HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1980-01-16, Page 7BY DAVE SYKES
The Huron County
Board of Education.
announced ratification of
a one-year deal with its
elementary teachers,
Vriday, giving the
teachers an average 7.3,
per'cerrt 'salary increase
for 197940.
The teachers ratified
the new one-year con-
.. tract in Clinton last.
Thursday that raises the
average salary'to S20,762.
Salaries for the 340
elementary teachers now
range from $11,210 to
-420,000.
Fourteen _of the
county's 24 elernentary
principals are . earning /
the $35,50 Ingimutn. on :
F.T.57.070. ,
-arriired-at-the-fiungry: -Hundred--one-=evening
find Doc PeterS! o'er parked beside the hOgsa; Under
normal circumstances I suppOse a man would worry if
he arrived borne to fincia doctor paying a visit, b.0t. net'
..me. Doc:was a friend of mine and sometimes Oropeed
in for a game Of chesP, shoot the breeze or have.a
drink. If he wanted to wet hip'Whistle that evening
told mySelf, he was going to be unkitky - the bottle:
was empty! • •
.My wife came out of the houseto greet Me.. Her face
. was red from the,Woodstove and She was wiping' flour
off her hands..with theend of her apron. •
Angus," she. said with a soft voice• as if; she
Wanted nobody to :ttear. "He collapsed in the barn •
Jeannie found hitn: I'm glad it was her and not, One of
the little ories.". ' • •
Jean wasmy eldest 'daughter and as is usually -the.
.
case in a large faMily,l,the'shepherd of inylittle floOk;
At:10 she took on reSRifles. whichwould . Piave
• been a credit t.,twice her age, I sometimes
thought ltie ected,too'hnich of her, but Seeing-her
as she: is to ay, I realize that•all thethipgsshedid. for
her s arid sisters; was not froM ateriSe of duty;
• but from unselfish loVe. AS. Halked. to my wife, 1 saw
the .children, ditappearingioverAhe hill towards the .
valley: Jeannie was leading them:away.frOrn anything
which might bring ,arodety'into their day.
"Where is Angdt„..how?" Tasked;
r(.•.H5:s in the h6YCnow •- 'Doc. Peters is with -him.1
only happened a shortWhile ago. I got Doe but when
tried to phone' yOu the line was busy.
I, ran down to , the barn,' scattering r the geese. and
chickens as I went.. In the hay • thoW,• Angus wapt-
stretehed out on the hay and; Dee: Peters was bending
over him :.and: holding • OXygen• mask .t'e a grey
looking,J464....,.1,•;ttp9d7withodfwjs4ying: -any
emotion • and perfeotly-,'"uSeless under the
CircumStance.S., •
Aftera While, po6.remv:ed, the mask 'and, took ::a.
stethoscope Out of, pis bag. He listened to Angus.' p
heart` for a feW MPMents, and .then he stood up adn
spoke to. me. • • • • °Stay with hirn Don, I'm going up ;to the ho,use:;toi
'Ohone for-an ambulance •=. get hirti into
Hospital:" • ': ' •
At that Momeht AngiiS stirred ; his eyelids'flickered•
and, opened.
"Don!" hecreal<ed. I went over to. film and pieCed. •
-417 ear- by his mouth: : , - , .--
. "I ain't goin' to no 'ospital-.CII never forgive yer; ;A
,.yer let 'em take me." - :
l•went• back:to_DOc, took his' ar.6-_..and_giulded- him
over to the• Other side of the-mOw, so AnguS wouldn't.
Huron teachers reach, agreement
hear What, 1 sue.
"How bad Is he, DoC?"
Doc Peters shrugged his shoulders. "It's hard to
say 7 we'll knovv better after we_ take a feW tests 5 :talking to Doc Peters. We agreed we were Just a
cardiograph and all that .kind of thing3. He!S an old • couPle'of oddities who' coulcrhaVe made a far better •
Man and I:knovit it's useless saying it, but he shouldn't - living. in the city. What made us cling, to Pedtrees,-the
be, farming at his age. If we get him into hospital, he'll rolling land and these rough diamonds we called be forced to, rest" r ° - • " farmers? . • "He's not going fo go, ,Doc - thee what he told me Angus will have to take it easy,'' Doc "told me. just now." 4""-- ,--,•• " ' "Try and .persuade him to retire if you .can," Doc pursed his lips and shodk his head.- talk "Younor-mer-ner—God. himself could change the
nature of. Angus," I said. "you .know darned well,
he'll be back in that barn as soon as he "gets the
chanCe.''.
'Then he's going td:dle,;".. Doc said.
", I know Doc. When the time cdmes he'll go out like
him:" He walked back to Angus and' looked sternly at
the prone figure. " 1, •
"I'm'going to 'phone for an ambulance and get
into --PanteWn HosOltal," he said decisively:
With difficulty Angus raised himself on one elbow.
"You'll do the 'elk yo4a; btit1 ain't gain'. No a light, but he'll" go'bUt fighting!"
quack is gonna tell me what gotta do - stayin'
the pay grid • while-othe
other 10g. are spread
thi:oughout the grid at an
average of $34,460. The
.average increase on the
principal's. 'salary grid
was 6,75 per cent,
The elementary
t(eaChers had been
'Without a contract since
September 1"and a fac-
-tfinder was appointed at
that time to assist
negotiations. The stew
contract, which expires
August 31, 'will cost the
board over. $7 millions •
Brenda Schedler, chief,
negotiator for the!
elementary '•.:
said the group, initially
' sought .an hie:tease Cline
to 10 per* cent while the
board limited its offer to
four per cent.
The board and the'
teachers could not come
to terms since,
negotiations began in .
April and a factfinder
was appointed,
'The old agreement
was , open to. in-
terpretations," " Scheciler
said. "Arid we feel it
wasn't until after the
. factfinder report that
negotiations became
serious.", . •
Board negotiatior,'
cite
\several reasons in the
?Allure of the two sides to
"reachan agreement. -
"The teachersrequest
came after ApPil.' We
couldn't come to im-
mediate terms and
--tightrg'.17Trthe*IrT I so am I "
006 Peters was, exasperated, YYou're a nasty
cantankerous old .fool -.another one' of these attacks
and you'll .wind up in .the fdnerat parlour, not the
hospitarYou'll die'AnguS! lcm.warning you - you'll
die if yoU don't stop being sepia headed,"
Doc turned to me. "Alright Oon, if that's :what he
'wants, we'd better get hinl tole. house."
Angus tried to get up. .
"Lie still," Dec shouted et him and then to me- he
il..;1',go and gefmy senSe.in carrying him all
the Doc and I didn't have te,carry Angus, A :group group„
•' neighbourS -arrived to do the chores .and give
whatever assistance was needed. Nobody had,asked
them to come, and.. a, stranger Might have Wondered'
how they got to -know that Angus had suffered a heart'`
attack: _To .of Course, , it; was obvious, A
conversationdnithe party line in thbse days•traVelled
abrossAhe countryside'llke Wildfira. When my wife had .,
ightined the dector, half a dozen Other peOple got. the
messageif the same time. Perhapp,todeY. you "might
call -theM gosSipers, scandalmongers or just, down.,
right nosy •but believe :me when they
Were needed, they didn't have to be called.
Big Henry the miller wapalso o volunteers.', the velunteers.
Over six feet in height and weighing almoit 300
pounds, he lifted Angus as if 'he Were a baby and,..
'carried hi .m: back to the house; • -
It.didn;t take long for, the- neighbours to feed the' ",
Ilytstock, milk the, few ,cows and 'muck out the' barri,--,
-They seemed to -put extra effort into their work and
when they finally called it a day,, everything2Was so
much cleaner and shipshape than usual.
The-children-rettirned7frorirtneir''WelklO-theivalley,-7
bringing with them a variety of treasures which'
delight a child'S mind. Wild, strawberries, buttercupS,
and .the greatest.;prize of all .as far as the yOUngest
, toddler wasconderned - a handful of dandelions which
•mother.jtist had to place in a, tam jar on•the kitchen
' table. They were -told not to make top • much' noise :
bebause Uncle" AnguS was in bed. He' wasn't feeling
too good today: - • .
The neighbours gathered in. a group otitside the
-hOuSe. They halt eaten. before they arrived...on their
errand of mercy but = "Yes, I guess a fellow could use,.
a cup of coffee. Can't stay too long though, still got a
little work to. do at• home. ' •
It has taken me many years to underStand the
thinking of the rural mind, and orielhing is, for sure,
-they are_pedRie..1wTha stand apart from the rest - you
can: never beat them and you have to liVe-their way of
life if you ever hope -to ttelong \to" their, society.
When the assortment of vehicles eventually left the •
•Hungry Hundred, I Sat Lon..,the„siep_ of the verandah:- .
negotiations were
suspended over the
surnnter,"-she said.- "We
resumed, in September
and a factfinder Was
appointed although he
was slow with his report.
We were so close but you
can't go to a ratification
meeting, until • it's
finalized."
Schedler said that 75
per cent of eligible
teachers voted on the new
contract and it was
ratified biLmore than 80
peent. ' '
other highlights of the
contract include im-
proved transfer con-
ditions within the County
school' system as well as
tenure and redundancy
Tur6 to lit& 22*
JANUARY 26TH OR MARCH 1ST.
A 15 day,. Deluxe Florida circle visits Orinand
Beach, Orlando, Sarasota, Ft. Meyers and
,Ft. Lauderdale.
Cost From $499.00
Silver Dollars
50' Pieces - 1964 or before.
Quarters
,Dimes - 1964 or before
Silver Dollars , 1967 or before
50' Pieces* - 1966 Or before
FEBRUARY2ND - 15TH
Florida' at leisure, visits Orlando for six days
'then to Ormand Beach for four days.
Cost From. $399.00
Quarters -1966 or-before
QUarters -1967 and SilVer 1968.
Oirrkes 1966:Or before,...
Dimes 1967 and silver 1968..
ForiiiourAoSolikee!iii, C0iitacit.
pre Biros. uction
custom BUILDERS
aolittps,- COTTAGES ADDICTIONS
'0E1901(01914S =FARM BUILDINGS
Air and motor coach tours to Florida
departing evenings March ‘illth$ or March
15th.' Space still available.
• Hanover Travel Service
Phone 384.3270
Or
Mrs.. Rhoda MacKenzie
Lticknow P.600-'5284330
TEXAS DEPARTURE . FEBRUARY 16TH
For 18 days to such places as Dallas, Austin,
San Antonio, North Padre island) Houston,
New Orleans and, much more,
1964'orbefore, p
6666666 • sl•30 eq.
Cost From $649.00
°P,
Florida,Tours
Come With Us -
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