HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1972-12-07, Page 4Apathy at high level
Several other communities have ex-
perienced vacancies after the first nomina-
tion period in early November, but in many
of them more than one candidate came
forth to seek the position and an election
was require&
Not so in McGillivray. No one apparently
wants the job despite the ease with which it
could have been attained.
It's doubtful that the situation would
have arisen under the former nomination
procedures, because those at the meetings
usually saw what was happening and urged
people among them to allow their names to
stand.
Under the new procedures set forth by
the provincial government, the onus is on
the candidate and many people are too Self,
Conscious to initiate the action necessary on
their own behalf.
At any rate, McGillivray has a problem
and the residents should take immediate
steps to make certain a qualified candidate
is persuaded to fill the vacancy when the
nomination is opened again.
A vital step
The Province of Ontario has set vibrant
precedents in its clamp-down on Universi-
ty, College and Hospital spending. The
Ministries involved have sent out firm
directives that no building or additions can
be allowed and that spending guidelines .
no more than 5% will be funded.
This is coming to grips with the facts of
life . . economically.
This is a meaningful example to
municipal governments who must take
their cue from the Province and slim down
the budget.
In the past attempts to issue across-the-
board limits have met with disdain at the
Sarnia Council level , and we fault Paul
Blundy now, as we did the past six
successive budget meetings for failing to
look ahead!
In any event if it is good enough for the
Province it is now good enough for the
municipalities and let us hope that the word
is heeded.
— Sarnia Gazette
The star we follow
News these days, whether reaching us
through the daily paper or via the airwaves,
seems to consist of one calamity after
another — more deaths in Ireland, more
repression in South Africa, more examples
of injustice and man's inhumanity to man.
When we reflect on all this woe, it is
easy to despair of both individuals and
society. But not at Christmas.
As we prepare for this 'festival of the
heart' another and happier aspect of
mankind is revealed. Human beings can be
unselfish and tender too, and the heartening
message of this season is that we can trust
these qualities. We are as capable of love as
of hate, of idealism as of cynicism, and on
them the world makes its slow but not
always insubstantial gains.
Despair always fetters; it is love that
inspires.
History is studded with the names of
the ruthless from Caesar's legions to Hitler
and Stalin, but their stars flashed briefly
and then vanished. It is another star we
follow with hope and yearning each
December, and it takes us to a Bethlehem
stable and a Babe whom man cannot forget.
In his name and in his spirit the Cardinal
Legers, the Dr. Robert McClures, the Jean
Vaniers and the Dag Harnmerskjolds live,
or have lived among us.
At this season we dare believe the best
and final word is with them:
"Where charity stands watching
And faith holds wide the door
The dark night wakes, the glory breaks
and Christmas comes once more . "-
- Phillips Brooks
May it so come to us all.
— Contributed
cials already?" '
ETTIONTON
"Do you have anything for someone who's sick of all those Christmas comme
Stephen Electors
Thank you for your support, A strong local govern-
ment communicates with and cc rr les out the desires
of the people. I look forward to the opportunity of
serving you, David McClure
,i1.1111.1...11111.111•10•MMINIMMINIeMIONIMINIMMINIIMIR.11 1111111111111/11.1,
To the electors
of Dashwood
The support given me at the polls
was very much appreciated.
Special thanks to those who worked
on my behalf.
DOUG
RIDDELL
Thank you,
Grand Bend
I will not betray
your confidence.
Season's greetings to all.
Murray Des Jardins
10.
rite ekadematt
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' A
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Editor — Bill Batten Advertising Manager
Assistant Editor -- Ross Haugh
Women's Editor — Gwyn Whilsmith
Phone 235-1131
SERVING CANADA'S BEST PARMLAND
C.W.N.A„ 0,W,N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC
Puhlished Each Thursday Morning
at Exeter, Ontario
Second Class Mail
Registration Number 0306
Paid in Advance Circulation,
March 31, 1972, 5,037
SUBSCRIPTION RATS: Canada $8,00 Per Year; USA ;10.00
All need it at least once
A tale of cancelled plans
pretty lonely out there in the
middle of the floor when your
partner, who has been shamed
for life, gives you a look like a
cold shower, and stalks away
forever.
"What? Don't you people ever
go to a country dance and get
hurled about?'; I badgered my
students. Nope,
So I had to tell them what it
was like. When I was their age,
we used to strike off many a
Friday night. Usually for
Wemyss, where they had the
prettiest girls (Jo and Vera
Dewitt, Ursula Brady), and the
best music (Larne Consitt on the
piano and Mr. Dewitt on the
fiddle.)
There was no question of
taking girls. We couldn't afford
it. But there was always the hope
that you'd get to take one home.
However, they always seemed to
have several huge brothers or
cousins lurking about.
It was about $1.00 for the
evening. Fifty cents for the
dance, eight-five cents for a
mickey of gin, split four ways,
and the rest for gas for
somebody's old man's car.
"Have you never got into a
square dance and been literally
swept off your feet?" I
questioned my girl students.
Nope. But some of them looked
as though they rather liked the
idea.
And I thought of those burly
...'it.AkaMilSZNORMAVEXISI
• Amalgamated 1924
Experts tell us one of the
problems with society is the fact
parents have lost touch with their
children.Familiesdon't do things
as a unit any more, with each
member having his own pursuit
and meeting only briefly around
the dining room table a couple of
times a day.
We've found the perfect solu-
tion. It's called hockey.
The game has taken over the
Batten household this year and
changed our lives completely.
Our two eldest sons are playing
on their first "all-star" team
with an energetic, fun-loving
group of lads known as the Ex-,
eter Waxers. For the uninitiated
the kids are eight and under,
One of their younger brothers
plays in the Saturday morning
houseleague. ,
The season started out not too
badly. We leave home Saturday
morning at 10:30 or so to get the
youngest onto the ice and we get
home for dinner around 1:15
after the other two have finished
their workouts.
Wednesday night at 6:00,
mother bundles the two Waxers
and her other two chargers into
the car for an hour's practice. No
drastic changes in the household
from that schedule.
However, the Waxers are now
playing games. Our first rude
awakening as to how our lives
were to be changed came a cou-
ple of weeks ago.
We had planned a night away
with some friends. A call came in
a couple 'of days prior to depar-
ture time that the kids were to
play hockey in Goderich.
Cancel plans for a trip away
with friends.
Last weekend the better half
was exhibiting at London's Art
Mart and we had decided to go
down Friday evening to take in
part of the show as any husband
would.
The kids then had a hockey
game scheduled, with Goderich
returning to Exeter. Cancel plans
for a trip to Art Mart.
The non-hockey players
thought they would like to go to
London to see the Santa Claus
parade. The other two wanted to
stay home for hockey practice. -
Cancel plans for seeing London's
Santa Claus parade.
Come Christmas time, the
editor is taking off a couple of
extra days. A good time to visit
farm boys, getting into the spirit
of things and whirling the girls
around until the latter were ac.:
tually flying. Occasionally, swea-
ty hands spelled disaster, and one
of the girls would go flying off
into the lunch the ladies were
organizing. The lunch was part of
the admission fee of Sec
And I thought of occasions
when I had got into a doh-se-doh
with a particularly enthusiastic
and buxom farm wench, and,
because I couldn't foot it like the
farm boys, been swung around in
circles with both feet three in-
ches off the floor.
A couple ofbeltsof raw gin, and
a couple Of dances like that, and
you were ready and Willing to go
out into the snow and gaze, palely
and greenly at the moon for a
half hour or so,
Inside the hall, with a wood
stove almost red hot, and a hun-
dred or so bodies steaming, it
was always about 130 degrees.
And this was in the days before
ultra-dry deodorants. But I don't
remember anybody smelling
anything except hot and per-
furney.
Eventually, there'd be a fight,
or lunch would be served, then it
was into the Model A and shiver
home through the winter night.
No heater.
But, oh, what a night we'd had,
and oh, What stories we regaled
our leSs venturesome school-
Mates With, when we fore-
gathered at the pool room on
Saturday afternoon.
Poor modern kids. Do they
have any fun?
friends. The kids have a hockey
tournament. Cancel plans to visit
friends.
Before the season is over we
may be ready to string up that
chap who penned those famous
words: "Don't send your boy to
the arena — take him". Obvious-
ly he didn't have four sons.
**
There's been a considerable
change in the business world in
the area over the past month or
so, with a number of businesses
expanding or coming into the
area for the first time.
Unfortunately, we've also lost
three businesses, but still
managed to come out on the plus
side.
Over the weekend area
residents were invited to the
open house for the new home of
Exeter Flowers, which is cer-
tainly an attractive building on
Exeter's Main St.; the Royal
Bank also held an open house for
their modern new facilities and
Eaton's opened their recently
renovated order e.
Shirley Smith, who operates a
store at Grand Bend, officially
opened her Country Spire Gift
Studio in the former Ray's
United Church and a week ago
Hotson's marked the opening of
their hardware store near Grand
Bend.
Not to be outdone, Simpson's
50 Years Ago
The second annual High School
Commencement exercises were
held in the Opera House Friday
enening of last week. Prof. H.R.
Kingston, of the Western
University Ektension
Department gave an illustrated
lecture on "The Wonderful
Heavens", The scholarship for
proficiency was awarded to
Harry Seldon and the gold medal
for• general proficiency to A.
Bruce Medd.
Southcott Bros. have pur-
chased from Miss L. Johns the
Johns block on Main Street at
present occupied by them and by
the Post Office.
Marks Bros appeared in the
Exeter Opera House on Wed-
nesday and Thursday evenings
and drew fairly large houses.
The oyster supper which was
held in Town Hall at Crediton on
Friday last was a spendid suc-
cess.
A special meeting of the Exeter
UFO was held in Senior's Hall
Thursday evening with addresses
being given by W. Black, MP and
A. Hicks, MPP.
25 Years Ago
Mr. Eric Mcllroy, proprietor of
Lakeview Casino, at Grand Bend
is suffering from burns received
when he carried a burning stove
from an aparetment near his
winter home in the Pinery.
Over 3,000 envelopes were sent
to the district families at the first
of the week by the Exeter Branch
of the Canadian Legion to raise
funds to be sent to Care for the
hungry families of Britain.
Mr. and Mrs. John Perkins
celebrated their diamond wed-
ding anniversary on Sunday.
William H. Golding, Liberal
Member for Huron-Perth will
serve again as deputy-chairman
of committees of the whole
House,
'is Years Ago
Graham Mason, air force
veteran, is the new president of
Exeter Legion, He succeeds
Harry Holtzman,.
Receiving the most honors at
Huron County 441 achievement
have expanded and modernized
their Exeter order office.
Over the past year, several
other businesses have es-
tablished in the area or moved to
new premises. Some that .come
to mind are Glady Mae's Bouti-
que, Exeter Ford Equipment,
Jerry MacLean & Son
Automotive, Save-U Gas Bar,
Polka Dot Fabrics, Cook's Divi-
sion of Gerbro at Centralia, etc.
The activity in this area does
indicate that people are making
sizeable investments in its
future. While some existing
businesses may not welcome
openly the new competition, each
new business attracts more and
more people -into the area and
certainly helps the business corn-.
munity as a whole.
Don't forget to be in Exeter
this Saturday to see the Santa
Claus parade.
* * *
This is one year the writer and
his last-minute shopping counter-
parts will be able to say they
didn't leave everthing until the
day before Christmas.
With Christmas on a Monday,
we'll have to get out on Saturday,
a whole two days prior to the big
day.
night in Wingham Friday were
Patsy Marshall, RR 1, Kirkton
and Gerald Wallis, RR 1,
Granton. Both were presented
with a watch and a trophy.
Gerald scored the highest marks
in the county and Patsy was tops
in the dairy clubs.
Town council Monday night
postponed decision on a
recommendation from the police
committee to purchase radar
equipment at a cost of about
$1,500.
Winners of the store decoration
contest were announced this
week. They were the Burkley
Restaurant, Russell Electric and
Jack Smith Jeweller,
Winter weather will prevent
the completion of the Morrison
dam this year, although the road
will be opened.
William Hess, son of Mr. and
Mrs, Albert G. Hess, Zurich, has
recieved his embalmer's licence
from the Ontario Embalming
School, Toronto and is now with a
funeral Home in Woodstock.
10 Years Ago
Exeter streets were jammed
with spectators Tuesday to
herald the arrival of Santa Claus
and the two other Christmas
floats which formed the Exeter
Businessnien's Association
parade, along with the Legion
Pipe Band,
Principal 14.L, Sturgis reported
to the SHE/HS board that there is
some agitation among schools in
the Huron-Perth conference to
withdraw their athletic teams
from the Western Ontario
Secondary Schools Association.
Exeter's first two-year council
has a new deputy-reeve and
councillor as a result of Monday's
election. Councillor Bill Musser
defeated incumbent Claude
Farrow as deputy-reeve and new
council member is Norman
Ferguson, a driver at RCAF
Station Centralia,
Sandy Trigram, five-year-old
son of Mr.'and Mrs. Ray Ingram,
liensall, fell while playing in the
'barn at his home and fractured
his leg.
It seems-to me that kids don't
have much fun anyniore. Today I
was reading a short story with a
group of eighteen-year-olds. It
was about a shy, fluttery spinster
out on her first public date with a
widower who was courting her.
They went to a dance, She
tripped and fell and her man
came tumbling down on top of
her.
It was funny, but pathetic, and
the kids, who are sensitive to
humiliation, exuded sympathy,
especially the girls. We talked
for a bit about the things that
make people shy or awkward or
self-conscious: acne, obesity, a
colostomy. Fine. A good discus-
sion.
But then I asked if any of them
had had the same experience -
falling flat on the dance floor.
Horrors, no!
Of course, the way they dance
nowadays, it's almost impossible
to measure your length on the
hardwood. Most of them dance
by themselves, and it's pretty
hard to topple unless you're
blind, stoned. On slow pieces,
those rare occasions, they are
clutched so tightly that it would
take a bulldozer to knock them
down.
Most of the time, in fact, they
don't even dance, just listen to
the clangour and thump. And it's
pretty hard to fall down on a
dance floor when you're not dan-
cing. I mean, it's the sort of thing
Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881
you haVe to work at.
Anyway, I just sat back, looked
them over, and shook my head.
"You kids haven't lived. Nobody
has really lived who hasn't gone
sprawling on a dance floor,
preferably bringing down his or
her partner in the process."
There's nothing like it to pare
the ego down to size. And it helps
if you do it before a large and
appreciative audience.
I can recall at least two oc-
casions on which it happened to
me. Once was at the Cascades, of
fond memory. The second was at
the Legion Hall in Tobermory.
And I have living witnesses. My
wife doesn't know about the se-
cond one, so keep it quiet.
But I can well recall the sensa-
tion. One moment you are gliding
about, leaping and pirouetting, a
veritable Rudolph Nureyev in
Swan Lake. The next your pas des
deux somehow turns into a pas
des trois, you discover that your
partner is not Margot Fonteyn,
and you're flat on your back,
head spinning from the thump on
the floor, and a broad who a
moment ago was light as
thistledowp isprawled across you
like Strangler Lewis winning the
deciding fall,
There's only one thing to do.
Leap to your feet, laughing
hollowly and so quickly that the
spectators might think it was all
part of the performance. They
never do, of course. And it's