An Interview with Sheila Tweedie
“I was sitting in my car, reading my book and waiting for Craig [Sheila’s son] to finish his volunteer shift when Octavia [Brown] came right up to my car and knocked on the window.” And that’s how Sheila Tweedie, Trustee Emeritus, started her 50-year relationship with Mane Stream. It was 1972 and Sheila’s son needed volunteer hours for high school. He had grown up riding horses and when he heard about Octavia’s fledgling program he thought it might be fun.
Sheila smiled and then chuckled as she recently retold the story of how she came to Mane Stream (previously named Somerset Hills Handicapped Riders Club). “Craig had told Octavia that I was a pediatric nurse and an equestrian and she needed help so I was drafted to be a substitute sidewalker. The next week Octavia sent my son out to ask for help again.” With another chuckle, Sheila continued, “When winter came and lessons ended until spring, Octavia told us (Sandy Dota, Judy Marpet, and Natalie Gallagher) that we needed to become official instructors before riding lessons started back up in the spring. So we spent the next 8 weeks at Octavia’s kitchen table learning all the NARHA [predecessor to PATH Intl.] materials.”
We asked Sheila about her favorite early memories of Mane Stream and she immediately spoke about the one-week summer program that SHHRC offered at the Hunterdon Developmental Center near Clinton, NJ. Her ever-present smile this time was accompanied by a little shake of her head, “Each summer we would trailer over 2 horses (one named Fast Eddie, there’s at least a handful of stories about this big guy) and we would give 20-minute rides for 3 hours, RIGHT ALONG Route 78!! There was a groundhog den underneath the mounting area, which also made things interesting. The whole setup was rustic but extremely rewarding! We were told by the caregivers and nurses that the residents were more aware and brighter in spirit after these short rides. And these benefits lasted for more than just the day. After providing this summer service for five years the school was finally able to arrange transportation for their residents to attend weekly lessons at the SHHRC facility.”
Sheila remained an important part of Mane Stream’s growth over the years. A long-time instructor, she joined the Board of Directors in 1998 and over the years she held every officer position including President. She remained an active Board member until 2014 and now serves as Trustee Emeritus. In addition to giving generously of her time, Sheila and her husband John, also supported Mane Stream through their generous donations over the years, helping to literally build the organization into what it is today. Sheila co-chaired many fundraising events over the years, helping to raise much-needed funds and spread the word about Mane Stream’s programs.
In 1994, having outgrown its space, Mane Stream purchased our current home, a 12-acre farm in Oldwick. Sheila was part of the capital campaign to fund the new facility as well as a key part of the crew who helped to bring it to life. She, along with many other staff and Board members, picked up paintbrushes and hammers to help create the facility. As she says, it was a labor of love knowing that at the new farm the organization would be able to serve more participants.
While Sheila was sharing her talents at Mane Stream, she has also been active in the Far Hills town government. She is a long time member of the Far Hills Town Council, and currently serves on both the Planning Board and the Board of Health. In addition, she is a Past President of HRH of NJ (Health and Recreation through Horses of New Jersey) and the current Secretary and one of the founders of the National Fjord Horse Rescue Network. Sheila fell in love with Fjords through her work at Mane Stream and in addition to the Rescue Network, she breeds Fjords at her farm in Far Hills.
Proving that you never know where you will be when your passion finds you, Sheila has been instrumental in shaping Mane Stream from the very beginning. Her strong belief in our mission, to improve quality of life for children and adults with special needs, has guided her work with Mane Stream for fifty years and we are very lucky that she agreed to help when asked all those years ago.
