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Changing trend, int Duncan believes mother (Evelyn Miller) has been. and remains. quite active in the Balderson WI. She and l were first introduced to the Balderson Wl when the branch sponsored a 4-H homemaking club to which I belonged in 1958. My mother's involvement was indirect for the first several years, but she was impressed by the group and joined in the mid-605. I became a member in the early 19705 and have been fairly active in the branch until a few years ago when I went back to university to work on my degree in Canadian studies and history,” Mrs. Duncan explains. Mrs. Duncan, who helps her hus- band, Donald, run a cash crop custom farming operation. recently received an honors degree from Carleton University. But that's not her only accomplish- ment in recent years. Besides assisting her husband and looking after their sons, Scott. ll. and David. nine. Mrs. Duncan works ascoordinator of the visitors' centre at the Mississippi Valley Textile Muv seum in Almonte, near Ottawa. The museum features the textile heritage ofthe community, which was known as “Little Manchester" during the IEOOS. In addition to her honors degree from Carleton. Mrs. Duncan also possesses diplomas from Perth and District Collegiate and Ottawa Teach- ers’ College. “I haven‘t taught for the last |2 years, but one of the things 1 missed most when i was teaching was inter- action wilh other women in the com- munity. One of the reasons I joined WI after I left teaching was because lltnew it would give me the oppor- tunity to get to know other women in the area and work with them on ISSUES of mutual concern," Mrs. Duncan recalls. _ The other organization she joined In the mid-19705 was the Almonle branch of the Eastern Ontario Chil- fll’fll’s Hospital Auxiliary. The group In active in fund-raising and is dediâ€" Diane Duncan cared to the betterment of children‘s environment. health and safety. Her other leadership activities over the years have included holding of- flees as: I president and secretary of Church Youth Group: - president and secretary of 4H Clubs; ' press reporter for Junior Farmers; ' curator olTwccdsmuir History for Women‘s Institute (NW-1980); ' 4-H Club Leader and Short Course Leader “972â€"197(1); 0 treasurer of Almonte branch of the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Auxiliary t|974~l976); ' founding member and secretary of Second Alrnontc Boy Scouts Pur- enls Auxiliary. Mrs. Duncan says her interest in agricultural issues intensified while she was studying at Carleton, “Some of my research projects centred on rural life i for example. I wrote a paper on the effects of urbanization on rural communities. Then last fall. when the ads first came out for the AMP course. my husband Don Slip; gestcd I apply. He was interested in applying for himself. at first. but thought it would be a great extension of what I was working on at Carle- ton." Her experiences in AALP to date have exceeded her original expectaâ€" tions. and Mrs. Duncan is confident she and the other participants will be able to get important information out to rural organizations across the prov~ ince that will ultimately improve the lot of farm families. "I think one of the main benefits of AALI‘J is that you get to meet peo« pie from other parts of the province. You find out what's happening else- where. We here in Eastern Ontario have been a little more sheltered from economic hardships than those in the western part of the province. But I think the crunch is coming here. too. The AALlJ gives participants an op- porlunily to form a network with people from across Ontario. What that means is that information and ideas are exchanged so decision- mnking can be made based not just on Incal circumstances. but on what we've learned on a broader basis." That. in turn, will have what Mrs. Duncan calls “a ripple effect" as each of the 30 participants returns to his/her community prepared to pass the information along to rural families and organizations in their areas.