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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-11-16, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017. PAGE 9. Rutledge, Bruinsma to launch Heroes of Huron site A crucial meeting Sid Bruinsma, right, was part of the Dutch Canadians Remember as One project, alongside Jim Rutledge, centre, which brought Princess Margriet of The Netherlands to Huron County for a special visit earlier this year. The group is now working with website developer Patrick Nagle to create the Heroes of Huron website, which aims to tell the stories of Huron's veterans in great depth and detail. (File photo) By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen After a successful campaign to bring Princess Margriet of the Netherlands to Huron County, the men behind Dutch Canadians Remember as One are looking to bring our cenotaphs into the new technological age. Jim Rutledge, Sid Bruinsma and Patrick Nagle are now working hard on the second phase of their remembrance project, which is the Heroes of Huron website. Rutledge began his work years ago when he penned the book The Men of Huron: A Book of Honour and Remembrance. As a history buff, Rutledge went looking for a book that chronicled the Huron County men who died fighting in World War II. When he was told it didn't exist, he decided to write it. Detailing those 205 names and providing pictures and biographical information led Rutledge to think of new and innovative ways to connect a new generation to its veterans. In the years since the publishing of the book, Rutledge, Bruinsma and Nagle have been working extensively on the Dutch Canadians Remember as One project. Not only did the trio successfully lobby to bring Princess Margriet to Goderich for a special celebration, but they also connected her with families of the "Huron County 20", which is the 20 Huron County men who fought and died during the liberation of Holland. The 20 men are buried in Holland. Rutledge, Bruinsma and Nagle are still on the hunt for families and biographical information on those 20 soldiers. When Princess Margriet came to Goderich earlier this year, they were able to find eight of the families, but they're hoping to find more throughout the process. Nagle, who has worked extensively to build numerous websites throughout Huron County, says the Heroes of Huron website will be database -driven and completely searchable. The new website will enable users to search by name, town, regiment or by cenotaph, which is where the use of QR codes comes in. Nagle says that the group is hoping to connect with all of Huron County's lower -tier municipalities in the near future to place QR codes on each cenotaph in order to connect residents to information about their town's veterans. A QR code is a small barcode -like picture that is designed to connect with smartphones. A user simply captures an image of the QR code with their smartphone and it takes them right to the Heroes of Huron website. However, with the QR code connection, it will take users to the specific section of the website that contains the names and information of those soldiers on that specific cenotaph. Rutledge says that making that connection shares the stories behind the names on the monuments. As time goes on and generations grow more and more distant from World Wars I and II, keeping that connection alive is more important than ever. The starting point for biographical information on all of Huron County's soldiers who have died in international conflicts in the last century or so will be Rutledge's research. He began with the soldiers lost in World War II. A further 497 soldiers were lost in World War I, Rutledge said. To his knowledge the county didn't lose anyone in the Korean conflict, but it did lose Matthew Dinning from Wingham in the Afghanistan war and he will be included on the website, Rutledge said. That means that over 700 soldiers will be represented on the website by the time Rutledge, Bruinsma and Nagle are done. They're hoping to comb the internet and use all of the research tools available to them to collect information and photographs about Huron County's soldiers. However, they won't be able to do it alone, so they're asking the families and friends of soldiers who have been lost to war to contact them through the Dutch Canadians Remember as One website, which is at dutch-canadiansremember.ca. Currently, the Dutch Canadians Remember as One website is serving as the portal for the Heroes of Huron website, until is can be fully constructed and is ready to launch. For more information on the project, or to get in contact with Rutledge, Bruinsma or Nagle, visit dutch-canadiansremember.ca online. Nesbitts' business can draw a crowd, says Jeff Continued from page 8 as fast they can. But almost always they've had a close call and they've decided never again. That's when they call me," says Jeff. The work is lucrative enough to keep going but there isn't enough of it to go full-time despite there being very few demolition companies in southern Ontario. The only other one he knows of is an older fellow out by Chatham. There was a demolition specialist near Woodstock but he retired last year and Jeff has subsequently been getting more calls from Oxford County. It costs an average of $1,000 to take down a silo. Jeff has the expense of his time and materials and says tighter rules on security have been costly for him. He installed satellite surveillance where the storage magazine is located in 2013, then updated it in 2016. Jeff is very calm when he talks about his work but he recognizes the fascination people have with blowing things up. "Sometimes it does attract a crowd," says Jeff. "We'll have the odd job on a Friday afternoon where the neighbours are coming in with their lawnchairs ready for the `show.'" He doesn't prefer that just in case something does go wrong. It hasn't yet, though there have been times the silo just wouldn't come down. Usually it's because there are a few layers of corn silage or haylage that's been sitting in there a decade or more. He's had silos start to tip then stop even while at a 45 -degree angle. These require extra explosives. "When I get a call, the first thing I ask is if it's empty. If not, I ask them if they can get it empty. If not, I ask what buildings are around it," explains Jeff. He has refused jobs where the silo has material and is close to buildings because the results are affected by the weight of the old feed. Owners then tend to find a way to remove the feed. Whatever the obstacle, four decades of first working with his father, then in partnership with his dad, and now on his own with his wife and children, have given Jeff a pretty calm approach to demolition. "I'm very confident in my ability to put a silo exactly where it needs to go," he says. "When it goes quick, there's no damage to buildings and the customer is happy, then I'm happy." The only thing he doesn't like is hearing about farmers who admit they've had a box of dynamite just "sitting there" for a few decades. Neither dynamite or ANFO is combustible by fire or impact; both require a charge. (Jeff says his dad used to smoke cigarettes while setting the explosives: something that made farmers really nervous). Jeff simply keeps the detonator in the front of the truck and the explosives in the back of the truck and has no worry about the material exploding. However, dynamite that has been sitting for decades will start to sweat nitroglycerin which makes it unstable. "I suggest they take it away somewhere safe and set it off," says Jeff. I have visions in my mind of Charles Ingalls and Mr. Edwards on an episode of Little House on the Prairie where Charles is driving a wagon loaded with nitroglycerin. Mr. Edwards moves rocks from the road because both are terrified of being blown sky- high. This suggests to me that the moving of old dynamite is a risky task. Jeff agrees. "Best to call the Ministry of Natural Resources to learn how to dispose of it. Don't call me!" he laughs. Gloves Bainton's Old Mill Downtown Blyth 519-523-4740 Diabetes Refresher November 23, 2017 6:30pm - 8:OOpm Community Room at Royal Oaks Health & Wellness Centre Featured speakers will be discussing: • Diabetes and Driving • Ketogenic Diet in Diabetes Care • New Diabetes Medications Free Event! Hosted by The North Huron Family Health Team. To RSVP, call 519- 357-3930. North Huron Family Health Team