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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1974-10-31, Page 4Costly, impractical alternative Stephen township's opposition to an area sports complex as outlined by their spokesman Dave McClure is a little dif- ficult to understand and prompts the ques- tion of whether council has really in- vestigated the situation to any great extent. There's certainly considerable merit in the township council giving serious con- sideration to recreation facilities in the three police villages, but unfortunately the economics dictate that some types of facilities are just not feasible, Mr. McClure indicates the township is considering the erection of outdoor ar- tificial ice rinks in the three police villages and therefore have little interest in suppor- ting a complex to serve a broader area. The Times-Advocate did some in- vestigation of the situation and called the London PUC recreation department. A spokesman explained that London has dis- continued the use of outdoor rinks in all but one case. "They're just not practical," he said. The weather factor is the primary problem, and in comparison to indoor facilities, they are able to operate too few hours in view of the capital and maintenance costs. , The lone outdoor rink still in use in Lon- don is the Victoria Park rink. That was built three years ago at a cost of $75,000 and the PUC have this year requested $23,000 for maintenance costs of that rink, It is used only for skating as there are no boards to facilitate hockey games. 'Any father who has labored over an Trust a little word "1 hoar they're going to reduce the speed outdoor rink will tell you that the hours in- vested pay a meagre return in the hours of use provided, and while artificial rinks do have more advantages, the vagaries of the winter in South Huron almost rule them in- feasible, particularly in view of the costs involved, Stephen Township council would appear to be serving the winter recreation needs of their ratepayers to greater advan- tage by joining forces with other municipalities to provide indoor facilities on which their share of any cost would be considerably less than the erection of three outdoor artificial rinks or even one for that matter. They should at least be encouraged by their ratepayers to make certain that Stephen residents are on the investigating committee so their interests will be con- sidered. The same holds true for all area municipalities, because whether some of them realize it or not, their youngsters will be left without ice facilities just the same as town residents the day someone puts the lock on the Exeter arena, As we have stated before, there is some definite urgency in initiating planning to replace the local structure and whether or not any other facilities are constructed at the same time or not, common sense dic- tates that provisions be made so they can be added at a later date. Communities presently served by those facilities in any way should be represented on that investigating committee. Real acceptance It's a challenge that ladies in all area communities should consider aimed at them as well, because at present only a handful of the distaff side of our society sit on councils or school boards, The words expressed by some members of Exeter council in- dicate how much they feel the community needs a woman's voice on such groups and hopefully the challenge issued by Mrs. Jermyn will be picked up by some in the next couple of weeks, + It was disappointing to hear Exeter council agree to "file" the request which came from the Ability Fund to prompt provin- cial legislators into taking steps to aid the handicapped on elec- tion day. The Ability Fund organizers wanted council to endorse a resolution from Toronto that would have allowed election -,•efficials,to catty the ballot box to, Lastiweekend I heard a,preacher tell this little story. He said that when Saul's Israelite soldiers saw the giant, Goliath, they exclaimed, 'Good lord, he's so big he'll kill us all!' and fled in disarray. But David, looking at the same giant, said, 'My goodness, he's so big I can't miss him.' Now, we are all confronted by giants of some kind or another and how we approach them makes all the difference in the world, An old Russian proverb says: 'A hammer shatters glass but forges steel.' When the hammers of life hit us do we shatter like glass or are we forged like steel by them? Fear is one of the hammers that hits nearly everyone. Authorities tell,us it's the most destructive and crippling af- fliction of the human race. It was surely fear that caused Saul's army to quake at the sight of Goliath and turned their knees to jelly. What was it then that so possessed David he would fearlessly face the giant, ultimately destroy him and come out the victor? What he had was a simple little word . t-r-u-s-t. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God, who had saved him from the claws and teeth of lions and bears that attacked his sheep, was well able to protect him against the horrendous Goliath. He trusted God so much he was unaffected by the fear that strangled the kings army and still strangles many people today. Because of this he could review the situation clearly and use all his potentials (a good aim, a strong arm, a stone and a sling shot) to kill the monster who was paralizing a whole army into uselessness, It would seem, then, that while it is essential to arm ourselves with trust in God, it's also usually desirable to do something about the situation ourselves. Vincent Peale tells this story of Pete Mesaro, a U.S. machinist's mate. He was on a PT boat when one dark night the boat suddenly lurched throwing him against the stanchion. Knocked unconscious ,:be toppled into the sea. When he The United Church's new moderator, the Rt. Rev. Wilbur Howard, was elected not because he is black but because "he is a good man who will make another good moderator". The United Church Observer says in its current issue. "He would never have* been elected because he was a black who had moved in the right way in a white world," The Observer remarks editorially. "The United Church was not atoning for past sins or tell- ing the world it was time to end race dis- crimination. No one stepped aside for him: the election went to five ballots. That, we think, is real acceptance." came to, there was no PT boat in sight. He was alone in the vast expanse of ocean with dawn just beginning to streak the sky. His leg bothered him so he pulled it up and saw it was bleeding, Then, to his horror he caught a glimpse of the fin of a shark, not 30 feet away. He went so tense with fear he could hardly breathe. He knew the blood escaping from his leg would attract other sharks, He began to pray, not to be saved from the shark because he thought that was impossible but that God would get it over with quickly and take his soul into eternity. A strange thing happened. His mind went back to the Sunday school he had attended as a child and the life-sized cardboard figure of Jesus in the corner of the room with the large words under it saying, 'Behold I come quickly. Blessed is he who believeth.' But he realized the figure wasn't cardboard at all and was Jesus Himself, actually speaking those words and coming toward him with outstretched arms. Indescribably elated, Pete began to swim with strong strokes toward Jesus. But then another shark joined the first and the two of them converged at him from different angles. Spurred on by the inspiration of Jesus he lashed out and kicked like a madman. It was then that the lookout on an American destroyer, away off on the horizon, saw the splashing and guessed something was wrong. The ship rushed toward him and drove off the sharks with gunfire, and an almost exhausted Pete was gently lifted into the boat by strong arms. • Was this a miracle? Well, it's an happening beyond the reach of our understanding. Perhaps Pete forgot himself in an ecstatic realization of the love of Christ. Had he died he would have died at peace. But he still lives knowing there is nothing he need be afraid providing he trusts God. In any crisis, we must try to do all we can to reduce the risk and protect ourselves but 'having done all' as St. Paul says, we must prayerfully entrust the rest to God. 4 ';'0 it While race and colour discrimination is coming to an end in Canada, The Observer says, it is ending not in assimilation but in acceptance of differences. "God is not colour blind. He can see the difference between black and white. We know there is goodness in the difference, and one is not better than the other. It is a more beautiful world because of its differences and varieties." Dr. Howard, minister of Emmanuel United Church, Ottawa, was chosen moderator at the church's biennial General Council in Ahust. The lost have been found! Exeter clerk Eric Carscadden informed us Thursday afternoon that the drop in population for the town was not accurate. When he presented his figures to council, he had failed to count the separate school supporters, So, instead of a decline of 80 people, Exeter actually had an increase of 47 in its total population, bringing the figure to 3,329. While that's easier to com- prehend than the earlier loss, the writer is still mystified that Exeter's population has changed so little in recent years. The declining birth rate ex- plains some of the reason, but the death rate doesn't appear to be any higher than in other com- munities, and is generally lower than the birth rate. On the other hand, Exeter has experienced considerable ac- tivity in new housing and apart- ment units in recent years and there are very few vacant homes. So, why hasn't the town grown to a greater extent? • In this regard, we•checked over the Town of Exeter official plan,- the other day and noted that in 1965 the population was 3,200. It noted that the increase in- population over the five years previous to that had been 417, an annual increase of 83. "Projecting this rate of in- crease would indicate a population of approximately 4,000 by 1971," the preamble suggested. We're a long way from reaching that projection and it would be interesting to hear what the experts have to say now about Exeter's anticipated population growth in the next 10 years. + + + Most families it seems have some member who strikes off on some adventure, and the Batten family is no exception. Sister Joan has recently embarked on a trip across the Atlantic in a 60- foot sailing vessel. Seems that some French millionaire had the craft built in Halifax and needed it delivered to France. Joan's husband got involved with some other former navy types and . the seven of them signed up as the crew and talked her into going along as cook. Our first communication arrived this week after the crew Our response to now ,.persons who arrive,,at. polling: booths where they are unable to get up stairs or navigate narrow doorways in wheel chairs. The idea had considerable merit and would have caused little inconvenience for election officials and would have enabled the handicapped in our com- munities to cast their ballots as others are able to do. Some may argue that a proxy vote gives them the same op- portunity, but it obviously cannot replace the personal satisfaction of putting one's own ballot into a box and knowing that it will be counted when the election is ,over. We think council should reconsider, and while it may be too late to get action for the up- coming municipal election in December, there no doubt will be many more elections to follow. Don't the handicapped deserve some special considerations? If council choose not to support them, they should at least ensure that the voting places they choose do not prohibit access to those who are handicapped. had been at sea for some seven or eight days - all but two of which were featured by horrible weather conditions. Readers who know Joan will be pleased to hear she is standing up to the adventure in first class condition, although she does report some difficulties in keeping three pots balanced on the stove which rolls with the waves, while at the same time she has to use her knees to keep the oven doors closed. Her four young nephews were particularly interested in lear- ning that many of their hours are spent in the company of schools of up to 100 porpoises which play games around their craft and keep them amused. + Well, ladies, the challenge has been issued by Deputy-Reeve Helen Jermyn, who announced her retirement last week and said she hoped some woman-or preferably women - would follow in her footsteps to keep the female viewpoint on, Exeter council. to;:-• „ The readers write- Gentlemen: I would like to mention that my wife, the former Vera Ogden, who was born at Whalen, Ontario, and I celebrated our 59th wedding anniversary on September 29th, 1974. I was born 3 miles north of Lucan, Ontario, August 22 1893. I am now in my 82nd year. My wife will be 80 years of age on November 18th, 1974. We celebrated our "Golden Wedding" nine years ago at Grand Bend, Ontario in the Green Forest Inn. We have many fine friends living in Exeter and Lucan areas. We have been subscribers to your paper for many years! In fact, I have been a reader of your paper since long before we were married. My father was a sub- scriber when it was "The Exeter Advocate". By ELMORE BOOMER Counsellor for Information South Huron For appointment 235.2715 or 235-2474 Developing counselling service Yours truly E. R. F. Neil naked, pick up a handful of sand, and pour it over his left ear. Never his right. It was a lot of trouble, getting that sand out of his ear. And he liked to eat sand, was delighted if he got a handful with a stone in it, for chewing. But he's got his grandfather's genes, which make him in- telligent, charming, lovable, and pretty well all-round perfect, as I point out to my -wife. Unfortunately he has his mother's jeans, as well. Which make him badtempered when crossed, make him knock over anything that's over-knockable. But also give him eyes like two huge dark grapes, a sense of humor, and a smile like a Christmas tree when the lights have just been plugged in. I have no trouble coping with him, when he spends a visit, All I do is make sure I've had twelve hours sleep for the three nights before he arrives, do extensive calisthenics and some jogging for three days before he arrives, Then I'm ready for Super-Babe, His parents are no problem. His mother is satisfied with a hug, a kiss, and a cheque. His father is satisfied with a full refrigerator,which he opens and starts rubbing his stomach one minute after we've shaken hands. muscle, the incredible en- durance. The urchin is living proof to me that humans have a soul, a will, a spirit. Technology can put together a computer, but it can't begin to create, or even imitate, the glory that is a baby, I can imagine man devising a machine which could reproduce the sonorous lines of Milton, the fantastic fancy of Shakespeare, but there would always be something missing. Computers are clean things. They don't have to go to the bathroom. They don't have under-arm problems: No corns or constipation, arthritis or acne, piles or pimples. But something is missing. Soul? Maybe. I'm not trying to foist upon you the idea that my grandson is perfect, or a genius even though he is. I'm merely trying to remind you, if you have grand- children, of what a joy they are, and if you have only rotten kids, you have a precious experience in store for your nether years. My grandbab is not the most beautiful child in the world. He'd probably come in second, or even third, in an international Beautiful Baby contest. And he's not the smartest. I discovered this last summer, at the beach. He'd sit there, stark It's a fine, nay, a beautiful October day and I have a fine, nay, a beautiful feeling inside me, I've just spent a weekend with my grandbabby. The ex- perience was enough to make me feel that the daily grind, which seems to get grindier, and grindier, might be worthwhile after all. The Jews have a saying in one of their books, that killing a man is a terrible thing, because you are not only killing him, but the sons he might have and the sons they might have and so on and on. I think this is a fine thought. This would apply equally to killing a woman, though the Old Testament Jews were not exactly sold on Women's Lib, If I had been killed in the war, and there was a good chance I would be, that grandbab would not exist, and the whole world would be poorer. I'm not kidding. The existence of so much delight and charm and laughter and love, all wrapped up in one perfectly formed nine-month old creation, restores my faith, which at times becomes a little tattered around the edges, in God. Man alone, with all his gifts, could never devise the shine in that child's eyes, the mischievous two-tooth grin, the sinuosity of ...:•-•.:50VOMR&M.SfargetaKetg.:A g;WNPNAIIICOM.ENZONATARM Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 188T Amalgamated 1924 SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C.W.N.A., 0.W.N A. CLASS 'A' and ABC By MRS. JEAN E. MOORE Family and Children's Serices During 1968, two London social agencies, the Family Bureau, a private agency supported by the United Way, and the Children's Aid Society amalgamated to form the Famly and Children's Ser- vices of London and Middlesex. At that time, a commitment was made that the voluntary counselling service would be extended to Middlesex. Prior to that time, the volun- tary counselling service had been available from the Family Bureau to county residents if they would travel to the city offices. Prior to that time, the volun- tary counselling service had been available from the Family Bureau to county residents if they would travel to the city offices, However, few did. So, honouring their com- mitment, Family and Children's Services, in late 1971, opened three service centres in Mid- dlesex County. At each centre a worker would be available on a regular basis for a part of each week, Strathroy with some 6,000 persons and located 25 miles from London was a natural choice and in November, 1971, Mrs. Virginia Jolley began of- fering service at the Strathroy Hospital which had kindly made available office space. Two other offices, one at Dorchester and the other at Lucan, commenced service a month later. The latter two are at the United Church in both areas, It was fortunate that both churches not only had suitable space but were quite willing to Editor Bill Batten Advertising Manager Assistant Editor -- Ross Haugh Women's Editor — Terri Irvine Phone 235-1331 PPR Timir Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation March 31, 1914, 5,309 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $9,00 Per Year; USA $11.00 . 4 • Then they disappear, and I have the kid on my lap. For about eight seconds. Then he gives a lurch, a twist, and he's down, crawling at about forty miles an hour straight into the fireplace, Luckily I'm prepared. The andirons are all locked away, except the broom, which he uses to comb his hair and bang his forehead. Everything breakable, reachable or fragile is locked in the vestibule. I toss a chess set on the floor. Terrific. He picks up a rook, crawls to the coffee table, so carefully waxed and polished, and proceeds to scrawl graffiti on its shining surface. My wife looks on in horror. "What the hell. You can't take it with you," I offer, I do a lot of other wrong things. I take off his wet diaper and let him crawl around on the Indian rug, bare bum. I sing to him barrack-room songs that would curdle the blood. I let him chew my fingers. I let him pull the cat's tail. And Nally, after three hours of straight action, I pull him up on my knee, hum an original lullaby which goes "Doo-dee-doo-dee- doo-dee-doo," and he goes to sleep, Asleep, he's the utter innocent, ' Garden of Eden, Soft and warm, No hypocrisy, no lying, no violence, no evil. It's beautiful. Even though I'm so stiff I can't get out of my chair three hours later when his parents get home from the ITIOVIOS, UNICEF 'OCTOBER 31st 50 Years Ago William Elsie of Grand Bend and Melton Deitz of Zurich have the distinction of being cham- pions in this district for wild geese shooting. On Monday they shot eight and on Tuesday they shotien which makes it 18 in two days. A hockey association was formed in Exeter on Monday evening at the Dome Rink. It was decided to enter a team in the O.H.A. Intermediates. The colours will be orange and green. Freeman Morlock has installed a radio set with a loud speaker. Needless to say Freeman's store is quite a community centre. Huron County Council is in session this week, Reeve W. D. Sanders, of Exeter, Reeve Wm. Coates of Usborne and Reeve A. Neeb of Stephen are in at- tendance, 25 Years Ago Cpl. R. B. Alward received from C/0 W. F. M. Newson of the Centralia RCAF Station the key to the first home to be occupied by married personnel. In process of erection are 185 homes. Cliff Brintnell, Rufus Kestle and William Sims attended the 58th battalion, reunion dinner at the King Edward Hotel, Toronto Saturday night. K. J. Lampman has completed 25 years service with the Ontario Electric Power Commission, He and Mrs, Lampman are spending a month's holiday in Bermuda, Ted Pooley picked some ripe strawberries from his garden this week. have it used for this purpose. In Strathroy, the worker may be reached through the hospital switchboard. In Dorchester and Lucan, the agency provides an answering service - 434-0611. Since the beginning, there has been a steady growth in the number of persons seeking service through these centres and 1974 seems to be continuing this trend. All types of cases were seen - marriage problems (some-where the couple involved is quite young; others where the partners are of more mature years) parent-child problems; families undergoing unusual emotional or financial stress; adolescents with difficulties; unmarried parents; even some mentally ill persons. Referrals come from many sources - ministers; doctors; public health nurses; school personnel; police; neighbours; friends, Some persons simply seek out the service themselves either by reading of it in a local newspaper or locating it through the telephone book. As is common with a coun- selling service, we frequently find that a couple or individual finally comes only after more than one person has recom- mended they seek help. In a modern counselling ser- vice we try, whenever suitable, to make a contract with a couple or family for a certain number of interviews following which we have an evaluation session together, This gives the people involved a goal to work toward; and it challenges the counsellor also to keep each session as meaningful as possible. As well, the counsellors try' to act as resource persons for the communities they visit, referring people to a variety of specialized services only available in Lon- don; and'stimulating local groups to meet community needs. Those of us involved in the extension Of this service in Middlesex are convinced that it will be one pattern that will be followed in the future as delivery systems change in the human serviceS. To be effective, a counselling service must be close to the people it is designed to serve. The lost have been found Oh, what a beautiful day 15 Years Ago A ten-man hunting expedition that left a week ago for Koko Lake from Exeter and district has returned with the catch of two deer.Making up the members of the party were Graham Arthur, Jack Carr, George Glendenning, Harold Holtzmann and Bill Amos. Poppy day campaign here was very successful according to chairman Harvey Pfaff. Top collector again was Fred Wells who raised more than $200 himself. A portion of the residence of the estate of Miss Helen T. Swan of Hensall and London has been awarded to the Canadian Council of Churches to be used in refugee work. 10 Years Ago Area police officials this week congratulated district youths on their "good behavior" on Halloween.Damage from vanda- lism in the area was extremely light, A sanitary engineer from the OWRC made several tests Tuesday in an effort to determine the source of the pollution in the Ausable River which caused the death of many fish this summer. The test failed to indicate any conclusive evidence of pollution. About 200 members and friends who attended the annual meeting of Exeter District Co-Operative last week learned that the organization had experienced a comparatively good year, despite the loss of their building through fire.