HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1981-12-30, Page 2Tittren. fxrsitor
Sinop ,1860; Swing the community tirat
12 Mein St. 527-0240
Ptibilatted at SEA F,ORTH, ONTARIO every Wednesday atteelioon
by McLean Oros:Publishers Ltd.
Andrew Y. McLean, Publisher siz.a•—•
Sullen White, Editor
eafQrth 1907
Member Canadian communitylilawspaparAssqfiation, Ontario
Weekly Newspaper Association and Audit Bureau of Circulation
Egtnoxidvilleorporatitigri:th
..n the,yeors ak one Peter Mc0i.'en oilmtforth. had to pay St$.
express- itterges on 10 deers which he
brought with him frciro Muskoka. This will
make pretty dear venison.
in his Christmas meat display, George
Ewing of Seaforth had one monstrous turkey
which weighed-25 pounds when dressed.
Andrew Govenlock of Winthrop is, at
present erecting a sawmill directly to the
He occupies-the residence recently vacated
it"14 W k
There Is, sonlivaalk of Egmondyille being
incorpOrated with Segos*. rtutkig one
Subscription rates:
Canada$17 a year (in advance)
outside Canada $35. a year (in advance)
SingleCepies- 50 cents each
Second class Mil registration number 0696
SEAFORTH, ONTARIO DECEMBER 30, 1981
'81 not our best year
Nobody, unless he came from war-torn South America or Poland under
material law, would call 1981 a particularity good year for Seaforth and
area.
A serious sluMp in the economy as a whole and terrible-prices in
agricutlure, Seaforth and area's main industry, are of course the major
problems. A look through the 1981 issues ,of the Expositor points out
more: a series of fatal car accidents, tax and hydro rate increases (albeif
small ones), a several months-long hassle over policing here, a
condemned arena, a number of barn fires- the list goes an and on and
includes that Telatively trivial but very pesky problem. . .head lice in local
schools.
No, 1981 was not a very good year. And yet on the plus side we have
had a year full of community involvement, of citizens getting together to
solve their own problems. A district arena committee is set up and
working very hard to get a new arena quickly for the area. A family fun
run raised funds in memory, of Terry/Fox for cancer research. The local
nursery school has a fine new home. A tradition of excellence and
winning continued by skaters Lloyd Eisler Jr. and Lorri Baler and shot
and discuss champ Johnny Nielben._The SDHS Girls Trumpet Band did
us proud in US competition.
A crew of friendly, hard-working kids from all over Canada, Katimavik,
moved into the community and gave volunteer help to a number of local
projects. A CPR course taught here helped save 'a man's life. Refugee
families from Southeast Asia,. sponsored by local people, settled into
Canadian life, and.over and over again throughout the year area service
clubs, groUPs and 'individuals worked quietly and heroically to make life
just a little better for their neighbours.
When you are unemployed, facing an estimated farm income drop of
up to 20 per cent or a merchant looking at a store fulrof stock on which
you're paying .interest at 20 per cent;-it's hard to look to 1982 with
optim ism.
But compared to a lot of the world's people we aren't too badly off.
Nobody is starving in Seaforth, we aren't threatened by .marital law,
Russian invasion, or torture and imprisonment for our political beliefs.
Most of us have our health' and a willingness to work hard. We live in
the, midst--of some of_ Canada's most productive farmland. We are
blessed, really. if little communities like Seaforth can get together and
solve' their immediate problems, there's hope for the tire cOUntry.
And certianly there's hope for 1982. Let's not forget it.
To the editor:
Thank you and g odbye
One day at a time
by Jim Haggarty
Yes, we agree with Wendy Murray RR4,
Walton.
We were out shopping in the (friendly ???)
town of Seaforth. Aftet visiting the bank, post
office, and a few stores, not a person wished
us "Merry Christmas". said "Hello" or
"Good-bye".
All the' merchants want is your dollar
Out of all the things man does so superbly
well nowadays, there remains one skill that
he has allowed to go largely undeveloped:
his ability to think.
Unlike all other living creatures, who
make their way simply by sensation and
instinct, man has the capacity to make
choices based on more than just the
imperious cravings of his body.
Ordered to fetch a stick, the dog will take
off time after time in blind obedience, quite
content to perform that act over and over
without ever wondering why he is doing it
' or What might happen to him if he didn't.
But man, of course, commanded to
retrieve that sa•-te stick, can do some hasty
figuring and reject the order outright on the
basis of his thought.
"What do you mean 'fetch the ,stick'?"
the man might say fetch it yourself!
I've got better things to do than race around --
here chasing pieces of wood." And no doubt
he has.
Today, however, as he has since time
began, man so often just doesn't bother to
think ori fearing the responsibility that
thinking for himself pig ht entail, willingly
entrUitta Mott of his choices to some other,
more powerful man, who will gladly do his
thinking for hi an in return, of course. for
the Melee unquestioning obedience.
And that is where tyranny gets its start,
whetherhi the marketplace, In politics o'r in
rcii r.
Religious leader Rev. Jim Jones
cOmitutrula hit 900 follOWers to consume a
drink that has been laced with cyanide and
though his order means' certain death for all
of tbeM, they blindly, even happily obey,
Island.
The next Kati vik group is coming on the
7th frontWaterl , Quebec. Vincent Charette
from Hull, Q ec will be the next Seaforth
group leade
Goodbye Larry.
Katimavik
Seaforth House
without sales, advertising, or being friendly.
We have found that Clinton is more
pleiiant to shop in. than Seafarth.
Yours
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Storey
Seaforth. Ontario
Adolf Hitler commands the extermination
of millions of Jewish people and has • no
trouble finding thousands of people willing
to perform the atrocious act.
Man invites domination every time he
makes it obvious that he is not willing to
think for himself.
Sometimes the tyrant turns out to be
benevolent supplying us with our needs and
wants and not appearing to ask for much in,
return. But is it much of a consolation to the
sheep who is being shorn that the farmer
who is shearing him is a nice farmer? The
animal walks away naked regardless of
whether or not the farmer smiled or frowned
during the process.
Not SO many years ago, every North
American family survived quite well
without a home video unit for-their T.V. Not
so many years from now, a family that can't
hive arousing game of Space Invaders after
supper will consider themselves deprived.
Why?
With all its enlightenment, society
eteday, as in all ages past, punishes the
thiAer and rewards the conformist. Christ
was crucified. Religious and poltiical
leaders were persecuted. Inventors were
mocked. And with little change, the same
thing occurs today.
If a child thinks differently than his
classmates or teitcher, he is made to feel
shame and the back of a hand. If e worker
disagrees with his boss, he is accused of
insubordination and is humiliated and fired.
People who don't think for themselves
feel threatened by those'who do: *lid they
can make life pretty rough for the
nint-cOnferrnist.
It's the end Oftheuld year, the beginning
-of the new and traditionally we make pledges
about the thingSWe would like to-change next
year.
There are so Many things in this world that
need to be changed that we have plenty 'of
scope for resolutions. But what can we do to.
resolve the many vast problems of this world.
We feel so small, so impotent. What good is it
for us to expend so much, of our energy for
such few results. We might as well stay home
and watch television.
The most recent issue of Harrowsmith
magazine contains a marvellous story, one of
the kind we need. to hear, now and then to
restablish our faith 'in mankind. The story
takes-place in the area cesOuthern France
south of the Alps and north of the resorts of
Cannes, Nice and Monte Carlo. This area,
loweyer, had ' neither the beauty of the
ski-resort areas of the Alps or the glamour of
the Riveters. When the story begins just
before the First World War the area isa grim
'place. The story teller, one Jean Giono was on
a walking trip through the area, over the
mountains. This area *Mtn of the Alps was
little more than desert, barren and colourless
where nothing grew but lavender plants.
The villegeS and homes were mostly
deserted and those people Who stillremained
were grim, cheerless people living in hovels
trying to.scratch a living from the rough land.
The hiker ran-out of water and had Walked
When I see Christmas !doming up on the
horizon, I must admit that my heart sinks a
bit.
At such times I almost wish I were a
Ba-ha-i, like the testof my immediate family.
Trouble is, though Christmas is not a Be-4mA
celebration, they all act as though it were,
-and expect all the trimmings of the day; tree,
' turkey, gifts, beinghome with the family, and
boys and toys and toys and boys. ,
Then I remember that the Baba-i's have a
month of fasting, when they ,don't eat
between sunrise and sundown, and (,decide
to stick with my own religious backgroun••
Methodist. United. -‘d nominal Anglican,
At least the Metho 'sts, orwhatIs left of
them after that terrible union, when they split
into Uniteds and Presbyterians, still like to
eat: The Uniteds, sifter years of temperance,
take the odd snort now and then. And the
good old Anglicans drink every Sunday.
One good fast and-they'd be carting me off
in a green plastic bag. ThCatholics have the
right idea. They "fast" one a 'week. eating.
Weer eggs, whieh are g4 or„-them. And
they take a belt, even the clergy, when the
need is obvious. If it 'weren't for the
confessional, I'd. probably join• them.
But thaVs where I stick. Confession is' good
for the soul, someone said. True. But I'd
rather 'belt it out with the Anglicans, where
we all admit publicly and together. that we
are sinners, and *mots TM health in us, than
whisper my little vemilitlei into the ear of a
bored priest Who- has heard it all before, and
Much ivotse, and probably wants his dinner.
northwest and in rear of his flour and gristing
mill.
It is rumoured in this vicinity that Dr.
Gouinlock contetnplateserecting a sawmill in
the vicinity of his extensive swamp where he
has a large quantity of togs cut and to be cut.
40 ,
for five hours without finding any springs or
rivers that hadn't dried up. Finally he came
upon a shepherd with about 30 sheep who
welcomed him, gave him water and later took
him to his bonne for the night. Despite the
harsh conditions the shepherd kept a neat,
tidy house,, ate well, dressed well and lived
far beyond the lifestyle of other inhabitants in
the Legion. He just didn'ttalk much. He had
been alone so much that he didn't feel the
need to talk.
While the visitor was, with the shepherd
after the supper had been Made, the- dishes ,
washed and put away and ail the work for the
day dorm, the shepherd pulled out a bag of
acorns and began to sort them out 'until he
picked 'out 100 perfect 'acorns and went to
bed. The next day the hiker learned what the
shepherd was up to. Using an iron rod he
carried as a stick, the-shepherd spent part of
his day while the sheep were grazing in the
valley below, planting the 100 acorns on a
ridge of land. The hiker asked who owned
land but the shepherd didn't know. Under
persistent qUestioning, the shepherd told t
hiker that he had started planting the acorns
three years ago. In that time he had planted
If I told the priest the truth about my
mutterings over Christmas exams, the
atrocious spelling of the next generation of
citizens,. and the ideas of morality among
them I'd probably be hit with eighteen Hail
Mjry's. I wouldn't know what to do with a
Hail Mary if it eame up and kicked me on the
shins. My Latin is , rusty.' though not
completely corroded. After "Ave Maria.
ter Dominis", I'd probably have to revert
to French: "Je suis un homme mauvais. J'ai
fait des crimes horribles et fantastique...and
so on! And if my french is as rusty as my
,Latire I'd probably Wind -up in jail on
Christmas Day, despite the secrecy of the
confessional.
Well, now that we have that out of the way,
I 'still:feel hitgioniny with Christmas in the
offering. It's not the religious significance
that botheri me; it is the temporal.
How'do you put up a Christmas tree with a
crook in the trunk like your great uncles
arthritic anti Without, that it, breaking all
thrlaWs about taking the Lord's name in
vain? I have never Merited it yet.
How do you buyjoys for boys that cost less
then thirty41Ve dollars (batteries not in-
eik(detli, when the little turkeys are so
eephisticated they think Star' Wars is out of
date?
ifthe Doctor goes on with this project, the
people of Winthrop and surrounding country
no doubt will reap the benefit, as the old
maim says...uPPusition is the life of trade."
James McEwing formerly of Tuckersmith
has now taken up his abode in Egmondville,
100,000 acorns of which 20,000 sprouted and
grew of which he expected a further 10,000 to
be killed off 'by one reason or another. Still'
there would be 10,000 oak trees to grow in an
area where nothing else grew.
The man explained that he had lost both his
wife and his son, and now tocils his comfort
from his sheep and dog. He had thought the
area suffered for lack of trees so decided to do
something about it. He was also starting a
nursery where he was growing beech tree
seedlings from beech nuts and he was
thinking of planting birch trees in the valley.
The hiker left the shepherd and a year later
was at war. • After the war he returned to the
area and found much of the area the same
except that on the ridge the trees were taller
than either man and the shepherd, who was
now keeping only a 'few sheep but had started
bee hives, was still planting. The treed area.
was 11 kilpteeters long and three kilometers
at itsgreatest width. There were beech trees
as high as the shoulder-and clumps of birch in
the valley. There was water flowing in the
brooks that had been dry as far as the memory
of everyone in the area. By now the wind was
carrying seeds that replanted themselves.
And speaking of turkeys. what size do you
buy? A neat littlethirteen-pounder, or, if the
whole mob artiVes. twenty-sixer? In the one
CaSe, you run short; in the other, you're
eating turkey until your wattles carefully
disguised if you hold your head high, become
so obvious that y-ateatitoniatically qualify,. in
the eyes of the young, for a permanent berth
in Sunset 'Wen.
Somehow, it has become a tradition that
Grandad (that's me) stuffs the turkey, while
Gran does all the hard stuff, like peeling the
spuds and bashing the turnips.
Hands, and forearms' still tender from
prickling of Christmai tree needles, I am
expected to plunge them to the elbows in
turkey gutsonargarine, dressing and snort.
ed herbs, and come up with-"the best
dressing-we've ever had."
Oh. I don't disappoint, though my wife
despairs Of my methods. I wrestle the beast
out, tear out the innards and put them on to
boil for giblet gravy. Then I scatter dressing
all over my self and the kitchen. But the
secret is to retch blindly into the cupboard,
grasp Whatever is nearest, throw a dollop into
the stuffing, stir vigorously and carry on until
you can't stand the aroma or the sight of the
.110.#1.01!..
municipality.
W.J. Moffatt, who has been man ger of
the rinkin Seaforth for the past year has
re-Signed and W. Ament has been appointed
as his successor.
'Went". Chesney and Smiley, who have
been engaged in the hardware business here
fdt the past few years have dissolved
partnership. Mr. Chesney has purchased Mr.
Smiley's interest and will .condOet the
business himself, Mr. Smiley has not yet
Picked out a location but is at present on the
lookout fornne.
.Robert Willis of Seaforth has purchased
the boot and shoe business of W.H. Willis
and together with his son James will conduct
the business while W.H. Willis will devote
hisentire time to the manufacturing. Robert
Willis has disposed of his interest in the firm
of R. Willis and Son to W.G. Willis who has
been managinsthe business for some years.
and the old business will be continued by
W.G. Willis. The W.H. Willis store will be
conducted under the firm name of Rebt.
Willis and the name of Ran. Willis and Son
will be succeeded by Walter G. Willis.
JANUARY 1,1932
There will only be acdntest for reeveship in
Henson between Owen Geiger and Robert
Cameron. The councillors will stand as
before, as follows: G.C. Petty, Laird Mickle,
David Robison. Walter Spencer; School
Trustees, A. Case, N. Horton, Fred Maims,
Peblic Utilities, Charles Moore.
A large crowtatteeded the nomination in
Winthrop hall last Monday afternoon. Those
in the field for election on Monday are as
follows: Reeve, John Eckert, John Campbell;
Councillors, Russel Dorrance, Thomas Mc-
Kay, J.O'Rourke, Hugh Alexander and Dan
Reuele.
JANUARY 4,1957
Total loss suffered by Hensall's General
Coach in a New Year's Day blaze that gutted
the frame shop of the plant, will not be knowe
for it day or two, William C. Smith, manager
of the company said Wednesday afternoon.
Loss cannot be determined until a full,
examination has been made of the building.
Mr, Smith said. "We have to find out for
instance, whether the roof structure can be
repaired, or will have to be replaced. He
agreed that earliest estimates which placed
the loss at S10,000 were at the moment.
reasonable.
The stork •paid ,a visit late New Year's Day ,
to Scott Memorial Hospital, Seaforth for,th'e
first New Year's baby, while at Clinton
another Seaforth couple were the proud
parents of the first Clinton baby for 1957.
Hunters were coming to the area to hunt
game that had been unknown years before. It
had happened so gradually that everyone
thought it had happened by nature, although
forestry experts were baffled by such a
phenomenon.
The hiker went back' several times but the
last was following the Second World War. He
found a country unbelievably different than
the one he had first visited. The village he had
seen then filled with grim people was now
several times larger, filled with happy,
friendly peopleand. children. There 'were
farms settled among the groves of trees.
Water was plentiful. The area was beautiful
to the eye. The hiker estimated that some
10,000 people owed their happiness to the
work of one man: He was still alive, now 87
years old. All during the war he had gone on
planting-trees. He had moved 30 kilometers
from his origiaal plantation to continue hii
work. And no one, ititside of the hiker and a
friendly forestry official the hiker brought to
see the' shepherd, knew who was responsible
for the vast changes in the area.
That shepherd, Elzeard Bouffier who died
in a French hospital in 1947 knew something
that most of us refuse to see. We each have
the power to make the world a little better
place even if we have no money, no
resources outside Ourselves. We can learn
much from him. •
,
IN*
On behalf of the first rotation of Group
No. 29 Katimavik crew, we would like to
take this opportunity to thank our sponsors at
the Public School, the preschool. the Van.
Egmond House and the Seaforth Lion's Club
Park. and all those who made our stay in
Seaforth so enjoyable, Each one of us will
take a little bit of Seaforth with us when we
leave on January 6th for Duncan, Vancouver ,
We agree
Photo of the year
Sept. 9, 1981
A FOE OLDER THAN INTEREST RATES — White bean 'crops 'in the
area have been severely damaged by th,e very wet weather since-the start
of September. Stan Paquette, an associate agriculture representatiVe
with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food at Clinton, says about
50 per cent of the early white bean crop has been lost, and from 10 to 20
per cent of the late white bean crop. The excess of rain has also delayed
the harvest of some crops, particularly silage -corn.
(Photo by Ellis)
Behind the scenes
by Keith Roulston
Sugar and spice
By Bill Sm iley-
Rory renews hope in power of one person
My heart sinks at Christmas - tine
A shot op tobasco sauce a whitt of celery
powder, a dash of garlic, a sprinkle of onion, a
little Worcester sauce, a handful of salt and
pepper, a shot of rye, for thepook, the guts of
a couple of loaves of Weed, carefully staled, a
smidgeon of everything elkke on the shelf,
from bay leaf to marjoram, and any old peas
or applesauce or cheese sitting around in the
fridge, and you have dressing that people will
want seconds on, if they get through the first
helping.
Then you Stuff it by hand, truss the slippery
corpse, drop in on the floor a couple of times.
wipe 'it off with the back of your sleeve,"and-
slam it into the oven when nobody is looking.
The rest is history; the best dressing we've
ever had. .
One of these days I'm going to make the
dressing without washing my hands after
putting up the tree. I think /the flavour of
spruce gum and an essence of spruce needles
would give it a certain piquancy that might
Wind me up in a four star restaurant. Or in
jail, accused of poisoning myentire
Never mind. We'll ill get through
somehow. but 'somehow I wish Jesus had
been born on the first of July. I'd merely put
lightsen the huge spruce in our backyard,
and get out the barbecue.
-