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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1980-08-13, Page 3Announcement Mr. J. M. Cunningham wishes to announce the appointment, of Donald, Johnson as' Manager of TOPNOTCH FEEDS LIMITED, BrUssels, Ontario. Don has been employed With the company for 13 years as a sales representative in the Wroxeter area and brings to this position many years Of practical experience in all aspects of agriculture. Don and his wife Wit are presently living at RR2 Mildmay. OF POPCORN PER CAR! BROWNIE'S DRIVE-IN THEATRE LTD BEECH ST. CLINTON BOX OFFICE OPENS AT 8:30 P.M: FIRST SHOW AT DUSK NO PASSES MAME STRIKES BACK ALSO'— BREAKING AWAY ADULT Special Nights ENTERTAINMENT • FRI:, SAT.. AND SUN. AUG. 15,.16, 17 SOFT. DRINKS 25° THURS. AUG. 14 AND TUES., AUG. 19 ONLY ONE FREE BUCKET ~ilM 0:41.44,4,14,044,,w00,!wk",4444,44vttlf41,44,444444.4144.04.4,4441:tttttP4PPAIAwl,t0,4'..."4300441144,7:444fy.4.,4:4444444444-44:14,44.z4:04,444441.447.4amOratw.N.4,4 1•101.1.101111_,....1•101110•91,14 •..; •6 11I 4.;.` wilding inspector -r49."1"."1!"1""—THE, BRUSSELS POST,AUGUST 13, 1980 HEY, SHE'S TAKING MY PICTURE—Young Jonathan Van-Ankum at first was the only one of this group of happy eaters who noticed that he was getting his picture taken. He was just one of many who enjoyed a meal at tahe Huron County Cattlemen's Association's beef barbecue on Wednesday night. (Photo by Ranney) Continued from page 1 bringing it up for Mr. Exel's comments and that they didn't want to do anything without conferring with him. NOT COURT CASES "Mr. Exel then said the present council was not there when he was hired, when he had. said he'd write the forms, but did not want to be the chief building official and wanted nothig to do with lawyers or court cases. Councillor Gord Workman then asked Mr. Exel if the previous council had not outlined his responsibilities. Mr. Exel said he told council that he was not going to be their police officer and it was agreed then that what he'd said he would do was sufficient. Councillor Workman also asked about some of the $25,000 and $30,000 building permits that had come to council for the I building of new homes. "You can't build a house for that," he } said. Reeve Krauter said it would be better when Mr. Exel was making out . a building permit to see if a building met all the requirements of the building code and then he could issue it or deny it. Then if it was brought to council, council would say the building inspector denied it and that would . be all there was to, it. "You can understand our position, I .hope," he said. "Yes, but I can't understand how you can combine the position of dog catcher with bui'll'dThinegrein'ssPneoctt one° of inspector/' hre Exel said, that's a full-time job by itself," Reeve Krauter said. Councillor Gord Workman said, "Building permits are $1 per thousand and if somebodY is too cheap to pay that extra $9 or $10, then I'm not going to Sit :on council and be made a fool of." "The trAouble with the building code `by-laws is that the only one that can enforce them, is the building inspector," councillor 'Malcolm Jacobs said. COUNCIL'S OPINION Mr. Exel told them that in Grey Township, after council gives its opinion on a building ;permit, the clerk writes out the' building permits and sends them out or puts a stop lwork order on them. ' "If you can find somebody that will combine the three jobs, that's fine with me,. 'but I will do this part and no more," he said. Reeve Krauter told Mr. Exel council would see about wages and would look into the possibility of combining the three positions and if they did he would be notified. Council went into in-camera session to discuss the possibility of licencing trades- men from outside the village who work in 'Brussels. No motions were made. The Life Jack Built is a pleasure BY HERB SHOVELLER The most dependable judg ment on the play may have been that after it ended, Jack McLaren, the man about whom the . Life That .Jack Built at the Blyth Summer ,Festival is based, stood to be acknowledged by the audience. , With a simple wave of his hand, the 85 year old painter told the actors on stage several things. "Away with you, you 'crazy lot," said the wave. "You said it well." The gentlemen's gesture suggested satisfaction with the results of the collective production. There may be no truer test. The Life That Jack Built is of the same kind of stuff of which CBC television dramas , are made. Indeed one would not be surprised to see this, or a variation of it, turning up' on the national network sometime over the next few winters. The production focussed. on McLaren's life shortly before and during the First World War, and for a period after the war. He was one of the original Dumbells, founded daring the war, and was the originator of many of the group's characters and songs. Several of his songs are included at Blyth. The Dumbells were a troupe whose aim was to entertain the Allied forces. Theirs was light and amusing fare and it resurfaces in this presentation. But while the spirit of the Dumbells was mainly light- hearted, it was only one of McLaren's memories of the war. The sadder side is not forgotten at Blyth , as the death of ‘a comrade swings the mood to the opposite end ,.of the emotional spectrum. Mr. McLaren volunteered for active service with the Princess Pats Canadian Light Infantry Company at the start of the war. While recuperating from the strains of war, he did some im- promptu entertaining and was asked to join the Prin- cess Pats Comedy Company. Their aim was to entertain the troops on the front line. The Princess Pats toured the wartime battlefields. They eventually became the Dumbells and their popular- ity continued to expand after the war. The group toured Canada as well as perform- ing in London (England) and New York. Mr. McLaren left the Dumbells well before they disbanded in 1929 to develop his interest in painting. The painter was visiting Blyth last summer to bring some of his work to a regional art show when he met Janet Amos, the festi- val's new artistic director.. She was intrigued by the old man, and after consulting him, she enlisted the aid of actor. David Fox to research the role and play the part of Jack. It is Fox who shuffles about the stage as Mr. McLaren and is either look- ing back at, or participating in,• skits from the Dumbells or vignettes from Jack's life. The audience is convinced Fox knows McLaren well. Other participants in the collective are William Dunlop, Thomas Hauff, John Jarvis, -Michel Lefebvre, Seana McKenna and John Roby, , who composed and arranged the music. They alternate between being some of Jack McLaren's fictional Dumbell characters and actual friends of the artist. It is a fascinating segment of a man's life that is brought to life on the Blyth stage, ranging from the jovial camaraderie to the. fear and anguish of troops fighting shoulder to shoulder, and later to friendships with other artists and personal- ities who were part of the foundation of Canadian culture in the 1920's. Mr. McLaren's acquaint- ance with men • like Dr. Frederick Banting and the Group of Seven originated at the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto, a gentlemen's club the painter helped found. The most intriguing creative stroke in the pro- duction occurs. when Fox, as the painter McLaren, is asked to prepare a wartime painting about the time of the Second World War. McLaren, though, says he must create to honestly reflect his own experience, and sets about arranging each character on stage, adjusting them in a fitting pose. While he "paints" on *stage, he assigns qualities to each personality. In the end it is a story of man's life, past, present and future. In it, war makes sense though it remains difficult to justify. If there is one slightly bothersome feature of the production, it is the choreo- graphy. Even that is uncer- - tain though, for one would hardly expect a group of reality. stepping is as imprecise as soldiers, entertaining on the front dines 'during war, to be The. Life That Jack Built, the story of Jack McLaren stepping about with uncanny precision. In one sense, then, who now lives in Benmiller, this slightly out-of-sync is a pleasure. A trip to the south Brussels Post reporter Debbie Ranney is just back from a ten day tour to New Orleans and points south. Read all about it in next week's Brussels Post. ,MAITIAND VALIEY. Insurance Agency Ltd. . • Auto Fire - Casualty .! Life BRUSSELS - • •MONKTON 88741603' '-Mtartily'SIddall • , 347-2241