wanted to doand achieve a lot, and I had better go out and find whatI am ca- pable of as nobody could do it for me. With this enthusiasm instilled in me, I found a sense of achievement which has been very spiritually uplifting. So one day in late 1984 when I was contemplating the purchase of a country property in Canada, I came up with the idea of trying to integrate this personal desire of once again working close to the land with the idea of trying to provide a similar opportunity to other disabled persons. Hence, the start of the Wind Reach Farm Project. but he has rarely let the disease get hi to a fault, Sandy has made-Wind Reac can enjoy. See story for detalls. Pa 4 Sandy Mitchell Is living a lifelong dream--owning a farm and making it accessible to eve- ryone, including those confined to wheelchairs. All his life he has battled cerebral palsy, m down. Energetic, positive-thinking and generous h Farm Project a place that anyone and everyone PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, May 16, 1989 -- 27 Accessibility Is key Everyone's farm! by Cathy Olliffe Someone once said Alexander J. Mitchell looks like a guy who should be writing spy novels. A big man, with big hands and a big heart, "Sandy" Mitch- ell is more of a farmer than an author--although he is the au- thor of the Wind Reach Farm Project in Scugog Township. Walking along the manicured grounds of Wind Reach Farm in the pouring rain last Thursday afternoon, Sandy ignored the water pouring down the back of his neck and talked about how much the project means to him. Creating a farm that is ac- cessible to everyone, including those confined to wheelchairs, has been a dream this 45 year old self-described entrepreneur has finally realized. "I love it," he said simply, en- thusiastically, his speech im- pediment barely noticeable. All his life, Sandy has lived with cerebral palsy, a disease that has left him with a limp and a speech impediment. At one time in his life, he worried his speech might put him out of the mainstream of society--but obviously the disease didn't know who it was dealing with when it attacked this man. Through hard work, he has been successful in business, he has a wife and family, and he has the means to support the Wind Reach Farm Project, which officially opens to the public June 15th at 3 p.m. Not one tax dollar has gone towards the creation of this 105 acre farm , just southwest of Port Perry on the Townline Rd. Sandy has paid all the bills, with some volunteer labour from the Port Perry Lions club and Toronto firefighters. The Lions Club, for example, did the painting in the farm's new recreation hall/visitors centre, which is just being com- pleted. Lions Club member Ken Clark says fellow members be- lieve in the work Sandy is doing, and will do just about anything "the boss" says. "Whatever Sandy comes up with, we'll get the guys to come on down and chipin," Ken says. Sandy's enthusiasm for the project is obviously contagious. Just what is it that makes people like Ken Clark so enthu- siastic? Part of it is Sandy himself, who because of his own courage, inspires itinothers. But mostly the answer lies in Wind Reach Farm itself, a sce- nic cluster of buildings (includ- Ken Clark of the Lions Club and Sandy Mitchell on the ing a century old barn, the new visitors centre, a house and a winding network of accessible trails and bridges) tucked away in some of the prettiest land in (Turn to page 53) . pat deck in front of Wind Reach Farm Project's new recreation hall, which was bulit with some help from the Lions Club paint brush team! Note the pond, with its fountain and rock board wh An wtf * RT wg - IE £1" ar at fh Bd 4 Yr 5 ives lab ei 4 BUSA, A 14 p! i 7 ' ¥ 44. " 3 PET (3 1% TN ig Ha Sandra Hearns Is the activity director at Wind Reach Farm, and one of the many activities she "directs" Is feeding a sick lamb while Mama looks on approvingly. garden--everything about the farm Is pretty as a picture.