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The Citizen, 2015-04-09, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 9, 2015. PAGE 23. Craig named Ontario rep to Canadian plowmen We hope everyone had a happy Easter with their family or friends. The weather turned out not too bad, but it certainly could have been better. Easter weekend has traditionally been the weekend when we tidy up the yard at my Mom’s. We all bring the rakes and gather up the twigs and branches. Obviously, we did not do that this past Easter weekend. Oh well, there will be another gathering to get the work done. More signs of spring will include more dead animals on the road, the arrival of the Canada geese, the peeking through of green sprouts of the spring flowers and folks out biking and children wearing shorts to school (brrrr). Pets with dirty feet (day after day), folks out raking lawns and choosing to not wear winter boots – yes, sooner or later, we will have warmer weather! We just reported having a visit with Audrey Hackwell and how well she was doing and now she has taken a turn backwards. She suffered a small stroke and is in Stratford Hospital. She is coming along well and will hopefully be brought back to Seaforth shortly. Our best wishes go out to Audrey. It has been a week of sadness and loss for many families around the Walton and Brussels area. Our sympathies are extended to the family of Helen Wheeler on her passing. Helen will be missed by her children Doug, Jim and Gerry and their families. Helen had been a resident at Huronlea for a few years and I can recall having many lovely visits with her over the years at various functions. She was soft- spoken and a lovely lady. Our sympathies to all. Our condolences to the family of Wilma Hicks. She will be missed by her children Pat, Julie Coulter, Ken, Rick and Sherri and their families. Granddaughter Melanie Thackery and family live in Walton. Our sympathies to all. Our sympathies are extended to the family of Ron Zimmer on his passing. The family of Pam McLellan, Kim McArter and Rob and their families will miss him. Our condolences to all. The community was shocked to hear of the passing of Jack Cardiff. He will be dearly missed by his wife Audrey and his children Colleen, Allan, Janet, Catherine, Stewart, Rob and their families. Jack was a wonderful man and was always a pleasure to visit with. Soft-spoken with a smile on his face, he was a constant companion and helper for Audrey. He farmed, drove a school bus and loved to sing during his life, being a member of the Brussels United Church choir and the Seaforth Harmony Kings. Our sympathies to the Cardiff families. The community lost yet another resident in the passing of Barry Engel. He will be missed by his wife Diane and children Dawn Johnston and Alexis Boughen and his three granddaughters. Barry will be remembered for his years of employment at McDonald Lumber and his quiet demeaner. Our sympathies at all. Turning 89 on April 1 was a day to remember for my friend Lily Fincham. Her daughter Val Gratto picked her up to take her for a drive to see a flower show. Well no flowers were found, but a surprise meeting of Lily’s other daughter, Christine happened. The Brussels pair drove to Bradford to meet Christine, who is from Lindsay area. She raises all natural beef and lamb and Lily now has an assortment of meat to eat and remember her daughter each time. The trio enjoyed a lovely lunch and visit before parting ways to return home. Lily started celebrating her birthday the day before with having her hair done, having birthday cupcake with me and then driving off with Val. They went to Goderich and then on to Kincardine, stopping at a few places in between. She reports having a great birthday. Congratulations to Graeme Craig who is now the Ontario representative for the Ontario Plowmen’s Association (OPA) to the Canadian Plowmen’s Organization. He will serve a three-year term for the OPA. Graeme received his appointment at the annual meeting of the association held in Kingston last weekend. The Craigs, McGavins and Dodds attended the convention. The next Canadian Plowing Match will be on Wolfe Island near Kingston in August. The Cranbrook Dart League held their final night of play on Wednesday, April 1. A hot roast beef dinner was enjoyed by all prior to the night’s play. Brad Speiran was presented with a trophy and picture of his high score of 180 this year, by the club. Other high scores of this season were Karen Bowles, Murray Houston, Ern Lewington and George Zwep. The hot team of the final night’s play was Jane Zwep, Doug Evans and Brad Speiran winning all six games. Top scorers were Barb Currie hitting 99 and Rob Vanderveen hitting 132. Ern Lewington was the lucky prize winner. The club members thank all who readied the hall and blew snow for access. On behalf of the club, a donation was made to the Cranbrook Hall Board. They hope to see everyone back in 2016! There were 40 folks attending the Easter service at Duff’s United Church on Sunday led by Bruce Whitmore. The congregation participated in the Lenten Liturgy with Bruce and assisted by Patty Banks. The children’s story was about the Easter bunny and how a Scottish man created the hot cross bun to symbolize the many facets of Easter. The reflection was entitled “Because of the Empty Tomb”. Silk flowers had been given to all upon arriving, and at the conclusion of the reflection, all were asked to come place their flowers on a cross. The cross at the front of the sanctuary came alive with blooms to symbolize that Jesus had risen and was alive, for all of us. The collection was taken by Brian Wilbee and Teresa Baan and the organists was Marion Godkin. Many folks, or snowbirds as they are called, are returning from the south in the past week or so. Betty McCutcheon and her friend have returned from Florida and so have Dianne Machan and Jim Alton. Rick and Margaret McInroy have returned from wintering in Arizona. Welcome back folks. Visiting the Walton area over the weekend was Dan Oliver of Toronto. He is the son of the late Glenn Oliver, who was born and raised on the 16th of Grey. He spent time visiting relatives such as his Aunt Joyce Henderson of Egmondville and old family friends Neil and Marie McGavin. He stayed at the Walton Inn and enjoyed his few days around the area. Welcome home to some Waltoners who have been away for a few weeks. A group of 10 friends travelled to Arizona to spend almost three weeks enjoying much better weather. The group is full of motorcycle enthusiasts and they trailered their bikes to their southern destination. The group rented a home but for the first week away, they backpacked on the bikes, from place to place, to see the sights. Included in the group were Ken and Brenda Dalton, Ken and Diane Anderson, Paul and Cheryl Ryan and Ken and Leanne McNeil (Paisley). Paul and Dianne McCallum, whose bike was on the trailer, flew down and back for their week away. They had great weather every day, only one-and-a-half days of rain and they put 3,600 kilometres on the bikes while away. They went on a boat cruise on Lake Havasu and had a very nice day. They report a great time, but as usual, it is nice to be home. Celebrating birthdays this past week included Corbin McCallum, Shirley Bachert Groothius, Krista Shortreed Verkley, Duncan Wey, Gary Bennett, Nate Fritz, David Bann, Marlene Glanville, Colleen Bromley, Donna Hannon, Stephen Gulutzen, Shelley McGavin, Doug J. Mitchell, Janet Mitchell, Wayne Regele, Ron Driscoll, Matthew Huether, George Love, Kevin Wilbee and Marie McGavin. Happy birthday to all! PED program used by producers Continued from page 18 Intake Funding Assistance Program reduced the risk of disease transmission and delivered positive outcomes for Ontario pork farmers and producers. Biosecurity, animal welfare and food safety and traceability are important priorities for Ontarians as they are for Ontario pork farmers. Efforts made by OSCIA and funding recipients are greatly appreciated,” said Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “Pork producers told us that the program was of significant benefit, and we’re pleased they responded so positively,” said Alan Kruszel, President of the OSCIA. “I am very proud, as well, of the high calibre of work our staff provided – from program development to processing claims as well as answering questions and addressing concerns.” Hog producers, truckers, abattoir operators, assembly facility owners and renderers were eligible to apply. A full 93 per cent of the project claims came from producers – 63 per cent of those were finishers and 37 per cent were farrowers. The majority of projects were completed in Huron, Perth, Oxford, Lambton and Middlesex counties. Almost half of the participants used the available funding to make two or more improvements to their operations. All biosecurity work was completed between April 2013 and the end of October 2014. As of March 31, there had only been 14 confirmed cases of the PED virus since the summer, according to Dr. Paul Innes, Manager, Veterinary Science and Policy, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. This is in spite of the cold weather that provides ideal conditions for the virus to spread. “This is a good indication that the industry as a whole has been successful in implementing effective tools for managing PED and other serious diseases,” Innes said. “We are very encouraged by the willingness of producers and others to put in the extra time, money and effort needed to better protect the health of their herds, their incomes and the Ontario pork industry as a whole.” PED is not a risk to human health or food safety. It is, however, a serious disease in swine production, which can cause 100 per cent mortality in piglets. Continued from page 1 as they always have. Stops Along The Way is also going digital. The tourism magazine, which is available for free in many locations throughout the county, will also be available as a PDF both to download or view on the site. Alongside the site launch, The Citizen will also be creating its social media presence with Twitter and Facebook accounts, allowing constant interaction with the Citizen staff and the community. The launch of the site will also mark our Photo of the Day initiative where staff and members of the public are invited to submit their photographs to help tell the story of a particular day in the community. To submit a photograph, e-mail your picture, its location and a brief description to reporter@northhuron.on.ca for consideration. To visit the new site, go to northhuron.on.ca Digital editions, social media ready for ‘Citizen’ By Jo-Ann McDonald Call 887-6570 PEOPLE AROUND WALTON NEWS FROM WALTON Raising the flag Eleven-year-old Morgan Mason, left, a student with autism at Seaforth Public School, raised $1,000 on World Autism Day on April 2. His stated goal was $750. Mason is seen here with his mother Liz, behind, and Doris Barkley, right, a representative of the local chapter of Autism Ontario, who accepted the donation on behalf of the organization and presented Morgan with a token of appreciation for his efforts. (Shawn Loughlin photo)