HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-12-24, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2015.
The voices of happy children on
holidays could be heard as they
finished the last day of school,
excited to be off and looking
forward to Christmas and
holidays.
I don’t know if the same can be
said for the parents. The joy of
Christmas is to be able to spend time
with family and friends, but work
commitments have many scrambling
for child care, time for shopping,
hiding gifts, wrapping gifts and
baking. The list goes on, but it
manages to all get done.
Our wish for all is that everyone
finds the time to take a
moment to enjoy the season and
their family. We wish everyone
a happy holiday season!
Change is a part of life for all and
we all have to adapt. For the first
time in almost 60 years for me, we
will not be spending Christmas Day
or Boxing Day with my brothers or
sisters in our childhood home. We
celebrated Christmas together with
our mother this past weekend at our
daughter’s home in New Hamburg.
We had the same noisy gathering,
with the added bonus of small
children adding to the chaos, the
same turkey dinner provided by all,
opening of gifts and the mystery gift
draw. All the same things, but not the
same.
It is something many will go
through during their lives, but still a
sad time, as our memories of
Christmases past in our childhood
home are now just memories. We
will now create new traditions and
memories with our newest
generation of grandchildren at our
home. Let the fun begin!
The Bauer families gathered at the
home of Paul and Cheryl Ryan to
celebrate their Christmas. They
enjoyed the usual social time of
visiting, great food and then a visit
from Santa to the delight of the
younger ones.
Returning from a wonderful trip
are Rick and Margaret McInroy.
They were away for 16 days on a
cruise aboard the Azamara cruise
ship. They flew from Toronto to
Germany and then to Barcelona
Spain to board the ship. It was a
smaller ship with only 650
passengers and 545 staff. There were
55 nationalities aboard the 500-foot-
long, 40-tonne, 10-deck-high vessel.
They were treated to wonderful food
with five restaurants and a buffet and
great entertainment every day and
night.
They cruised the area of Gibraltar
before heading for the open seas. It
took eight days to cross the Atlantic
and they made stops in the Virgin
Islands and Martinique. They
encountered a number of waves
during the cruise, but with the
modern technology of stabilizers etc.
they hardly noticed. They caught a
fast moving current when
crossing the ocean and went as
quickly as 17 knots at times.
Rick enjoyed the tour of the
vessel, including the bridge and how
the ship is so completely self reliant.
They docked in Miami and flew
home thoroughly satisfied with their
trip.
Our sympathies are extended to
Paulene Bennett in the passing of her
brother George Merkley. He will be
missed by his wife Phyllis and
family Sandy, Brenda, Linda and
Brian and families.
Celebrating birthdays this past
week and over the Christmas season
include Leanne Nolan, Pam Nolan
Slaught, Adam Shortreed, Stephen
Bernard, Stephanie Rijkhoff Eedy,
Abby Strome, Meg Fritz, Geoff
Dalton, Marjory Humphries, Jeff
Lewington, Glenn Mader, David
Pethick, Natalie Wakabayashi,
Brody Goodfellow, Jean Bewley,
Connor Jarosz, Monique Baan, John
W. Brown, Pearl McCallum, Clayton
Fraser, Alice Searle, Brycen Medd,
Ryan Bremner, Blake Dale,
Michelle Blake, Anne Curreri and
Kerry Blake Dale. Happy birthday to
all.
At Huron East Council’s Dec. 15
meeting, Treasurer Paula Michiels
presented council with the
municipality’s year-to-date budget,
projecting a small surplus of
$13,000 for 2015.
The budget presented at the
meeting, Michiels told councillors,
was current as of the end of the day
on Dec. 10. She said that unless
there were any drastic changes, the
municipality should end the year in
a surplus position.
She pointed out a number of
hotspots in the budget – areas that
have been of concern to councillors
in recent months and years. The
Vanastra Day Nursery, she said, is
looking to end the year under budget
by nearly $6,000, while the
Brussels, Morris and Grey
Community Centre is $20,000 over
budget with three weeks left in the
year and the Seaforth and District
Community Centre is nearly
$35,000 over budget.
The Vanastra Recreation Centre,
however, looks to be on pace for a
surplus of between $7,000 and
$10,000, Michiels said.
***
In discussion related to Huron
East’s 2015 and 2016 budgets,
Director of Public Works Barry
Mills said that due to the mild and
largely snow-less winter already
into late December, his department
looks to be saving the municipality
some money.
There are some expenses that are
inescapable, he said, such as
keeping contractors on standby in
the event of a snowstorm, as well as
ongoing work for the department to
keep the employees busy in the
absence of snow, but the lack of
snow has definitely helped the
department’s bottom line.
Mills estimated, reiterating that
his estimates were very rough and
off the top of his head, that between
$75,000 and $100,000 in savings
have been realized as a result of the
lack of snow in October, November
and December.
***
Council approved a number of tax
write-offs at its Dec. 15 meeting.
Three different motions were
approved by council directing taxes
in the amounts of $14,596.06,
$51,793.71 and $9,584.99 to be
written off.
***
Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan acknowledged the hard
work of Economic Development
Officer Jan Hawley and the Seaforth
BIA at the Dec. 15 meeting,
specifically referencing the BIA’s
annual year-end awards gala.
A number of Seaforth businesses
were acknowledged for their
contributions to both the community
and the business community over
the years.
MacLellan said he brought it up to
recognize Hawley, who was
presented with a special award that
night for her work on the Win This
Space contest earlier this year,
which has earned her universal
praise throughout the county and
beyond.
Lack of snow could save
Huron East $100,000: Mills
Locals prepare for holidays in Walton area
Over the past few years, the use of candles in the home has greatly increased — and
so has the number of fires caused by candle misuse. The Ontario fire service offers
the following tips for the safe use of candles.
Secure your candles in sturdy holders and, if possible, place glass chimneys or
shades on them. Keep lit candles out of the reach of children and pets. and well away
from any combustible materials. An unattended candle is an invitation to disaster, so
don't forget to snuff out your candles before leaving the room or going to bed.
Remember to keep all matches and lighters out of the sight and reach of children.
Have a safe and
Merry Christmas
from the members of the
Brussels and Grey Firefighters
Huron East Fire Department
519-887-9061 R.R. #1 Bluevale
In the spirit of community,
we’ve gathered together to wish
our friends, neighbours, customers
and associates
a very merry season and a
prosperous new year.
We’re deeply grateful for your
loyal support and look forward to
serving you in the new year.
CONSTRUCTION LTD.
John
Season’s
Greetings
to all my
valued customers
and friends
Joe’s Automotive
611 Cedar St., Wingham
519-357-4527
from
Broken Washer?
Blyth Laundromat
191 Westmoreland St., Blyth
519-523-9687
SEASON'S GREETINGS
Joy to your
home this
Christmas.
We value your
patronage.
By Jo-Ann
McDonald
Call
887-6570
PEOPLE AROUND
WALTON
NEWS
FROM WALTON