HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1973-08-08, Page 9News of Huronview Blind : 'piano tuner family, move to Clinton
nd; John
iachan;
McCall.
utledge;
/heeler.
Le Hall,
ad; Jill
mpson,
Watt;
Peters.
lmpions
Jacque
itcheon;
g. Cou.
ess and
to the
xi gusto.
but a
Is Post
locket.
ussels
The residents were favoured with a second visit this
month of the congregation of the Clinton Christian Reform
Church as there were five Sundays in July. Mr. Aire Van
Der Ende led the song service assisted by Robert DeMoor
a student minister of the Church.
The "Opportunity for Youth" group, `''The Band"?
played their concert in the auditorium on Monday. During
the program, Happy Birthday was played for those cele-
brating birthdays during the week which included Mrs.
Bailey who will be 93. Five new residents were welcomed
to the Home, Miss Gilkinson, Miss Bush, Mrs. Coo, Leo
Eveland and Henry Godkinson.
An event which is looked forward to each summer by all
of the residents took place on "Family Night" with the
Brussels Legion Pipe Band providing a concert. The band
under the direction of Tom McFarlane used the circle
driveway and front parking lot as a parade square so that
everyone had the advantage of both seeing and hearing the
music. There were 2 special numbers during the evening,
a highland dance and a bagpipe dret.
READ and USE POST CLASSIFIED
DIAL DIRECT
Elmer's Summer Safety Contest
N
Working in Clinton and travelt,
ling to Guelph every weekend
by bus' to see his wife and 12-
year-old son, Herbert Sootheran
had plenty of time to consider
whether he liked his new job
tuning pianos enough to uproot
his fatnily.
Bert, 46, and Helen lived in.
Guelph since they were married
16 years ago. Could they start
again? - leave familiar
surroundings, settle in a new
town and a new neighbourhood,
make new friends . . Could they
make a go of it? Any man would
ask himself that.
But Bert is blind: He lost,
his sight as a boy in Niagara
Falls, through an eye infection
when he caught the measles. His
wife has partial vision. There
were other things to consider.
Guelph, with a population of
60,000 had public transportation.
Clinton, a town .of 3,200 people,
did not. How would they get
around? And what about shop-
ping? They would have to find a
place close to the stores.
He often thought on those bus
trips hciw different conditions
are today, particularly the high
cost of living. And, when he was
20, he definitely had more nerve.
Now, more settled in his, ways,
a move would be difficult. Hut did'
he have a choice? He had been out
of work for over a year. He had
a family to support.
He, trained as piano tuner at
the Ontario School, for the Blind
in Brantford. When he graduated
in 1946, he travelled around On-
tario for five years tuningpianos
with a blind friend who did re-'
Pairs. A sighted, salesman drove
them from town to town and set up
jobs for them in piano stores.
Many's a time he thought
about those days- steady work
and good pay. He never forgot
one lady whose piano he tuned.
She had the police Search him
because she misplaced her
cheque. Turned out her husband
picked it up.
When Bert gOt married, he
and Helen settled in. Guelph. He
soon grew tired of being away
from home so much and even-
tually gave up tuning pianos on
the road. That was 21 years ago.
Lately he had been thinking
about how hard it had been on the,
family since he was laid off his
motor packaging job in an elec-
trical coMpany. He had worked
there Jor 16 years. He never
thought he would be out of a job.
In 1970 the company decided to
move to its other plant inSarnia.
Bert was willing to move. His
job was protected, under the terms
of a union contract with the Guelph
plant.' But the Sarnia plant had a'
different union which only
guaranteed him a 50-50, chance
of a job.
In the • meantime, with the
help of employment officers from
the Canadian National Institute
for the Blind, Bert looked around
for other employment. He lined
up a`job in a manufacturing firm
that was willing to hire him
when his job terrninted... Word
got around he had started this job
already and he was laid, off in
July "71.
He remembered when the
manufacturing job fell through
too. The company shipped, to
the 'United States and when P reSi-
dent Nixon levied the excise tax,
business was cut in half and Bert
was out Of a job.
CNIB employment officers
spent the next year in every
factory in. Guelph and arett in an
attempt to find suitable employ-
ment. There were no jobs avail-
able.
In October '72, CNIB heard
that a blind piano tuner, employed
by Sherlock Manning in Clinton,
was retiring. Bert went for an
interview. He was hired on a
three-month trial basis. During
that time he boarded in Clinton
and visited hiS family on week-
ends. He liked his new job
tuning pianos in a factory and
the company was so satisfied with
his work that, after the assess-
ment period, it gave him an in-
crease in salary. And then Bert
decided. In February,he, Helen
and their son moved to Clinton.
"It was a big step," says.
Bev 'Powell, CNIB ' employment
officer. "There were' sacrifices.
Both of them were active in the
community. Bert was on the
employment opportunities com-
mittee of the Canadian Council of
the Blind (CCB), an odd turn of
events, since .he could not get a
job himself. And Helen had to
give up a small business sel-
ling cosmetics."
"We've made a lot of new
friends in Clinton," says Bert.
"It seems easier in a small
town. ' People always stop to
say cliello'."
Bert has been spending a lot
of time fixing up their house. He
likes woodworking. He is also ,a
ham radio operator. Some nights,
he may be in touch with Europe,
other nights Australia or Africa.
"When we lived in Guelph, I
used to talk to a young man in
his twenties who worked in a
weather station in. Alaska. His
family lived in Guelph. At a
predesignated time his Dad would
come over to talk to his son. I
finally met him a year, later."
Since the Sootherans have
moved to Clinton, they have been
back to Guelph twice to visit
friends. But Bert has no plans
to retire there.
"I'll just have to see how
things go. If 'we continue to like
'Clinton as much as we do now,
we'll probably stay put."
1.
E LMER'S 6 RULES
Look all Mays be fore
street Youo cross the,
2. Keep from between
parked cats.
3. and ob
Ride
your bike safely
ey all signs and signals;
4. Play your games
in a safe place away from th e street . 5. Walk when you
leave the curb. 6. Where there a r e no
sidewalks walk on the
left side o f the road
facing traf
The Elmer rule broken here is number.
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r-
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