HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1978-01-05, Page 4Times-Advocate, January 5, 1978
O P I N I O IM
Standing at the portals
Well, here we §re embarking upon a
brand new year, and as usual it will be met
with varying hopes by the residents of the
area. There will be those who will be hop
ing for a repeat of their good fortune over
the past 12 months, while others will want
to see something entirely different.
The past year was certainly one of
many ups and downs.
Among the high points were the open
ing of the new rec centre in Exeter and a
swimming pool at Kirkton. In fact, recrea
tion facilities consumed a considerable
amount of everyone’s time as canvasses
were conducted in Hensail and Lucan and
progress on those two facilities is progress
ing as planned.
Exeter continued to experience a
building boom, in sharp contrast to most
areas of the nation. Two new wells were
also opened in Usborne to provide for more
growth in the future.
Among the projects approved in Ex
eter, of course, is the new shopping plaza.
That in itself may be considered as a high
point for some and yet get a marking on the
other end of the scale from others.
It certainly ranked closely behind the
new rec centre in the area of public debate.
The citizens of Grand Bend started the
past year off with banner headlines and
finished in much the same way as dis
cussions got underway for “boundary ad
justments’’. That too constituted a high or
low point, depending on one’s position in
the debate.
Among the Iqw points, the weather
again took top honors. Area residents battl
ed one of the most severe winters on record
to start off the year and then saw crops rot
in the fields as rains inundated the area in
the fall.
It was not a good year for the majority
of farmers, and because the economy of the
area hinges on their success, everyone was
affected by their adversities.
*
But all that is now history and we must
turn our attention to the future. What will it
hold for the area in 1978?
For the residents of Hensall and Lucan,
it should see the official opening of their
completed recreation centres. Certainly
that will be a proud moment in the life of
those two communities.
Among the major events for the com
ing year will probably be the disposition of
the annexation discussions in Grand Bend.
Those talks could suffer a slow death or
by Richard Charles I
they could result in some controversy
which will affect residents in Bosanquet
and Stephen.
This will also be an election year for
municipal councils and school boards and
those usually prove to be interesting
events.
But basically, little is known of the
year that is ahead. The pessimists have all
sorts of predictions of doom and gloom,
while those who are more optimistic
suggest that the economy should show
slight signs of recovery.
In this area, residents will realize
again just how much their fortunes swing
on the whims of the weather and making
predictions in that area are impossible.
Hopefully, there will be a vast im
provement over last year, although cer
tainly farmers will have to make some
monumental decisions in the next couple of
months as they attempt to guess what
crops will pay the biggest dividends with <
the least risk come harvest time. Some will.
suggest that they may as well flip a coin,
indicating that it is an industry which re-'
quires as much luck as good business sense.
There is also an indication that we
could see a federal election some time in
the next 12 months, although most people
have come to the conclusion that it matters
very little which party holds the balance of
power in Ottawa. Out taxes keep going Up
regardless, and there are the usual con
troversies and scandals.
However, one of the most important
votes in this nation’s history could also take
place. That, of course, would be the Quebec
referendum on separation. Debate con
tinues on what effect that would have on
Canada and Quebec, but it appears general
ly agreed by most experts that it would do
irreparable damage to both. It will be an
issue everyone will be watching with con
siderable interest.
On the international scene, there is
strengthening hope for peace in the Middle
East, but this could be offset by more
problems in Africa.
It always seems that what is gained on
one hand is often lost on the other, and
perhaps that will be a continuing situation
in the 12 months ahead.
However, we trust it will bring you
peace, good health and happiness . . . and
remember, you may have more opportuni
ty to shape the course of events than you
realize. After all, solving the problems of
the world often starts right at home.
IL >
r _ .
Are you sure this is the way to go ice fishing?
The writer was among those
who looked proudly upon the
opening of the South Huron rec
centre. After all, it was a
magnificent facility and would
serve the area well for years to
come.
However, our opinion of the
structure changed drastically
last week after completing our
duties as director for the annual
novice hockey tournament.
In short, the damn thing
much too big!
That conclusion came in
is
Touchiness of modern society
Don’t you get a little tired of
the touchiness of modem society
in which, no matter where you
step, it’s on somebody’s toes, no
matter what you say or write,
it’s a slur on someone’s
background, color, creed or con
victions?
About the only areas left in
which one may chance a remark
without fear of inflicting abound
are politics and sex.
It’s extremely difficult to in
flict even a bruise on a politician.
He must have a fat ego in the
first place, and he quickly ac
quires a brass hide to go with it.
Add an ability to talk out of both
sides of the mouth at once, and a
certain skill in straddling fences,
and you have cabinet material.
In the field of sex, there don’t
seem to be any limits any more
to what can be said, presented or
simulated. Movies, magazines
and theatre club us over the head
with raw, unembellished sex, or
seek to titillate the spook in each
of us with highly-embellished,
freaky sex until the whole once-
exciting subject has become a
crashing bore.
Aside from sex and politics
then, there is scarcely an aspect
of the human scene where even
angels fear to tread, lest they
step on someone’s sensibilities.
Ethnic jokes are out, black is
beautiful, gefillte fish is glorious,
Rhodesia is rotten, poor people
are more noble than rich people,
gay is gorgeous, and the only real
sin is to be old.
Lord forbid that we should
ever go back to the days when a
Catholic was a “mick” or a
"dogan,” a black person was a
“nigger,” an Italian was a
“wop,” a Chinese was a “chink,”
and so on.
But I do get heartily sick of a
society in which you have to
tippy-toe all the time for fear of
offending some touchy minority,
or trespassing inadvertently on
someone’s weird religious af
filiations.
We are developing into a socie
ty with a snobbish sort of reverse
prejudice in which everybody is
leaning over backwards in order
to appear not even to be
breathing on anyone else.
As a result, we are losing much
of that good old Canadian
crustiness and turning into a na
tion of nice nellies in whose
mouths margarine wouldn’t
melt.
Even our media reflect this
trend in our society. With few ex
ceptions, our newspapers are as
bland as blanc mange. The
letters to the editor have more
bite, than are often better
written, than the editorials.
Our magazines are either
tiresomely “liberal” or narrowly
nationalistic, or both. Tied in
tight bundles, they make better
firewood than they do reading
matter.
Television and radio news
reporting, most of it culled from
the late editions of newspapers,
is incredibly unimaginative and
repetitious. TV programs, on the
whole, are pure pap, offensive by
being so inoffensive.
Public figures are so frighten
ed of offending somebody or los
ing a few votes, that their public
utterances come out as mush
wrapped in marshmallow.
What this country, and this
society, need is a good dash of
cold water from somewhere, to
wake us from our mind-numbing,
paralyzing “niceness.”
We need a Bob Edwards or a
Grattan O’Leary to jolt us with
some honest vituperation, some
colorful name-calling, some hard
facts, and some common sense.
We need some politicians with
guts, who don’t give a diddle for
the popularity polls, and who
would give us the facts of life '
without any sugar coating,
We need some educators with
backbone to tell the people who ;
claim that Huckleberry Finn is
racist and The Merchant of
Venice is anti-semitic and Catch-
22 is dirty and The Diviners is
disgusting, to go fly a kite.
We need about 10,000 fewer
smart-ass commentators on
what is wrong with this country,
and few hundred honest men or
women to tell us what is right
with it.
We need far fewer
"reasonable” people arid a heck
of a lot more “unreasonable”
people, who would refuse to
accept something just becausq
it’s always been done that way,
or someone might be upset if
things were changed.
We need some thundering
editorials, some pulpits pounded,
some stiff jail sentences for
racism, some honesty in high
places.
We certainly don’t need a
“good war’’ or a “good
depression” to make Canadians
stop whining and bitching and
mealy-mouthing, but we certain
ly need a “good” something to
turn us back into the sturdy, in
dividualistic people we used to
be.
I haven’t the answers. I’m no
prophet. But I’m sick to the ears
of a society that thinks: old peo
ple are a nuisance; young people
are never a nuisance; super
markets are sexy; social
workers can make miracles: and
everybody is as good as
everybody else.
Perhaps if you agree with me
to some extent, you would enjoy
reading The Golden Age of B.S.
by Fred C. Dobbs. It’s rambling
and it’s coarse in spots, but it’s
right on.
a
stiffening message from our
legs. They had been required to
walk up and down the dressing
room corridors about four times
during each of the 25 tournament
games, plus additional trips
through the auditorium where
the young hockey players were
being fed.
Alvin Willert tells us that the
ice surfacing equipment travels
about half a mile each time it
prepares the ice and while we
questioned his mathematics at
one time, we now realize he was
probably underestimating the
distance.
However, area residents will
be happy to know that most of
the 700 people who attended the
tournament were high in their
praise of the facility. They came
from throughout Western On
tario and as far away as
Burlington and most comments
indicated they had never been in
a facility that could equal ours.
The look of envy on the faces of
the many visitors made one
realize that the hard work under
taken by so many area residents
was certainly worth the effort.
see or hear a coach or manager
raise a serious objection,
although obviously in that many
games there had to be occasions
on which the refs missed a few
calls.
All the players behaved
themselves remarkably well in
their off-ice time as well and
some of the ladies who prepared
the meal report that some of the'
youngsters went out of their way
after eating to say a word of
thanks.
All in all, it was a thrilling ex
perience to see hockey played in
the true sense of sportsmanship.
Perhaps the most disappoin
ting aspect of the event was the
fact that so few area people
attended any of the games. We
can advise them they missed
some excellent hockey and some
of the most exciting games
we’ve seen in some time. Many
of the games went into overtime
and the ability displayed by these
seven and eight year olds is
simply astounding.
* * *
..Times Established 1873
* * *
While those comments were
encouraging, they had to take a
back seat to the general health of
minor hockey on the whole, it’s a
sport that has been much malign
ed at times, but our faith was
completely restored after work
ing with some 300 boys, eight
referees and about 75 coaches
and managers at the tourna
ment.
It may come as a surprise to
some people, but the entire 25
games were played without one
argument or altercation, on or
off the ice. The only injury that
resulted in a player having to
leave the game was a simple
case of “cold feet” with a goalie
who didn’t get enough action to
keep the blood flowing properly.
Naturally, there were a few
“cat calls” from the stands for
the referees, but never did we
While our legs deserved a long
rest after the event, that unfor
tunately was not to be. Our
teenage Sunday school class had
planned a snowshoe outing to
Archie Webber’s bush on the day
after the tournament.
For people who may not have
been out for a walk on Wednes
day, we can advise them that
there was a strong wind blowing
to add to the rather cool
temperatures and it was not a
day on which anyone in his right
mind would consider hiking for
some two miles.
However, accompanied by 11
teens and the better half, we urg
ed our tired legs on against the
wind and finally made it to the
destination where a warm fire in
a snowmobile shack was one of
the most welcome sights we’ve
seen for some time.
Displaying his bushman’s
talents, Bevan Shapton soon had
a roaring fire outside as well and
it wasn’t long before our
appetites were rewarded with
some hot dogs cooked (or in most
cases, ■ charred) over an open
flame.
The real treat was yet to come
as the gals set about making
some taffy for an old-fashioned
taffy pull. It was the writer’s
first experience with this
delicacy, and despite the lack of
all the modern conveniences to
which they are normally ac
customed, the cooks performed
their duties to the ultimate
degree.
Such fun we had! Playing tug
of war with the sticky taffy until
it tuned milky white and then
laying it in the cool snow to
harden into long strings that
were simply mouth watering.
It’s an experience everyone
should undertake.
The only unfortunate aspect of
such outings is the fact that one
must retrace his steps to get
back to his point of departure.
Fortunately, the wind helped
blow us along and we’re certain
we wouldn’t have made it home
without that assistance.
It’s certainly great to be back
sitting at our typewriter. Now if
there was just a motor on the
wheels of this chair we could
possibly get our copy to the back
shop for typesetting.
How come we don’t have any
copy boys around here, Mr.
Publisher? Some of us are begin-
ing to show our age!
How are you doing?
You heqr a lot nowadays about the need to save energy.
So, what do you think? Perhaps you are bothered by what
you might ge* into if you become serious about saving
energy. A few short questions printed below may help you
to sort out your ideas. But first, we need one answer before
the rest can make sense.
What do we mean by energy? It’s the source of heating
and cooling, lighting and motive power on which our
homes, transportation, industries, farms and businesses
depend in everyday life. We draw it mainly from fossil fuels
(oil, gas and coal), water power and nuclear reactors: to a
lesser extent from wood: and to a small but increasing
extent from sunshine, wind, tides and hot springs. Of
course, almost all of this energy originates from the sun.
Now for some yes-and-no questions that you might ask
yourself. (No prizes: we’re trying to save, not spend,
remember? )
■ Do you think the talk about an energy shortage is a lot
of nonsense?
- Can we go on using more and more energy as long as we
can pay for it?
If we soon use up the world’s available stock of fossil
fuels, can we just switch to other sources of energy and
continue as before?
- To make a worthwhile saving in energy, do we have to
ruin our standard of living?
- Is the call to save energy aimed only at “the little guy”,
while big users like industry and government go free?
If you have answered “no” so far, you must be on the
right track.
- Can you save money through saving energy?
Is it enough if you save energy simply by finding ways to
stop wasting it?
Can you save energy without making your home too
cold (or too hot)?
- Are there ways of driving a car without being considered
a waster? a
Can labour-saving devices be used in conjunction with
energy-saving ideas?
You probably won’t be surprised to learn that the best
answer to those questions is “yes”.
- If your home insulated at least to the minimum recom
mended level?
- Is your home heating system cleaned and serviced at
least once a year?
Do you draw only the amount of hot water you need
when you do the washing, take a bath or shower, and so
on?
Do you make a habit of switching off lights that are not
in use?
- Are you prepared to give up your bid for the local
championship in the amount of garbage you throw out?
Do you try to save energy away from home: on the job,
at school, wherever you go?
Only a saint or a born liar could give a solid “yes” to this
last group of questions, but perhaps you haven’t said a flat
“no” either.
This interrogation may have raised still more questions
' in your mind. Don’t worry. You can get answers by sending
for a copy of 100 ways to save energy and money in the
home to Box 3500, Station C, Ottawa, Ontario, K 1Y 4G 1,
and by looking out fo- this series of newspaper columns
called “Energy Savers”.
One question you don’t need to ask is: “Who, me?” This
is for the young, old, married, single, property owners,
tenants ■ the lot.
. ... ,-fr ........... y..:
Advocate Established 1 881
Iimes - Advocate
Serving South Huron, North M;ddlesev K A North Umbton Since 117)
SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND
C.W.N.A., O.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— Bill Weekley
Composition Manager —- Harry DeVries
Business Manager — Dick Jongkind
Phone 235-1331
(♦CNA
subsc.......
HELLO
1918-^
... -J
We're popping up
with warmest wishes
to all for the Year.
Amalgamated 1924
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
down memory lane
55 Years Ago
A local hockey league of six
teams has been formed to play a
series of gardes. They will go by
the ngmes of High' School, cap
tain W. Lawson; Midgets, cap
tain E. Wells; Alerts, captain, C.
Davis; Stars, captain, V. Pin-
combe; Maple Leaves, Captain,
L. Hill; Rovers, captain, E.
Preszcator.
A new cafe has been opened in
Exeter in the building south of
Lawson’s jewellery store and
formerly occupied by Miss
•Armstrong. The building has
been fitted"up in a very at
tractive style and is in charge of
two Chinamen.
Mr. Theodore Grey, London,
has been engaged as organist of
' James St. Methodist Church.
Mr. Silas McFalls of the
Molsons Bank staff, St. Marys,
has been transferred to the
branch of that bank at Centralia.
30 Years Ago
Elmer D. Bell was appointed a
King’s Council in the New Year
list. He was recently elected
president of the Exeter Chamber
of Commerce.
Several residents, who spent
the New Year holiday in other
centres experienced great dif
ficulty in returning home owing
to the violent storm which swept
through Western Ontario on New
Year’s Day.
At the inaugural meeting of the
fOY\E5TKr
inpustcial
□ a
0
public school trustees held in the
office of the secretary, W. H.
Hodgson, W. E. Middleton was
re-elected chairman with R. E.
Russell, vice-chairman.
A capacity crowd packed the
convention hall at Hensall on
Wednesday afternoon and chose
Thomas Pryde as the standard
bearer for the Progressive-
Conservative party in the by
election for the Huron riding on
February 16.
20 Years Ago
Attending in a body the funeral
of the late Thomas Pryde, Huron
MLA who died in Victoria
Hospital, London, on Sunday
were Premier Leslie Frost and
members of his cabinet, mem
bers of Huron County Council,
Exeter Council and Exeter Lions.
Premier Frost paid sincere
tributte to Tom Pryde in which he
Snowmobiles are heavy I Keep
them on land surfaces!
said “He was a man of great
integrity and sound principle”.
Over 120,000 cards and letters
were handled by the Exeter post
office during December.
A $3,000 loss in the operation of
SHDHS cafeteria was discussed
by the School Board at the first
meeting of the year Tuesday
night.
15 Years Ago
Mr. 1963, the first New Year’s
baby at South Huron arrived at
4:14 New Year’s morning. He is
Trevor Glenn English 6 lb. 14 and
three-quarter oz. son of LAC and
Mrs. Ronald English, Exeter.
A member of last year’s Bid-
dulph township council, John
Bryan, RR 3, Granton, has
challenged the incumbent reeve,
Harold Wallis, RR 1, Granton,
who has held that position for two
years.
Zone commander Doug
Andrews, Clinton, installed the
new executives of Hensall Legion
and ladies’ auxiliary Wednesday
night. The new Legion president
is Jack Simmons and auxiliary
president is Mrs. William Smale.
Exeter Pee-Wees defeated
Wheatley 7-2 to bring home the
“C” title from the fifth annual
international puck tourney at
Leamington last week.
A memorial window was
dedicated recently at Holy
Trinity Church, Lucan, by D. A.
Ashworth in memory of his Wife.