Silent Rhythm

Clara Bernhardt was born in Preston, Ontario in 1911. Stricken with polio at the age of 11, she was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Her formal education ended after Grade 8. At the time, Preston didn't have a high school and the streetcars that took her friends to Galt Collegiate Institute could not accommodate her wheelchair. Frustrated by this situation, Clara turned to books to advance her education and to writing to fill her time. She produced four other poetry collections, a play, and two novels, as well as writing a column for the Red Cross during World War II. In 1991, Lt.-Gov. Lincoln Alexander presented Miss Bernhardt with the Order of Ontario in recognition of "achieving outstanding excellence and achievement in her field of endeavour." She died in 1993.