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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1972-09-07, Page 2In the Years Agone t Aura fiposiktr Since 1860, Serving the Community First PtIbliOerd SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, every Thursday morning by MOLEAN BBOS., PUbkikehens Lbd. ANDREW Y. MCLEAN, Editor Member Canadian Weekly Newspaper Association Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association and Audit Bureau of Circulation Newspapers . , _Subscription Rates: Canada (in advance) $8.00 a Year Outside Canada (in advance) $10.00 a' Year SINGLE COPIES — 20 CENTS EACH Second Class Mail Registration Number 0696 Telephone 527-0240 SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, September 7, 1972 Young people show the way An example of what could happen to the main streets 14 many Ontario centres is the pro.gram recently carried out in. Petrolia. The main street of the town received a badly needed facelift this-sum- mer from eight young men with a $1.000 federal Opportunities for Youth grant. Wfth scaffolding, brushes and paint, they - rejuvenated the tired old face of that town that was the oil capital of ' Canada and a.thriving com- munity of 10,000. at the turn of the century; The oil has long since disappeared as has much of the population but spac-. Aous old mansions,. shops and a 600-spit opera house --all constructed during, the boom yearl long ago - remain from the past. Old brick, shops along main street have been done over in hues of blue, lime., yellow, and brown -- all color co-ordinated to ac- centuate the unique archi- tectural features of the buildings., "At first everybody in town was really suspicious of uei. says 19-year-old Ian Smith, project leader. "But after we did our first storefront, the response 'was tremendous. Now prac- " tically everybody wants to get their store done." Similarily as in Seaforth a rejuvenation of the main street of the town was not a new issue. For years a facelift has been talked over'among merchants. Now that it has been accomplished, the mer- chants and particularily the shopping public can appreciate what the main street has to offer. Area shoppers. had had a shop- ping centre at their door- step comparable to any offered by those in the large cities, and they Madn't realized it The rejuvenation program not , only drew attention to the street and the stores, it.also emphasized what was in the stores. The benefits that have- come to Petrolia could come to Seaforth or any other small town. Seaforth with the introduction of some limitations on signs and usage through planning and zoning has made a start. What is needed now is a community of concern among the merchants and an,ap- preciatton of,/the,potential that is available provided each works with the others. 1 A 5 a From My Window Shirley J. Keller 4' Sugar and Spice by Bill Smiley I It was shortly after the" turn of the century when a demand arose for improved rink accommodation inSeaforth which resulted in the formation oethe Seaforth Skating and Curling Rink Co. With, the establishment of the company a contract for the erection of a frame rink at the corner of High and Huron Streets was awarded to Joseph Keating in September 1905. Construction was well advanced when this picture was taken. ' The rink continued in use until 1950 'when the Seaforth Memorial Arena was erected. That year the building was sold .to Ball Macaulay Lumber Limited. It was destroyed by fire on March 12, 1957.. Previous rinks in Seaforth had included the Victoria 'Skating Rink which began in 1869 on Main Street about where Crich's Restaurant now is located. In 1878 the Dominion Ice Rink opened on Coleman Street on the site occupied by the residence of Les Leonhart and in 1885 a rink began operating on Main Street where the Boshart factory is located. The, picture was loaned by Frank Kling. His father is standing at the Left of the groun'in front of the building. SEPTEMBER 10, 1897 Thomas Masen, Jr. has bought what is known as the Cottle farm of 33 acres, on the base line of ,Hullett Township and takes possession at once. Over 40 persons left Hensall• and district on Tuesday for the Toropto Fair. R. B. McLean of Kippen is now busy erecting a fine silo for the storing of corn.. He is doing the engineering of the works The final race for the Victoria bicycle club cup was held when the rider's finished in the following order: - Chesney, Bald- win, Crich, Ball and Aberhart. Geo. Bell, during the season, made the largest score and will hold the ophy. Mrs. James Landsborough of Tucker- smith and her sister Miss Richardson of London returned home from a very pleasant two months visit to friends in and around Neepawa, Manitoba. John Finch of town has erected a large new hot house, which will give him better accommodation than ever for his beauti- ful collection of plants. Mr. John Leatherland of town left for Sarnia where he has secured a good position. James Laidlaw of town had the mis- fortune to sprain his ankle. Fred Beattie, an old Seaforth boy, has purchased a gent's furnishing “and tailoring business in Hensall. The young people will have a dance in Cardno's Ball and the music will be supplied by the harpers of London. Messrs. Lockart and Company of Mc- Killop have sold to John Beattie of Hullett, lot number 33, concession 10, McKillop. The price paid was $4,000 in cash. Miss Laura Dennison of Leadbury has gone to Hensall to learn dressmaking. Quite a number of the Varna villagers went cranberry picking at the big marsh, Hay Township, and came home loaded with berrie6. Miss M. J. Scott, teacher of delitiOI section No. 5, lifted, was presented with a handsome fruit receiver, a birth- day gift from her pupils. SEPTEMBER 8, 1922 Francis O'Connor of St. Columban passed away after a few hours illness In his 86th year. A very enjoyable afternoon was spent at the home of 'James MOD, Hulled Township, when the school children of 8.S. No, 10 Hallett presented their teacher, Mrs. FarnhaM, With twoliandsotne arm ehitirei and a ea.witig table. Miss Wit-. leen LIvingetene read a short address One of those new African nations is kicking out of the country all the Indians. This is an emotional and political rather than a rational decision. African blacks hate these Asian Indians because the latter are better educated and on the whole, much wealthier than the natives. The reason for this is that the Indians are smart, work hard, and in backward countries,, usually wind up in control of much of the economy. Trouble is, with these Indians in Africa, that nobody wants therm... Many them, have British passports, as,their,;grand- ,;' fathers went to Africa when the territori, was under British rule, to build railroads. They're clinging to these passports like life-belts, but It isn't doing them much good.' Britain doesn't want them. It has endugh' racial strife on its hands already, after admitting thousands of Pakistanis, Indians and West Indians after the war. There have been race riots, white against coloured. India, their homeland, doesn't want them. It already has more refugees than it can handle. Canada has been approached and, as usual, dithers. We could de a lot worse than accept a sizable chunk of these people without a home. They are industrious, .peaceable and capable. They wouldn't be coming here as penniless immigrants. Most of them are fairly well off. Many of them have skills , and professions we need. I don't know mueb about Indians. I have some Canidian Indian-„friends, but 'the only Asian Indians I have known well were four chaps with whom I learned to fly Spitfires in England, longer ago than I care, to remember. Perhaps they weren't representative, because they were all from well-to-do families, and all spoke good English. But You remember that trailer I told you about two years ago? The one which was parked at a quiet little retreat not too far from our home? .Well, dear friends, that trailer no longer is among the Keller assets. Life has dealt one cruel blow after another, but this has to be one of the cruelest as far as my husband is con- cerned. For him, that 'trailer was his link to sanity . . and now ... well . . My Spouse is not one of the devil- m ay-care types. He's serious, right from the roots of his greying hair to the tips of his aching feet. If he's going to do a job, he's got to give it his all. He's always been that way, and although it is pleasant for the family because there are never any real financial problems, it is hard'on my husband. He' has become an insomniac. That's rough in a double bed, believe me. But at that blessed trailer, my hus- band would forget his troubles. Like magic , his worries would melt away and he'd rift off into contented sleep at the drop of a campfire, Our •youngest child loved that trailer, too. From early morning until late in the evening, he'd busy himself at 100 different things. Who knows what small boya do in 'the woods and by a stream? You bet. That boy was happy at the trailer. And because they were happy, I was happy 'too. To me, that trailer meant relaxation of a special kind and it was they were certainly a cross-section of that class, and gave me a good Idea of why there is so much strife in India. YOu'd think that four youths who had come all the way from India for advanced training would have been pretty close,' _thrown into the midst of all those Poles, British, Australians, Canadians, and a dozen other specieS of whites. On the - contrary, they could barely stand one another.• There was Krishna. Smallish, very .,handsome, flashing black .eyes,that could almost literallY flatne wIlee,he,,,was angry. lie voice such precise and fluent Eoglish that he made the rest of us feel like hicks. He was a Christian. - There was Ahmed. 'A lanky kid of about nineteen, sleepy-eyed, slow-moving, a big grin, and not much to say. He was • a Pakistani Moslem. And little Koori. He was pigeon- chested, weighed about 115, had huge, mournftl black eyes, and was in a perpetual state of terror when flying. He should never have been there. One day he and I were sent up to practice dog-fighting in our Spits. I knew he didn't like flying, but not until that day just how deep was his fear. Every time I'd take a pass at him and go, "Tut-tut—tut—tut" like a - . machine gun, he'd veer wildly off about a mile and call wildly, "Smilee, Smilee, don't come so close." He was a Hindu. And then there was the inimitable Singh Thandi. Flashing, white teeth, chuckling eyes, magnificent silk turbans, under which he bundled his hair, which came down to his tail-bone. Curly black beard. Fastidious as a model. Kept his beard curly by tying a, handkerchief around his jaw at night and knotting it on top of his head. Singh was a Sikh, another religion heard, from. But he was a pretty lousy very good. But it was evident from the time that trailer came into our possession that we'd miscalculated on one very important detail. Our older children, those precious but ponderous teenagers, would rise up like thieves in the night to rob us of Our pleasure. I'm what my children call "an over- protective mother". 'I cannot rest easy if my children - even the-older ones - are not under my watchful eye as much of the time 'as possible. I know they'll manage to get into trouble with or without me, but still I feel I must be with then'. It is my duty. You couldn't imagine the excuses those -older kids could find for not wanting to go to that heavenly trailer. we tried all avenues. We got very tough' with them and told them the y were going with us. No ifs, ands or buts. Have you ever spent a weekend with a sullen, morose teenager who reclineskon a cot staring at the ceiling and hoping for a flood so we can go home? We tried being sweet and persuasive. We got better results as far as the attitude of the kids was concerned, bttr we lost out on the important part. They were just as sweet and persuasive as, we were and we all ended up by staying at home. I tried tears. That was a mistake. My teenagers shut off the waterworkh in ohe big hurry by telling me I was employing Sikh. 'They're not 'supposed to drink, smeltecut their hair, and a lot of other things. He didn't smoke or cOt his hair but he could put away about twelve pints of beer in an evening and, except for a little giggling,, be•none the worse. " But he had his hangovers. He was a crafty devil. When he had a particularly bad head, he'd just stay in bed. When the C.O.-tried to givehim a blast for his absence,• he'd roll his eyes at the ig- nprance of these infidels, and say politely "Sorry, sir, today is holy day for Sikhs. Cannot fly on holy. day." The baffled C.O. had ,no answer, as these Indian boys had to be well treated. Singh would have nothing to do with the other "Indians" and joined a convivial little group with Van, a Belgian, Sven, a Norwegian, a couple of Australians and Jack Ryan and myself, Canadians. With the beard; the turban and the silver tongue * he attracted girls like flies. He loved flying a$.Koori hated it. Never forget the time I shared a room with him in London, on a weekend leave. About 11 a.m. we started to pull our- selves together. He got up, groaning, holding his head, and tottered' about in his shorts, his great mass of hair hang- ing "down to his bum. (He didn't, wear a turban to bed.) There was a knock at the door, one of us grunted, "Come in", and the maid -entered, to clean the room. At least she almost entered. She took one look, her mouth fell open, then she screamed and ran. Despite his head, Singh nearly threw up from laughing so hard. "I bet,Smilee, she thought you were shacked up with the bearded lady froin the circus." Singh was killed in Burma. I like Indians. Let's invite more to our country. very jevenlIe tactics to get what I wanted. The best approach was to comprOmise. We'd go by ourselves to the trailer,on a Friday evening only to return home about midnight that evening to pick up the child- ren after a night of frolic. Then in the morning, after they'd had a good rest and a belly full of food, we'd drive them back into town so they could meet their friends for this activity or another. About mid- night on Saturday, We'd run off to town to pick them up again. AndSteiday, of course, the kids wanted to be home early so they could get a shower, wash their hair, etc., etc. in time for the special evening ahead. At the end of one.of those compromising weekends, my husband and I were so worn out we'd need to go home for a rest. It was simply no good. The upshot of the whale thing was that this summer, we've spent very little time at the trailer. It was just too ex- hausting to relax there. I was the first one to actually voice.an opinion that we might as well sell the trailer as continue like this. My husband, bless him, had been thinking it, I know, but he hadn't been able to bring himself to say it. So the trailer is sold to a family with small children. I couldn't have lived with myself had we •pawned it off onto a family with teenagers who might soon present the same hassle as our kids had, And its back to insomnia in a double- bed. All this for parenthood.' 4 ,4 ,ak 41 ft and Donald Dale, Frank Fowler, Fergus Wright, Walter Dale, Miss Hazel Free- man and Jessie Dale made the presen- tation. Fred Tomlinson,Ross Scott and Hugh McGregor attende the Toronto Fair._ School re-opened on Tuesday at Hay- field with Miss M. Smith of Hickson, as Principal and Miss Anna Woods, as assistant. Robert Cooper is giving a helping hand to James Mustard of Kippen during the threshing season. Miss Ashton of Gorrie, has been en- gaged by E. Rennie, as milliner for this • season. J. E. Willis, who has been conducting a boot and shoe business in the Willis Block, opposite' the, Expositor Office for a number of years, disposed of his busin- ess to F. W. Wigg 'of Tavistock. At high noon Sept. 6th at the home of Mr. and Mrs. August wankel, Seaforth, the marriage of their daughter; Eliza- beth Ann to James Grey Carnochan, also of Seaforth, took place. • Alek McNabb, busman and mail courier has purchased a handsome new bus which is now meeting all trains. SEPTEMBER 12, 1947 . A disastrous fire , took place when the home of. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Byers, near St. Columban was destroyed. It is believed that the fire resulted from the explosion of a gasoline lantern, causing the flames to spread quickly. When the tractor he was driving stalled on the C.N.R. tracks at the farm of Harold , Jackson, Huron Road'East, Wilson Hawkins was forced to make a life-saving pm? to avoid being struck by an approaching train. The tractor which' was demolished, was orie.ed by Andrew A. Moore of Egmand- v Mary Ryan and D. O. (Bud) Smith graduated from Seaforth High School and were the winners of two of the three Dominion-Provincial scholarships awarded in Huron County this year. Each scholarship, is valued at $400.00. Miss Ryan had previously been awarded the S. C. I. Alumni Memorial` Scholarship. ,Mrs. Russel Allen, white visiting at the C.N.E. took part in a contest to guess the number of revolutions per minute of a certain household appliance. Her guess, paid her a big dividend this week,, when she received an electric polishing outfit. Mrs. Paul Brady and Mrs. R. H. Williams of town, entertained in honour of Mpg Joan McMaster, a bride to be, of dile month at the home of mrs.Brady. She received a large' number of useful kitchen articles.