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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-10-30, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008.Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson The CitizenP.O. Box 429,BLYTH, Ont.N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152,BRUSSELS, Ont.N0G 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years Member of the Ontario Press Council The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels,Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc.Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $32.00/year ($30.48 + $1.52 G.S.T.) in Canada; $101.00/year in U.S.A.and $175/year in other foreign countries.Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error,only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com Letters to the editor Oct. 31, 1962 Lord Slim of Britain was pictured with a flamingo chick whose legs were bandaged. The chick, unable to walk or fly because of piped and polluted water in Lake Magadi, represented nearly 300,000 birds in the same condition. Lord Slim was one of the forerunners of a program helping to cure these birds who awaited a certain death if they were not freed. In other news of Africa, the strife following the independence of the Congo was beginning to show dominantly in the increasing number of ghost towns in the area. The once prosperous town of Bukum, on the Lualaba River in Katanga, now appeared engulfed by tall jungle grasses as abandoned buildings began to fall into ruin. The Europeans who built the town fled in masses when violence broke out in 1960, never returning. A Vietnamese soldier was pictured with a captured Viet Cong guerrilla agent as part of the progress of Operation Morning Star. The project took the form of a planned attack on a Communist stronghold near Saigon, and a province area close to the Cambodian border. The operation was only partially successful, as the high and dense foliage in the area made it possible for many of the Communist targets to escape. A shocking and tragic accident cost the life of an airplane stewardess. The woman plummeted to her death mid-flight when the rear door of the twin engine airliner she was working on accidentally opened. The air suction this created sucked her out. The metal tray she was holding when the accident occurred was found a few feet away from where her body lay, near the air strip of Hartford, Connecticut. Nov. 3, 1976 Blyth Public School had elected its first ever student council for 1976. President was Glenda Wood, with vice-presidents Sharon Westburg and Kevin Coultes. Other members of council were: Cathy Falconer, Helen Thalen, Rachael Battye, Andrea Lucas, Lorraine McClinchey, Brent Brooks and John Kuchmistrz. Audrey Peel, of Auburn, was named Huron County Dairy Princess. Other competitors were Dianna Brand, Glena Datema, Fran Logtenberg, and Jean Siertsema, who was runner-up. 1837: The Farmer’s Revolt, the story of western Ontario farmers against domination by a small Toronto-based clique was to be performed in the Blyth Memorial hall. The show was a restaging of the play by Theatre Passe Muraille that won high praise the first time around. Reservations for performances were recommended, as it was expected to be a big success. Oct. 28, 1981 The Spirit of Blyth, a short documentary looking at how a small summer theatre experiment became an integral part of the year-round life of a community, would be shown on air on the TVO channel. The program would highlight Blyth’s highly unique theatre experience, inspiring pride in the hearts of the entire home community. A Hensall man suffered minor injuries when the brakes failed on the tractor trailer unit he was driving and proceeded to strike a hydro pole at the intersection of County Roads 25 and 12 in Walton. The man’s wife and daughter also suffered minor injuries in the incident. A work crew from Ontario Hydro in Clinton was called in to repair the $300 in damages. The Memorial Hall Weekend was a huge success, raising several thousand dollars towards reducing the Blyth Memorial Hall’s renovation debts. Events included several served meals, including a medieval feast, an art show and an auction. Nov. 1, 1995 Two pickup trucks collided at the corner of Hwy. 4 and County Road 15 in Londesborough, sending one of the drivers to London hospital to be treated for serious injury. The other driver was charged under the Highway Traffic Act , and was also treated for minor injuries. One of the vehicles involved came to rest against Today’s Variety in Londesborough, causing minor damage to the brick facing. Pranks on Devil’s Night by youth could not be avoided in Brussels. Three large straw bales were set ablaze, and firefighters were called in to extinguish it before it reached any of the buildings nearby. Though unrelated, both a home and a barn suffered fire damage within 24 hours of each other. A home, on Turnberry Street in Brussels, was blackened inside after an electrical fire broke out in the living room. Damages were totalled at $30,000. The next morning, Brussels firefighters responded to a barn fire in Morris Twp. The turkey barn was in flames due to a spark caused by a heat lamp. The building was fully engulfed, and damages were estimated at $40,000. Playing at the Park Theatre in Goderich was the Walt Disney picture The Big Green. Also playing was Seven, starring Hollywood heavyweights Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman: “Seven deadly sins. Seven ways to die.” THE EDITOR, I would like to thank the Huron County community for their support to make our first Breastfeeding Challenge Latch On a success on Saturday, Oct. 11. The Breastfeeding Challenge is an international event to promote the importance of breastfeeding and raise community awareness and acceptance. This year, 6,316 babies latched on at 238 sites in 16 countries. Canada topped with the most babies and sites. In Goderich, 13 mothers participated for the official Latch On with others who came to provide support. This event was hosted by Suncoast Mall with door prizes donated from MicroAge, Shoppers Drugmart, Huron County Health Unit and Babywearers. Most importantly of all, thanks to all the families who supported this event and came out on a busy and beautiful weekend to promote and support breastfeeding in Huron County. Marguerite Falconer RN, IBCLC Public Health Nurse DEAR EDITOR: Everyone hopes they can make a difference in someone’s life at sometime. Being a volunteer with Huron Hospice allows you to do something special for a person when they need support and help at an important time in their life. When we are dying we need physical, emotional, and spiritual help travelling down the path we may not be ready to tread. No one should have to walk alone that final journey. Huron Hospice will begin a training program for volunteers starting early in November and we invite you to consider being part of the Hospice Movement and learn more about palliative care and obtain skills to assist you in providing care in your community to individuals facing a life threatening illness. The training consists of 30 hours over 6 sessions and will be held Monday evenings in the Blyth area. Our volunteers tell us that they are honoured and gratified to have made a difference. If you would like to know more about the work of Huron Hospice and how to train with our wonderful team of volunteers, please call our offices in Seaforth 519-527-0655 or in Wingham 519- 357-2720. The difference you make in someone’s life will be immeasurable. Janis Bisback Chair Public Relations Huron Hospice Volunteer Service We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright The kids come first What makes for a good education for our young people? That’s the big question as several area schools undergo an accommodation review. Speaking in a radio interview last week, education minister Kathleen Wynne said that while there are 90,000 fewer students in our schools today than in 2003, meaning the efficiencies of schools must be examined, it did not mean that small enrollment doomed a school to closure. There must be a balance between the services a school can provide at an affordable cost and the experience students would have if they had to spend too much time travelling to a larger school. For elementary students in particular, long bus rides can be exhausting, perhaps leaving them unable to learn well when they get to school. In these days of bussing four-year-olds to junior kindergarten, bus rides are even more problematic. There’s also the non-education concern that the last thing we need in these days of global climate change is to burn more fuel transporting children further to school. Wynne’s comments make sense, but only if the government is willing to provide a flexible funding formula that takes the realities of rural education into account. To some extent the public education system is still recovering from the ill-conceived funding formula introduced by the Mike Harris government, that was based only on the number of students in a school. Governments at all levels must remember that the kids’ education come first, even if it costs a little more to make it right. — KR As long as it doesn’t cost us Canadians harbour a self-image that is at odds to our actions when we’re asked to pay the price for our beliefs. We like to think of ourselves as environmentally conscious, yet the environment was quickly abandoned as a critical election issue when the economy soured. In fact everyone, from media to his own party members, say Liberal leader Stéphane Dion was fatally naive for making his carbon tax the centrepiece of his election platform, even though early on polls said the environment was the number one issue for Canadians. When Prime Minister Harper raised fears of the plan actually costing people money, they ran from supporting it as quickly as possible. Harper, himself, has been burned by Canadians’fickle commitment to their causes. We like to see ourselves as the world’s foremost peacekeepers — but only, apparently, if there’s no risk. Polls continually show a majority of Canadians want our troops to end their efforts to protect ordinary Afghans from the return of the Taliban. It’s easy to have convictions if there’s no price to pay. Real conviction means standing up for what you believe even if it hurts. — KR &