HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1978-03-01, Page 24Brussels Post
1111uSSELs
ONTARIO
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 1978
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean 'Bro$.Publishers LiMited,
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Dave Robb - Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $9.00 a Year.
Others $17.00 a Year. Single Copies 20 cents each.
',CNA
Welcome to Brussels Frosty Friday
Behind the scenes
By Keith Roulston
TORONTO, 1984--A huge convention of
clergy from across Canada today decided to
form a union.
The 3,000 delegates from all faiths agreed
by an. overwhelming vote to join the
International Brotherhood of Rabbis, Priests
and Pastors. By a much narrower margin the
delegates decided to proceed with calling a
strike .unless their demands for a "fair and
just settlement" are met by the various
church organizations.
The decision was not made without a good
deal of heated debate. FAther Arthur
DuMaurier argued that striking to seek more
money was against all the teachings of the
Bible which speak of poverty. His argument
was countered by Father Richard O'Sullivan
who said that it was all very well for Jesus to
talk about giving up all worldly goods but he
didn't have a wife and five kids to feed.
"Or have to pay$2.00 a gallon for gasoline
for the car," added Rabbi Abraham Plaut.
"Or keep up payments on a cottage in
Muskoka" Argued Rev. Petra Hemplemeyer.
But, claimed Rev. Andrew McKenzie, "it
wouldn't be dignified for the clergy of the
nation to go on strike. People look up to us.
We must set an example."
Rev. McKenzie was quickly branded as
backward and not with the times by younger
members of the clergy. "People don't look up
to us anymore," said Father O'Sullivan.
"They see us as suckers, working away for a
pitance while everyone else gets a good
wage."
Yes, Rabbi Plant argued, why should the
clergy be paid less than teachers, or doctors or
engineers, or even garbage men. "We have
many long years of expensive education and
work long hours," he said. "Why everybody
else I know gets time and a half for working
Saturday but that's just supposed to be part of
my job."
Rev. Hemplemeyer said that long ago other
professions stopped worrying about people
looking up to them and worried abo.ut looking
out for themselves. Teachers, she said, have
been striking since the mid-seventies.
Doctors got higher fees by threatening to
move enmass to Arizona arid even farmers,
even farmers, she said, had finally learned to
organize in 1980 and in -a massive strike
brought the nation to its knees. Today, she
said, people know how much they need food
and farmers now have a yearly average
income of over $100,000 just slightly behind
1984?
other importnat segments of society such as
hockey players and nightclub singers.
"And where are ministers in the pay
scale," she asked rhetorically," just behind
encyclopedia salesmen and just ahead of
shoehsine boys, though topless shoeshine
girls get far higher wages.'
Father DuMaurier said he felt that the
clergy should be above materialistic desires.
But Rev. Hemplemeyer quickly replied that
she wasn't materialistic. Afterall, she said,
"I'm not after one of those new personal
hovercraft everybody else has. I just want to
be able to afford a plain old Cadillac. Why I
had to send my husband out to .work lak year
just so we could afford to keep up the
payments on our new wall-sized colour
television screen."
Rabbi Plant agreed, saying that he had to
work nights at a bagel factory to be able to
afford to take a winter vacation in the Virgin
Islands. Why he only had a month's vacatin,
he said, and everyone else had two months.
An attempt to come up with a compromise
solution was proposed by Sister Mary Louise
Dickert who suggested that the clergy should
go on a work to rule campaign. "We would
continue to perform the last rights and
burials since these are essential services,"
she said, "but refuse hospital calls and
weddings. We could have a slowdown
campaign during'. confessions. That should
make people guilty enough they'll beg us to
take more money."
The compromise failed, however, by a vote
of 1,875 to 1,100. The strike will take place
during Holy Week unless a solution to the
impasse is reached.
That solution, however, seems to be a good
way off. A spokesman for the Anglican Church
of Canada said his church had agreed to join
forces with the Roman Catholic Church, the
United, Presbyterian and other Protestant
churches and the Jewish heirarchy (only the
Moslem church is not joining the allliance) to
present a united front, against the demands.
"We simply cannot afford to pay these
utrageous demands," he said, "I feel very
sorry for the parishioners of these various
churches who are being used as pawns by the
clergy. It may do irreparable harm to their
spiritual well-being."
Meanwhile a spokesman for Piime Minister
Trudeau who is off skiing in the Andes, said
that the Prime Minister has no plans to
intervene in the strike. "The state has no
place in the pews of the nation," he said.
Welcome to Brussels! That's something that
Brussels residents will be saying quite often over the
next three weekends as hockey teams ,from 36
Ontario communities converge on our village for the
annual Optimists Atom Tournament.
It's up to each of us to try and see that each coach,
parent and player feels 'athorne and sees the best of
what Brussels has to offer.
Local Optimists have worked long and hard
organizing the event. It's to their credit that teams
from afar: keep coming to the tournament every
winter.
This year a big surprise awaits visiting teams ....
the fine new Brussels, Morris and Grey Community
Centre.The facility that all of us in the community are
proud of will be well used by the young hockey
players.
If you see strangers on the street in the next three
weekends, welcome them to the Ontario's Prettiest
Village. Help keep up BrusSels' reputation as a
thriving sports town by getting up to the arena any
chance you get to watch the tournament action.
We've got a fine .arena and good sports events
scheduled there, , what more do you need for a good
winter weekend?
Thinking day
We're too busy by far these days; just about
everyone in the modern rat race, even those of us in
Brussels, think that way from time to time. We don't
care about each other and take the time to thank and
think about each other the way we should.
Neighbourliness and simple gratitude often seems
a casualty of the twentieth century.
That's why it was so refreshing last .week to see
the card that Post photographer Pat Langlciis
received from. Brussels Brownies. These thoughtful
young ladies and their leader, Joan Exel, sent Pat a
card in honour of Thinking Day, the birthday of
Scout-Guide movement founders, Lord and Lady
Baden Powell.
For several years Pat has taken photos of Brownie
activities, and the card, signed by Brown Owl, Mrs.
Exel says: "On behalf of the 1st Brussels Brownie
Pack we'd like to thank you for your time and effort
in taking pictures of our pack." .
More of us should follow the example of Brussels'
little Brownies and thanIC each other more often.
To the editor: Looking for WW2 veterans
It is hoped' that a detective story without
murder, fraud or other crime may be
sufficiently novel as to win space in your .
paper.
The story concerns a Canadian Army unit
that served throughout Europe WW2, the 65
Tank Transprot Coy. RCASC disbanded in
Holland in 1945. Ex-members departed for
civy street in every part of Canada and contact
betWeeti individuals was lost.
Pour and a half years of detective Work has
located 210 living ex-members and about 35
decOased ottt of a possible of about 700. The
search continues..
Will anyone reading this, please check• with
y our WW2 army acquaintances, if a 65th may
be found, pleas", advise him of company
reunion to be held at North Bay, Ontario, July
7-8-0; 1978. For reunion details and other
important information, he should contact
Maurice Rainsforth, P.O.Box 1071, Stirling,
Ontario, 613-395-3052 (or the writer):
Edit& please accept the thanks of the men
of the 65th for this valuable space in your
paper.
Sincerely,
ABA: 145-
WaterlOo f PA1 JOE 1N0