The Citizen, 2011-06-16, Page 1CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, June 16, 2011
Volume 27 No. 24
COMMUNITY - Pg. 20Storm brings neighboursout to assist damaged home LOSS - Pg. 22 ‘Citizen’ co-founderpasses away in LondonTOUR- Pg. 6Portraits of Honour inWingham to honour soldiersPublications Mail Agreement No. 4005014 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Following in Huron County’s
footsteps, Central Huron Council
passed a motion requesting a
moratorium on wind turbine projects
at its June 6 meeting.
A lengthy resolution was
introduced to the meeting by
Councillor Burkhard Metzger
detailing what he called the
“concerns” of ratepayers in Central
Huron with whom he has discussed
the wind turbine issue.
“I’m trying to capture the issues
that have been brought forward to
me by Central Huron residents,”
Metzger said. “We have a
responsibility to take these concerns
forward.”
Essentially, the motion read that
Central Huron would ask the
Provincial Government to declare a
moratorium on the construction of
Coming off the success of the
Shad Valley International in the
summer of 2010, during which he
and his group developed and are in
the process of patenting a less
invasive way to immunize patients,
Blyth’s Grant Sparling has another
feather for his cap; being named to
Canada’s Top 20 under 20.
“It’s an incredible, remarkable
honour to be named to the Top 20
Under 20,” Sparling said.
The honour of being named to the
list and attending the leadership
summit for those on the list,
however, may have been
overshadowed by the new
experiences that the prestigious
position has afforded the Blyth
native at the summit.
“To be surrounded by 19 other,
like-minded individuals for the
conference was amazing,” he said.
“The networking opportunity was
great.”
As part of being included in the
top 20, Sparling had three days of
meeting business executives from
businesses like Pepsi and BMO and
learn from them.
“We got to meet with the
executives and listen to their take on
business and leadership,” he said.
Some of his companions on the
list were working in a similar field to
Sparling; medicine, while others
worked on social needs projects
addressing issues like world hunger.
“It was great to see where others
were coming from with projects [in
fields like cancer, stem cell research
and agricultural bacteria control],”
he said. “It made for a very unique
market.”
The announcement hasn’t had a
huge impact on Sparling’s home life,
but it has given him some
opportunities that he may have had
to work harder for later.
“Being on the list hasn’t changed
my plans, I still want to be in
medicine, and probably be a
surgeon,” he said.
The patent for his group’s Shad
Valley project will still likely be
sold, according to Sparling.
Sparling plans on attending
Dartmouth College in Hanover,
N.H. with aspirations of becoming
an orthopedic surgeon.
Selling his patent may be easier
now because of the connections he
made at the Top 20 Under 20
meeting.
“I met people I wouldn’t have
gotten to know otherwise,” he said.
The Top 20 Under 20 Award was
presented to Sparling and 19 other
dynamic young Canadians at an
awards ceremony on June 2 in
Toronto.
The award and summit is
presented by Youth in Motion and
sponsored by Intact Insurance and
Intact Foundation.
Sparling was included in this
year’s Top 20 Under 20 because of
his performance at Shad Valley
International, a camp where he and
549 other high school students
brainstormed to create products for
the aging population of Canada.
Sparling’s group created a capsule
that would allow elderly individuals
who either couldn’t, or didn’t want
to, use needles for immunization
to be inoculated against diseases like
influenza.
Dubbed Formulation V720, the
capsule protects vaccines until they
reach the small intestine.
It was developed through a joint
effort with Sparling’s team member
Rameez Virji.
The need for such a product was a
focus for Sparling’s group as,
through their own research, they
discovered that a fear of needles
increases as people age.
The Belgrave Women’s Institute
(WI) celebrated its 100th
anniversary on June 7 at the
Belgrave Community Centre.
Current members enjoyed some
cake and light refreshments in
Belgrave last week while
reminiscing about years gone by in
the life of the WI since first being
organized on Feb. 16, 1911.
The cake was cut by Mary
Wightman, the Institute’s most
senior member before all current
members of the Belgrave WI were
asked to pose for a group picture to
help mark the occasion.
Entertainment was provided by
Nancy Jardin after the meeting was
opened by branch president Doreen
Marks. Greetings were also brought
to Belgrave from Dianna Robinson,
president of the Huron West District
WI, Berniece Harris, London area
president and Carol Innes, president
of the Federated Women’s Institutes
of Ontario who was in Belgrave to
help celebrate the milestone.
A recounting of the Institute’s
history was given by Wilma Higgins,
a memorial was given by Pat
Hunking and the afternoon’s guest
speaker was Debbie Bauer.
Members of Women’s Institutes
throughout Huron County were
present for the meeting, in addition
to North Huron Deputy-Reeve David
Riach and Morris-Turnberry Mayor
Paul Gowing who brought greetings
from their respective municipalities.
At the first meeting in 1911 at the
Orange Hall, 16 members were
present. By the end of that year,
however, membership had increased
to 46. The Institute’s first president
was Mrs. James Anderson and the
first Secretary/Treasurer was Mrs.
W.H. Ferguson. Meetings were held
on the third Tuesday of the month.
In the first seven years
membership fluctuated significantly
with the branch having its highest
membership number shortly after
inception in 1912 with 49 members.
Just six years later the Institute was
at an all-time low with just 12
members in 1918.
In 1920 the branch began making
donations to the Belgrave School
Fair and in 1923 the WI was integral
in erecting street lamp posts and the
purchasing of street lights, which
was also handled by the Belgrave
branch in the village.
By 1926, the branch was already
collecting funds for cemetery
improvements, having started a fund
earlier that year.
The Belgrave Women’s Institute
made a donation to the first-ever
memorial service held at Brandon
Cemetery in 1936, the year the
branch celebrated its 25th
anniversary.
The year of 1939 was a busy one
for the Belgrave WI. That year
members formed a Red Cross
Society, working with the Red Cross
raising money and knitting quilts.
At that time the Women’s Institute
helped remember soldiers with fruit
cake, gift boxes, writing kits and
sugar for the jam fund.
In 1943 the WI began catering
local events including banquets,
luncheons and suppers.
Alice Procter was branch president
when the Belgrave Community
Centre was first built and she was the
first representative for the WI on the
Belgrave Community Centre Board.
A donation of $100 was also made to
the centre by the branch.
After the construction of the
community centre, meetings were
moved to the centre where the WI
donated to some of the kitchen
facilities.
In the 1940s a bank account was
opened by the WI for children born
to members of the branch. The first
recipient was Karen Anderson, who
was born on Dec. 27, 1944.
In 1947 the WI had safety on its
mind and passed a resolution to have
Sparling named to ‘Top 20’
Central Huron asks
for wind moratorium
Belgrave WI
marks 100 years
Presenting colours
Members of the Blyth Legion and the Legion Ladies Auxiliary braved the cold on Sunday for
the annual decoration service at Blyth Union Cemetery. The celebration featured words from
Pastor Les Cook and a musical performance by Kirby Cook. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 21
Continued on page 18
By Denny Scott
The Citizen