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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1973-07-12, Page 4A job w Exeter centennial celebrations have come and gone. They brought with them a host of enjoyable activities and attractions and a town-wide sense of pride. They also brought with them many former residents and obviously one of the highlights for many people was the oppor- tunity to renew acquaintainces with people whom they had not seen for many years. The celebrations also brought a great deal of hard work and effort on the part of many people, particularly the centennial committee. Few people probably realize the vast amount of hours that went into the planning and carrying out the hundred-and-one jobs that had to be undertaken each day to get ready for new events. Reeve Derry Boyle and his committee deserve a great amount of appreciation on I II done behalf of everyone who benefitted from their labors, Had the members of the committee realized the work involved, it is doubtful if anyone of' them would have taken on the task and unfortunately their appeal for help too often fell upon deaf ears and they were left to do much of the work themselves. In addition to planning the celebrations, they ended up carrying chairs and tables, lugging huge blocks of ice, racing around to stock food booths, keeping all the ticket- takers stocked with change, setting up bars, etc., etc., etc. It would be possible to go on at great length extolling the merits of some par- ticular members of the committee and others in the community who came forth to assist, but suffice it to say "it was a job well done". Take a bow, ladies and gentlemen! Another opportunity "Sorry — I only accept silver!" Most area residents may well remember the ardent campaign conducted by this newspaper and the Wingharn Advance-Times, along with many residents at both ends of the county, to get facilities at Huronview decentralized. Over 3,000 people signed polls con- ducted in the newspapers to have a senior citizens' home built either at the north or south end of the county rather than exten- ding the Huronview facilities at Clinton. Despite the extremely high support for decentralizations, county councillors at that time went against the wishes of the people and added on to Huronview. Now, Huronview is again overcrowded and additional facilities are required. Surely county councillors will not make the same mistake again and continue to add to the already large complex at Clinton rather than build a smaller residence at one end of the county or the other. There is a definite need for such a facility in the Exeter area and now is the time for those who have been talking about establishing such a building to come forth and make known their proposals and start action to have county council look realistically at the situation. The benefits of having a residence closer to the homes of those who require the facility far outweigh the advantages of ad- ding on to the present structure at Huron- view. Area councils, particularly Exeter, should also take some leadership in the matter to ensure that a proposal for a new building at the south end of the county is given careful consideration by county coun- cil. Hopefully, they will not go against the wishes of the taxpayers this time . Moving Outside to Beat the Heat . .? ot. The Supplies You'll Need For LIVING t4sL OUTDOOR grid at $pecial $ummer $avings • Barbecues (Au. SIZES) • Charcoal • Charcoal Starters • Patio Lights • Chaise Lounges • Lawn Chairs EXETER DISTRICT Phone 235-2081 Beside CNR Station Many businesses including: Agriculture • Manufacturing Tourism • Construction • Professional Services • Transportation • Wholesale and Retail Trades, have obtained loans from IDB to acquire land, buildings, and machinery; to increase working capital; to start a new business; and for other purposes. If you need financing for a business proposal arid are unable to obtain it elsewhere on reasonable terms and conditions, perhap's IDB can help you. INDILS7R1AI DEVELOPMENT BANK Can IDB help you? On Monday, July 16th one of our representatives Mr. N. G. Peever will be at The Colonial Hotel, Grand Bend, from 1 p.m. to 4 p,m. TELEPHONE: 238-2371 197 York Street, London. N6A 182 Round Steak or Rump Roasts Pork Chops lb. $ 134 1b.894 (Butt) BREAD 4/99t 24 oz. loaves Heinz Tomato Soup 2/2 54 Pork 'n Beans moz 3/79( Pretzel Rods Bgnce'nFreeet 394 FREEZER SPECIALS RED BRAND Fronts of Beef lb 69‘ Hips of Beef lb 93‘ Extra charge of 54 per pound for cutting, wrapping and freezing PONY TAIL 10 oz, Libby's BOYLE'S LUCKY DOLLAR Order Your 13lock or Red Cherries NOW Limited Ovcmtities Available DASHWOOD imimmemianisoimilmiumbh ,1 FIRark. M.040IIIMSSMEMAMI Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Attialgartated 1924 libgtoteferZime.s-Abuomie SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., O.W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC Editor-- Bill Batten Advertising Manager Assistant Editor Rots Haugh Women's Editor Susan Greer Phone 23$.1331 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Secohd Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation, March 31, 1972, 5,037 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $8.00 Per Year; USA $10,00 How come no complaints 2 A heart-warming feeling Did you know that yours truly was once a shy little boy? Do you know how a lady can sell all- Canadian crossword puzzles to newspapers? Do you know anyone who worked at the Milton brick works in 1914, before going off to war? Do you feel like writing a book? Do you feel like reviewing a book someone else has written? These are some of the things that came up as I opened my mail in the last few weeks. If a columnist does not have any readers, he very quickly ceases to be a columnist, That's why I'm so grateful to readers who drop a line and have a chat, tell me their troubles, or merely wish me good health. Just before my birthday in June, I had a long letter from my Grade 1 teacher reminding me tha t we share the same natal day, June 2nd. She was the kind of pretty, young, sweet and kind teacher who can make that first vital year in public school a joy rather than the horror that it can be. Going through some old clip- pings, she came across one which she sent along tome. The heading on the news story was FO Wm, Smiley Victim Brutal Hun Treatment. The rest was an extremely garbled account that makes me wince with em- barrassment even today. Apparently after being beaten half to death after an escape attempt, I was so weak I couldn't move for twenty days. This is pure exaggeration. It was only five days. And when the Russians overran our camp, I walked 156 miles across Germany and stumbled onto an advanced air base. Poppycock! It was only 90- some miles, I rode a good part of the way in wagons, Russian staff cars, German wood-burning trucks, and a two-horse carriage. And I didn't stumble onto anything. I arrived at the ad- vance air base in a jeep. But that's a long story. Anyway, my teacher, whom I still think of as Laura Walker, says of the clipping: "I admit I shed some tears over it, for all I could see was a shy little boy in gray trousers and a navy blue blazer coming to my desk and announcing his name and bir- thday, to which I replied, "Why, Billie, we are twins.' There were so many of you in the same class who were in the War and my heart went out to you all for you were still my `little' boys and had no business with aeroplanes." Layna Bateman of Stavely, Alta., who reads me in the Brooks Bulletin, wants advice on how to sell a syndicated Canadian crossword puzzle. She sent me samples and they're excellent. Anybody any ideas? Her letter ends, "How soon do you become a gra mpa ? Congratulations ! ". Every letter has a nice personal touch like that. Bill Shaker of Shifnal, Salops, England, reads me in the Canadian Champion, Milton. He likes my "cheery notes" and writes a very cheery one himself, at the age of 84. He worked at the Milton Brick Co. in 1914, joined the army, went to France in the R.E.S. Guards Div. and was at Ypres, the Somme, Arras and Cambrai, names that ring a bell with old-timers. Lucky guy. But he wishes me best of luck and good health. A Montreal publisher wants me to write a book. He doesn't even seem to realize, or care, that I haven't got the clothesline fixed and my wife is raising hell, day after day. Write a book indeed! Mary Johnson of Winnipeg wonders it I'm the same Bill Smiley who wrote a series of articles on education for the Salt Lake City Tribune. Sorry, Mary, `Twas another Bill. But Mrs. Johnson has written a book called "Programmed Illiteracy in our Schools" and wonders if I'd like to review it. Sure would. Send it along, Mary. On House of Commons stationery comes a letter from old friend, Ross Whicher, M.P., urging me to make that trip to England, and telling me that you can stay at the Strand Palace in London for less than $30.00 a day. He ends, "Have a good time, old man." I will, Ross. Last time I was at the Strand Palace, they nearly threw me out because I was sharing my room with the bearded lady from the circus. The maid had entered our Some things in life hurt! Most weeks during the year, the editor gets an irate pone call demanding to know why a certain item wasn't printed in the current edition of the newspaper. Some callers become quite vehement in their accusations that the newspaper has dealt them a foul blow by not printing the fact they served tea at the Ladies Aid meeting or that they had performed some other newsworthy deed. It was with this thought in mind that the editor approached last Thursday morning. With a great deal of trepidation we stealthily entered the back door and went quickly into the confines of the office. Then it was a matter of turning down the volume on the phone, anticipating a never-ending jangling in the hours ahead. But the calls never came. No one complained about the fact the editor had failed to come up with one of his colums for the week. As we said, some things in life hurt! + + + The reasons for the absence were multitude, stemming from a few jobs we had agreed to room before my old buddy Singh Thandi, a Sikh from India, had got his hair up and his turban on. His hair hung to his tailbone and he had a beautiful, curly beard. The maid gave one scream and ran, Singh was killed in Burma. Then there are the poets who write. G.H. Drabble of Speers, Sask., sent me a dandy about the beverage room and the poverty and misery it leads to. His poem is both funny and true but it's a bit long to print, and it can't be condensed. Mr. Drabble gets me in North Battleford News. Same goes for a long, lively poem by Vic Smith of Rockwood, who insists: When you are driving out this way, Stop in and pass the time of day, You'll find me in my "bed of Weeds", My wife and I are just "hayseeds". Thanks, Vic, I will if I do. And thanks, all you other chaps and chickens. Your letters make me realize I am not writing in a void, a heart-warming feeling. Investigate conditions BEFORE entering the water, and always swim with a buddy. Keep air-inflated toys o'it Of the water. Play with them on the beach where they belong, undertake as a member of the centennial committee. First of all, we had a baptism into the chore of looking after food booths. The main problem was the fact we had arranged to have the best darn cooks in Canada on hand to look after the operation of the two facilities at the park. The abilities of the various ladies' groups was ap- parently known far and wide, because customers flocked to taste their wares and yours truly had a "hot line" established down town to get more supplies . Marie Brock was in charge of the large booth beside the grandstand, and thanks to her, we managed to lose somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 pounds racing around keeping her stocked up. We still have the sneaking suspicion she was tossing things out the back door just as fast as we brought them. How else can you explain the disappearance of 90 pounds of french fries in less than an hour . . particularly when yours truly had planned to have that 'amount last most of the week? However, we'll give the devil her due. If you ever want an efficient concession operator, give Marie a call, But please, don't expect the editor to be on hand to keep the shelves stocked. + + + It would be impossible to pick out any single event as a highlight of our recently con- cluded centennial celebrations. Each had its appeal for various 50 Years Ago The local Orangemen together with a number of citizens at- tended the 12th of July celebrations at Stratford. Workmen are making progress in transforming the vacant post office site into a playground, The excavation has been filled in and the ground is being worked up and levelled, Mr. Mervin Cann has resigned his position at Cole's drug store and has accepted a similar position in London. Bettis Bakery has installed a bread mixer and will now be able to supply the public with more and better bread. On Monday Mr. Norman Hockey, barber, had the misfortune to cut one of his fingers with a razor and it required several stitches to close the wound. 25 Years Ago Miss Jean Hennessey has been successful in passing her exams at the Grey Beauty School, London, Distriet Orange Lodges to the number of 3,500 celebrated the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne of at Clinton, Mrs, Ken McCrae, DasliwoOd attended the International Baby Chick Association held in St, Louis, Missouri this week. Mr. Harry Hoffman attended a post graduate course in em- balming held at Banting Institute, Toronto. Induction service was held for Bevil. Currie in Crediton United „ Churn on F1iday evening, age levels and all went off with a minimum of problems or com- plaints. The centennial committee could probably print a fair size book on the mistakes they made, the first one being to undertake the job at all. However, it is surprising how quickly a major problem or oversight can be corrected, or how much a handful of people can accomplish when they set about to undertake a task. It is also encouraging to have people see a need and come and offer their assistance. As the week progressed, we saw more and more people lending a hand to help make the events run smoothly. + + + All in all, it was a most /en- joyable week and Exeter residents can be proud of the way in which their 100th brithday was celebrated. It was an event that will be remembered well into the next century. The programs were excellent, the window and special displays throughout the community at- tracted a great deal of interest and even the weatherman cooperated to a great extent. While many people no doubt were glad to see the week come to an end, we don't know of anyone who wasn't happy to have been a part of the celebrations, 15 Years Ago Bob Fletcher was successful in passing his examinations at the Ontario School of Embalming, Toronto in June. Thursday is Joan Fairfax day at Grand Bend. She will be the feature attraction at Grand Bend Lions Club's Holiday Ball at Oak- wood Inn and will tour the summer resort during the day. She formerly lived in Exeter when her husband, Tom Higgins, was a member of the RCAF at Centralia, A.J. Sweitzer, former president of Exeter Lions and now an in- ternational counsellor of the organization attended the Lions Club convention in Chicago last week. 10 Years Ago Rapid completion of the sewerage project here means the system will probably be ready for operation by next weekend. About 300 children registered for this year's annual vacation Bible School. Canadian Canners Ltd. has moved into a double shift to process the enlarged acreage of sweet peas. About 380 people are being employed in thetwo shifts. About 85 carloads attended the first drive-in gospel service at the Starlite theatre, Shipka Sunday night. Marilyn Hearn, 12-year-old daughter of Reeve and Mrs. Ivan Hearn, Lucan gave the valedictory address at the banquet for Lucan PS graduates and received the $10 bursary for the most outstanding pupil of the year.