The Brussels Post, 1976-08-18, Page 5FAMILY DINNERS
THE
WALTON INN
Cones, Sundaes, Shakes,
Sluthies,FlOats;Banana Boats
Smith's General Store .
Walton
Open Nightly Till 9
ELECTROHOME
For the finest
Viewing in
Colour TV
and Stereo
We made a large purchase at
special low price and are
passing the saving on to you.
During our August Sale each set •
sold carries a ONE YEAR
Service Contrad
HOPPE
HOME HARDWARE
IMIliZIME001001111101W
Phone 887.6525, Beussett i Ont,
Hometown Newspaper" contest
Alberta man wins $400
Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
Mr. Tagg's winning entry read:
Johnny scored his firsg, goal
in hockey last .'week, and Mary
won a public speaking
contest. Mrs. Jones took -first
place at the bridge party on
Wednesday evening, and the
Smith family entertained friends
from Ontario for a few days.
There is only one soul•ce in any'
rural community where reliable
information about such events
can be gleaned. It is the weekly
newspaper.
Few of the events are of
earth-shattering significance.
Certainly they are not likely to
Sincere sympathy is extended
to Mr, and Mrs. Harold Johnston
and family and Mr. and Mrs. Jim
Johnston and family on the
passing of a dear father and
grandfather, Mr. Charles Johnston;
Miss Kathy Walker has spent the past week with her great aunt; Mn,t Gladys Correll and cousins
Mr, and Mrs, Jack Davison and
family of Pilot Mounds Manitoba:
Mr: Wayne 13asWiek WAS in
charge of the Service Sunday when the United Church people:
joined the Presbyterians for
Worship,. The theme of the service • was "Hands",
16 baseball the Bluevale
Girls won 2 out of against ktitisville with Belgrave
straight agaifist Brussels: Blegrave and IiiitteVald
warrant the attention of the more
"immediate" branches of the
news media such as radio,
television of the daily press, but
to the people concerned, these
occurrences are at least as
important as any international,
national or provincial event, from
which they feel a sense of
isolation and detachment.
It is, then, the local emphasis
that gives the weekly newspaper
in any community its greatest
impact, for it speaks to the people
about themselves, their neigh-
bors, their community and their
very existence.
In a highly rural area such as
that served by the County Forty
Mile Commentator, the weekly
newspaper serves a .,:umbei of
highly relevant functions, The
e'ditorial page can be seen as the
social conscience of the commun-
ity. It chastises, it commends, it
questions, it informs. However, it
does so in a local context with
which the reader can readily
identify. Because of the
essentially parochial nature of the
publication, those who are
singled out for commendatioh.or
criticism can hardly fail to be
aware of the fact. It can,
therefore, be an agent of change
in the attitudes and behaviour of
both individuals and community
organizations.
It is an old, but true adage that
the pen is mightier than the
sword, and never was it more
truly spoken than of the weekly
newspaper. Where else are the
trials and tribulations, the
successes and failures, the hopes
and frustrations of rural southern
Albertans better portrayed?
Through this medium triumph
and tragedy become community
responsibilities, to be savoured or
shared by one and all.
Speaking to both the larger
communities and the isolated
farm family, the weekly news-
paper, more than any other
agent, addresses itself to the
complete, spectrum of society. It
attempts, therefore, 'to offer
within its pages something for
everyone. One's social status
matters little, for no-one, from
the loftiest to the lowliest escapes
the omnipresent eye of the
community press. •
A significant aspect of the
weekly newspaper is community
involvement. Rarely can such
papers afford the luxury of
full-time reporting staff, photo-
graphers or layout specialists.
The weekly relies heavily, on its
readership for news, photographs
and items of social interest,
giving . -zany an amateur writer or
photographer the satisfaction of
seeing his or her name in print for
the first time.
It is through the judicious use
of photographs that the weekly
newspaper can, achieve much of
its local success. Pictures, like
memories, are timeless. Immed-
iacy is not important, for long
after the event a smile can be
brought 'to one's heart by the
recollection of a fleeting moment
in time captured by the camera of
an enthusiastic amateur. A local
paper that uses photographs both
widely and wisely opens up new
horizons to a wide range of people
who are otherwise deterred from
the printed_page.
The weekly newspaper is, then,
the life-blood of the small town
and rural community. It is the
town crier, the forum for local,
public opinion. It is the voice of
the distrsict it serves. It is where
people see themselves and their
friends, and the small accomp-
lishments that give the rural
community its life and existence.
It fulfills a need in communication
that is not satisfied by any other
medium, s and as such, it is
indispensable.
—by Geoff Tagg, Foremost,
Alberta
..now play the finals with the
winning 4 out of 7 receiving the
trophy:Monday night they play in
Bluevale and Wednesday night in
Belgrave.
An Alberta weekly newspaper,
ader was the winner of a gold
edal and $400 in the "What my
oinetown newspaper means to
e" contest, sponsored by the
nadian Community News-
apers Association and Dominion
extiles. Geoff Tagg's winning
ntry was published in the
Ogle County Commentator of
Bow Island, Alberta.
Nearly 500 entries were
received in the competition from
across Canada. All were
published first in the local CCNA
member paper.
Contest judge was J.D.
MacFarlane, chairman of the
ournalism department at
Correspondent
, Mrs. Joe Walker
EXPOSITOR WINS NATIONAL AWARD Huron Expositor editor Susan White
accepted the Jack Sanderson Award for editorial writing from Mike Gausden of the
Canadian Bankers Association at the Canadian Community Newspapers
Association convention in Halifax on Friday morning. The winning editorial, which
appeared in the March 27, 1975 Expositor, called for more coverage of Canada in
our schools and ouroedia, and won in competition with other member papers of all
sizes in Canada. Along with the plaque commemorating the award, Ms. White
received a selection -0-Canadian reference books. (Photo by Steve Dills)
BluevOle girls win
Scott, David and Dale Eccles of
Holstein spent a feW days with
Sandra and Greg Moffatt. Miss
Kim Edgar also had a holiday
with the Moffatt's.
THE" 'BRUSSELS, POST, ..AUGUST 18, 1971