New Horizons Has First Woman President

Woodworking has always been pretty much a male domain. In high-school shop classes, you were lucky to have one female. For most of the past 30 years since it was founded, it has been pretty much the same situation at the New Horizons Workshop.

However, a female resident - Francine Le Pailleur - joined over six years ago and has stayed on ever since. Last January, she became the woodworking group's first woman president in its history.

"I think the boys needed that change and probably somebody soft to handle them," she said rather jokingly. "I'd say that I'm a little after them to finish their projects."

Being a female in the middle of a group of males is something quite unusual and very pleasant, Le Pailleur added, as well as mutually beneficially. When she first arrived in the group, hardly anyone talked at the table during the mid-morning coffee break. "They had their heads bent down and suddenly when I came, they started to smile and became livelier." On the other hand, the men taught her some techniques to help with her well-known painted Christmas trees and angels.

When she retired as a training manager from a large cosmetics firm, it was quite a change. "I used to wear high heels and silk dresses and now I'm in jeans and sweaters all of the time. It's just another side of me."

She has always loved nature and doing things with her hands. Upon her retirement, she wanted to learn new skills and jumped at the chance to join New Horizons when she was invited. "I was so thrilled."

Le Pailleur has always enjoyed the workshop "gang" whom she describes as a second family. After her first of two years as president, she said that it hasn't been that hard of a job since they often delegates matters to others. "What a nice way to be president," she laughed.

2006 was a "great" year with everyone working really hard. The only negative aspect was the low turnout to the Arts & Crafts Fair last month due to the frozen rain that weekend.

It was also the year that another female resident, Lea Bard, joined the club. She has done some previous woodworking, but has never joined a group that is so close and helpful to each other, Le Pailleur commented. As a widow, "she said that it's her family. It's really pleasant for her." Being somewhere between a delicate and a rough character, she can easily handle the noise and the sawdust that comes from woodworking, she added.

New Horizons doesn't actively recruit new members, it only leaves its pamphlet at the Rec Centre and has a small notice in the recreational activities booklet. Last year, a few other members joined up, bringing the total up to 19. "It's a healthy sign."

With the workshop slowly growing in recent years, Le Pailleur would like to speak with Town officials about some unspecified plans. "The space is diminishing with more tools and a few more machines." Compared to its previous location in the Mohawk chalet basement, "it's like a kingdom here (at the former greenhouse building near Public Works)," she said. "They try to help us as much as possible."

One male workshop member who proposed her nomination said that a big deal shouldn't be made out of women being members, but was "very glad" that she's around. Vice-president Ken MacKenzie said there was no fuss when she became president since society has changed a lot over the past 30 years. However, you still need to be "more circumspect" with one's language when you have women around.

Another long-time member, Duncan, added that the two women have good imaginations and expressed hope that some of their creative spirit will rub off on the more practical-minded men.

As for Mme Le Pailleur, the men love teasing her, but they're not complaining. She concluded somewhat jokingly: "We get along very well, just like some cats and dogs."