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Times-Advocate, 1979-08-08, Page 1,• _ MUSCLE POWER — John Coolman's muscles bulge, but it wasn't enough as he went down to defeat to Larry Skinner in the 171.200 pound class of the Friedsburg Days arm wrestling competition. Judge John Becker watches the action, while Randy Beaker keeps the time on the right. Staff photo I . i A NEW HERO — Children in the future will have a new hero suggested one of the entries in Dash wood's Friedsburg parade. That hero will be "super turkey" and of course, the float was entered by Hayter's turkey farm, Standing beneath the new hero and holding one that was a bit more lively are Vern Iskuskas, David Maguire, Elaine Overholt and Tom Hayter. Staff photo Are congregations may aid refugees PARKHILL GIRL FRIEDSBURG QUEEN —April Gunness, 17, of Parkhill was named Miss Friedsburg 1979, Friday, In the back row (left to right) are attendants Sandra Heywood of Exeter, Carol Fisher of Zurich, Michelle Dietrich of Hay, se- cond runner-up Cindy Thomson of RR 8 Parkhill, first runner-up Barb Orr of RR 3, Dashwood, Barb Masse of Dashwood and Mona Hodgins. Staff photo Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, AUGUST 8, 1979 One Hundred and Fifth Year Price Per Copy 25 Cents • .. .Angtearga, DO IT, GIRL — Bob Snarey grimaces in pain as the open class arm wrestling champ takes on women's winner Mona Hodgins in a challenge contest at Friedsburg Days. Mona finally gave in and let the 305-pounder win the event to preserve the male ego. Staff photo Snarey wins at Dashwood Strong-arm tactics! if 4,4 WHOOPS — Pete Rumball thought he'd like to try this "penny farthing" bicycle, but learned to his chagrin that it's not as easy as it looks. He flipped over the top of the giant wheel, but after rubbing a sore leg, was all smiles as a friendly clown arrived to cheer him. Ironically, the old bicy- cle was manufactured by "Boneshaker Inc," of Cleveland. Pete knows where they got the name. Staff photo Speeder pays $243 for doubling the limit Black holiday weekend on area roads Five injured damage over $50,000 • • A speeder again paid the top fine in the Tuesday court session conducted in Exeter by Justice of the Peace Douglas Wedlake. James Steven Johnston, R.R. 2 Goderich, was fined $243 or 24 days after being clocked at a speed of 160 in an 80 km zone on June. He was fined an additional $54 or five days for having liquor readily available. He was given 30 days in which to pay the fines. Gordon W. Thompson, R,R. 5 Parkhill, was fined $180 or 18 days for a speed of 140 in an 80 zone. He was given 15 days to pay. Failure to wear a seat belt resulted in fines of $28 or three days for Denise Anne Abbey and Max Robert Brown, both of London, Fines of $54 or five days for illegal possession of alcohol were assessed against Edward Harold House, Huron Park; Robert G. Henderson, R.R. Seaforth; Henry Elderhorst, St, Marys; and Merchants to be billed Exeter's downtown merchants will be expected to pay for municipal services required for future sidewalk sales. That decision was made by council, Tuesday, after they were advised that the cost for extra policing and work by the works department amounted to $443 for the recent event staged by the merchants. Council agreed to pick up the tab this year, but will advise the merchants they will be billed in the future. Court fines will increase Due to an increase in in- fractions under the Liquor Control Act, Judge W.G. Cochrane has announced an increase in fines. Effective August 1, per- sons convicted of having liquor in a place other than their residence will be fined $104. This applies to drivers convicted of having liquor readily available in their vehicles, Any minors charged with liquor offences must appear in court, as will anyone who is charged with driving 60 km over the legal speed limits. The fine for creating un- necessary noise with a motor vehicle will also be increased and the new penalty will be $103. Judge Cochrane explained that the fines will apply to courts in Huron where he is presiding. Mark S. Wragg, Exeter. Other fines levied by Mr. Wedlake were as follows: Robert Earl Thiel, Exeter, $14 for being intoxicated in a public place; Tim C. Clark, London, $28 for operating a motor evehicle with no operator's licence; Godwin A. Grech, London, $78 for unnecessary noise with a motor vehicle; John Steven Upwood, Parkhill, $28 for failing to obey a red light; and Rick D. Wood, Down- sview, $13 for a speed of 60 in a 50 zone. Zurich hit by breakins A series of breakins in the Zurich area over the weekend is being in- vestigated by Exeter OPP Constable Don Mason. Damage to the buildings through the forced entries resulted in more loss than the actual thefts in most cases. The road department shed of the County of Huron was entered and a few items stolen, while an old pay telephone used as a coffee fund was taken from the Hay Municipal Telephone System building nearby. Both the office and workshop under construction were entered and it is believed there may have been up to $50 in cash in the coffee fund. The doors were broken at the Zurich branch of the Hensall Co-Op, but nothing has been reported missing, and an attempted breakin at the Hay Township workshop was not successful. Thieves also entered the Zurich Pro Hardware and made off with four watches, valued at $150, Area drivers recorded one of the worst Civic Holiday weekends ever, with 10 accidents and property damage of over $50,000. There were five injuries, one of them being serious, The serious injury was sustained by JefferyRomphf, Exeter, whose motorbike was. in collision with a car driven by William Walker, R.R, 1 Thorndale on Friday night. The accident occurred on County Road 11 at sideroad 15 in Usborne. Romphf, the teenage son of Mr. and Mrs, Neil Romphf, is in intensive care at University Hospital, London, with a fractured pelvis and hip. Constable Wally Tomasik investigated and set total damage at $2,500. Asks action on diamond Councillor Lossy Fuller this week urged council to take some immediate action regarding the need for an additional ball diamond at the community park. She said work had to start this fall if there was to be a new diamond in use next season and was critical of the fact that the matter wasn't being pursued by council when a citizens' committee had already formulated some plans and there were people interested in raising funds for the project. "We have to get at it, the time is now", she said, ad- ding that all council had to do was approve the project. Mayor Derry Boyle said that if there were people interested in raising funds, all they had to do was ap- proach him and he was certain that he could get council's blessing to name them as a fund-raising committee. However, he cautioned that the people had to be "solid citizens" who would be prepared to see the project through. Councillor Don Cameron, who was named along with Boyle to look into the matter some time ago, said they had been working on it and he questioned if there should be a public information meeting. Noting there appeared to be some controversy over the project, Cameron said that a good, clear plan was essential. Clerk Liz Bell said that works superintendent Glenn Kells was familiar with some of the drainage problems at the park, but had never been approached by the com- mittee for his suggestions. Mrs, Bell indicated that Kells felt the drainage could be undertaken at less cost than the citizens' committee anticipated. The matter of the future of the grandstand is also a consideration in the park development proposal, and Boyle said an answer on that had to come from the fair board. He said members of that group were having difficulty with that decision in that they wanted to keep the facility, but on the other hand weren't sure what they want to do with it. The grandstand needs con- siderable renovation. The matter was left with no official action other than Boyle's suggestion to Mrs. Fuller that those interested in forming a fund-raising committee approach him and he would get council authorization. The first of the week's accidents took place on Thursday when a vehicle driven by Albert Van- denherghe, R.R, 1 Petrolia, struck a parked vehicle owned by Kenneth Fanson, R.R. 1 Fullarton, on the Hensel], Livestock Sales lot. Damage was listed at $250 by Cpl. Dave Woodward. There were five crashes on Saturday, the first involving vehicles driven by Marguerite Luther, Grand Bend, and Fernando Costa, Kitchener. They collided on Highway 83 just east of 21. A front porch at the Luther residence was also damaged. • Ms. Luther sustained minor injuries and total damage was estimated at $9,500 by Constable Bob Whiteford, Whitney Coates, Exeter, sustained minor injuries when his vehicle was in collision with one driven by Billy Damen, R.R. 3 Lucan. A group of people representing the Kirkton- Woodham United Church Charge, the Thames Road- The accident occurred on Highway 4 just north of the Kirkton Road. Damage was set at $2,300 by Constable Larry Christiaen. A vehicle driven by Willem Namink, Sarnia, struck a parked vehicle owned by Alan Levier, Huron Park, while ' it was parked on Algonquin Drive. Damage was set at $475 by Constable Frank Giffin, Damage of $1,200 of $1,200 was reported by Constable Don Mason in another of the Saturday accidents which involved vehicles operated by Harry Reyce, London, and Eva Tyler, Dashwood, They collided on Highway 83 in Dashwood, The final Saturday crash occurred on Highway 4 south of Exeter, involving Thomas McLeod, Hamilton, and Douglas Reid, Huron Park, Damage was listed at $850 by Constable Bill Osterloo, There was only one crash on Sunday, it occurring on Elimville United Church Charge and the Thamesview United Church Charge met last week at Thamesview Church to discuss the plight of the Vietnamese Boat People and the possibility of assisting them in some way, Gerry Holland, member of Stratford and Area World Aid, spoke to the group and laid out the type and extent of commitment necessary to successfully sponsor a family, The sponsor support is required for a year although it is expected that, in practice, the families will become self-supporting in a shorter period. For Church groups to sponsor under the "um- brella" of the United Church of Canada it is necessary to get Official Board approval. The people attending the meeting moved to send letters to each family in the three charges asking that they respond and make a commitment of interest and support which will give the official boards some basis for action. It is expected to have the response from the people in time to have of- ficial board meetings in September. Mary Street, Zurich, when a vehicle driven by William Armstrong, R.R. 3 Zurich, struck a parked vehicle owned by Paul Laster, Michigan. Constable Giffin listed damage at $400. There were two collisions communities, whereby unknown officers in plain cars could be on patrol, Day said this suggestion could possibly work, but again cited the cost factor. "We can't ignore the problem," Mrs. Fuller continued and suggested it be turned over to the police July permits hit $338,000 Building permits valued at $338,000 were approved by building inspector Doug Triebner during July. New commercial buildings made up the largest amount at $175,000, with new residential buildings being valued at $113,000 Residential renovations were listed at $26,080 with another $21,000 for swim- ming pools and $700 for tool sheds. Bob Snarey has a dis- arming smile...and also an arm that can be dis-arming. The 305 pound Shakespeare resident proved that again on Saturday when he took on all corners and emerged with the Ron Merner challenge trophy in the arm wrestling event at Dashwood's Friedsburg Days. Snarey has been engaged in arm wrestling for the past couple of years and the Dashwood win was the 15th title he's claimed in that time. However, he also knows what it is to lose. He headed for the world championship in Kansas City last year and was ousted in a quick three seconds. "Some of Those guys are unbelievable," he said of the world masters. roensulMteodndianytootanle daonflawgheicohf $26,000. A tractor trailer driven by Robert Maynard, On Saturday, Snarey whipped Paul Gross of Blyth to win the unlimited division and then had an easy time flattening the arms of the winners of the other divisions to cop the overall championship. He toyed with most of them, holding their arms steady until he took one big breath and then pushed their hands to the mat, John Becker was judge for the event and Randy Becker acted as timer. The photos of the winners appears in this issue. The Mt. Carmel crew emerged as winners in the tug-of-war contest, beating Exeter's "ton-of-fun" in two straight pulls in the final. Coach Bill Regier had his squad in top shape for the event. Members of the R.R. 2 Strathroy and a vehicle operated by Kenneth Ettie, R.R. 6 St. Marys, Please turn to page 3 Ted Wright said the problem can be heard or seen almost every night and said many young people were afraid of reprisals from their peers if they get in- volved helping the police. Thief flees crash scene Eketer Police Constable Jim Barnes is continuing his investigation into the theft of a motor vehicle last week that ended up being involved in a collision with a hydro pole. The car, owned by Reg Stagg, Main St., was stolen from the Exeter Legion parking lot and hit a hydro pole on the west side of the street across from the Legion hall. Damage was listed at $1,000 and the thief escaped on foot. winning team are Dennis Lamport, Bob Hodgins, Ray Webb, Ron Mason, Vern Sorensen, Mike Hogan, Jack Guenther and Mike Hart- man. The "ton-of-fun" was anchored by Stefan Oren- chuk and other members were John Coolman, Randy Finkbeiner, Ron Bilcke, Carl Neil, Mike Horner, Rick Horner, Ron Coolman an- Richard Rose. In the women's division, Dashwood took top honours, beating the "mix-up" in the final, Members of the win- ning team, Which was coached by John Mason, were Joan Finkbeiner, Sherrie Stade, Eleanor Weigand, Mona Hodgins, Bev Durdin, Nathlie Mason, Ann Wiendels and Dorothy Main. The recent wave of van- dalism in Exeter has drawn "strong concern" from the members of the Downtown Business Improvement Area, who questioned this week if the situation was getting out of hand. Chairman Bob Swartman led a four-man delegation to this week's council session to outline that concern and to ask for some corrective measures. It prompted a lengthly debate, but few suggestions, Swartman said the damage caused by vandals is getting expensive, but added that it may be one of the hazards of doing business. "It shouldn't be", Mayor Derry Boyle quickly replied. The businessmen had considered offering a reward, but Chief Ted Day said this had been tried in the past and was unsuccessful. Ron Cottrell asked why, if the police seemed to know who was responsible for much of the vandalism, the culprits couldn't be caught. "We have to prove it," Day answered, saying the police had to catch vandals in the act or their hands were tied. He suggested the courts were too lenient in most cases in that accused people "get a tap on the shoulder and are told not to do it again," The Chief said that one of the answers rested with going to the provincial politicians and having the legislation changed so the police would be given more powers, When Swartman questioned if more police were needed, Day quickly replied in the affirmative, and also pointed out Exeter was not alone in the problem in that it was happening in communities across Ontario. "I realize it may be a sickness of our time, but when do we stop it?" Swartman asked, Deputy-Reeve Don MacGregor listed one of the problems as being that people won't come forth to assist the police when they see vandals at work. Later in the meeting, one incident was outlined where a group of young people were playing ball on Main Street at 4:00 a.m., using a couple of cars to chase the ball, Several councillors received complaints about the in- cident, but it was learned that no one had called the police at the time. Day said it would cost extra money to stage an all- out effort against vandalism and this prompted Cottrell to point out that the damage was costly "and if the police need more money, it should be provided." Wilful damage reported to police in July amounted to over $550. Councillor Lossy Fuller questioned exchanging police with neighboring committee for their con- sideration and recom- mendation. That was approved, but the subject cropped up again when several members voiced their concern during the session set aside for councillors' comments. Don Cameron said he was particularly concerned that people wouldn't come forth to assist the police. He noted' that he found it difficult to believe that a group of 15-year-olds could make adults so afraid to make a move. He termed it a "real cop-out" quickly ad- ding the pun had not been intended. Mayor Boyle said he was not adverse to turning anyone in, but reported that in the past when he had done so, he had the air let out of his car tires on one occasion and on another had a brick thrown through the window of his house, Try to find way other than mere words Vandals under attack I