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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSaluting Huron County's Agricultural Industry, 1987-03-25, Page 24PAGE A24. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 1987. Centralia graduates give college full marks Tributes and accolades rang in the rafters as old and new graduates returned for an alumni dance that helped kick off 20th anniversary celebrations at Cen­ tralia College of Agricultural Tech­ nology. Many graduates were approach­ ed before the March 7 dance to give an assessment of their alma mater. All of them were unanimous in saying the college opened doors for them. “Centralia made my life poss­ ible,” said Art Bell, a manager at an Ontario feed elevator company. An accient put him in a wheelchair for seven years. “1 needed a career where I could use my head. An education made that happen. Steven Barendregt is a prize­ winning agricultural commercial lender with the Bank of Montreal in Tillsonburg. He said Centralia gave him confidence and opened up his options and capabilities. March is the month to join Junior Farmers Right now is your chance to join in the fun! If you are between 15 and 30 you too can join in the opportunities available through this organization. The name to me has always been misleading because in reality there arefew“farmers”intheclubs. The club would better be called by someother name, but don’t let this deter you from giving it a try. Remember, like anything else you only get out of it what you put “1 realized that without educa­ tion I’d be shovelling manure all my life.” Both Bell (*81) and Barendregt (*85) are among a group of graduates who are asked back to be guest lecturers on a spot basis. This is a tradition that is gradually developing as the alumni popula­ tion grows, now at some 2,000 graduates. Another of the graduates polled who returns to lecture every year is Mike O’Neill (*73) who runs a successful broiler chicken opera­ tion in Lucknow. “I tell the students about broiler production; for instance, how to meet the need for chicken McNug- gets. I also tell them farming is a business. The time is passing when a farmer can plant a field and not know what it will pay.” O’Neill says the students are younger all the time, “like babies to me now”. He learned about the college at high school and thought into it! So, if you only attend one meetingandfinditboringyou have not given it enough of a chance. You will find that by attending more activities and expressing your interests and desires to the executive, that they will work to make it exactly the way you want it. Contact one of your local Junior Farmer clubs and ask them what they have toofferyou. I’m sure that you will be pleased! Let’s do it! Let’s join the fun! Let’s join Junior Farmers! it would teach him how to be successfully self-employed. Nearly all of the graduates heard about what Centralia offered while at public or high school. The college makes annual recruitment visits to about 130 schools in southern Ontario to promote the benefits of a career in agriculture and food. Shirley Inglis (‘81) first heard about Centralia from her guidance counsellor in grade eight. She always wanted to work with animals; her education in animal health technology landed her a technician’sjob in the small animal clinic at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph. “There are 12 or so Centralia graduates here from different years -- all the way back to the first year. This is the creme de la creme in terms of teaching hospitals for clinical studies and has the best equipment and referrals.” Another graduate, Chris Cass­ idy (‘78). is bringing along dietetic intern students from Centralia College as part of her supervisory role at the food production centre at Victoria Hospital, London. She has a lot of respect for the calibre of the interns she helps train. “If I had to do it over, I would definitely go to Centralia again,” says Cassidy. “The course content and exper­ ience in the food service manage­ ment program I took was excellent. Special attention is given to every student. It’s not surprising they turn out so well.” Some of the graduates distin­ guish themselves particularly. One exceptional student, Neil Hemingway (‘73), returned to the farm to start experimental work on solar heating of pig houses and innovated manure storage pit design. Hank Koskamp (‘74) went to Africa under the federal govern­ ment program, CUSO. He has been back several times and been involved in introducing new vege­ tables in Northern Ghana, making better wells for water and conduct­ ing studies on “river blindness.” A growing number of Centralia graduates are going into research. They have the example of Chris Lipohar-Elder (‘75) to inspire them. This animal health techni­ cian has assisted organ transplant researchers at University Hospital in London for the past six years. And she is another who has returned to teach a course on research at the college. According to the retiring mana­ ger of student services, Don Orth, most of the students are proud of the college to the extent that about 20 per cent of the faculty are graduates onafull or part-time basis. Drayton Kinsmen / .<4 xV»MW Banquet - Tuesday, April 7th, 7 p.m. tickets Speaker - The Honorable $A70° e*ch, Available from the Eugene Whelan Drayton Co-op or All Proceeds to Community Betterment any Kinsmen Member. Time Wednesday, April 8th 10a.m.to5p.m. Thursday, April 9th 10a.m.-10p.m. Friday, April 10th 10a.m.-5p.m.