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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1977-02-24, Page 20Saar .s and Spice by Bill Smitey Oh Canada! wakes up on the first day of the March break and finds a note pinned to her•pillOW: '*Off•to the Canary Isles for 10 days. 'Hear they're loaded with Scandinavian girls in .„ bikinis or (gasp!) topless.. Why ddn't you go and visit ,Grandad for a week or so. -Love. Fahrenheit Bill.;" She's a Celsius and it drives me nuts. But it's not only my wife who has"' helped: with the aid of this atrocious winter,Io depress me. It's the cost. , -This- is ". reckoning, but close enough. •From teat November- the first; it has cost me , approximately:.$420. for fuel oil; $120 for driveway plowing; $80 for the kid next door,' snew-shovelling; $60 for battery boosts, tow trucks and other winter items; for cal* That, my friends, is 650 bucks for the privilege of spending-the — wife• would say: "About twelve and half' . winter in the true north, strong and feet," in that sickening,righteeus tone of freezing. Oh, Canada! • hers that has made me hurl the hatchet and • You can well say that I didn't, need to the butcher knife deep in the 16 feet of spend all that. Well, I dang well did. I snow right behind the kitchen door,• to , could have saved a •bit on the oil bill by avoid temp tation. burning the furniture. And I could have ,Th ough we have a pretty good running saved a-bit on the , plowing and shovelling if parry-and-thrust on everything from pea I had been able to quit my job and shovel soup to politics, from golf to garbage, we about four hours a day. But it seeing rather jUst don't fight about the weather., Until a peculiar way to save money. And of this winter. Now it's hammer and tongs course, by now I'd be dead of a heart alMost every day. And I seem to have attack, so where's the percentage? Tell me, Some of my friends who, go south every winter. Does it cost motet° eat down there? Less, you say. Does it cost ' mare to drive a car down there? Less, you frig mails because she has lost the say. Does it cost more for accommodation? - • scraper, and sit there freezing my poorly Less, you say, and you add that ii-cap Cost padded bum for 10 minutes, warming the $52 for an ordinary double room in „ _ • beast up. Toronto, Montreal, Yanceuver. • Then I bomb the vehicle out of the But don't you get sick of all that fresh driveway, risking my life every morning; orange juice, and those crispy salad's twice because I can't see anything coming, from ' a, day? No, you say. any direction. I park -it on the street, • Don't you feel you are deserting the Op the odd occasion when she, decides to ship, somewhat''When your 'country needs shop, she minces out to the Car, heavily you, When -it is the duty of every man and garbed, climbs into a warm wagon, parkS woman to put his and/or her shoulder to • behind the supermarket and walks 40 feet - the car that's stuck in the drift? NO, y 'ou to the door. Every time she goes out, it has say. stopped snowing for one hour, the wind Have you no thought, ne slightest has dropped for one hour, and the sun - . sympathy, for' the pensioner who tries to gleams palely for One hour. peer, through his frosted windows,- who is She leaves the car out on the street when scared to venture• forth because he "might she comeshoine. I clean it off again, buck bust his back in a foot-skid, or freeze into a it through adrift into the driveway, climb statue on his way , to the liquor store?' throUgh more snow, that goes in over my Definitely not, you say. beets; and 'totter, breathless and forlorn; O.K. I haven't „figured it out yet, into the house. - • but. I'll -devise some' way of some day • "Why do you make such .a fuss?" she 'queries. •' `It's been a beautiful winter day." I don't mind her scoffing at .my golf factor. ' game, being able to ski' twice as fast and far as I, this winter she's gone too far. One of us has to break:, either the weather, or me.' She won't be so darn'Tsmart when she We' have such a 'crazy climate in this country that by the time `this appears in print some dingbat will have spotted the first :crocus peeping • its' dainty head through the snow. But right at the moment, any such crocus would have to come from- the garden of King Kring. This winter has been not a little unlike a, sort of arctic King Kong, —. a vast, uncontrollable Monster, laughing with fiendish glee 'at the,,prospect of puny man trying to cope with his wistling, frigid breath, his frosty and fickle fingers, and, his exrtremely bad case of dand4uff. Around these pelts we've 'had 13 to 15 feet of snow, depending on whom you are conversing with. If you are talking to me; you'll learn that we've ' had 18 feet. My wound up with the tongs. I stagger out through the blizzard every- morning,. brush the snow off the car, sera s the ice off the windshield with my getting •even with all you rotteir..rich who are loafing around-in the sun while I battle with the Old Battleaxe about the windchill . . In the meantime, It's the least you could do„ somebody, anybody, to ask me down for a long weekend. From about the fifteenth, of February to the Ides of March would be just right. With only one week remaining in the regular Broomball play the team positions are 'undecided in both the - Men's and Ladies' Leagues to see who will'play each other in playoffs, which start March '2nd and 3rd. In last week's play in the Ladies League Blyth beat Parr Line 2 - 0;' Chiselhurst 3 - C.C.A.T. 0; Winthrop 3 -- Hensall 2 and Stratford Jr. FArmers 1 :C4th Jr.FArmers 0. In. the Men's • League Bendix beat Parr Line of a score 3 to 0; Dumpers 5 - Chiselhurst C:C.A.T. 4 - Hensall 0; and C4th Jr. Farmers 2 - McKillop Panthers 1. • BROOIVIBALL TOP TEN Ladies Team • Goals: Assists Pits:.., Joyce Carter, , ..Blyth 6 5 11 Debbie Coultes• Blyth' 8 3 11 Mary Anne Cook " Blyth 4 BrendaTurner Blyth Brenda Tu'rner Parr Lilne 5 Peg-Simpscin Sfra tford 5 Marg Heffron Blyth 4 Joan-Pinder Chiselhurst 4 Barb Preszcatlor Hensall' 3 Kim Sherk C.C.A.T. .5 Sandra Fremlin • Parr Line 3 6. 10 6 10 2 7 2 7 3 7 2.., 6 3 _I .,. 6 ' 0 5 2 8 Mens Jim Henderson Dumpers 6 , Jim Finlayson Dumpers 8 Rick Woods Bendix 1 1 ' • - Brad Finraysoti " Dampers 8 4 12 TOM Blake • Dunipers 6: 6 12 Neil Murray, '' Dumpers--10 Ross Mitchell • Panthers 5 3 8 Dale Kennedy Dumpers 4' 4 . ' 8 Brian Murray ,Jr.Farmerd 2 6 8 Bill Docking • Dumperi 1 7 8 TEAM STANDINGS Ladies GP W , L T GF GA Blyth' 12 10 1 1 32 3 Parr Line,. 12 - 3 17 7 Chiselhurst 12, 6 ' 4 2--- 13 7 C.C.A.T.. 13 3 8 1 9 23 C4th Jr. Farmers 13 4 5 4 14 14. 12 Strat.Jr. Farmers.' 12 4 6,, 2 14 ' 15 10 Hensall 12. 3 8 1 9 23 7 Winthrop 14 2 10 2 10 - 35 6 • 8 - 14 6 14 2 13, Pts. , 21 17' 14 13 - 1ViensGP Dumpers Bendix C4th Jr. Farmers 13 8 Chiselhurst13 4 ,14 4 McKillop ' ' Panthers 13 3 Parr Line 14 2 Hensall 13 , 2 3 2" 23' 13 18 5 4 18 21 12 7 3 14 25 11 6 4 13 29 10 10. 2 15 34 6 10 1 5 30 -5 TEAM STANDINGS W L T GF ,., GA Pits. 13 1.2 1 0 60 1 24 13 9 2 2 24 , 13 20. SDHS band highlights SPA meetin g. and accompanied by Seaforth District High School Girls Band• was ...,prominent at--the annual' meeting of the Ontario Plowmens Aigociationin Toronto liat week, Jim Armstrong of R.R.41 Wing- ham and host farmer for the 1978 Match In" Huron, was relected . • second vices president of the, Ontario 'Plowmen's Association. As a tneniber of the Huron County Ideal dominittee.'which is reSpontible for, the 1978 utter national Plowing Match; AS well as art active farmer, he is faced program for 'the heads the ', activities ,eon, committee of the plowing match. Speaking' for. Huron 'County The OPA annual was nem at were the general chairman, the Royal York Hotel in Toronto Howard Datars; his ' two lieu- On Monday and Tuesday of last tenants-in-chief, Allan Campbell week, and, as usual, presented anciRby Pattisen, &IS well as Jim colorful spectacle which could be ArmStrong and }futon's warden . compared with a full-seale politi. Douglas McNeil. The delegation cal convention. was jollied by Jack Riddell, MIT hurqn delegation ,±WaS for Huron. and Murray Gaunt, headed by the Seaforth MP1? HUtori-trite School Girls' Band under , the :The new slate of officers for the ditectiiiit of George "Hildebrand as , 'IVA" la ka `follows:' non,Presi- the grOup Oeritere; the huge dent, Hon. William G. Nevdaft;' convention, rootn Tuesday minister Of-agrletiltUVand fOOd; morning. e Seine 'band was past pres., il,ohit'Stepheri;" ertb also selected -til lead in the head • County; ,president, ,Max teed! (Pat) Telfer, Brant; second vice,. Jim Armstrong, - Huron.; see.; , manager,..& A. Starr, • Toronto;:, assistant; A, J. Peppin, Toronto. members 'of the executive ate:- Leonard Kirby, .Algomp_ East; Bruce Parker`, Brute County; gverett Hogan, kronte- . •nae-Wolfe. Island; Donald Green. lees, Prontenac;. .hey Kent and William Snowden', Haldimand. t.... • Sites of future, International Plowing . Matches iire:..Ptontentie 1977, Huron 1978, 10*. Ore* ford MO; Slnit tya 1081,1Vtiddle.sot .1$82 • - A }luron delegation SO. strong,. next three years.. His' wife, Carol; table guests for the noon lunch- man Lambton; first vice, H. A. OPNOTCH TOPNOTCH FEEDS LIMITED Order your SEED GRAIN requirements — -before the variety you may want is gone. See Us for Prices * •FERTILIZER µms. -* SEED GRAIN !tFORAGE SEED'S parents, she feels. She doesn't know if it, will start up' again or not. "The schools teach crafts now and other groups teach first -aid." Cainpine used to be a real thrill for the Guides . but these days children lots of opportunities„to go camping, Seven Seaforth girls won their Canada, cords, Guiding's highest award; while Mrs. Stinnissen wes captain and -that's "very good" for a town this size,., she says. Mrs. Stinnissen says it's good to ' see, the girls' she knew as Guides 'go on to be nurses and child care workers, building on skills they learned in Guides. • Many of thegirls keep in touch with her. "Thank you, for your friendship, time and effort," reads a note she got from one of them. , • Mrs. Stinnissen says she's never been homesick for Holland tnit she has been home many times over the past 13 years. Next month she's going back for a short visit for• her Mother's 77th, birthday. Mrs... Stinnissen has a .photo from the war years that at first glance seems to be just a bunch of flowers. But disguised in the buds and stems are drawings of the Mitch royal family. It was SLEEP EASY YoU've shopped the Rest, byt got the BEST R S P •R. . Registered Reiirement Saving's Plan OR S P • •• Registered Home Ownership Savings Plan Clititors:Con4mity Credit Union Clinton" • 482-8467' A 20,—THE HURON ExPosmaR, FEBRUARY 24, 1977 10.0,.ceti _fed /401lat1d meetings ame _t ..o... om ten in Nazis Lord Baden Powell's birthday, on Tuesday.of this week, May not have a whole lot of significance for people in ,$„e.,.#.0411. He and hiS wife Were fOuriders of the world wide Girl Guido and gro ups Scout movement, and both groups are', no 'longer active in Seaforth. But Leni Stinnissen, Of . Goderich St. East, who was honoured recently for her 11. Years as a Guide captain here, the Scout founder's birthday reminds her of het involvement with Guides as a girl in her native Holland. . It wasn't simple, being a Girl Guide during the five years that the Nazis occupied Holland. The 'whole Guide-Scout movement was officially banned, because it was a dernoCilitic and therefore .subversive organization. Guides couldn't wear their uniforms, but they wore a small Guide pin. Mrs. Stinnissen's group of ,eight girls and six boys (like a Combined Rovers . and Rangers group for teenagers in Canada) defied the Naii ban by continuing to meet throughout the war years. They met at their commissioners house and Mrs. Stinnissen said the commissioner, a' German woman, 'was anxious to keep the movement going. "We formed a band a.nd all played instruments so that if We were ever bothered by the Nazis we could say "that we were just getting together to 'play music," Mrs. Stinnissen says. Sure it was dangerous but "we rust didn't think about it," she says and she wasn't scared. Moet people in Holland were taking similar chances, working quietly in the ,re'sistance and never giving up hope that Holland would be liberated and that the Allies would win the-war, .MrS. Stinnissen's husband Arnold was a policeman in Holland. The' police of course were controlled by the occupa- tion government, but on his own time, Arnold vvorked with the undergounch. smuggling Canadian flyers 'who had been shot down in Holland to the border. She and her husband knew each other-durin g the war years (they were married' in'190 and she says that she worried about him because his life was in danger. But most people in the Nether- lands were in constant danger. •• Bombs were . falling and ini Amsterdam it ' was 'a normal 'occurence for the Nazis to close a street and' go from -house to house, taking off all the able. hedied men to work' in forced labour camps. Her brothers h'id hi a closet in a little compartment above a cloiet shelf- and came close to being discovered. . Mrs. Stinnissen's mother had many Jewish friends who were forced to wear big yellow stars and were eventually taken .off to concentration camps:. Very few of- because it was a tense, difficult Stinnissen thinks • the recent job and he didn't want to end up decision 'in TOronto that a woman with ulcers.'" They th.eughtr of who's been a cub leader-for years Alistralia but finally, decided to can't be a Scout leader because of conic to Canada: And leaving just her sex is "ridiculous in this day about everything except ^ a • few, and age.." • piece lovely carved Dutch. The Guide and Scout move- furniture -hehind, they' settled inem has declined Seaforth first in Dashwood. They also lived partly because there are so many in Zurich 'and GOderich `befo,re---other things to do and partly -coming to Seaforth, where Arneld bet ause of lack of support from Smiles A salesman parked his small sports car • outside_ the village store and went inside, When he returned, a. farmer was looking the car over. . `'''."Weltrwhat do you think• of it?" ,inquired the salesman. Replied the farther : "Picked, it before it, was ripe, didn't you'r REMEMBERING-THE GUIDES — teni-Stinnissen has lot6 oVphoto albums from many periddg of her life.Bu't here, the fdrmer Girl-Guide captain, who was honoured recently with a tong Service Award, looks over photos of Guide activities over the 11 year that s' thetpwas -active -Guide-"company in Seaforth. -(Expositor Photo) them survived., Mrs: Stinnissen and a lot of other people passed messages back and forth. through the underground., It , was terribly dangerous -, but ''!when you're young, you don't think of these things,"-she says. She was 14 and attending boarding school in a small town outside Amsterdam when the. war began. , ._ Her mother was a hairdresser in Amersterdam and she took- "eggs, potatoes, anything" in return for doing her, customers hair. -• Many Dutch people had little to' eat. It's hard for Canadians or any people, who haven't'been through- a war and occupation to under. • stand what it's like. People rifled through garbage to get food. Wood that fleld• the rails of the Amsterdam tram system was pried up 'to use for heat. Mrs. Stinnissen remembers visiting weeeesieeeieeee eeeeeteee permitted on the Golf Course for the remainder of the -winter The Family in the 70 S An Educational Program the ,Sunday. Evenings of Lent Starting February 27th at 8 p.m. St. Joseph's Church Clinton is hereby given that there will be no snowmobiling Seaforth Golf and Country club NOTICE family, who spent the war years in 'Canada, but many Dutch families resisted quietly by keeping this. 'innocent 'looking picture of flowers' around.. - There are many ties, besides the . Royal Fatnily, between Holland and -Canada. Cailadians liberated 'Amsterdam 'on May 8, 1945. That day, Mrs, Stinnissen proudly put on her Guide uniform and with other Guides, and Scouts, helped , hold back the, crowds along the Allied Soldiers',, parade route. . , • Girl Guides, for Mrs. Stinnissen, form another tie between the country of her birth and' the. country where she and her husband chose Olive. Her, contribution to GuideS in Seaforth, was recognized last, Month' at a reunion 'and party at the hoine of Gloria • ReeVes, Seaforth Ranger leader,' There Mrs. Stinnissen was presented with a Long Service Award from 'the. Girl Guides of Canada, and Mrs. Reevei says; 'good time was had by all, latighing, remembering , and looking at photos of Guide activities over the years. "It.was really nice, especially because it was a complete surprise," says Mrs. Stin.nissen, with one of her warm, quiet smiles. I pi farms in the rain,started ' and sleet,' in the insurance business, forbidden ,during the occupation looking for feed.. 18 years, ago. to have any photos of the royal If she'd been, taught, she would ."• Stinnissen , —says have been in trouble. People were 'immigrating to a new country has,, only supposed to eat what they made her flexible. "If. Arnold could get with, Nazi ration 'cane, home tomorrow and, said coupons. "Amsterdarners: If "We're going to Indonesia", I'd yshif re hungry, why not sign up probably say "okay", she joked., to work in a German labour But she added that they moved 13 camp?" reads.a poster that Mrs. •times.in Canada until they moved Stinnissen has -a,- photo of in a to their presenthouse, which they collection 'trent the war years: . built themselves in 1964•, and she People' choked, in . little. • cans, is really pretty glad to stayptit in which were heated :,paper it. fire, be 'cause there was so little' : Arnold served as .a pOliceinan fuel; Mrs. Stinnissen remembers. in Indonesia, whichwaS a Dutch "And it worked.'.'. Living under colony, after the war and Leni,, wartime conditions is' exCellerit who was. a Red Cross nurse' in" training for getting alonton very: Holland, • was going to' go - to ehe says. "People, complain • Indonesia as a nurse. But before„.. because the price of meat or this she left, her, husband to be, came and that goes -up. But we' can honie And they got married later always get along on less," she. that Year. says, • Mrs. Stinnissen has a philo- The Dutch people Used garden sophy that she used as a Guide hose to• replace worn out bicycle leader aS well as in her work at tires. Mt•S' StinnisSen'returned to ,Kilbarchan Nursing Home, where: Amsterdam the last year of-the she's nursed -for 12 years. She war travelling fOr "hours and . pilti :herself in the other, person's hours" in a. pony cart because position. "Would I like it if it was there was no gaS for taxis or ears. done to me?" 'she asks herself , The'Stitinissens, wiffilheir two and 'tries to , be patient. Oldest sons, Pete and Mike, Mrs. Stinnissen sayS'she'S 'had immigrated to Canada 25 years a, good, happy life, working with ago,. :Their other two . children, .peopleof all ages.. Her work with Arnie, a graduate of Sir. Sandford Guides was rewarding and she . Fleming College in Forestry and didn't miss a meeting in 11 years. Ida, a grade 12student at SDHS,. Every Wednesday night was were - born here. Mike is a devoted to Guides and s-he'd cook draftsman in London and Peter-is a big pot of spaghetti for her a biologist in Wawa in Northern family and leave for-the meeting. Ontario. Often after the meeting, she'd go There weren't'''. too 'many on: to 'work -the -night at 'opportunities in Holland right Kilbarchan.. ,after the war. Arnold wanted to Guiding teaches kids tolerance , get out' of the police forese, -and responsibility and Mrs.