HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1980-10-01, Page 2Behind the scenes
by Keith Roulston
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1, 1980
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community...
Published each Wednesday afternoon, at Brussels, Ontario
By McLean Bros. Publishers Limited
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Pat Langlois - Advertising
Member Canadian CommunitY Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association •
Is this Canada's year?
1980 must be Canada's year. First there was Ken Taylor, Canada's
ambassador'to Iran who helped to smuggle the Americans out of that
country, then there were the 35th anniversary of the liberation
'ceremonies held in-Holland where Canadian veterans and their wives
or husbands were royally treated for their part in freeing the
Netherlands from German forces in the. Second World War.
Then there was Terry Fox, who inspired Canadians to give more that
$12 million to the cancer research fund. And now once again the Dutch
government has shown its appreciation to the Canadian war veterans,
by showering different municipalities with the gift of tulip bulbs.
Brussels was included in that generous gift, because some of our area
veterans who attended the 35th anniversary liberation ceremonies
signed their names on a guest list when they were in the Netherlands.
Many people have probably felt prouder of being Canadian this
year, than in any other year since the Centennial celebrations in 1967.
This year, many have thanked Canadians for their brave and generous
actions in various circumstances.
These countries and peoples should also be thanked by Canadians
for restoring our own pride and faith in our country.
There is a lot of concern and conversa-
tion these days about sickness of the system
that is supposed to keep Canadians from
being sick.
Just about everybody is unhappy with the
way the medical system is being run these
days. Doctors are opting out of the regular
billing system or in some instances, right out
of the country, because they feel they aren't
being compensated enough for the work they
are doing. Patients are unhappy with the
treatment they're getting from doctors.
Government is unhappy that one of the
biggest areas of expense in their budgets
just isn't working well.
It's hard for ordinary people to feel too
sorry for doctors who complain that they are
falling behind in income, or rather that they
are losing ground to other professionals.
After all figures show that in 1977 the
average doctor in Canada earned more than
$50,000. On the other hand, who ,can blame
the doctors for getting edgy when they see
dentists, lawyers, accountants and other
professionals earning closer and closer to
what the doctors earn, without many of the
liabilities doctors must deal with.
First of all there is of course the little
matter of education for a doctor. Only
students with the in marks get a chance
to invest many years of their life in medical
school and the internship training that
follows. It means you have given close to one
half of your life expectancy to study before
you're allowed to practice what you've been
taught. You've also invested a good chunk of
money (so has the taxpayers but we'll leave
that aside for now.)
Buy beyond the schooling it's the life that
a doctor is expected to live that makes most
people not begrudge the doctor a good living
when it come; right down to it. One of the
occupational hazards of the 'profession is
overwork- There are perhaps some doctors
who can close up the office at 5 o'clock like
an, insurance office and go home 'for a
relaxing evening, but they are few and far
betWeen. Most doctOrs got into the profes-
sion because they felt some desire to serve
and once in, it is hard to turn that desire off
at the end of normal, office hours. An
emergency call comes, in at 2 a.m. and few
doctors will say "call somebody else".
There is too the stress a doctor carries of
having people's lives in his (or her) hands.
It's a feeling few of us' know. Few lawyers,
who are nearly as well rewarded financially'
as doctors, know that feeling unless they
practice criminal law: Teachers, dentists,
farmers, writers, none of these carry the
' burden of knowing that`if they do something
wrong it could cost someone their life. It's a
burden that has literally driven many doctors
to drink or drugs. In fact doctors as a
profession need a lot of help with their own
health problems.
The straw that broke the camel's back for
many physicians was medicare. There is
Tittle doubt that the country as a whole has
benefi ted from the system. For docfors,
however, used to being independent, it has
been a pain. Suddenly they were told what
they could charge, even if they didn't feel
this was enough. They lost the flexibility of
charging a fee commensurate with the time
involved in treatment. If a patient needed
only five minutes of a doctor time he could
charge $8.00 but if the patient had some sort
of emotional problem that required the
doctor to talk with him for half an hour, the
charge was still only $8.00.
Please turn to page 20
Sugar and spice
By Bill Smiley Who remembers anniversaries?
Continued from page 1
and their projects should be supported. The
same applies to all Service Clubs who are
active in contributing to the good of their
community.
* * *
Strikes and more strikes. They seem to be
a continuing thing these days. Now we have
air safety controllers expressing their
discontent. The strike cancelled, delayed and
rerouted flights from several airports
including Toronto. It is conceivable that
controllers at Toronto may have legitimate
grievances. They have a demanding respon-
sibility that must create excessive tension.
However if one is expecting to fly out of
Toronto in the near future, with tickets
purchased well in advance, having your
flight cancelled by a strike is not a pleasant
prospect. I'm hoping!
* * *
At last vindication for the Federal
Government and the R.C.M.P. Premier
Rene Levesque, and some others of the P.Q.
have accused both time and again, of having
prolonged, and cooked up, the October
crises to discredit the P.Q. and lecturing
democrats in Quebec. Now these charges
have been proved false by an investigator
appointed by Levesque's own P.Q. govern-
ment. It revealed that the War-Measures
One of my father's favorite jokes, before
the word "corny" had been invented, was
"It's a long time to be married to a strange
woman." He repeated it once a year, on his
wedding anniversary, and I can still
remember my mother's eyes rolling up, the
way- women's eyes roll up when their
husbands are telling a story they've heard
eleventeen times before,
But it pops into my head every time I
think of my own wedding anniversary,
which is usually about two weeks after the
event.
This year, I remembered it about two
weeks before the event, but by the time
this appears in print, I'll probably have
forgotten completely.
My wife is no better. She can be so
sentimental it's downright disgusting, over
such trivia as her children, her grandchild-
ren, her father, her house, a particular
party twenty years ago, a friend who is in
trouble, and, very occasionally, about me.
But when it comes to really important
things, she cares not a whit. The first
indication of this was when I gave her a
flower on Mother's Day many years ago.
She said, curtly, "I'm not your mother."
Birthdays, same deal. She was born on
Feb. 28, surely easy enough to remember,
Act was involved and the army sent to
Quebec not by Prime Minister Trudeau and
the Federal Government, but by the chief
legal-advisor of Montreal and by officials of
the Quebec provincial police. This in spite of
Levesqu'e's statements to the contrary.
* * *
Not being a timid female every dark
shadow does not scare me. Slithering snakes
and crawly spiders do not bother me, they
fascinate me. Nor do I panic at creaking
noises and bumps in the night. What turns
me into shivering jelly is a violent
thunderstorm. At the first thundering crash I
scramble for candles.
Drapes are yanked
across ,windows to shut out the terrifying
lightening flashes. Hearing aid is shut off to
the thunder will not sound so fearsome. My
dog is much braver than L She does not
show the least sign of fear. She lies at my
feet watching me curiously as 1 huddle in a
chair with yelps of terror escaping me at
every shattering blast and vivid streaks of
lightning. Slippers are kicked off and shoes
hastily put on, with coat near by, in case it is
necessary to flee the house when disaster
strikes. At least in last week's storm the
evening meal was partaken of in style by
candle light.
with its connotations of Leap Year. I forget.
She does too, though I'm not sure hers
isn't psychological - a year older.
This attitude permeated our family. Our
kids certainly knew what Christmas was,
little greedy-guts. And Easter: church with
joyous music, hunt for Easter eggs,
probably a visit with grandparents.
But I'm quite sure they don't know why
the first of Jtily is a holiday, have only the
vaguest idea what Remembrance Day and.
Thanksgiving are all about, and exactly
which day is their birthday, though . they
know the month they were born.in, because
that ties in with astrology, in which they
fairly firmly believe.
But my Dad was right, even though
repetitious. "It's a long time to be married
to a strange woman." Especially one you
didn't even know before you met her, if you
follow me.
I met this strange woman at university,
when I came home from the wars. I thought
she was demure, beautiful, and shy. And
she was. She thought I was brash,
swaggering and far too unheeding of the
university's rules, which I was.
After many years of togetherness, we've.
each retained only one of the adjectives.
She is totally lacking in 'demure, she is still
beautiful.; and she -is , about as shy" as
Muhammed Ali.
I have completely lost my brash, have
nothing to swagger about, but- am still far'
too unheeding . of the rules of the
establishment.
An; odd combination, you'll say, to get
married. And it was. She thought me
boorish and uncouth, especially after I fell
sound asleep in the middle of a lecture by
the late, great poet, E.J. Pratt. She didn't
realize that I had been at a lunch-time
reunion with some old Air Force pals who'd
just arrived back from overseas, and that it
was only great gallantry and iron will that
had forced me to make the lecture..
I thought she was prissy, prudish, and
dumb, because she never missed a lecture,
wouldn't even throw one inviting look at
the dashing young ex-fighter pilot in her
class, and ventured no opinions on
anything. •
Oh, well. Chemistry, I guess. I won't go'
into the details, but .a few months•later we
were exchanging furtive kiss6, in the
library stacks, groping embraces in
doorways, and skipping lectures right and
left.
And a year later, we were married, with
no pomp and lettle circumstance, poor as
churchmice, but head over heels. It was
better to marry than to burn, as Paul told
the Ephesians or somebody. And about ten
months later, we had a little stranger inour
midst, and were poorer that churchmice,
But still, head over heels,
That little 'stranger is now thirty-three.
Now, I'm not going to tell you which
anniversary this is. I don't want a flood of
mink coats and gold bars and ten-cent
cards coming in.
Suffice to say that we won't celebrate it
together, but we'll be together. '.There's
nothing quite so disgusting as the married.
couple who can't stand each 'other's ,guts,
but go out fora big dinner, or throw a big
party, on their anniversary.
Like most couples, we've grieved, and
wept together, laughed .together, helped
each other over some rocky roads,: loved
together, .fought with mutual fury, taken
,great joy and great heart-aches ,,from our
children, idolized and spoiled and, manag-
ed to muddle along, day to day; in this
peculiar life that throws up road-blocks and
.- rainbows, groans and guffaws,, tears and
terrors, death and taxes.
We still constantly worry about the
welfare,. state of mind and health, and golf
score of the other.
We still fight frequently, although I have
called and asked that my wife be taken off
the list of "Husband-beaters.' She hasn't
thrown anything bigger than a glass of
water at me in months.
My dad was right. "It's a long time to be
married to a strange woman." And may
yours be as long, and as strange. Not your
wife; your marriage.
Short Shots