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The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-01-22, Page 201' • Page 20 Times-Advocate,January 22, 1976 twenty yards of me, no protection, wide open for a left and right to the brain; a sitting duck for an ex- clusive interview. All he had to do was execute a flawless per- formance before a large crowd of admirers and judges the next day, All he had to do was prepare himself to meet the in- credible pressure that goes with competition figure skating. Just prepar& his concentration and try to relax with a few friends until it was time to uncoil like a wound watch spring. I hate to say it, but I couldn't, wouldn't. My mother and father must have done too good a job. Half-heartedly I asked the cocktail waitress to ask Mr. Cranston if he felt up to a five minute interview with a reporter. I didn't know what I'd do if he said yes, I would have felt like a peeping Torn or something. For one thing I am no expert on figure skating; am just content to appreciate it as a charming and demanding art form. For another, I couldn't see wasting someone's time trying to conceal my ignorance long enough to scoop up enought small talk to concoct an in- terview, I was almost to the point of telling the waitress to forget what I asked her a minute before to do, when she returned. "Too late," I thought, and waited to hear what she had to say. "I'm sorry fella," she said,"he's gone." I looked over to where he had been sitting and the entire table was deserted, Toiler Cranston, friends and roses." "I didn't drive him away," I said. He was gone before I had a chance to tell him what you told me," she said. "Whew," I thought. "Let it be," I said and turned to Bill calmly sipping at his beer. "How's your bowling average," I asked. try No one stops for snowploughs Roundabout THE TRAILER PART of this tractor trailer truck that had unloaded its shipment at the Home !;!r"• .1.e store on Main St. became stuck in the snow that accumulated recently. A works department front eod loader tame and freed if by lifting the front and moving it back into the street a bit at a time. photo by Youngs By GORDON BAGLEY Bill phoned me up last week to come look see the new Holiday Inn Lounge, a twentieth-century-posh (pseudo-seude wall paper) bar just up the stainless steel escalator (reminiscent of Woolworth's) from the some 20-storey hote'l's main lobby. Bill is an old friend of mine who until recently has been managing a bowling alley . . . straight nights, something that until recently, I would judge, got on his nerves. Anyway, Bill and I ascended the escalator, entered the never never land of indirect lighting, wicker bar chairs, svelte and nubile young cocktail waitresses, low-key bar rock (live) music, and threaded our way through a group of happy social drinkers mixing it up and down on the Inn's second floor. Bill ordered his favorite beer and I tried a "golden cadillac." "This is a long way from the grey ghost," I thought, thinking of my car down in the sub-zero celsius cold of a black and white winter night. I was just about to ask Bill about the health of his bowling average when she came by; turning hea,ds as she went, graceful as a cat and as starry eyed as a wife on the arm of a newly- wed and dearly loved husband. "I had to listen, what could I do? She leans over the black leather bar and tells the bartender, awe in Snow Storm Many of the scheduled meetings and activites in Grand Bend were postponed this week due to the snow fall and stormy weather. Orpha Club The Orpha Club which was to meet January 13, was cancelled and weather permitting will be held on January 27, at Mrs. Louise Wilson's home. Personals Mr. & Mrs. Clarke Kennedy visited Friday with their daughter, Mr. & Mrs. Don Weigand and Jennifer of near Dashwood. Mrs. Katie Vincent and Mrs. Melinda Newton, of London, returned Friday from a month's holiday's (including Christmas) with their son and daughter, Rev. and Mrs. Morris Vincent, and grandchildren Richard and Nancy of Morden, Manitoba, The ladies travelled both ways by plane. Mr, & Mrs. Brad Hamilton and Brent of London spent the weekend here with their parents, and Trent celebrated his third birthday. Jim Kennedy from York her voice, "Do you know who I'm serving? Toiler Cranston," "Wow! Taller Cranston, men's figure skating competition champion par excellence." (The next day Taller went out and wowed them all getting three perfect scores, on form to win the men's senior competition for the sixth straight time.") More or less I was thinking like that. "You should go over and introduce yourself and get a feature story for the Times," Bill says. "I should do that," I say, taking a swallow of my golden cad. "You should," he says, "I saw that guy skate on Wild World of Sports and he's terrific, he's a hero," "Sure, I should do that," I said, taking another swallow. "Where's he sitting," I ask the waitress. She tells me and I look and he's at a table with some friends and he's got a red red rose in his hand. "A rose is a rose is a rose," I thought,but what the hell, he's an artist. I've heard he's a good painter in addition to being a prestidigitator on skates. "What's he drinking," I ask the waitress. She's a little protective for him. "Orange juice," she says. "Of course, he's got to compete tomorrow," I am thinking. I look back to his table. He's very cool for a guy who's about to put his skating crown on the line. You'd think it was just another evening with friends for him. That was when I decided to stay away from him. The word "friends," How many reporters had bucked the incredible security and PR types to get an interview with Toiler Cranston in the last few days I wondered. Now, here he was within University, Toronto, spent last weekend here with his parents Mr. & Mrs. Clarke Kennedy. John Aselstyne of Beach of Pines had the misfortune to fall near the Post Office last week and fracture several ribs. The monthly evensong service, which is combined with Green- way and Thedford parishes, was held Sunday evening in Grand Bend at St. John's by the Lake, Anglican church, Mrs. Joe Lobb of Brucefield, accompanied her sister Mrs. Wally Pullens, home to Lake Worth, Florida, and spent a week's holidays there with her. Mrs. Susie Devine has returned to her own home, after con- valescing at the home of her daughter & son-in-alw, Mr. & Mrs. Elgin Adams, this past month after foot surgery. Electric organ repaired The electric organ at the United Church is now repaired, having been out of order since a power failure a few weeks ago. Mrs. Pat Soldan capably handled the organ Sunday, due to the regular organist being snowed in, Rev, H. Moore's sermon text was, "How to be a Christian," By GORD BAGLEY The car pulls around the small snowplough that except for the blade is a miniature dumptruck and the driver smiles and waves. Gary Desjardine, town foreman of Grand Bend and sole snow removal employee for the village, smiles back and nods hello as the citizen passes him and moves down the freshly ploughed road. It is a beautiful sunlit day in Grand Bend and Gary is in a good mood. "They never stop for the snowplough," he says, "they don't realize how tricky it is. Now that one, I don't think he could Provincial court traffic and criminal divisions sat last Tuesday to hear the following cases. Judge Glenn Hayes and Justice D. Wedlake presided. Ronald Allan Dawes, 18, London, appeared for sentencing and received 80 days consecutive and 20 days concurrent in jail after pleading guilty to seven charges of break, enter and theft and three charges of theft. Following a pre-sentencing report, Judge Hayes converted the jail sentence to two years probation under the provision Dawes report to a probation officer every two weeks. Dawes must also make restitution totalling $107.70 on cash unrecovered following the thefts. He has nine months to repay that amount. Dawes was convicted of break, enter and theft at McDowell Ready Mix, Exeter curling club (two occasions), Exeter arena, Exeter Produce, Quality Produce and Tuckey Beverages. The various thefts amounted to totalled $703.12. Daws also pleaded guilty to three thefts totalling $135 from Grand Bend Cleaners (two oc- casions) and Don Taylor Motors, said that Andrew. Street from Gidley to John, as well as the connecting streets would receive a second coat of asphalt. A short section of sanitary sewer is planned to be installed on Huron Street to Pride and this section will also be paved. Storm and sanitary sewer installation will continue on Andrew Street and the street will be rebuilt to grade level with a new coat of asphalt scheduled. Wright said that other priorities have been determined but could only be considered as recommendations at this point, depending upon how far the subsidy allotment could be stretched, (---tiive On Income Tax WE OFFER A REGISTERED RETIREMENT SAVINGS PLAN WITH THE FOLLOWING FEATURES: —All contributions invested receive a guaranteed rate of interest for period selected and are, therefore, not subject to fluctuations. —All amounts up to $20,000 are insured under Canada Deposit Insurance, —A high guaranteed rate of interest, —No inception, administra- tion or redemption fees whatsoever! *CURRENT RATE 10% Subject to Change V4ithoiit Notie vc %1111111k Gaiser-Kneale Insurance Agency Inc. Exeter Grand Bend Office Office ‘,...235-2420 238-8484 stop, too slippery." Gary seems to understand they don't understand and resets the angle of his snowplough blade so that it runs square across the front of the truck. Gently he scoops up snow at the corner of an intersection in the labyrinth of Grand Bend's backstreets and pushes it well back. That makes things easier and safer for people trying to see around corners. Gary is out at 5:30 a.m. every lime it snows to clean Grand Bend's 10 miles of village streets. Heading down a dead-end street, Gary uses the toggle Larry Minderlein, 19, London, pleaded guilty to break, enter and theft at Centralia Farmers Supply last June 10, The theft. involved 54 cases of herbicide worth $8,100. Minderlein received a 90 day jail term and must make restitution on 32 cases of her- bicide that haven't been recovered. Each case is worth $150. + + + Wallace C. Maxwell, Hensall, pleaded guilty to an Oct. 4, charge of impaired driving. He was fined $200 payable within 5 days and his license is suspended three months. + + + Steven R. Elson, 17, RR 3, Parkhill, pleaded guilty to a Nov. 24 charge of speeding 100 in a 60 zone. He was fined $163 with 15 days to pay. + + Russell S. Harris, RR 6 St. Marys, was convicted after being charged with following too closely Nov. 26. switch on a console inside the cab of the truck to reset the plough blade so the swath of the blade is the same width as the truck. "Yon have to set it on an angle to clear the snow off to the side of the road," he says. "I don't usually finish until 4:30," he explains. "Of course it's later if we have a heavy fall, By the time I'm through I've usually ploughed all the streets twice." "The real problem with this job is boredom," he continues. "That and the people who leave their cars out on the street, I just skinned a `vette the other day, My heart skipped a beat," Harris was apparently looking down a side road as he was travelling east on Hwy. 83 .and struck a ear slowing down to make a left hand turn. Damage to each car was $500. Harris was fined $43 or 4 days. + + + • Harvey Lear, 31, Southcott Pines, Grand Bend, was con- victed of careless driving Oct. 17. Lear was filled $150 or 15 days. + + + Terrance McLachlan, RR 3 Exeter, pleaded guilty to possession of liquor in a place other than his residence and was fined $53. + + Harold A. Moddejonge, RR 1 Sarnia, pleaded guilty to having liquor in a place other than his residence and was fined $53. + + + Stanley Morris, Brampton, pleaded guilty to having liquor in a place other than his residence and was filled $53. + + Chris Bujouves, London, was "l'he corvette looked like a mound of snow," he says. He was ploughing back the snowbanks that are almost four feet high this day and suddenly the mound of snow is a $10,000 automobile. No damage. "I just cleared the snow off his nose — you know how a 'vette has a nose?" The story is an example. "If people would just shovel out their driveways and get the cars off the road," he says. "They get mad at me because I fill in their driveways but I haven't time to stop." The other week he passed by fined $13 for speeding 40 in a 30 zone. Ted Van Roestel, Woodham, was fined $13 for speeding 40 in a 30 zone. James Sims, London, was. fined $13 for speeding 40 in a 30 zone. Randy J. Quesnel, RR 2 Centralia, was fined $53 for possession of liquor other than his residence, William Milton Cunningham,. Clandeboye was fined $13 for being in- toxicated in a public place. Lawrence B. Ritchie, London, was fined $13 for speeding 70 in a 60 zone. J. Brian Hallan, RR 1 Auburn, fined $13 for speeding 70 in a 60 zone. Gregory Hargreaves, Brucefield, $13, speeding 70 in a 60 zone. Leonard M. Lansink, Seaforth, $63, speeding 80 in a 60 zone. James Cameron, Clinton, $13, speeding 70 in a 60 zone. Baden C. Griffin, Kincardine, $33 for speeding 55 in a 40 zone. Terrance Thompson, Parkhill, $33 for speeding 55 in a 40 zone. Kevin Keller, Huron Park, $63 for speeding 50 in a 30 zone. Stephen W. McCarty, Huron Park, $50 for unlawful use of licence plates. Busy year for town works dept "1975 was a busy year for the public works department and included the finishing of the Anne SI. drain", councillor Ted Wright told council Monday night in summing up the work of the Exeter department during the past year. "We had hoped that because of the street disruption in 1975 due to sanitary drain installation, that the Ministry of Transport and Communications would have given us a greater subsidy but it doesn't appear that this will happen. The councillor was referring to the Ontario ministry's subsidy allotment for 1976 which is $79,100 compared to a total allotment of $91,800 last year, which included a supplemental subsidy during the course of the year. Wright said that it was possible that Exeter might still receive a further subsidy but remarked that the public should not blame the works department if road and sewer construction is down compared to 1975. Wright said that among the projects tackled in 1975 was the enlargement of the lagoon and a new pumping station on Marlborough. Listing priorities for 1976, he GB personals Provincial court TOWN FOREMAN — Gary Desjardine pushes back the snowbank when it has snowed and village streets need clearing, starts at 5:30 along Hwy 21 within village boundaries. An average day for Gary a.m. and ends at 4:30 in the afternoon, photo by Bagley Break and enter sentences and snowed in a guy who threw a shovel at him. "That made me feel like going back there and having a yelling match with him, have btit d I didn't.one?,, What good would it Gary has almost reached the end of the dead-end street with the "GM custom-deluxe." It's a little "muscle" truck, brand new this year, with special four-wheel drive that gives surprising "push" for so diminutive (only five ton) a snowplough vehicle. Not only that but it has a custom built box that lifts and tilts like a dumptruck's so Gary roads. ean dump T tha t a never sand freezes and salt icxy-olt, •• mounted on springs so it gives and won't break off if it hits something too hard to plough. As he moves down the narrow warning stick, attached to the ploughblade and painted electric orange, bobbing up and down. When it goes down out of sight he stops the truck and lifts the blade, very sure of himself. "The bade is always breaking along the weld lines," he says, "even though it's designed to give. Thai's why it's important to have a welder who's around all the time." bladeiie,, Gary h nis,su of the plough is sure eof back street he watches the Iv himself because he's been ploughing since he was a young one, still in highschool, and helping his dad clear Grand Bend's sidewalks. His dad, Herman, was an equipment operator with the Ministry of Transport for 27 years until he "passed over," Gary worked in London as a plant foreman at 3M before he returned to Grand Bend last year. "It was a good job," Gary says, but he seems content in his new capacity as foreman of an entire village, a job that earns him $12,000 a year. "I always wanted to come back to this area to live," he adds. "I guess I'm a small town boy." Still, for all the new job feels "right", ploughing village streets can be a pain. It isn't the glamorous kind of ploughing — not the big rig stuff that goes on along major highways. It isn't speeding along at 40mph throwing plumes of snow 20 feet into air from the "wing" blade of huge "slusher" ploughs. Village ploughing is low-speed 42 fi) :''' nudging and shoving and tedious manoeuvring through cramped spaces down dead-epd streets. Ahead of him, where the road ends, someone has left their car out on the road. Gary has no place to turn around and has no alternative but to push tile snow right up to the car's bumper. "See what I mean," he says. 'Mat person never shovels out his driveway. Now I've blocked him in and he'll have to shovel himself out anyway." _OM. _, e-Aordi . ,..,47.wiszio " 8 A - A T14 - 6AgTe o M" b1. 14 I Picture Every evening Kathy Tiffany Daily Sat. ........,„,e..._ Niu ,A111111111,-....."---... , f iie' i - . a 4 . - - p 8 12-1:30 p.m.' Lounge DASHWOOD the organ Lounge HOTEL 0 4 , matinee 'A ... i DINING,Room . N , i.A ' .. " .1 - T -- - - , . , LODGE ,- HEATED '. linr f Arrilf-i-. ,, - 1,1 1 . . 7,. 4-2, . Green YOUR HOSTS _.. HIGHWAY - 4; A 't • ,. 7° ,..:.„. 0. EL POOL - ':-. Forest Motor "PETE" and "CAROLE" 21 — GRAND OPEN Saturday, BEND Organist Special Guest DEITZ Hotel Jan. DAILY. 24 IT d1 .l Pr 01 9" ,11 . 1 m 1 g & Saturday Feb. 2 to Morton at Dining Mon.-Fri. 5 to 9:00 i ... it ,g0 I/ •:. I 4411.11fre (, DOMINION ',$) 415 dirr ' R =, • OW , it i il iit The / , . : ,- , , 4 .- —' r • ('- (4 :1) ,1 . , . ; . Men HOTEL ,-.... ‘' .;) . 1 1 ,,. , • 1-4 t Exeter ,T\ / 4 CHINESE 1-N„ .. , 4.; 10 CANADIAN PHONE and Open a.m, Saturday to 235-0464 Friday For 2 a.m. ail CHINESE GARDEN FOOD The I and Finest y's Main St ZURICH T\ Saturday Track 2364371 Ni Ni g ht