The Brussels Post, 1977-03-23, Page 2
situptu
ONTARIO
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 1977
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros. Publishers, Limited.
Evelyn Kennedy Editor Dave Robb - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association
O Gill
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gBrussels Post
With the arena,
we all win
Brussels, Morris and Grey peoPle have done it
again. The kind of community spirit that many
people feel is dead outside of small towns and rural
areas has allowed a new arena for Brussels and area
to move from a dream to a project awarded for tender
in less than nine months.
It was mid July, 1976, when a large community
meeting named a committee to get on with the
building of a new arena. Because that committee has,
worked long and hard and countless other local
people have donated their time, energy and money,
the tenders have been let and construction of the new
arena starts in a month.
Reaching decisions and raising money for the new
arena hasn't been simple. There have been
arguments abdut the site, about the facilities for
curlers and about the design of the building. But the
arena committee kept on plugging and tried to listen
and act on criticism from the public.
And although there were lots of struggles over
relatively small 'points, few people failed to keep the
object of the exercise in mind ... the need for a new
arena for Brussels and area. Almost every one
agreed that a building which would serve as many
people in the community as possible at as low a cost
as was realistic should be the common goal.
The Post congratulates all those involved in
bringing the new arena this close to a reality. Their
work is far from over ...ice bookings, keeping the
new community centre running at a reasonable cost
and making sure it's used to capacity are all future
problems.
Right now their main task is to raise another
$48,000, When that's added to the $171,000 that
area people have already contributed, grants will
provide the rest of the $695,000 that the new arena
will cost.
Almost $50,000 looks like an awful lot of money,
but we should remember that it's less than one tenth
the cost of the entire building.
A community that can bring a new arena project
this far is not going to be stumped for the lack of a
final $48,000.
Probably many people in Brussels, Morris and
Grey have other fund raising ideas that are as yet
untried. Take them to the next arena committee
meeting, on Monday night and give that committee
some positive help.
After all, it's your arena too
"Ill be right baok; folloi after a •feW. words from the ShOW"
As Chairman of the Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority I am writing this letter
to make clear the Authority's present feelings
with regards to the future of the historic mills
in Gorrie and in Brussels.These two structures
are representative of an important aspect of
the heritage of the Village of Gorris and of
Howick Township and, of the Village of
Brussels and Morris and Grey Townships.
Conservation of the natural resources, the
water, the forests, and the wildlife which
inhabits these environments is the primary
concern of the Authority. But what is also very
important to us is that as much as possible of
our cultural resources, our heritage is
preserved. It seems to me that what we are
today represents the sum total of all that we
have experienced in the past and that to fully
comprehend what or where we are today we
must understand and appreciate the
contribution which the experience of the past
has made to our present condition. The
amount of physical evidence in existence
reflecting the way of life lead by our ancestors
is not great and ovbiously it is not increasing.
The Authority feels obligated to save some of
what is left.
The Gorrie and Brussels mills owned now
by the Authority are two of the finer remnants
of our past in the rural landscape. There is no
doubt but that they both played an important
role in the economies of their respective
communities.
The Brussels Mill, constructed originally of
wood by William Vanstone around 1860 and
destroyed by fire in 1911, 'was reconstructed
by John Logan, whose name it now bears, as a
grist mill in 1914-15 . The fact that it is made
of concrete alone makes this mill somewhat
significant as cement was not, at that time,
the cornerstone of the construction trade that
it is today. Mr. Logan was also responsible for
covering the original wooden dam with
concrete. This mill also played an important
part in the economy of Brussels and the
surrounding areas for many decades.
I want to emphasize at this time that the
Authority is in favour of enhancing the historic
value of these two structures. Should we
Amen by
I saw a vision. No, it wasn't a vision. It
was the real thing right before my eyes. It
was there -- in front of me -- in Alex
Drummond's barn.
I saw something in his, barn last Sunday
that would turn the prophet Isaiah green. I
say green because that's the colour people
are supposed to turn when they're jealous. •
And I just know old Isaiah would envy
me. He had a dream that's true.He
dreamed of a time when men would livein
peace. And not only men, but animals too.
He looked forward to the time when the
wolfe would dwell with the lamb and the
leopard would lie down with the kid and the
calf and the lion and the fatling live all
together,
That was Isaiah's dream. And according
to the Bible, old men do dream dreams and
young men see visions. But it doesn't say
anything about us middle-aged guys. It
didn't have to. We see it like it is. And I
saw it like is.
I saw peace in Alex Drummond's barn. I
saw 'a goat lie down with a pig. I saw a calf
drink milk and eat hay out, of the same
trough with a goat.
And I sail me walking down the aisle
way and meeting a pig headed in the other
direction. I didn't pay any attention to her.
I ;just let her pass. But the point is neither
of us jumped or scrambled away. We both
minded 'our own business. Obviously the
pig knew where she was going -- outside
for a breath of fresh air: I watched her out
of the. corner of my eye.
And I knew where I was going., I wanted
to go to the far side and see the goats.
Oh, the animals have stalls and tie-ups
alright. But they're not permanently
grounded. Alex leaves loopholes. If one
decides he's had enough of the four walls
of the Stall, he can leave -- take a walk
down the aisle.
And in that aisle II met the handsomest
goat I ever did see, With branching horns
that would make a reindeer sad. But this
Was a gentle goat. No lowered head.
Glowering. Backing up to' bunt. Obviously
horns hadn't all gone to her head. And why
should they? This goat lives iii Alex
Dttinitriorid'S barn. They've all learned to
therefore preserve or restore these mills?
preservation implies a troth balling idea
which would have the buildings unused for
anything other, than storage purposes,
Restoration is a much more challenging and
exciting concept which entails bringing the
exterior of the mills up to a par with that of
their era of construction and which should
involve active use of their interiors as well.
The Maitland Valley. Conservation
Authority wants to see the mills not only
preserved but restored and used, especially
by residents of their respective communities.
Ideally, they will be used for different
purposes. The potential uses should, we feel,
be determined by the Authority in close
co-operation with the local residents.
The value to be gained in making the mills
fully operational again is quite limited in my
opinion. The costs involved would be
unbearable and the returns questionable.
However, restoration and perhaps limited
operation of equipment could be a valuable
educational fool for local school administrators
while the other areas of the buildings could be
used by various community groups for a
number of purposes.
The Authority is genuinely interested in the
ideas of the local residents pertaining to the
future uses which these buildings could be put
to. Community groups, senior citizens clubs,
Lions, Optimists, Scouts, Women's Institutes,
etc. could all conceivably make good use of
either of these buildings. They could' also
assist the Authority in maintaining the
buildings once restored.
The Authority's investigations indicate that
funding from the Ministry of Culture and
Recreation and the Ontario Heritage
Foundation will be more easily secured if the
community's interest in having these mills
restored is made evident ...
I am looking forward to meeting with th¢/
concerned citizens of Howick and Brussels'.1.-/
and surrounding areas, on the subject of
mills, in April. Your input is needed.
Lorne urray,,,./
Chairman, Maitla Nails
Conservation 1-1hority-,`
Karl Schuessler
live in peace not just besjde each \ other in
cages and pens. But among one another.
By the time I got to tO Ol side of the
barn, I'd passed another ,11)ig-- r was it the
e;
same one? -- two small calves and six kids
-- four of Alex's and twb of my own.
"Don't look up now," \ said •Lloyd, "You
may get an egg in your.eye" 131.11 I had to
look up. And there on same pipes in the
rafters perched foil'. \ chickens -- all
feathered in black \ and trimmed in
shimmering colours a peacock couldn't
outdo.
Some rabbits ran loose in the hay mow,
See, it might be easy to enforce 'a neat
and orderly peace. Lock everyone up. Cage
him. But him in his stall. This far--no
more. \ •
But Alex's barn isn't like that. tiis
animals are lucky. They're like kids in a
free school -- an open school. If they want
to get up frOm their desk and sharpen a
pencil, they do it. No persmission needed.
If they need a book on the next floor up,
they go and get it. Plenty of wide spaces.
No compartments. No rows of desks, only
rounds of desks.'
free and open. The kidS have their
heads:,, And they're good heads. Fine
heads. Responsible heads. They thrive and
grow.
I saw those fine animals thrive and grow
'in a born-free barn -- in Alex Drummond's
barn, They weren't just sticking with their
,own kink They learned to live together --
despite their differences. Only once did a
cow nip at a goat's ear.She just wanted to
Move her over -- not out.
And I stood by the cows in perfect peace,
There's a few things yon have to fear when
you stand at the rear of any animals. Tails.
Heels: hooves. But not. Alex's. For his
animals are d gentle to t. They're used to
him and his kids and they're used to each
other. All tamed, Gentled and pea.cified.
And here all along I. thought the pastors
in the churches were the ones to• offer their
flocks a peace that surpasseth all
underanding.
But
st
AleX.Drtitnniond as shepherd of his
Own flock does a mighty fine job of living
dint what some of its only talk and dreana
about,
To the editor
Wants ideas for mill
It
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