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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1981-11-04, Page 1A POSE WITH BILLY — Frank Sanders stands with one of the Canadian Angora goats he had raised on his farm near Morris Township. The Sanders had a sign in the Morris 125th parade which indicated-the goats were the first 'of their• '•kind in the township. Short Shots by Evelyn Kennedy This Friday night the place to be is the Brussels Legion where you can enjoy their annual Celidh. The Majestic W.I. of Brussels will hold a Bazaar and Bake Sale, along with a Tea Room, on Saturday, November 14. A unique feature of this event will be a Deli-Table. At that table you will be able to obtain food not usually offered at such a sale. There will be small take-home containers of home-made soup, chili, cole-slaw and spaghetti. Nice treats for those who live alone that they do not have to prepare for themselves. See the coming events in this paper tor full particulars. The trick-or-treat youngsters made their usual rounds on Hallowe'en. While some of my callers were strange or frightful looking characters they were all perfectly harmless and polite. There were no greedy grabs for (Photo by Ranney) handfuls of what was offered. Many had to be encouraged to take more. That kind of Hallowe'en Visitor will be welcomed by me anytime. The main street window scribblers apparently were out in force. We only wish that there had been some real artists among them that might have contributed decorative scenes instead of an unsightly mess. ma** This Saturday, November 7, is Poppy Day. The Brussels Cadets will conduct a canvass in Brussels, Ethel and Walton. Do Please turn to page 2 A quiet Hallowe'en Hallowe'en was exceptionally quiet in Brussels. While witches and goblins were abroad there were none of these naughty pranksters at work playing tricks that have caused serious damage to property, 'or were of danger to lives, as has been the case in some years. Dave Hastings reported that nothing of that sort occured this year. BY DEBBIE RANNEY Mention the word goat to some people and you can almost see them imagine the odor to go with it, but according to Frank Sanders of R.R. 4, Brussels, there is no smell attached to his Canadian Angora goats. Two years ago Frank sold his farm to his sons and bought his present property on the fifth concession of Morris Township.. 4e describes himself as someone who .s ,always beerra man for something special'. In Holland he used to grow medicinal herbs. After selling his farm he wanted to do something special. To begin with he started off with one Angora rabbit which tii. purchased at the Kitchener sales barn. It died a couple of weeks later. Then he read an article about a man who had Angora goats..fle called the man up and he and his son Les went to look at the operation. Frank bought two goats and brought them home. He got into goats in a bigger way, and had a contract with the Sudbury Angoia Co-op, before it went bankrupt. The Co-op was set up to help people from the Inco mines in Sudbury. The government gave a grant , of $100,000 and put it in the persc nal account of the manager who was sent down to Texas to purchase some goats.. He bought 350 goats in sales barns here and there and then was turned back at the border because the goats hadn't been in quarantine for the required three months. When he finally did make it to Sudbury there were 35 goats missing. The Co-op members had to spend $22,000 in lawyer's costs to recover their $100,000. Then another man rerted the grounds of the old Burwash jail about 27 miles from Sudbury and the goats were put there. He was asked to be the new manager. HARD LUCK The Co-op started off again with a huge debt load and more hard luck followed. At one time they had 400 goats in quarantine in Texas and then a big hurricane came along and killed 250 of them. "Those goats were bought and paid for and could not be sold anymore. We went bankrupt mostly because of fraud and mismanagement," Mr. Sanders said. When that happened Mr. Sanders took on the responsibility of finding a buyer for the stock of Angora wool at the Co-op and found a customer in England. He took the 4,400 pounds to Listowel and from, there it was taken to Toronto and the money was received before' the shipment left Toronto harbour. Now Mr. Sanders and other Canadian Angora goat 'raisers are on their own, but Mr. Sanders still considers the idea of a Co-op a good one. POTENTIAL "It really had potential and I still believe it has,, if we can get organized again. "Nobody can sell breeding stock at the moment, not for the price of the contract we 'had, and the price of mohair went down a little bit. "When you have a Co-operative, it's •a little bit easier because you have a central point where you can gather together people who have 25 or 50 goats. We are working to set up something together again." Mr. Sanders and his wife Helen advertis- ed their Canadian Angora goats as the first of their kind in Morris Township when the township held its 125th celebrations in August. Frank says, "We like the animals very much. They're a great animal to work with." The goats are clipped twice a year for their hair and Frank manages to get about six pounds per animal per clip. The hair grows 'about an inch a month and sells .normally for $4 or $5 a pound' on the world market compared to about 60 cents a pound for wool according to Frank. The first clipping of the younger ones is Angora wool and on the older goats, its mohair: According to Frank, a sweater made of mohair doesn't shrink and after 25 years would still look like new. WORLD DEMAND There is a world demand for mohair with 5 million. Angora goats in Texas, 5 million in South Africa and a fair size herd in Turkey. Please turn to page 2 EstAaLisNEo 1172 4Brussels Post BRUSSELS 109th Year — Issue No. 44 ONTAR 10 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1981 Raises Angora goats near here r' Couple wed 55 years still farm in Morris 55TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRANTS Archie and Mary Young of Morris Township. celebrated their 55th anniversary at a special dinner held in the Triple K restaurant, in Blyth on Thursday, October 22. Relatives gave them a plant as apresent, (Photo by Rariney) BY DEBBIE RANNEY A lat of people make it to their 50th wedding anniversary. Few are fortunate enough tp celebrate the 55th mark. Archie and Mary Young of Morris Township celebrated their 55th anniversary on.October 22 and attributed the success of their marriage to hard work and good health. ' Relatives gathered at the' Triple K restaurant in Blyth on Thursday to Help them celebrate the occasion. The former Mary Elizabeth McCall of Lot 25, Concession 9, Morris Township and. Archie Jackson Young who was born on Lot 11, Concession 14 in Hullett Township were married at the manse in Walton with Rev. Mains (now deceased) officiating. It was rainthg 55 years ago but ng to Mrs. Young and her then bridesmaid of that time - Hattie Snell (McCall) the sun did shine out. It aliO wasn't as cold AS October 22, 1981: Asked hpw she met her husband,- Mrs. Young recalled that it Was 01 a Sunday and, he had come up with her mother's cousins to see the driving shed and he was with them in a horse and buggy. Three years down the road they met again. Mary McCall was walking down the road eating an apple and she recalls with a fond sparkle in her eye that he made a date with her. The Youngs have been farming all their lives and Mary who's 75 and Archie who is 76 continue to do so now feeding pigs and cattle on their present home at Log 10, Concession 14 of Morris Township, They have two children, Bill who farms on his father's home place and a daughter Betty Ann Lair who lives in Vancouver. The Youngs have four'grandchildren. Brothers and sisters including the brides- maid Hattie Snell who was then Hattie McCall were present at the dinner. Stewart Young who was the best man is deceased. Relatives presented the Youngs with it plant in honor of their 55th anniversary.