HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1972-08-16, Page 2Appreciate cooperation
Sir:
I would like to ask you for some space in your paper to
convey our appreciation and thanks to the members of your
recreation commission.
We, The Ingersoll Umpires Association, had the privilege
of being asked to umpire most of the games in your Centennial
Tournament on two separate week ends. The sportsmanship
displayed by the teams participating was exceptional, and the
hospitality and co-operation given us by Mrs. Wayne Lowe,
Dave McCutcheon and. Max Watt could not have been better.
The friendly atmosphere from Brussels and district fans,
who attended the ball games, was instrumental in making our
job a most pleasant one, our thanks to them as well.
Your Ball Park is a credit to your town and the girls
running your refreshment booth are most friendly and accom-
modating.
In closing let me say a most sincere "Thank You" to a
great bunch of people, and continued success for future
tournaments, and hope we have the privilege of serving as
your umpires in the future.
Yours truly,
Ingersoll Umpire's Association
Gord Campbell
Ingersoll, ontario
August 8, 1972.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 1472
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community
published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros. Publishers, Limited,
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Torn Haley Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
ontarip Weekly Newspaper Association,
Subscriptions (in advance) ,Canacia $4.00 a year, Others.
$5.00 a year, Single Copies 10 cents each.
Second class mail Registration No. 0562.,
Telephone 887-6641.
Vital to community
Changes in the agricultural
economy which have occurred in re-
cent years coupled with a tendancy
towards centralization have made
the' survival of small communities,
particularly in prairie provinces,
most difficult.
This trend in turn has had a
serious effect on the weekly news-
papers that served the communities,
so much so that the Manitoba Cham-
ber of Commerce has expressed con-
cern emphasizing at the same time
the contribution a weekly makes to
the community it serves.
"We can make two clear state-
ments of fact about the weekly
newspaper and its value to the com-
munity," says the Chamber of Com-
merce.
"First, without a weekly news-
paper, a community has no promotion
vehicle and chambers of commerce
and other community associations
are practically beaten before they
start. Secondly, almost without
exception the weekly newspaper
publisher is one of the outstanding
community promoters.
So important is the weekly news-
paper that chambers of commerce in
St. Claude and Strathclair have had
to start their own form of community
paper because their weekly news-
paper went under.
"The' next time you decide to
place an ad in the big city daily or
radio station instead of your weekly
or the next time you knock the local
'rag' just remember that when they
close down, your weekly paper and
the publisher moves on, you have
lost the voice of your community and
without some form of communication,
you're dead."
Random notes this week. Could there
be anything more silly than writing a
column about your silly old wife breaking
her silly old ankle, and four days later
going out for a swim and breaking your
own silly old big toe? Well, I did both.
And boy, it hurts, boy. Trouble is,
there's not much the doctor can do about
it. Had it X-rayed. He took a look at
the plate, didn't even look at the toe; and
cheerfuly informed, "Yes, Bill, you've
broken a chip of bone off it, but you
can't put a cast on one toe, so just wear
a comfortable shoe, wiggle the toe so it
won't get stiff, and sweat it out." I'm
sweating with every step. I didn't realize
how many things you could bump your toe
against. It hurts even when I kick the
cat, which I don't do, but will, if she
comes near my toe.
Enough about toes. Watch out for those
bees. While waiting for the doc to talk
about (guess what) my toe, two large and
husky men came into emergency ward
swelling like balloons from bee stings. One
was the local veterinarian, six feet six
and about 280. His right hand and arm
were almost completely numb and it was
spreading into his chest. He was dis-
gusted. How could a silly little thing
half an inch long do this to him?
And speaking of bees, how about those
two headliners, Bobby Hull and Bobby
Fischer, hockey player and chess master,
in that order? Has ever so much media
space been devoted to a couple of guys
who are doing well what they enjoy, and
getting rich at it?
And speaking, of Bobby Hull, what
do you think of the World Hockey Associa-
tion? It has stolen Hull and another half-
dozen top hockey players from that far-
from-benevolent monopoly, the N.H.L.
Good luck to the W.H.A. I love to see a
big organization kicked in the groin, or
the pocketbook, in this case. Particularly
by its own slaves.
Why shouldn't a hockey player a good
one, make more money than a movie star?
He's often a better actor.
And speaking about hockey, which is
rather silly in this weather, have you ever
read or heard anything more silly than
the bleating of sports-writers , and even
editorial writers, about the series with.
Russia?
The whole thing is getting rather
sickening. It's just another Symptorri of
our inferiority hang-up. We can't beat
the U.S. at money. We can't beat the
Chinese at ping-pong. We can't beat
anybody at the Olympics, except maybe
North Wales or West Tanzania. (With
the notable exception of those horse-
jumpers, who are pretty good.)
Why don't we just relax and enjoy
it, as Confuscius did not say? Why
don't we forget the years when other
countries were wobbly-ankled on skates
and every red-blooded Canadian boy had
a Simpsons catalogue on one leg and an
Eaton's catalogue on the other and could
shoot a frozen horseball through a hairnet,
and we won the world championship twenty-
eight to one every year?
Except. Remember that dreadful year
(about 1936) when the British, of all
people, beat our team in the Olympics?
Their team of course, was made up of
Canadians living in England. Or English-
men who had grown up in Canada. One
of them was an English kid I went to
school with. Another so he claimed, was
an old friend of mine, Squire Tanner,
attending Cambridge. Another was George
Hees, doing much the same, before he
got into politics. But, oh, the shame of
it!
All this, of course, is prelude and
masquerade to a secret hunch of mine
that the Russians are going to lick us in
the forthcoming series, if it ever forth-
comes.
My hunch is based on the fact that
the games will be played under inter-
national rules. Take away the body-
checking, high-sticking, elbowing, slash-
ing, boarding and gouging from the game,
and your average Canadian player is lost.
I can visualize clearly five Russians des-
cending on some hapless Canadian goalie,
with all the other Canadians in the
penalty box.
Enough. This column is about summer
silliness. How's this? An aunt of my
wife, who was born and reared near
Belfast, but has lived for a number of
years in Canada, went back to Northern
Ireland for a visit this summer. We're
watching the obituary columns.
My kid brother, who is a colonel In
the air force, is being posted to Germany
in a few weeks. What, in the name of
all that' is silly, are Canadians doing in
Germany? Who are they guarding? Against
what? And with what?
I know I've come a long way from my
broken toe, but somewhere, in some secret
little agile in my mind i there is a con-
nection linking all these summer
sillinesses. Or maybe I just got too
much sun when I went to the beach the
other day with' Kim and her husband.
And broke my toe.
Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley