Loading...
The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-12-02, Page 4Not dead yet Community spirit and enthusiasm may not be quite as dead in Exeter as this newspaper suggested a couple of weeks ago. We lamented the fact that the local rodeo was being dropped and also that Ex- eter's popular Santa Claus parade would not be staged this year. However, the Exeter and District CB club have picked up the challenge and are organizing a parade for December 11 and indications are that it may come close to duplicating previous parades, despite the handicap of putting such a show together with so little planning time. Sometimes those spontaneous events end up being more fun than programs which are given long hours of organization and hopefully that will be the case. At any rate, area youngsters will be able to meet Santa, and regardless of how long the parade or the quality of the floats, that is really their main interest. Hopefully the community will get behind the event so Exeter's record of hav- ing one of the best parades in Western On- tario will not be diminished to any great ex- tent. They were right Judging from the condition of the trusses in the old Exeter arena, most area residents owe the ministry of labor an apology. They were soundly criticized when the facility was closed and many peo- ple commented that the structure would have stood for many, many more years. It may have, of course, but an ex- amination of the trusses and comments by arena manager Alvin Willert prove that there was a chance of a tragedy and for- tunately that has been eliminated. The demolition expert pointed out that the roof over the gymnasium was in the worst condition, and yet this was an area over which most people had little concern when the arena roof was examined. It is now an undeniable fact that the arena had to be replaced and this should cause area residents to throw their whole- hearted support behind the campaign for the new recreation centre. Organizers no doubt have been ex- tremely encouraged by the generous donations that have been coming in from Usborne and Stephen Townships and this would suggest that indeed we are well on our way to having a truly "South Huron" facility. Let's get the job finished! ver-priced myth Santa Claus is an over-weight, over- age, over-priced myth, and Canada can't afford him any more, a writer declares in the current issue of The United Church Observer. The Rev. Terry Shillington of The Pas, Man., says the yearly worship of Santa Claus "baptizes our children into a lifestyle which is proving to be suicidal". "Far more than the incarnation of Christ, the coming of Santa Claus sym- bolizes the spirit of our culture: spending and getting. In fact, Santa might be called the patron saint of a people unsurpassed in wealth, yet with an incredible hunger for more," he writes. "This preoccupation with getting things is a lifestyle we can no longer afford. We simply cannot go on producing more, consuming more and throwing out more garbage. Surely both the times and the gospel make it imperative to teach our children radically different values." There 's more own rnemo anew g ) iOmes-Alitiocafe SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND C,W.N.A,, 0.W.N.A, CLASS 'A' and ABC Published by J. W. Eedy Publications Limited LORNE EEDY, PUBLISHER Editor — Bill Batten Assistant Editor — Ross Haugh Advertising Manager Jim Beckett Plant Manager — Jim Scott Composition Manager — Harry DeVries Business Manager — Dick Jongkind Phone 235-1331 Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 Paid in Advance Circulation September 30, 1975 5,409 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $11.00 Per Year; USA $22.00 Let clear thinking prevail •) Page 4 Times-Advocate, December 2, 1976 FEIIPEFT. AWNS C031101, ny RAT lif5EAKIi& A5A5TE1 liESTOJIATIO Who needs Quebec Like so many others, I was completely astonished by the sweeping victory of the Parti Quebecois in La Belle Province. I was also just dreadfully, dreadfully upset at the thought of that darn old separatorateest Rainy Levack taking over as Prime Minister of Quebec and exercising his rights to exorcise that fair province right out of the body politic of this Great Nation. In fact. I was so disturbed by the whole thing that when my assistant department head, Jeanne Sauve, came up to me in the hall. grinning fiercely, and said, "Vive De Gaulle!" I just gave her an icy look and walked I made myself scarce when my old shuffleboard partner, Bill Chenier, was looking for me for our usual noon-hour game in the staff room. No way am I going to be buddies with some guy who is probably an underground agent for Rainy Levack. However, I got my own back in a sort of sneaky, and you might even say sadistic way. I asked my four-year Grade lls if they'd heard the news that the govern- ment of Ontario was going to put everyone with a French- Canadian name in concentration camps. just as our federal government. in its infinite stupidity, did with the west-coast Japanese after Pearl Harbor. Boy, that shook them. They started looking around at each other. Half my classes are made up of Robitailles, Cadieuxs, Cadeaus, Moreaus, Bourgeois and so on. I said: "It'll certainly be nice to have smaller classes." Their mouths were open, Then one guy in a front seat, with a good Scottish surname, started to grin, and said, in the impeccable English I instil in my students, "Ya, sir, I heard that there broadcast. But you didden hear it all. They changed their mind. They ain't gowna putten in camps. They're gowna line em all up and shootem." My cold, stern look began to crumble, and pretty soon we were all laughing as they realized they'd been "had" once more by Old Smiley. Then we talked about what the separation of Quebec would mean. The kids, as usual, weren't too perturbed. Dynasties can come and go, as far as they are concerned, as long as they don't get a homework assign- ment out of it, The only thing that upsets them is a case of un- requited love, or the breakdown of the TV set just as the big sex or violence scene gets started. The possibility of Quebec separating from the rest of Canada upsets me just about as much as it does the kids. I love Canada as it is, but I don't think that Confederation and al] that jazz is a sacred thing. It was put together by a bunch of politicians for reasons that were not entire- ly altruistic, and if another bunch of politicians wants to dis- band the club, so be it. The original plighting of troths was basically a marriage of con- venience. After more than a hun- dred years of marital dishar- mony, if one of the parties feels the union is incompatible, why not get a divorce? When I was the age of my students, the British Empire stretched around the world. In the cant phrase, the sun never set on it, Today that mighty Em- pire has shrunk to a tiny, beleaguered Britain, financially on the rocks. Does anybody real- ly care, except a few elderly pukka sahibs? People love frightening themselves and each other. Political columnists are having a hey-day, speculating on the "balkanization" of Canada. After Quebec drops out, speculate the worry warts, B.C. and the Maritimes will probably become part of the U.S., the prairie provinces will secede and form a country called Manalsask or something, and Ontario will be left sitting high and dry, the only remaining bastion of the true-blue WASP Canadian. Nobody seems to worry much about Newfy. Maybe it's time this country had a jolly good shaking up. We seemed to have changed in the last few decades from a vibrant and vital young nation with lots to be proud of, and plenty to look forward to, into a sour, crabby and suspicious middle-aged country, beset by inflation, un- employment and strikes. We run down our leaders. We seek security rather than adven- ture. We whine about American domination and do nothing about it. We bitch about playing our part in NATO and giving money to poor countries and letting in too many immigrants and anything else that is unselfish. Despite high unemployment, we have one of the most erratic labor forces in the world. Despite our tremendous natural resources, we let the Americans and the Germans and the Japanese do the investing in our development, because we haven't the guts to take the risks ourselves. Maybe the threat of separation Amalgamated 1924 FED. BUREAU of TR1YJA,NAUSEA, KUMQUAT MON; .TSETSE TLY HEANDISY figr"APPloirgitiOati Most area residents have a date at the polls this coming Monday. It's an important date, because they'll be choosing the people who will be responsible for guiding their affairs for the next two years. That's a long time and many im- portant decisions will made in that 24-month period and a vast amount of money will be ex- pended. Considering those aspects, it is rather obvious that residents of all communities should carefully consider their choice and make certain they fulfill their responsibility to cast a ballot. Last week, we noted that most of the elections were personality fights. Few issues have emerged in any municipalities and un- fortunately the interest is not high. However, that in itself points up the need for all voters to considermostconscientiouslyhow they will mark their ballots. It's a decision with which people have to live for the next two years and that's a long time for a mistake to exist. Two years ago, the writer outlined some personal preferences in the Exeter elec- tion and that turned out to be a bit of a mistake in many cases. It was akin to the "kiss of death" for a couple of candidates we suggested would make good council members, while a couple whose interest and dedication we questioned were quite successful. People quite often take the attitude they're not going to be told by any newspaper how they should vote, despite the fact the writers may certainly have extremely valid reasons for outlining their choices, Obviously, a reporter is often better qualified to know the abilities of candidates, par- ticularly those whom he has seen in action at every meeting during the past two years, or during previous terms. However, lest we create' a hardship for any candidate through a personal endorsement, we"Il not make any this year. A couple of weeks ago an editorial in this newspaper questioned whether enough thought and study had been put into plans to acquire property for major recreation facilities in the Grand Bend area. It was suggested that acquiring land and then proceeding to assess priorities was reversing the procedure, because any decision on the priorities could obviously negate any decision on location of those facilities. The controversy which erupted last week over the Severn Park site suggests that there are many who feel that it is not a suitable site for development. Don Southcott, who is in the middle of the controversy, believes that at least 90 percent of the trees in the attractive park could be preserved, but his comments are based on developing recreation facilities that suit the park's aesthetic value to a great extent, and not necessarily the needs of the community. Don, of course is familiar with fitting buildings into park-like settings. Southcott Pines is probably one of the best exam- ples in the province of how by Quebec is just the jolt this country needs to get the old adrenalin flowing once again. This is a great country, but it won't be great for long if it is in- habited by a nation Of chickens. Or sheep. Life is change. Things that don't change die. Let's remember that and not panic When there are indications of change, however great it may be. natural surroundings can be maintained by proper planning and construction of homes. Many of the homes built in that subdivision are designed to fit the landscape and it is a concept with which no one could argue. However, we suggest it is somewhat different matter when it comes to building recreation facilities, Residents of the resort area can not afford the luxury of studying their site and then proceeding with facilities that best suit Severn Park, Instead, those facilities have to be decided first on the basis of the community's priorities and abilities to pay. They can then be designed to fit into the park-like setting as aesthetically as possible, but it is questionable if the setting can be the basic determining factor. + Unfortunately, the waters have now been further muddied by the Election Day Dec. 6 Your Vote Is Important 30 Years Ago Mrs. J. T. Hern, Zion, recently received a letter from Greece, having enclosed her name in a coat sent in a bale, The municipal council has hired Jack Essery to plow the streets of Exeter throughout the coming winter. R. N. Creech, who has served the Board of Education ef- ficiently for many years, an- nounced his retirement this week. 20 Years Ago At the semi-annual prize-giving banquet held recently at the Ontario Agricultural and Veterinary Cqlleges, the Mac- donald Alumnae Association Award was won by Joan E. Thomson, daughter of Mr, & Mrs. Les Thomson. Murray Dawson, Hensall, received the Elston Cardiff 4-H Citizenship Award for the best all-round 4-II member during 1956 at the annual achievement night program, Friday night, Mrs. M. C. Fletcher's Sunday School class entertained the children of protestant orphanage in London Wednesday night, 15 Years Ago The Town and Country restaurant, Exeter, was gutted charges of political patronage in the donation of Severn Park, Reading between the lines, we also suspect there is considerable opposition from property owners to develop Severn Park for recreational purposes. It would be regrettable if this type of debate was allowed to continue and jeopardize the clear-thinking that must be forth- coming on any plans for recreation facilities in the Grand Bend area. Our suggestion would be that the community establish its steering committee and allow them to assess the needs and then the priorities without having to be concerned to any great extent about the location. Nothing has been invested in terms of property, so obviously it does not fiave to be a determining factor in the study. If the facilities envisioned by the steering committee can be worked into the park to the satisfaction k of the community, then it.is a plus. . . If it is found that the park is not suitable, either by distance from the majority of prospective users or by loss of its aesthetic or present value, then presumably another site could be purchased, as the Lions had envisioned in the first place. But let cool heads prevail so the study can be undertaken'without any fears or unpleasantness. To do otherwise is to spoil the initiative that has already gone into the consideration of 'bet- tering the community. The important thing to remember is that no money has been expended on any site, nor has any site been altered in any way. The time to debate the site is after the priorities and prac- ticality of any venture is agreed upon by those involved. Then the site can be similarly chosen. Residents should expect that the considerptions of the steering committee Would be made av- ailable to the public and that the public be given ample op- portunity for input and debate. If they are to avoid Exeter's `.`mistake" the public must realize that it is their respon- sibility to digest the information presented and air their com- plaints or concerns at the ap- propriate times, 5 Years Ago For the first time in several years students from SHDHS received Carter awards. The recipients were Ann Herdman and Don Jolly. Mrs. Dorothy Beaton, Vice- Grand presided for the Christmas meeting of Amber Rebekah Lodge, Wednesday evening. She was assisted by Mrs. Myrtle Orr R.S,V.G. Reports were given by Mrs. Hazel Corbett and Mrs. Margaret COnsitt, Roy Jewell of CFPL TV was the guest speaker at Tuesday's annual meeting of the Biddulph and London township Federation of Agriculture. He showed slides of his recent trip to Alaska and the Yukon. Brecht, a brilliant German playwright,was a cynic plagued by the defeat of goodness. But out of the shambles of the world he knew came a haunting cry for help when he wrote, "Christians, awake! The winter's gone! The snows depart, the dead sleep on, And though you may not long survive, get out of bed and look alive!" Many of us understand Brecht's depression as we en- counter people of sincere faith; yet who seem to lack that very necessary something that uplifts and enfolds us. As Bruce Larson says in a recent article, faith is essential but it is not enough. We need more in order to discover the fullness of the gift God gives us in Jesus Christ. In II Peter 1; 5-7, we read, "Do your best to add goodness to your faith; and to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self control; to your self control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness; to your godliness add brotherly love; and to your brotherly love add love." So, while faith is all important it is not the end all for Christians. To it must be added goodness, knowledge, self control, en- durance, godliness and most important of all, love. Very often, some or all of these elements are missing in our faith, This week, I have been agonizing over what a person of unquestionable faith, presuming to speak for God, said to a friend of mine who had a son dying with cancer, "The reason your son has cancer is because there is an evil spirit in your lives. Get right with God and he won't have the cancer." I heard of another in- stance when someone else was told their child was killed in a car accident because God wanted to teach them a lesson. Dear Editor, As a member of Hay Township council I feel obliged to express my opinion, not necessarily that of council on the recreation issue. Council has a rec. committee and they present a budget each year to council for approval. There seems to be some misunderstandings as to whose financial responsibility recreation really is, Well, as far as the facilities for recreation are concerned I think they are everyone's responsibility. In Hay Township we are in- volved with the services of three arenas, with no representation of council on the board. I think if the township is helping to support these facilities there should be a member of council appointed to each board. This representation would give council the information required in making decisions on financial support. Council has representation on area fire boards and this method is working quite successfully. There are many ways of assessing costs of recreation. Perhaps a few could be offered as suggestions only. 1. Participants pay for their recreation activity and local government pay for maintenance and operations of facilities, 2. A flt rate per family for those participating in all forms of recreation. 3. A direct payment or (grant) as to the percentage of costs of Who in the world needs Christian friends like that?, This is certainly not how I understand Christ's message, and yet I cannot question the genuine faith of the persons who related to my friends in this judgemental way. But as Peter says, faith is not the whole story. He says it is possible to have faith without goodness. I guess most of us are guilty at sometime or another of being dishonest or manipulating people in the name of God for all kinds of reasons. Yet, we all resent it deeply when it is done to us. Of course, God who gives faith can also give goodness. Peter continues to say we can have faith and goodness but be without knowledge. Mr, Larson talks about the 'dumb' Christians who try to push orconjureor bully family or friends into the Kingdom. Just because we have faith and goodness doesn't mean we're smart about people. We can have knowledge and still have no self control. Beyond self control there is endurance that can withstand all the tests and setbacks that may come in an average day. But beyond all that, you can have all these things and still not lead a godly life. and beyond that, you can be godly and still not have love, The philosopher Nietzche asked, "If Christians wish us to believe their Redeemer, why don't they look a 1 ittle more redeemed?" Too bad he couldn't have warmed himself around the fires of love that burn in the hearts of so many great Christians, Because you and I know these are the ones who bring us Christ's healing when we are sorrowing, discouraged or downcast. Yes, we may have faith but we need all those other things mentioned by Peter. Above all, let us pray for love and the ability to pass it on to others. operation and maintenance to be adjusted annually as costs change. 4. An increase in the rates of the facilities to put them on a paying basis. I 'am sure someone-has 'other, suggestions that could be offered. , I'm quite sure something can be worked out that will satisfy the majority of the ratepayers. Lionel Wilder Councillor Hay Twp * * * To: Hay township Taxpayer: I would like to take this opportunity to reply to your letter in last week's paper. I fee] we should pay our share towards the arena; which $1,000 is obviously not enough. And after paying our share if this is still not enough, then both township and town users of the arena should pay a small fee allowing the families with more than one child that qualifies to rec programs to participate. By paying our share then we should have representation to help determine the future of the arena. The Arena is defin- itely not the only facility that is asking for our help. This also has to be taken into ponsidera- tion. Councillor Tony Bedard by a $60,000 fire early Friday morning. Robin Smith, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Jack Smith, received the award for highest standing along ra with her executive secretarial a diploma at graduation exercises , of Wells Business Academy, : London, Saturday evening, Grand Bend reeve, James Dalton, who terminates his duties as warden of Lambton County in January was honoured at the annual Warden's banquet held in Sarnia, Saturday. 3 •••.•0‘. Times Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 "Oh yeah? My department can out-spend your department!" THE CHILDREN'S AID SOCIETY REQUESTS YOUR SUPPORT FOR ITS CHRISTMAS BUREAU Gifts, New and Nearly-New Toys and Clothing may be left at EXETER UNITED CHURCH DECEMBER 6 TO 10 Remember Teen-Agers Too: 3 Income Tax Receipts Issued For All Financial Donations (1G. NO. 0184192-01-15) A Children's Aid Society, 46 Gloucester Terrace Goderich, Ontario ofs lalle,“ted..A.4.4ill00:410,44*.i.ivrAitttAi*liiii4N014.M4014.0704WW.160:4;iq,