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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1979-10-11, Page 1• .:900.1.00 .41116,, I 1. -it Artist's drawing of new Exeter police office Imes dvocate & North Lambton Since 1873 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex One hundred and Seventh Year EXETER, ONTARIO, OCTOBER 11, 1979 Price Per Copy 25 Cents Worth at least $21 million Jobs open up for 45 to 55 reel firm lands contract Larry Dobson barn goes up in smoke TOO MUCH SMOKE — Exeter fireman Ray Jory collapsed after being overcome by smoke while fighting a barn fire at the Larry Dobson farm, Thursday. He is administered to by John Morgan and Bob Forrest before being taken by ambulance to South Huron Hospital. He was released after an examination. Staff photo Exeter garage saved Fire destroys barn PREPARING FOR THE RUSH — Aircraft engine mechanic Charles Browning Sr. of Crediton and general foreman Jack Shearman of Parkhill are busy getting things ready for work to begin on four new air cushion vehicles, Refugee families settling into new district home REFUGEES FROM VIETNAM ARRIVE — Two families of Chinese refugees from Vietnam arrived in the Exeter area over the weekend. Pictured in their new home are (left-right) Cuong Anh, Dang Ngoc Phuong, La Xuan Lien, La Canh Mirth, Dang Xuan Linh, to Xien Hong, La Sieu Phuong, Dang Xuan My, La My and Deng Duo. The two families ore being sponsored by the Chris- tian Reformed Church of Exeter. T-A photo It's official at last: • will build new office week of a contract with the The $21 millioh contract United States army for at for four vehicles contains an least four of their air option for another eight of cushion vehicles. the air cushioned vehicles At a special meeting, Wednesday, Exeter council rejected a last-minute bid by the local Heritage Foun- dation to have the town hall used once again as the headquarters for the Exeter police department. Council unanimously passed a motion to accept the layout of a building designed by architect David Stevens and will call tenders for the construction of that facility to be erected on the lot just west of the post office which was recently pur- chased for $44,000 from former Exeter accountant Barry Reid. It had been expected that the motion to proceed with the new facility would be approved at council's first meeting in October, but when a recommendation to that effect from the building committee reached the floor it was supported only by chairman Don MacGregor. Other members of the committee wanted to discuss further a proposal made at last Monday's meeting by The Exeter fire depart- ment had a busy 24 hours this week with two fires totalling $63,500 in damage. At 2.30 a.m, Friday firemen were called to the scene of Frayne Chev-Olds in Exeter where a blaze caused $8,600 worth of damage. Fire chief Gary Middleton Said garbage containers at the rear of the Canadian Tire store had been deliberately set on fire with the flames climbing a utility pole and then entering the paint shop of Fraynes' via a ventilation duct. former mayor Bruce Shaw that the town ball be used for the police. Shaw contended that many citizens were upset at the prospect of spending $100,000 on new police facilities and suggested council members were making a big mistake in not moving back into the town-owned town hall. However the police building committee in- vestigated the town hall facility on Tuesday and listed several reasons at the special meeting to support their earlier recom- mendation to build a new office, While agreeing that the town hall was in a central location and should probably be used for some municipal purpose in that it was owned by the town, the committee listed the following reasons for rejecting the building: Unknown costs of renovating and bringing up to code for public use of police station, Cost of relocating existing tenants, The fire was contained to the roof area of the building where it burned large amounts of insulation. Mike Williamson of Fraynes had high praise for the local detachment for their quick reaction to the call. Firemen were unable to do anything but watch as flames completely destroyed a hog barn at the farm of Larry Dobson three miles south west of Exeter Thursday. Cause of the fire which caused $55,000 damage is * Change of exterior Heritage design for garage, future expansion, rear exits, etc, * Long term costs of maintenance, energy, in- surance, etc. * Not as functional a building for police operation. * Police would be subjected to commotion of other parties using upstairs, heritage tours, etc. Several reasons for building a new facility were also outlined on a fact sheet presented to council members. These included the fact that money had already been expended for the purchase of a lot, ar- chitect and the fact that the new building would result in relatively reasonable costs of maintenance, insurance, energy, etc, The committee also contended that it would provide for future growth, would be an efficient facility designed specifically for the use of the police and it would also enable the town to proceed on the development of a town square. The final reason listed on the sheet noted that the $44,000 property would be an expensive parking lot if it was not used to facilitate the police office. There was little discussion on the committee recom- mendation at the special meeting, which was attended by all members except Jay Campbell and Don Cameron. In a note given to council members when they arrived, Cameron indicated he was not against the proposal to build the new structure but suggested the decision should be held over until October 15 to give the public time to view the reasons outlined by the committee for the new building and to enable council members to assess the public's reaction. Cameron questioned whether council should consider the letter from the Exeter and Area Heritage Foundation as a formal objection to council's plan to dispense with a vote of the electors in securing a $70,000 debenture to finance the new building. He suggested that the events of the past couple of weeks may lead people to feel that council members were railroading the project through. Mayor Derry Boyle, who reported that Campbell was laid up with a bad back, said the councillor was "100 percent behind the 'decision" to build the new structure. unknown. Injured slightly while attempting to remove some of the 155 hogs yds fireman Ray Jory. Jory was taken to South Huron Hospital by Hoffmans' Ambulance and treated for exhaustion. He was released later the same day. Assisting the Exeter department was the Huron Park detachment of the Stephen fire department. Dobson said 19 pigs were saved. The loss was partially covered by insurance. Applications for jobs are pouring into Bell Aerospace near Grand Bend, following their announcement last Two refugee families from Vietnam are now adjusting to their new homeland on a farm three kilometres west of Hensall. •La Canh Minh, his wife La My, their daughter La Xuan Lien, Mr. and Mrs. Dang Duo, their brother Cuong Anh and two nieces were picked up in Toronto by Mr. and Mrs. Co Zondagg, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Uyl, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Vanderlaan and Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Boersma early Saturday morning. The extended family arrived in Toronto after stops in Montreal and Vancouver. According to La Canh Minh who along with his sister DangDuo speaks some Four men sustained serious injuries in a violent two-vehicle crash at the main intersection in Crediton early Sunday morning. Both vehicles were demolished, The accident occurred around 1:45 a,m, when a car being driven east on Crediton Road by Robert Stuckless, Huron Park, was in collision with a pickup truck being driven south on King St. by Harry Inthout, RR 3 Kerwood, Both drivers and a passenger in each of the of the vehicles were taken to University Hospital in London. Stuckless, 20, had broken bones in both hands and deep head cuts, while Inthout had severe cuts, bruises and head injuries. Paul Runalls, 23, Huron Park , a passenger with Stuckless, sustained a broken left arm and severe cuts and bruises, while Wayne Van Amerongen, RR 1 Crediton, a passenger in the pickup, had severe head injuries, cuts and bruises. Exeter OPP Constable 13111 Osterloo investigated and set damage at $10,000. One of the other five ac- cidents of the week also resulted in major injuries to a London man, Murray Rathwell, whose vehicle went out of control on High- English, they spent between six months and a year in a refugee camp with 40,000 inhabitants in Malaysia, Following their departure from a port 280 kilometres south of Saigon, the family spent three days on a boat crowded with 380 refugees. In addition to the hardship which they endured they had to pay the Vietnamese government a considerable amount of gold to get out of the country. The 10 family members will be living in a house which has been donated by John Brandenhorst. According to Boersma members of the sponsoring Christian Reformed Church will be hunting for jobs for way 81, crossed a traffic island and struck a pole on Friday. He was taken to University Hospital, with back injuries and damage in the accident was set at $4,500 by Con- stable Wally Tomasik. There were two collisions on Saturday, the first in- volving a vehicle driven by Raymond Mathonia, RR 2 Zurich, which left concession 12-13 of Hay and struck a mailbox just north of sideroad 25. Constable Don Mason set damage in that mishap at $425, The other Saturday crash also involved only one vehicle, it being driven by Charles Bremner, RR 1 Zurich. It struck a hydro pole on concession 8-9 of Hay north of Highway 83. Damage was listed at $950 by Constable Bill Osterloo. The other crash was reported on Tuesday in- volving vehicles driven by David Timmermans, RR 3 Kippen, and Gordon McNutt, RR 1 Lucan. They collided on Mill St. west of Highway 4 in Hensall and damage was estimated at $600 by Cpl. DaVe Woodward, One drug charge was laid by OPP Constable Bill McIntyre this week, He charged Paul M. Malin, obey, Richmond St., Hensall, with possession of marin, juana. the families. La Canh Minh and Dang Duo have been trained as a mechanic and electrician respectively but have little practical ex- perience. Cuong Anh has no trade. Members of the family were formally welcomed to the area by members of the church Saturday at a reception held at their home. Aiding the Chinese natives of Vietnam in their familiarization with their new homeland were Sue and Yan Chong of Exeter. Through Sue who speaks the family's native tongue of Cantonese they expressed amazement at the wide open spaces of this area. They expressed thanks to the members of the Church for their sponsorship and help. On Sunday the families were introduced to the congregation of the church. According to La Canh Minh the members of the families enjoyed their first real Canadian meal which turned out to be a breakfast of eggs and bacon as prepared by Mr. and Mrs. Uyl. La Canh Minh said two brothers are expected to arrive in the United States this week while his father and mother are still in Vietnam. The local congregation will sponsor the two families for a minimum of one year. Boersma said the families may move to an Exeter residence before winter. which would mean at least an additional $40 million. Managing director Jim Mills says that employees who were laid off two years ago are being contacted first. This arrangement is part of the union contract, but Mills says it's a good idea, too, "We hope to get enough former employees back to have a nucleaus of skilled people," Mills says. Mills says hiring will begin immediately, and slowly the ranks will increase from the present 15 to about 60 or 70 people by next March. "We're working in co- operation with Canada Manpower. Priority will be given to skilled tradesman," Mills added, Bell Aerospace will be offering training courses in various areas, where ap- plicants don't have enough experience. "Obviously many domestic things have to be done when a plant has been laying idle for two years," Mills added. New employees will be given jobs cleaning, painting and making repairs. About the new contract, Mills said "We've been keeping our fingers crossed for two years." Although the plans have been underway that long," Red tape and bureaucracy" held up the agreement with the American Army, The U.S. government signed the contract on September 28 at 2:00 p.m. which was the last day and last hour of their fiscal year. The new contract is for a vehicle known as the LAC V- 30. This stands for "Lighter, amphibious, air cushion vehicle, with a 30 ton payload." Mills says that the new LAC V-30 is basically similar to the "Voyageur" first built by the Bell Aerospace in 1971. One of the main differences is that the new vehicle is 111/2 feet longer than the Voyageur. The machine will also have more powerful engines and better propellers. The engines are made by Pratt and Whitney of Canada. They are gas turbine engines, the same as those on a jet airplane, and are powered by a refined kerosene. The new machine has an air management system that will enable it to travel in both hot sandy tropical surroundings and in the frozen Arctic Bell Aerospace is also providing the U.S. Army with several options for their vehicles. A swing crane to ease loading and unloading and a device to spread heavy loads over the deck can be added. The 30 ton capacity was needed because the army wanted to carry two "milvans" on the vehicle. A milvan is a large container used by the army, and can hold anything from food to ammunition. The work on these four vehicles will be shared with Bell Aerospace in Buffalo New York. The vehicles will be assembled and tested in the U.S. Bell Aerospace is a division of the huge Textron company. Textron owns hundreds of other companies such as Schaeffer Spiedel Home-lite, Polaris, Vostitch and so on, Bell Aerospace purchased the old airport near Grand Bend in 1971. Mills says the location was chosen because the airstrip could be used to test the vehicles, and the close proximity of Lake Huron facilitated the water tests. Mills says that the village of Grand Bend co- operated completely when vehicles were tested in the Huron county council learned Thursday from the county medical officer of health that that the number of abortions carried out in 1978 represents a 75 percent increase in the past five years. Thanks for the offering The Sunday collection from the congregation at the Exeter Pentecostal Tabernacle was stolen a few hours after it was received at the Thanksgiving service. Pastor Keith Gonyow reported to Exeter police around 5:00 p.m. Sunday, that the church had been entered and the collection stolen. A hit and run and a stolen vehicle incident are also under investigation by the local police department. A van owned by Russell Waun, 159 Ann At., was struck by an unknown vehicle on Sunday, with damage to the Waun vehicle listed at $300. A car owned by Fred Robinson, 306 Marlboro St. was stolen on Sunday and recovered later near the Exeter Co-op, It had sustained damage estimated at $400. Constable Kevin Short is in charge of the investigations. past. Mills says that air cushion vehicles, also called hovercraft, were first built in England. At present there are about three companies in England, one in France, two in Japan and one in Australia where they are made. Mills says that Bell Aerospace was for- tunate to get the U.S. army contract because the army had considered all their competitors. Mills says that the air cushion vehicle is being used more and more because it can be dismantled and transported by air, road or rail, The air cushion vehicle is preferred over ships for water travel because of the high speeds they can reach. It can go 40 to 45 miles per hour, as compared to a ship carrying a 30 ton load which probabaly only travel half that speed, The new LAC V- 30 requires only a crew of two to operate it, while a ship would need about 20 people. Dr, Brian Lynch told council there were 73 abortions carried out in Huron county last year, over half of them on girls between the ages of 15 and 19. Lynch said 53,4 percent of the abortions performed were on girls 15 to 19 years of age, 23.3 percent on the 20 to 24 year old age group and 23.2 percent on the over 25 year old age group. He told council the number of abortions carried out on young women concerned him because of the adverse affect the operation may have on their ability to have children later in their lives. Godericn reeve Eileen Palmer was the only member of council to respond to the comments by Lynch pointing out to council that if those figures were to be reduced there "has to be a change in attitude toward sex education", Palmer suggested that the change come in the schools in the county, Lynch agreed with Palmer's comment pointing out that the place to begin sex education for younger people is prior to their en- tering high school. He said sex education classes are most effective with younger people. He said he did not know how effective present sex education classes are in the county but pointed out they are "better than nothing", Please turn to page 3 Four men injured in violent collision bortions in Huron jump 75 percent