HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1978-09-14, Page 1A big dream becomes reality as
Lucan Community Centre opens
“1 had a dream, but, this
one became a reality”.
Those were the words of
Gerry Van Bussel at
Saturday’s official opening
of the Lucan Community
Centre. He had plenty of
reason to be proud of this
accomplishment. Not only is
he board chairman, but, he
was project manager. Most
of the work was handled by
Van Bussel Construction
The guest speaker
Ontario’s former Minister of
Agriculture W. A. Stewart
paid tribute to the Van
Bussel family saying,
“Without their dedication
and interest as a family we
wouldn’t have this.”
He continued, “It’s a
historic occasion. I’m very,
very proud. I was terribly
annoyed when the old arena
was condemned, This
building should stand to
serve generations still un
born." Stewart concluded,
“A community that pulls
together sticks together and
that typifies Lucan.
Reeve Ivan Hearn
Lucan said, “This was
community effort, not
Lucan effort. There was
never a mill of (axes against
the old arena and this one
will also be completely paid
for.”
Hearn said the large
auditorium where the
banquet was held Saturday
will pay for itself in sports
revenue. He added, “We get
more from volleyball,
basketball, etc. than
from dances.
Huron-Middlesex
Jack Riddell said,
demning of the old arena was
probably the best thing that
ever happened. This is an
excellent facility and it
proves what community
spirit can do.”
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AT SECOND OPENING — Burt Gidley was at the organ
playing preliminary to Saturday's official opening of the
Lucan Community Centre. He also was with a band that
played at the opening of the first arena in 1950. Shown
above with the musician is Clare Stanley who was master of
ceremonies. T-A photo
In talking about the old
arena which was closed
down by the Ministry of
Labour, Gerry Van Bussel
said, “It was rejected only
on design of trusses and not
on faulty workmanship.”
Van Bussel paid special
tribute to Murray Hodgins
who has been arena board
treasurer for the past 25
years. Hodgins who had
promised to stay on as
treasurer until the project
was completed received a
standing ovation from the
crowd of over 250 persons.
Bob Collins representing
the Ontario Ministry of
Recreation and Culture
agreed with everyone saying
“it’s a tremendous com
munity venture”.
Collins said of the 1.2
million dollar expenditure
$246,000 came from Com
munity Centre grants and
$647,000 from Wintario.
Master of ceremonies
Clare Stanley read clippings
of June 30, 1950 from the
London Free Press when the
original arena was opened.
In 1950, the townships of
Biddulph and London were
represented on the Lucan
arena board by reeves Dobbs
and Bloomfield. The present
board members are their
sons, reeve Fred Dobbs of
Biddulph and reeve Garnet
Bloomfield of London
township.
Other speakers at the
opening were Middlesex
warden Aubrey McCallum,
Jack Dorman of McGillivray
township. Attending as
honored guests were
members of the building
committee of the old arena.
They were George Paul,
Emerson Stanley, Alex
Young, Harold Corbett who
was then reeve of Lucan and
Mrs. Viola Carter. Her late
husband Ken was a member.
Late Saturday night more
than 600 attended the
Diamond Lil Revue and
show.
Lucan councillor Norman
Steeper welcomed some 200
guests to the Ecumenical
church service Sunday read
by Rev. Ray Brewster, and
all of the Lucan Revival
Center. The St. Patrick’s
Choir under the direction of
Frank Heanan sang unac
companied and then Frank
was joined on guitars
To auction
rodeo ring
Thanks to a lot of Volunteer
labour, the last remains of
the Exeter rodeo ring have
been torn down at Exeter
Community Park.
The salvaged materials
will go under the auc- .
tioneer’s hammer Saturday sa^
morning at 9 a.m. Norm a''°'
Whiting will be calling for
bids.
by
Cindy and Lisa Vander Loo,
Marianne Martens and
Jackie Van Den Boomen
with the choir singing
“Though the Mountain May
Fall”.
Rev. Keith Brown of the
Lucan United Church read
the New Testament Lesson
and Lori Noyes of the Holy
Trinity Anglican Church
added much to the service as
she sang “It Took a Miracle”
and “I Walked With God”.
She was accompanied by
Mrs. Clarence Hardy.
Rev. John Hofland read
the lesson and commented
on the building on a “rock”
and the United Church mens
choir sang an arrangement
of “All Hail the Power of
Jesus’ name” accompanied
by Helen Brown.
Father McGraw thanked
all who had taken part, the
ministers, the musicians and
most important those who
had come for the dedication.
A beef barbeque was held
Sunday afternoon with
several hundred persons
passing through the doors.
The Lucan Community
Arena Board would like to
’""v “Thank You” to
everyone who worked in any
way for any of the functions
held over the weekend.
TURN SOD FOR CCAT RESIDENCE — The official sod turning ceremony for a new student residence at Centralia College of
Agricultural Technology was held Monday morning. Above, Minister of Government Services MPP Lome Henderson supervises
as Huron-Middlesex MPP Jack Riddell turns a sod. A number of the visiting dignitaries took their turn. In the background are
Lambton Warden Jack MacDonald, College Principal Jim McDonald, Middlesex Warden Aubrey McCallum, Exeter Mayor
Bruce Shaw, Stephen Reeve Cecil Desjardine, Ontario Minister of Agriculture Bill Newman and Huron Warden Gerry
Ginn. Staff photoGinn.
Usborne agrees to
fire reserve fund
At its September meeting,
Usborne township council
agreed to participate in a
reserve fund for the Exeter
and area fire board.
An agreement will be set
up by the town of Exeter and
Usborne will contribute
$1,200 per year for the
purpose of purchasing
replacement fire fighting
equipment.
A bylaw which provides
for the acceptance of
assistance from the Ministry
of the Environment up to an
amount of $3,000 for im
provements to the waste
disposal site was passed.
Building inspector Her
man Van Wieren reported
that building permits
valued at $267,500 were
issued during the month of
August and 28 inspections
made.
Two financial bylaws were
given approval. They
provide for interim financing
of purchase of the Webber
farm of up to $190,000 and
spreading payment of the
1977 WABCO grader over a
five year period by means of
a long term bank loan.
Huron County planner
Gary Davidson will be ad
vised that council has no
objection to modifications to
the township’s secondary
plan as suggested by the
Ontario Ministry of Housing.
Five tile drain loan ap
plications for a total of
$65,100 were approved.
A grant of $100 was made
to the Huron Federation of
Agriculture.
IT S FALL
FAIR TIME
Arrangements are being
quickly finalized for the
124th edition of the Exeter
Fall Fair set for Friday and
Saturday, September 22 and
23.
The fair opens on the Fri
day night with a talent show
and selection of the Fair
Queen as two of the
highlights.
Any girls wishing to enter
the Queen competition
should contact Alice or
Gerry MacLean at 235-0800.
Local jeweller Earl
Campbell is providing $100
for‘three door prizes to be
awarded at the Friday night
show at the South Huron Rec
Centre.
The fair will be officially
opened Friday night by
Huron’s newly crowned
Queen of the Furrow, Anne
Stewart of Seaforth.
The Saturday afternoon
activities will start with a
parade leaving the Snell
Bros, lot at 12:30 p.m.,
Norm Whiting is in charge
of the parade.
Special attractions at the
fairgrounds Saturday after
noon will be gospel singing,
a pony pull, miniature
threshing demonstration, a
tug-of-war and the sale of 4-
H calves.
Roy Pepper is 1978 fair
president and Pat Down
ladies president.
Come to the Fair!
One Hundred and Fifth Year
imes - Advocate
Serving South Huron, North Middlesex
- .■ 'a •
& North Lambton Since 1873
EXETER, ONTARIO, SEPTEMBER 14, 1978
is
JUNIOR STRENGTH — During the intermission ot the tug-of-war contest at the Kirkton Fair
two youngsters decided to show their strength. They are Katie Paul and Mary Ellen
Thompson. T-A photo
Cars damage park grass
Occurences investigated
this week by officers of the
Exeter police department
concerned two accidents,
theft of an automobile
contents and damage to
Riverview Park,
The theft occurred at the
arena parking lot when John
Munn, RR 2 Hensall reported
24 tape decks valued at $150
were missing from his car.
Constable George Robertson
is investigating,
Friday vehicles driven by
lister Chan, London and
Susan Regier, Crediton
collided on the Zehr’s
parking I ot at the in
tersection of Highways 4 and
83. Constable Robertson set
damages at $380.
A vehicle owned by Robert
Burns,173 Mill street,
Exeter was struck by an
while
parked at the rear of the
Pizza Factory. Constable
Kevin Short set damages at
$350.
Any persons having in
formation regarding
vehicles driving on the grass
at the park are asked to call
the police office at 235-1235.
unknown vehicle
Price Per Copy 25 Cents
To make decision Monday Or will they?
Objections raised on new zoning bylaw
While Exeter’s mayor
Bruce Shaw termed the draft
proposal of the town’s new
zoning bylaw as only a
“suggestion” for the town’s
future growth, a meeting of
about 65 people Wed
nesday night had more than
just a few comments about
the document which every
property owner in town
received a few weeks ago.
At the meeting which was
held at the South Huron
Recreation Centre, several
objections were
the proposed
property in the
Main Street
Wellington and
and the property along
Thames Road.
Prior to the start of the
raised about
zoning of
area along
between
Hill street
meeting which had in at
tendance several members
of council and represen
tatives from the ministry of
housing and the Huron
. county planning, department,
Shaw said the purpose of the
meeting was to attempt to
determine the weaknesses of
both the zoning bylaw and
the town’s official plan.
“Both documents attempt to
provide some type
regulated growth for
town,” Shaw said.
First to speak at
gathering was Gabby
owner of Sherwood Limited
located at the corner of
Wellington and Main.
Mol said his property
which is designated com
mercial under the existing
of
the
the
Mol
bylaw had been changed to
residential on the new zoning
bylaw map. “Is that the way
its going to be?” Mol asked.
Shaw replied that both
Mol’s property and the par
lot operated by George
Dobbs on the same corner
would receive status zoning
although that was not in
dicated on the map.
Both parties would be
allowed to expand under the
special status Shaw stated.
Mol said he was concerned
that some future council
could change the status that
was granted by a previous
council.
Gary Davidson, head of
the Huron county planning
department when contacted
by the T-A after the meeting
said although such a move
was theoretically possible it
rarely happened.
In such a case, the Ontario
Municipal Board would
likely support the property
owner since he did have a
legal use of the property at
the time the bylaw was
passed.
When Mol asked why his
property could not be left
zoned commercial, Shaw
replied there were some
commercial uses
not compatible
residential area.
Mol contended
area along Wellington street
had always been com
mercial and that a change to
that were
with a
that the
residential status was not
proper.
Mol said he was not
satisfied with status zoning
and requested a change to
comjnercial zoning. _
Dobbs said “Status zoning' MacFarlane Real Estate
just isn’t satisfactory.” He
said that the corner of
Wellington on both sides of
Main Street had been
commercial many years ago
and that things have
changed little since then.
He said Wellington street
was the only street in town
where there were en
terprises that ran along an
east-west tangent.
Status zoning is an “iffy”
status and if zoned as such,
Dobbs said he would suffer a
loss in land value.
Dobbs requested that his
property be zoned com
mercial.
Tim MacFarlane, of Tim
made a similar request for
his property saying that the
converted dwelling which he
now uses an offipe would
have little value as a
residential property con
sidering its location between
businesses owned by Norm
Whiting and Ben
boom.
Later on in the
Whiting spoke
requested that his property
— Please turn to Page 3
Hoogen-
meeting,
up and
Union drops strike charges
against Riddell, policeman
Charges resulting out of
the six month strike at Fleck
Manufacturing against
Fleck, its vice-president
Grant Turner, OPP con
stable William MacIntyre
and MPP Jack Riddell have
been dropped by the United
Auto Workers.
Union lawyer Len
MacLean told provincial
Judge William cochrane
Monday the UAW did not in-
tend to proceed with the
charges, laid under the
Labor Relations Act during
a tempestuous 162-day strike
at the Huron Park auto parts
plant.
The strike was settled
Aug. 15.
The union had charged all
four with interfering with a
labor union.
Fleck and Turner faced
additional charges under a
First sod turned
for CCAT residence
Ontario’s Minister of
Agriculture William
Newman and Minister of
Government Services Lome
Henderson were at Centralia
College of Agricultural
Technology Monday mor
ning to turn the sod for a new
students’ residence.
Taking turns with the
shovel in addition to the two
ministers were Huron-
Middlesex MPP Jack Rid
dell, Exeter mayor Bruce
Shaw, Huron warden Gerry
Ginn, Middlesex warden
Aubrey McCallum, Lambton
warden Jack MacDonald,
Stephen reeve Cecil
Desjardine and CCAT
principal Jim MacDonald.
Matassa Contractors
Limited submitted the
lowest of four bids received,
the high being $2,955,000.
The students’ residence
which will be a single
structure approximately
57,000 square feet in total
area, is required by the
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food to provide modern and
expanded facilities for the
year round use of students at
the College.
It will contain a series of
five “pods” each providing
accommodation for forty
students and one supervisor.
The pods will be linked by an
internal walkway at ground
level. This walkway will
adjoin a students’ lounge
located in each pod, allowing
for social interaction while
maintaining a “community
atmosphere”.
The main entrance to the
residence will be combined
with that of the existing
Huron Hall. This entrance
will lead directly to a
common administration
area which will contain
offices, an infirmary, change
rooms, and a manager’s
apartment.
Work on the contract will
start immediately and
completion is expected by
September, 1980.
portion of the act which for
bids “intimidation or coer
cion to compel any person to
become or refrain from
being...a union member.”
The charges presented the
first time a trade union had
laid charges against a police
officer and a member of the
provincial legislature under
the labor Relations Act.
MacLean quickly left the
courthouse, refusing to
answer questions from
reporters on why the
charges were dropped.
“I really can’t »talk to
you...I really haven’t
anything to say.”
But Doug Glynn, the un
ion’s public relations direc
tor, said in a telephone inter
view from Toronto that the
union felt conflicts between
persons directly and in
directly involved in the
strike had continued long
enough.
“We see no point to push
this any further,” said
Glynn, “we see no point in
pursuing this, for it would
create even more problems
and there have been enough
problems in this entire dis
pute.”
The union had revealed
last month it would drop
charges if the company tried
to influence the OPP to drop
charges against strikers
which were initiated by the
company.
However, 29 persons still
faced charges Monday and
Huron Crown Attorney
Garry Hunter said: “We’ll
definitely be proceeding
with some of them.”
The charges include wilful
damage, obstructing police,
mischief and assaulting a
police officer.
YOUNGEST AT FAIR — One of the youngest visitors to
Saturday's Kirkton Fair was nine months old Steve Denham.
Tornado hits
Stephen barn
A miniature tornado
struck briefly in a small
area of Stephen township
Monday morning.
At about 7 a.m. high winds
flattened a large barn on the
Lot 13, Concession 11 farm
of Frank Regier. It’s located
about half mile north of the
Stephen Central School.
Mrs. Lucille Ayotte who
resides in the house on the
farm said the storm was
short-lived but winds were
strong. She added, “I was
afraid the house was going
to go, too.”
The heavy rains which ac
companied the storm were
limited to a very narrow
area as bean harvesting was
underway the same morning
only a half mile to the north.
STEPHEN TOWNSHIP BARN FLATTENED BY WIND