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Home My WebLink AboutHuron Expositor, 2015-10-07, Page 44 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, October 7, 2015 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com lion Expositor PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 P.O. Box 69, 8 Main Street Seaforth Ontario NOK 1 WO phone: 519-527-0240 fax: 519-527-2858 www.seaforthhuronexpositor �p] POSTMEDIA •.s met NEIL CLIFFORD Advertising Director neil.clifford@sunmedia.ca SHAUN GREGORY Multimedia Journalist shaun.gregory@sunmedia.ca DIANNE MCGRATH Front Office seaforth.classifieds@sunmedia.ca NANCY DEGANS Advertising Rep. nancy.degans@sunmedia.ca MARIE DAVID Group Advertising Director Grey Bruce Huron Division 519 376-2250 ext. 514301 or 510 364-2001 ext. 531024 SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2 YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT P.O. Box 69 Seaforth ON NOK 1 WO For any non -deliveries or delivery concerns: phone: 519-527-0240 Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canada The 1959 Lynne Harper murder, one of the most historical events in Canadian Law 0 n September 10, my girlfriend, who's also the mother of our two children, turned 30 -years -old. Before we rejoiced at the revamped Wong's Grill in Seaforth, the three -decade celebration of her life would have to wait a brief moment. The reason was because I had a previous arrangement to cover a story that one of two Tuckersmith Ward coun- cilors, Ray Chartrand, sug- gested. He's constantly giv- ing me useful tips since I'm new to the area. This write-up was about a charity event for the Vanastra Recreation Centre. Before heading to the destination, I punched the name Vanastra in Google because, as I men- tioned earlier, much of Huron County is foreign due to my Windsor, Ont. roots. Further- more, before I could reach the destination from the GPS on my trusty android cell phone, the name Steven Truscott caught my eye in the search. After reading the first line or two I must admit, this piece of Canadian law astonished me. Even more that kept me inter- ested, is that this brutal 1959 murder happened a hop and a skip away from my house in Harpurhey. Column Shaun Gregory From that instant on, I was hooked on this riveting chronicle. Perhaps it's my journalist senses that rang off? Whatever the case be, this became a new obsession for me. One co-worker at the Expositor Dianne McGrath noticed my interest in the notorious massacre of young Lynne Harper. Therefore, she surprised me at work with two books documenting the controversial murder. That day, I read most of one of the two books, titled A Via- ble Suspect, in about 6 hours. This book written by Barry Ruhl, a retired OPP sergeant focused on a man by the name of Larry Talbot, who Ruhl thought could possibly be Harper's killer. The hunches were convincing, but we as journalists can never be sure or have an opinion on anything. How- ever, Talbot was employed as plumber salesman who would drive great lengths all over Southwestern Ontario. At the time of Harper's death, Ruhl alleges he had a contract in Clinton. Not just Harper, but he also speculated this man may be responsible for other females that had been murdered in the region. He mapped and timed numer- ous killings that happened close to where Talbot had lived. Several of the murders were in 20 -60 -minute driving distances. All of the girls killed shared similarities to Harp- er's. They were mostly hitch- hikers, young and had all been sexually assaulted. Since I will not voice my opinion, I cannot tell you if what Ruhl is stating is cor- rect. All I can say is I'm obli- gated to cover this story; it's my duty as a journalist. I have a few people advising me that I should back off and just let it be. I'm honestly wondering why? I'm not say- ing Steven Truscott is inno- cent or guilty, but if he did not kill the girl that may per- haps mean there is a killer out there, although he or she could have died of old age by now, that is not the issue. The issue is this story could shed more light on a 56 -year-old murder case. What if somebody knows information? What if they have been holding this infor- mation in for years and it's eating at their conscience and they just want to tell somebody? It's a doubtless hope for justice, but what if? If the justice system were a 100 per cent certain that Ste- ven Truscott committed that horrendous crime, then they would not have awarded him $6.5 million for a wrongful conviction. And like I said before I cannot tell you if I believe he's innocent or not, that's up to the law to judge. Some people are worried this could tarnish the com- munity and bring back an old memory that it should be left in Lawson's Bush. I have trav- elled all over Canada and to date have not observed an area of space so special, the way Huron East is shifting, I see nothing but forward pro- gress. The amount of growth I've witnessed through the Win This Project is astronom- ical. We as municipality are headed for greatness, bring- ing up a contentious piece of this community's history is not going to change anything. So I'm sorry if I offend cer- tain individuals by furthering this story, but like I said numerous times, what if? Seaforth Lions' 92nd year off to a Busy Start The Seaforth Lions Club continues to meet on the 2nd and 4th Mon- days of each month. Mem- bership is open to men and women, singles and couples. We are looking forward to our 92nd year of community service to the Seaforth area and beyond. Zone Chair Lion Fred DeBoer inducted new mem- ber Brent Ribey at the September 28th dinner meeting. Brent's father Ross was a very active Lion for many years and we are pleased that Brent is follow- ing in his footsteps of service to community. September's business meet- ing was a busy planning ses- sion for club members. Tick- ets ickets for the club's 46th annual Elimination Draw were dis- tributed to members who will be contacting past purchasers for first chance at purchase. The cost is still $60 and Dianne and the Cavaliers will be back by popular demand for attendees' dancing pleasure. The Seaforth Lions Club will be hosting one of the Amazing Race challenges at the October 17 Healthcare Heroes Radiothon. The Santa Claus parade will be on Friday November 27 at 7 pm. This year's theme is "Christmas Wishes': Entry information can be requested by e -mailing sea- forthlionsclub@gmail.com. TV bingo began on Wednesday September 30 at 7 pm. Bingo cards can be pur- chased at Mac's Milk, UPI and GT Mini -Mart for $3 each. Donations totalling $930 were approved for local organizations. 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