Loading...
The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-06-16, Page 1CONGRATULATIONS JACK Huron-Middlesex Progressive Conservative candidate Anton McKinley shook hands with Liberal Jack Riddell after four weeks of political campaigning ended Thursday night. Riddell -defeated McKinley by 3,871 votes but both candidates agree that the campaigning was tough, Left to right are Anson McKinley, Mrs. Jack Riddell and Jack Riddell. T-A phoftl $43,000 DAMAGE — Fire destroyed the residence of Bob Johns and family Friday. The house, located four miles east of Exeter, brought out the Exeter fire department twice to fight the blaze, T-A photo exefer'ainiessakuvcafe One Hundred and Fourth Year EXETER, ONTARIO, JUNE 16, 1977 Price Per Copy 25 Cents THESE LINES SHOULD BE FARTHER APART — Scott Amos, 4, balanced his way through the lines during a bike rodeo behind South Huron District High School Saturday. The rodeo, sponsored by the Ex- eter Kinsmen, was open to children from kindergarten through grade eight. T-A photo Only 30 children enter bike rodeo NO EXCUSE FOR VOTER APATHY — Mrs. Daisy Ivey made the 23,3 percent of the electorate who didn't vote look bad Thursday as she made her regular trip to the Hensall polls, Mrs, Ivey will be 90 years old in November and made it to the polls with the help of, left to right, Walker Carlile, Mrs. Rachel Schwalm, Bill Fairbairn and Lloyd T-A photo Three local men receive jail terms three rolls of masking tape from Discount Dave's and $12 in cash from Graham Arthur Motors as well as the keys to the garage doors. Damage also occurred to the three premises. The three men were also given an additional jail term of one month for the theft of motor vehicle licence plates belonging to Donald Kerslake. The plates were subsequently used on a 1977 model car which was stolen from Mathers Motors. Holmes pleaded guilty to that theft and was given the additional one month term. His additional seven days was levied by Judge Glenn Hays on an assault charge on March 25. Kellett was also given a fine of $50 or five days on a charge of trespassing. This arose out of an incident on March 28 when he drove a motor vehicle over the lawn at Whiting's Warehouse and did about $50 damage. He was given six months in which.to pay the fine or the option of serving the five days at the end • of his four-month term. In the only other case heard on Tuesday's docket, Peter Roth, RR 2 New Hamburg, pleaded guilty to mischief. He was charged after a motor vehicle was driven over the lawn at the Ontario Development Cor- poration at Huron Park. Damage was estimated at $75. Judge Hays reserved his decision until the next court sitting. doing her shopping, She had a "gut feeling" that something was wrong at home when she heard the fire alarm in Exeter and followed the truck to her residence. The home is owned by Edwin Miller and Fire Chief Gary Middleton reported damage to the home at $25,000 and said the loss of contents amounted to almost $18,000. The loss was only partially covered by insurance, Much of the home was already engulfed in flames arid smoke when the firemen arrived and they were unable to save any of gke An 18-year-old Dashwood area youth, Peter Ronald Parsons, died Friday night after the motorcycle he was riding collided with, a gar .at the intersection Of County Ttoad 2 and siderea IS 'a' Stephen Township. Parsons, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Parsons, RR 3 Dash- wood, was eastbound on the sideroad near his home around 6:00p.m., while the car driven by Patrick Lane of 199 Columbia Drive, Huron Park, was south- bound on the county road. The motorcycle skidded under the car. The youth sustained multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by Huron County coroner Dr. Paul Brady. Damage in the accident was estimated at $1,000 by Constable Don Mason of the Exeter OPP, Besides his parents, the youth is survived by one brother, Harold Ross Parsons Jr., Lon- don, and four sisters, Nancy Marie, Deborah Anne, Brenda Lee and Lisa Dorene, all at home. Funeral service was held from the R. C. Dinney Funeral Home, Exeter, on Tuesday with the Rev, Glen Wright officiating, Burial was in Exeter Cemetery. The fatality was one of three accidents investigated this week by the Exeter OPP. In the other two crashes, area drivers hit parked vehicles, They both oc- curred in Zurich. On Friday morning, Anson McKinley, RR 1 Zurich, collided leaves family homeless to the fire scene around midnight when the oil tank in the basement exploded and started a fire in what remained of the building. In all, the firemen were at the scene for seven hours. The Johns family have taken up residence with Mrs. Johns' mother in Huron Park, although they expect to move into another home they have rented in Usborne in the immediate future. Friends and neighbors rallied with support for the family. Donations of clothing, furniture, appliances and cash have been pouring in, government as reasons for his victory, "I think the people had just simply lost faith in Premier Davis", he said. "The Huron- Middlesex voters were unwilling to forgive the premier in his closing of one hospital (Goderich Psychiatric) and his attempt to close another (Clinton Public Hospital)". Riddell indicated the toughness of the campaign Against McKinley during his victory speech at the Exeter Legion Hall. "I ran scared through the whole campaign", he said. McKinley cited a large anti- government vote as the main reason for the PC defeat in Huron-Middlesex. Anti-gover- nment votes which Would have gone to the NDP went to the Liberals this time, he said. McKinley suggested the drop in New Democrat votes indicated this trend. NDP candidate Constable Larry Christiaen. ° During the week, the local detachment officers laid 31 charges under the Highway Traffic Act, nine under the Criminal Code and seven under the Liquor Licence Act, A 16-year-old Huron Park youth, Douglas Allan Barrett, was charged with two counts of false fire alarms. Constable Bill McIntyre laid the charges following his investigation of the two alarms on May 10. Two London men have been charged with possession of stolen property after a 4' by 3' poster board was found in their car by Grand Bend OPP. The poster board had been reported stolen from the Dashwood Hotel around 1:30 a.m., Saturday. Several wilful damage in- cidents were also investigated, involving mail boxes in the area and the cafeteria at the Centralia College of Agricultural Technology. The latter was reported on Monday. Damage was minimal and nothing was reported stolen, Don Darling, Mt. Carmel, reported the theft of a motocross bike from his store on June 10. The bike was valued at $179, Vandals also caused about $125 damage to equipment being used to instal the new Kirkton- Woodham swimming pool, Wires were pulled off a backhoe and a rock thrown through the cab of the vehicle, which is owned by Adrien VanGeel, RR 3 Lucan, The incident was reported Wednesday morning, Edna Liebold, Zurich, reported the theft of $250 in cash to police last week as well. The money was part of the proceeds from an auction sale and had been taken from the woman's purse. Expect to let job for hail restoration Dashwood youth dies in motorcycle collision Three Exeter area men were sentenced to jail for varying terms when they appeared in Exeter court, Tuesday, to face charges arising out of several incidents this spring. Terry Charles Holmes, was sentenced to five months plus seven days, while Lawrence E. Kellett and Gordon M, Taylor were sentenced to four months each. Each of the three was sen- tenced to one month each on break, enter and theft charges at Mathers Motors, Graham Arthur Motors and Discount Dave's on March 30. A set of car keys was stolen from Mathers Motors, Fiddler entries could increase The Ontario Fiddlers contest takes place in Hensall this Friday and Saturday with the top fiddler receiving $900 first prize as well as the title Ontario Champion Fiddler. This is the seventh annual Fiddlers contest to be held in the village. Last year it attracted close to 130 entries from across the province, but organizers this year expect to have between 150 and 200 contestants for both the fiddling and stepdancing. • Last year 4,000 people gathered over the weekend to partake in the fun of the elimination rounds Friday night and the excitement of finals on Saturday night. The Exeter and Area Heritage Foundation is expected to let the contract this week for the restoration of the town hall, Several bids were received for the project and members of the committee have been in negotiation with the lowest bidder to reduce the price as it was over the original estimate. The work is expected to cost around $100,000. The Ontario Heritage Foundation have ap- proved a grant for almost half that amount and a Wintario grant has also been received. The decision regarding the awarding of the contract will be made at a Heritage Foundation meeting this Monday at 7:30 p,m, in the town hall, All interested persons — whether they are members are not — have been invited to attend. In attendance at the meeting will be a representative of the New Horizons program, who will Make a presentation to the members in an effort to en- courage them to provide facilities and programs in the town hall for local senior citizens, Police look for hit, run driver Two accidents were in- vestigated by the Exeter police this week, one involving a hit and run vehicle. That accident occurred on Monday at 4:30 p.m. Mrs. Pearl Gans advised police that her car had been damaged while parked on the lot at Darling's Food Market, Constable Brad Sadler in- vestigated and set damage to the Gans vehicle at $170, On Friday at 9:00 a.m., cars driven by Martha Gerornette, Rlt 3, Parkhill, and Leonard J, Erb, Hensall, collided at the in- tersection of Main and Alexander Streets, t Constable Jim Barnes set damage at $450. Fire The Exeter area fire brigade fought their sixth major fire of the year this week, but it was a losing battle as the Usborne farm home of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Johns and family was completely gutted around supper time, Friday, A pan of grease left on the stove in preparation for cooking french fries apparently ignited and the blaze quickly spread through the home about four miles east of Exeter. The couple's three children and a teenage girl friend were at home alone when the fire broke out. It was first spotted by five- year-old Tracy, who immediately warned her two older sisters, Gail and Pam. They had been upstairs and were just on their way down to the kitchen when the fire was noticed. Their father said that a minute or two longer and the girls may have had trouble getting out of the upstairs of the home as it was quickly engulfed in thick smoke. The girls called a. neighbor, Mrs. Bill Johns, who attempted to phone the fire department, but the fire had apparently cut service on the line. She used a CB radio to contact the residence of John Batten in Elimville and the fire depart- ment was then summoned. One:.'of the first people on the scene was Bob Johns, who was returning to his home from work, He spotted the smoke while driving from the Bob Down farm, where he is employed. His wife, Mail, was in Exeter Robbery suspect nabbed in town Exeter Constable Brad Sadler assisted two members of the London police department in arresting a suspect in a London bank robbery, Monday. Gerald Wayne Sears, 30, of Queen's Place, London, was arrested around 8:00 p.m. and charged with armed robbery after a masked man armed with a shotgun robbed the Dundas and Saul Streets branch of the Royal Bank in London. Sears a cement finisher for Bravo Cement Co, of London, was arrested as he worked on the South Huron Recreation Centre project in Exeter, Det.-Sgt, Bob Young of London pollce,said a large bag of.money and a 12-gauge pump gun were recovered. He refused to disclose the quantity of cash, saying bank staff would check it later, The robber entered the bank about 1 p.m. shotgun in hand, and later drove away in a car parked at the rear. Police said the robber ordered the bank staff to stand against the rear wall of the bank when he walked in. Then he told them to squat on the floor. Accountant Steve Tomajko, 24, said he stepped toward the robber when asked who was in charge and the robber held the shotgun about a foot away from his chest. The robber ordered teller Heather Davies to put money into a flight bag he was carrying and left. A woman who saw the man go in dashed across the street to the George Noseworthy Brake and Muffler outlet and 'told Ted Noseworthy that the bank was being robbed. Noseworthy dialed the 911 police emergency number and while he was talking to police saw the robber leave and head down Saul Street. Noseworthy said that by this time his employees were watching the robber and one of them copied down the licence number as the car drove away, the faMily's belongings, "All we saved was just what we had on our backs," commented Bob Johns. The firemen were also ham- pered by a lack of water, The tank truck broke down on one of the runs and the assistance of the Creditors tanker was enlisted to bring in water. One member of the Exeter brigade, Lester Heywood, was taken to hospital for treatment of burns to his arm suffered from his proximity to the scorching heat, The firemen were called back X " with a car owned by John Min- derlein, RR 3 Zurich. The ac- cident happened on Highway 84. Mrs. McKinley, an occupant in tile front seat, was injured when her head struck the windshield. Constable Frank Giffin in- vestigated and set damage at $1,400, The other accident occurred on Wednesday when a car driven by Leonard Prang, Zurich, collided with a parked vehicle owned by Gerard Masse, RR 2 Zurich. Damage in the Goshen St, accident was set at $450 by Firemen will run Friedsburg event The popular Friedsburg Days in Dashwood will be held again this year. The Dashwood volunteer fire department has taken !over sponsorship of the two day event, Friedsburg Days will be held Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30 with most of the same events which have been enjoyed over the years. One change will have con- testants for the Miss Friedsburg contest appear On stage both nights with crowning of the winner taking place at 11 p.m. Saturday night. The talent show will be staged Friday night with a parade kicking off Saturday activities. The final day's program will also feature arm wrestling and tug-of- war events. Contestants for the talent show and Miss Friedsburg contest are asked to contact Theresa McCann at 237.3387 or Donna Hoffman at 237-3763. Liberal incumbent Jack Riddell rode to victory easily in Huron-Middlesex Thursday despite a tough campaign race with Progressive Conservative Anson McKinley. "I thought that it would be closer this time", said Riddell. "Some of the high command people who got Anson to run had hoped to win the riding back (for the conservatives)", he said. Riddell increased his majority from the 1975 election by 92 votes with 3,871 votes separating McKinley and Riddell. PC candidate Jim Haytet was defeated by 3,779 votes during the 1975 election contest against Riddell, Riddell received 12,749 votes compared to 8,878 for McKinley and 1,405 for New Democrat candidate Shirley Weary. Riddell cited hospital closings and lack of faith in the Davis "Everyone has been a great help," Johns commented, Busy day Saturday was also a busy day for the local firemen. A work crew was on hand taking water to pour on the rodeo ring for the annual Quarter Horse Show, while other members engaged in their annual department golf tournament. During those activities, they responded to a fire at the farm of Exeter Police Chief Ted Day this week asked local residents to help the department curtail the activities of youngsters who have been setting fires at several locations, He said anyone seeing youngsters playing with matches or playing in laneways or at the rear of local stores should call the police. During the past week, four incidents have been investigated, and while damage was minimal in each, a considerable danger did exist, On Friday night, a fire was started at the rear door of Hopper-Hockey Furniture. The door was scorched but the fire apparently died out before any serious damage could occur. A camping trailer parked beside Graham Arthur Motors was also broken intp early Exeter Kinsmen sponsored a bicycle rodeo Saturday for kindergarten through grade eight students. Mark Amos and Mike McKid won the kindergarten through grade two class. The grade three and four class went to John Griffin, Karen 'Richard won the Shirley Weary received 1405 votes Thursday compared to 2008 NDP votes in 1975. McKinley said the large anti- government vote was caused by hospital closings, arena closings, and condemnation of grand- stands by the provincial Con- servative government. "There were just too many things of this nature and we had a really strong incumbent to compete against", he said. McKinley also cited the return of incumbents in other ridings as evidence of a wider electoral trend, Weary suggested several reasons for the decreased ND? turnout but agreed that the Anti- government vote went towards Riddell instead of the NDP, "A number of NDP people were very concerned that they would rather have Jack Riddell there (in Queens Park) than Anson Hedley May on Highway 4 south of Exeter, A trash fire ignited some grass and then started a chicken house on fire. The building, which was not used, was allowed to burn to the ground and firemen stayed at the scene to ensure that none of the other buildings caught fire. After those three outings, the firemen enjoyed a social evening on Saturday to close off their golf tournament. Saturday morning and the cur- tains were set on fire, The cur- tains burned about half way up. A motor home was also entered and three windows were broken in the camper, Total damage was set at $200. Two fires were also reported along the wooden fence behind the Bank of Montreal property, although again no damage was reported. Chief Day noted that the in- cidents could have been serious and suggested parents should warn children about the dangers of playing with matches and setting fires. One theft and two other acts of vandalism were also reported during the week. A Canadian flag was stolen from the home of Ted Pooley and two windows were broken at Exeter Public School when stones were tossed through them on Thursday night. grade live and six class with Sharon Skinner winning the senior, grade seven and eight class award, About 30 public and separate school children turned out to test their ability to steer and balance their bicycles at the rodeo Saturday. McKinley", she,said. Weary said the nature of Huron-Middlesex riding was also a reason for low NDP turnout at the polls. "We've never been a hotbed of what you call social democracy and I doubt if we (Huron- Middlesex) ever will be", she said. The Village of Lucan was the only area where Riddell was defeated in Huron-Middlesex, McKinley defeated Riddell by 29 votes in Wean where Riddell had been defeated by ten votes in 1975. Riddell defeated McKinley by 35 votes in Stanley Township where McKinley has been in- valved in Municipal polities for the past 15 years. 75.7 percent of the electorate turned out at the polls to vote for the three Huron-Middlesex candidates. He has suggested a workshop for men and the use of the up- stairs auditorium for senior groups. Assistance from New Horizons is available if programs or facilities for senior citizens are included. The town police department is still a tenant at the hall, although the Foundation was advised originally they would terminate their occupancy at the end of May, An extension of one month was approved. Venner. Young fire bugs? Posts largest margin ever Riddell easily retains riding