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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2007-10-11, Page 4PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2007.Editorials Opinions Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie GroppAdvertising, Ken Warwick & Lori Patterson The CitizenP.O. Box 429,BLYTH, Ont.N0M 1H0 Phone 523-4792 FAX 523-9140 P.O. Box 152,BRUSSELS, Ont.N0G 1H0 Phone 887-9114 FAX 887-9021 E-mail norhuron@scsinternet.com Website www.northhuron.on.ca Looking Back Through the Years Member of the Ontario Press Council The Citizen is published 50 times a year in Brussels,Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc.Subscriptions are payable in advance at a rate of $32.00/year ($30.19 + $1.81 G.S.T.) in Canada;$92.00/year in U.S.A.and $175.00/year in other foreign countries.Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error,only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40050141 PAP REGISTRATION NO. 09244 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO CIRCULATION DEPT. PO BOX 152 BRUSSELS ON N0G 1H0 email: norhuron@scsinternet.com Oct. 11, 1950 The North Huron Plowing Match had a very successful year, coming close to records set decades before. The event, held in Turnberry Twp,, drew 39 competitors, a number close to one which had not been seen in a few years. Before the Second World War, the event had once drawn just over 40 competitors. All competitors were at the top of their game, and overall the match went over extremely well for everyone. Fall fair season continued to roll on with several fairs taking place across Ontario. Areas holding their annual festivities included Mitchell, Aylmer, Arthur, Listowel, Brussels and Beeton. A young girl was rushed to hospital after being bitten by what she thought to be an extremely oversized bee. Upon further examination and treatment, it was found that the bite was actually that of a 12-inch long rattlesnake. The snake was found in the grass near the girl’s home, although it is still uncertain how it got there. In another freak injury, a 10- month-old baby from Texas was rushed to hospital after swallowing what was thought to be a nut. After having his stomach pumped, it was discovered that the baby had actually swallowed a piece of uranium ore. Oct. 11, 1961 Flying instructor Elizabeth Overbury was falling victim to sexism in her career path. The 26- year-old from Befordshire, England continued to be turned down for commercial pilot jobs, despite the fact that she taught commercial pilots how to fly. She planned to attempt legal action to prove that she was more than capable of being an excellent pilot. Baltimore Oriole Jim Gentile set a new American League record for the most grand slam home runs in one season. The first baseman was photographed in the dressing room moments after setting the record, all smiles. St. Louis architect John C. McEwan was revolutionizing the architecture world with his house plans which were meant to ‘blend in’. Based on Frank Lloyd Wright’s idea that a house should fit the landscape, McEwan’s design seemed at first primitive, almost resembling a cave, but in reality the design indeed was extremely innovative. All the windows, doors, walkways and chimneys were to flow together. Metal lath and cement plaster were the basic materials in its ‘continuous’ construction. Nina Holden of Victoria, British Columbia was crowned “Miss Canada”. Originally runner-up, Ms Holden was pushed up to the position after judges disqualified Connie-Gail Feller for undisclosed reasons. Oct. 11, 1972 A steady downpour of rain meant the cancellation of several much- anticipated events at the Brussels Fall Fair. Rain which came down early in the morning and didn’t stop until late afternoon caused the cancellation of the parade, races, children’s sports, and the judging of most livestock. Despite the rain however, there were still 750 attendees who toughed out the weather to enjoy the other events still running. The most popular stop seemed to be the indoor Ladies’Division booth, where many flocked to warm up with some coffee and a bite to eat. Construction was being done at the Brussels Legion Hall. A whole side had been taken out to make way for a brand new addition on the south side of the building. Oct. 12, 1988 Political leaders in the area geared up for the upcoming municipal elections. Prominent nominees for leadership included McKillop reeve Marie Hicknell, Morris Twp. reeve Doug Fraser, West Wawanosh reeve Cecil Cranston, Colborne deputy- reeve William Vanstone, among several others from across the area. The EMA Foods Brussels Bulls hockey player of the week was Bob McMillan. Left wing #12, McMillan was described simply as “speed with a capital ‘S’”. He was enrolled in his first year of studies at the University of Guelph. Competition was heating up for the title of Huron Dairy Princess. Competitors were: Marlene Albers, 18, of Bluevale; Lisa Boonstoppel, 19, of Auburn and Laura Hallahan, 17, of Blyth. Playing at the Lyceum Theatre in Wingham was the film described as the “zaniest sexiest movie entertainment of the summer,” A Fish Called Wanda. Also playing at the Park Theatre in Goderich was A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master. Oct. 10, 1990 A twister touched down dangerously close to Brussels. Several Brussels area farms sustained damage, and the area remained shaken. Blyth Memorial Hall played host to a special musical guest who happened to be extremely popular with the younger generations. Eric Nagler, of the Sharon, Lois and Bram’s Elephant Show fame, was playing for the second time at Blyth, and the reviews were as always glowing, especially if you ask one of the many children in attendance. THE EDITOR, On behalf of Take Heart Huron, a community-based organization that encourages Huron County residents to make healthy choices, I’d like to extend appreciation to Donna Taylor and her group of volunteers for organizing such a successful World Record Walk event in Blyth last Wednesday, Oct. 3. The World Record Walk was an Ontario-wide attempt to break the Guinness World Record for having the most people walk one kilometre at the same time. The walk in Blyth had 56 people participating. We are hoping to know by mid- October whether we had enough Ontarian’s to break the Western Australia 2006 record of just over 100,000. The event also took place to kick start a “walkolution” across Canada. Walking is good for our health, environmentally-friendly and enjoyable. Let’s continue to promote walking in our communities for health benefits, as a form of active transportation instead of driving and as a family activity that everyone can enjoy. Thank you again to the wonderful volunteers who made this event a success. Alycia Collins, Co-ordinator, Take Heart Huron Huron County Health Unit We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP) toward our mailing costs. We are not responsible for unsolicited newsscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are © Copyright Putting technology to work The proposal, outlined in last week’s Citizen, for a community access centre that would bring opportunities for further education to local people without having to leave home is exciting for more than its direct benefits. The idea, outlined by North Huron councillor Greg McClinchey, would create a centre where people could come together to take advantage of online learning offered by various colleges and universities rather than having to travel to the institution itself. This kind of rethinking of the way things can be done is desperately needed if the rural way of life is to be preserved. We must find ways to put the current information technology to work for the benefit of rural communities. More than 20 years ago Harrowsmith magazine predicted a rural renaissance through the upcoming digital revolution. The magazine foresaw people no longer needing to live in cities to carry out work normally done in cities. People could work at home and companies in small communities could compete equally for commerce at long distance with those in the large centres. Instead, the opposite has happened. The electronic revolution has resulted in more centralization in large centres. Services once offered on a face-to-face basis like some banking functions or the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs advisors, have been replaced with call centres or internet access, and rural jobs have been lost. Online shopping promises to further erode the rural retail sector. Part of this is due to the reality that the most powerful forces in society will adapt a new technology to their own benefit, so government and big business have adapted the new tools to strengthen trends of centralization that were already ongoing. But we in rural areas have failed to grasp the opportunities to put the new technology to work for our advantage. Partly because we ship most of our young people off to school and then to urban-based jobs (that take even more money from rural communities to urban centres), we haven’t had a critical mass of people with an interest and skill with the technology. There are hints of how it could work. This month our sister publication The Rural Voice has a story about Hoffmeyer’s Planing Mill in Sebringville, which still runs with equipment from the 19th century, but gets 40 per cent of its customers for reproductions of Victorian house trim from all over North America through its website. We need more innovation along these lines, and that of the proposed community access centre to put the digital age technology to work for us, instead of against us, in rural communities. — KR A hidden, unhidden agenda There’s something refreshing about Prime Minister Steven Harper’s announcement last week about his intention to proceed with his agenda in the upcoming parliament and dare the opposition parties to vote against his minority government. A government should stand up for its beliefs, and for what it was elected to do by the largest number of voters, even in a minority situation, but often compromises to try to stay in power. Still, let’s not get too carried away praising Harper for his integrity. Here’s a man who promised fixed dates for elections but suddenly sees the disarray in the Liberal party and thinks he can get the majority he wants. Still, though he wants an election, he doesn’t want to take the blame for calling one, so he comes up with policies he knows the opposition can’t support. This man once so cynical about opportunistic politicians has become quite an opportunist. — KR & Letter to the editor