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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-09-02, Page 40PAGE 40. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2010.The Huron County Plowmen’sAssociation held its 83rd annualmatch on Friday, Aug. 27 at thefarms of Bert and Nellie Dykstra aswell as Andrew and Irene Dykstra,west of Clinton. The Queen of the Furrow competition saw five young ladies compete, and after the plowmen’s banquet held at the Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH) in Clinton catered by Dan Taylor of the Pineridge BBQ Company, Lindsay Willits of RR 1, Wingham, was crowned Huron County’s 2010-2011 Queen of the Furrow. Fifty-two plowers from four counties competed in 11 classes, awards and trophies were handed out at the banquet. Jacob McGavin of Walton is Huron’s Junior Champion with Kevin Haney of Seaforth as the Junior Reserve. Paul Dodds of Seaforth is the Huron Senior Champion and Darryl O’Rourke of Dublin is the Senior Reserve. The McGavin Family Award went to Trevor Townsend of Brucefield; the Don Dodds Award went to Bert Beyens of Parkhill, and the Best Going Plow Team (horses) went to John Dekroon of Dublin. The Antique Tractor Awards were handed out to Ron Coleman for his Farmall M (original restored). WillisWardell of Strathroy won the title ofAntique Plowing Champion. TheVal-Lea Farms Award went to TroyLeeming of Seaforth. The WardenAward went to Trevor Townsend of Brucefield. Huron County’s newest class, the ‘Conservation Tillage’was won by Henry Grobbink of Walton. On Thursday,Aug. 26 the Princess competition was held. Nine girls vied for the title and Mary Paige St. Onge from Seaforth was crowned. The Huron County 4-H ‘Sod Busters’ held their achievement day of Thursday, Aug. 26. Their awards were handed out on Friday at the Plowmen’s banquet. Jacob McGavin received the Ross Gordon Trophy and the TD Bank Award. A new addition to the 4-H trophies is the William Leeming Award, donated by his family in honour of his contribution to the 4-H program. It went to Jacob McGavin as well. The Huron County Plowmen’s Association would like to thank all the donors of the live and silent auction items and the volunteers, as well as all the sponsors. Continued from page 1 Pham and shot him, the report says. The report states that Pham managed to pull his firearm out of his holster and discharge a round a split-second before he was shot in the head. The SIU still doesn’t know if Pham intentionally shot his gun or if he squeezed the trigger as a reflex after being shot. This clashes with early OPP reports that Pham didn’t get a shot off. After the shooting, Mercey called the incident in and reversed his car 35 metres out of the area. Preston then began to walk towards Mercey, shooting and missing him twice as he got closer, the report states. Mercey then took out his gun and took cover between his cruiser and the side of the road. Mercey fired at Preston several times as Preston continued to approach and Mercey continued to back up across the road. Mercey yelled at Preston to drop his rifle, then fired five more shots while avoiding Preston’s fire. Shortly after, several other responding officers arrived to find Preston laying on the side of the road. Preston had been shot six times, but was still awake and aware of his surroundings. Beside him was a Browning 30-06 rifle with .270 calibre ammunition, which was a rifle Preston had used to hunt deer and moose. Preston then died in hospital three days later. OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis spoke with Mercey after the report was released, saying “Everybody looks up to [Mercey]. He’s as solid an officer as we have. “I’m glad the investigation is finally over so he can move forward with his life and his career.” 2010 Plowing Match a success for Huron County Match munchies and Taste-y treats The Huron County Plowing Match and the Taste of Huron festival came together to host a dinner at the Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron in Clinton to conclude both events. The Taste of Huron ran from August 16-27, while the Plowing Match ran on August 26-27. (Denny Scott photo) Report details Pham shooting School Bus Safety for Riders, Parents and Motorists from School bus travel is extremely safe. In Ontario, over 800,000 students are transported daily in school buses that travel 1.9 million kilometers every school day. Although injuries to school bus pas- sengers are rare, they most often happen outside the bus as students are boarding and leaving the bus or crossing the street. Remember these tips: Kids - staying safe on and around the bus Drivers - always stop for the bus Whether on a city street, highway or country road, and regardless of the speed limit and the number of lanes,motorists travelling in both direc- tions must stop when approaching a stopped school bus with its upper red lights flashing. A flashing STOP arm will swing out while passen- gers are boarding or leaving the bus. (The only exception: on highways separated by a median, traffic coming from the opposite direction is not required to stop.) Once all passengers have boarded, the STOP arm will fold away. Do not start moving until the red lights have stopped flashing and the bus begins to move.Why no seat belts? Gordon T. Montgomery Limited Serving Your Community with a Full Line of School and Chartered Buses Lucknow 519-528-2813 Toll Free 1-800-567-2012 Notice Vehicle owners can be charged if their vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus. Fines range: First offence from $400 to $2000 and six demerit points. Each subsequent offence: $1000 to $4000, six demerit points and possible jail time up to six months • Be at the school bus stop on time • Wait in a safe place well back from the edge of the road • Do not play in ditches or on snowbanks • Enter the bus in single file holding the hand rail • Find a seat right away and stay seated facing forward • Do not place things in the aisle • Avoid rowdy behaviour • Do not throw things or eat or drink • Keep your arms and head inside the bus • Never distract the bus driver. Always follow the driver’s instructions. • When you leave the bus, move away from the side. If you can touch the bus you are too close. • If you drop something near the bus, never try to pick it up because it’s quite likely the bus driver can’t see you. Ask an adult or the driver for help. When crossing the street to get on or off the bus: • Walk at least 10 big steps in front of the bus, along the side of the road and look at the driver for a signal before crossing. • Look all ways before crossing the road • Walk, never run, to where your parent or caregiver is waiting for you on the side of the road where the bus stops. Information from all types of school bus collisions demonstrates that the current school bus design provides a high level of protection to occupants and that seat belts may actually adversely affect the safety of children on school buses (Transport Canada). Instead of requiring seat belts. School buses are designed and constructed differently from passenger cars. School buses protect passengers through “compartmentalization”, a design that includes: • Seats with high backs • Seats filled with energy-absorbing material • Seats placed close together to form compartments • Strong seat anchorage Studies have shown that adding seat belts to the current seating configuration of a school bus can increase the chance of head and neck injuries. For a seat belt to be effective, it must be worn cor- rectly, snug and on the upper thighs. Because school vehicles carry passengers from very young to high school students, if seat belts were used, they would need to be readjusted and their use mon- itored. We really g e t a r o u n d !