Clinton News Record, 2014-08-06, Page 5Wednesday, August 6, 2014 • News Record 5
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letters to the editor
SEALS Swim: Swimming Education Awareness Life Skills
Letter to the editor:
Although the media wants to focus on an incomplete
crossing attempt, it fails to recognize that the effort and
determination put into this journey is to save lives within
Ontario from drowning. I will not downplay my exhausting
efforts in and out of waters the past two summers to raise
awareness about this preventable cause of death and to raise
funds to offer the basic skills to survive an unexpected fall
into deep water to children. Yes, both years the solo swim
event was altered by Mother Nature; however, this in and of
itself should speak volumes to those who learn about water
and boating safety.
This is the reality of our Great Lakes; so many people do
not educate themselves before they head to the beach or out
in their boats and succumb to the forces out there. Our
weather mapping is only a tool and a guideline. The winds,
waves and the current are ever moving and can pick up
unexpectedly. The attempt last weekend is living proof that
when you take the proper precautions, are aware of the con-
ditions and dont try to beat the late, you can have a safe
swim, you can have a safe boat ride.
We took swimming and boating safety to the extreme this
past weekend, but we were also well equipped with very
experienced crew consisting of boat captains with many
years of Lake Huron experience, Coast Guard Auxiliary, two
paramedics, a nurse and nine lifeguards. It was their exper-
tise, quick actions and ability to adapt that made for a suc-
cessful journey. Let SEALS Swim to Survive solo swims be
examples of safe and responsible water practices.
In addition to being leading examples on the Great Lakes,
efforts in fundraising will offer 500 children the opportunity
to receive Swim to Survive training! Yes, this was not our
goal, but this is 500 more children in Ontario that will be
offered a life skill (which otherwise they may never have the
chance to learn.) Can you imagine if every family in Ontario
contributed $1 to our efforts, how many children across our
province would receive this life skill?
On July 19, the Lake Huron solo swim was abandoned due to
poor weather conditions that were not predicted After 15 hours
48 minutes (35.81cm) of dealing with water temperatures that
went down to 63F, air temperature of 62F, head on waves of up
to 1.3 metres, the swim was abandoned to keep myself and crew
safe. To quote my swim mater and triple crown marathon
swimmer Marilyn Korzekwa, ithe lake belongs to Mother
Nature and She only sometimes allows us to cross.
Prevention = Life
Thank you to an amazing team:
Captain Wally MacKinnon and the iAnandai
Captain Dave Palmer, Candace McLelland Palmer and iFar
From Workingi
Coast Guard Auxiliary members: Herbert Paetzold, Chris-
topher Paetzold, Roy Bulizo and the IMysis IIi
Captain Larry Simpson, Morris Kelly and iLazee Dazei
Captain Bert Vandendool and iWicket Cisi (thank you to
Chuck Wick for use of Wicket Cis)Paramedic: Jon Cann
Paramedic/Lifeguard (Jack of all trades): Scott Ruddle
Lifeguards: Rocky Lu, Edwin Tang, Phillip Shalin, Danae
Haeman
Lifeguards/Pacers: Stephanie McEnery, Alexandra Fergu-
son, Kevin Ma and Adrian Wong
Ground Crew: Fred and Nancy Burton
Assistant Coach/Nutritionist: Bradley Burton
Swim Masters: Marilyn Korzekwa and Allan Fairweather
Coach/Manager/Husband: William Zehr
Yours truly,
Lesley Burton Zehr
EARLY FILES
July 31,1969
CFB Clinton may "very likely" be
one of several defence department
bases slated to close as the govern-
ment tries to cap defence spending,
Huron MP Robert McKinley told the
News -Record this week. The compact
base which began as a wartime radar
training station 28 years ago this
month has for quite a while been on a
list of bases whose futures were being
"reassessed," said Mr. McKinley, add-
ing that "I think Clinton is very likely
to be closed." Two weeks ago Mr.
McKinley wrote to Defence Minister
Leo Cadieux and urged that "every-
thing possible" be done to keep CFB
Clinton operating. He also sent Mr.
Cadieux a copy of a July 3 letter he
wrote to Transport Minister Donald
C. Jamieson. In the letter to Mr.
Jamieson, the Huron MP suggests
that CFB Clinton could serve as a site
of a Transport Dept., air services
training school for which a $5.5 mil-
lion building is to be erected at
Uplands in Ottawa.
August 4, 1977
Douglas Morgan of Clinton,
owner of a small mobile home park
on the Vanastra Road, attended the
Tuckersmith Township Council
meeting Tuesday in Brucefield.
Morgan has been trying for months
to get permission to expand his park
site to 72 units. Tuckersmith Town-
ship council has been behind his
expansion program but the Huron
County Planning Board has turned
him down. His property was zoned
residential in the county plan until
last October when it was changed
back to agriculture, when Tucker -
smith passed its zoning bylaw to
cover a triangle bounded by Bruce -
field, Clinton and Seaforth. No one
on council could explain how or
why the change was made from res-
idential to agriculture.
August 4,1982
When you take a deep breath in
Clinton these days, make sure it's a
sober one, or you could lose your
driver's licence. In a crackdown
against drunk drivers the Clinton
Police department is using a handy
new gadget that helps to measure the
amount of alcohol in the system. The
Alcohol Level Evaluation Roadside
Tester (A.L.E.R.T.) is a new portable
breathalizer system that is being used
in Clinton now, like most other
municipalities in the province.
August 4, 1993
Over the next four years, the town
will be cutting $28,401 from employee
funds to meet the guidelines set out
in the Social Contract Act. These cuts,
from public works, recreation and
general government, were passed
during a special meeting last Thurs-
day just prior to the August 1 dead-
line set by the provincial government.
Also passed during the meeting were
reductions of $41,352 from the Clin-
ton Police Services, which had a tar-
get amount of $38,661, and cuts to the
Clinton Public Utilities Commission
(PUC) of $49,447. Deputy Clerk Sue
Vodden explained following the
meeting that the reduction plans had
to be passed by August 1, or the gov-
ernment would have automatically
increased an additional 20 per cent
the amount of reductions they give in
grants. The reduction measures will
be in effect from now until March 31,
1996.
August 6, 2003
While it may be hard to explain
how they were formed, crop circles
have appeared in Huron County.
Ery Willert, owner of a Hensall area
farm, said that the circles were
found Wednesday at lunch when
the wheat field was being com-
bined. "I've never seen anything
like it," he said. Paul Anderson,
director of the Canadian Crop Cir-
cles Research Network (CCCRN),
said that it is usually this time of
year that they are found, when the
farmers are combining their fields.
He said, "It could have been there
for weeks." Willert says that he does
not know when the circles were
made but said that he believes there
were made in the last 10 days. "It is
mature wheat," he said, adding that
the heads would not be full if it hap-
pened a month ago. The farmer said
that they are not man made and
that no animal could do anything
like it. "No one would have the
energy to do this," Willert added.
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