HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-08-19, Page 6Y
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Estakkhed 1673.
SHARON, J. DIVri; , Edilor
ANTHONY N. JONNSTONE Advertising kW
Genet* M.inrs+cr f. PAT PAT LIVINGSTON ryoffice Wooer
Msr<t�5'Pii*OTT Typelelier
JOAN HNl,M Cempuritkm
nueineee and Paiturtil office Telephone 528.2622.'
Mwiling Addre.eP.t1 Onn 400, Lucknow. NOG 200
secod.Ciiits Moll kegistr*tion Nntnbee X47
'sitIolowlAtkaista, 313.30 *Yost is advaae.
soder rat., 6111.50 preying W r•dvaaar.
�i� Uy..S.A.cad holm, 623.00 per
yolk ri* srdvan . , .
Sr.; t lt. U.S.A.S. call , $21A01410
•
Lucknowlost more•than the man who filled the -position of
the "village's clerk -treasurer in the passing of Alf Herbert .
Inst week. Lucknow -los) a respected citizen who did a hid
job- well in a ,truly, professional manner,
In his unassuming way, Alf conducted`'the dally: business
affairs of the village's government in a . capable business
manner and with the knowledge it takes to,gll the position of
a• municipal clerk -treasurer.
Asa community newspaper editorial once,:commented:
Whether we, like it or not, township, village and town
governments are no longer folksy affairs. they are big
business administering 'services and government for other
big businesses which didn't exist 30 years ago.,...big farms
and expanded local stores and industries.
And as . we all learned with the dismissal of the
Palmerston clerk -treasurer earlier thisy, village
a villa e
clerk -treasurer must be trusted. Neither Lucknow council
nor Lucknow taxpayers had anything. to fear in that regard.
Alf Herbert could be trusted.
The position asked that Alf attend several night meetings •
a month (sometimes without the pay that most councils
enjoy). It asked that he deal with irate taxpayers, " dog
complaints, request's for 10 page letters from the provincial
treasurer, collecting overdue taxes, taking building permit
applications; bugging the county about the village's' official
plan, and briefing new aounc illors en the difference between.
a by-law and a motion..
Not to mention being asked to. verify a motion passed
Years -.ago which Alf could put his finger on . without.
hesitation. His recall :was amazing. And there were times
when ` it letter :from a government ministry would notify;
council of it new program and the councillors would turn to -
Alf for an explanation of, the program and its ramifi'catlons.
for Lucknow.; ; . , -
i'%idea of a; rural clerk -treasurer as a retired farmer who
put in a few hours • it week . on township'.` business Is a
treasured and. one. Local clerk -treasurers are doing s very
complicated, time consuming, nerve wracking job that
requires tact, patient and a knowledBC of. business ' and
finance.
It's a demanding, challenging -Job "'and • Alf did it well,
A PLACE FOR KIDS
-Daniel paries : Firsti . gray of .'School
:Daniel R. Doug hung down -his head and groaned as he
sat on the edge of his bed. "School;" he moaned, '"I'm
shaking. inside, 1 don't -want to go, 1 just want to ,hide.
'The-firat day of School , there must be a wart()change
it into the second day. No one .will like me, they' ll think
I'm a fool. Oh. how ":hate the first day of school.
He groaned to his feet,• he moaned to , the floor, he
groaned down. the stairs, and he moaned out the door.
. Daniel H. Dong trudged into they yard, he couldn't believe
that life was so hardN
o one will like me,. 1 won't have a
friend. This first day of school is surely the end," His plan
Was to stand facing the wall, and there he stood' when he
heard someone call,
."Hey Dan; how are you? Hey Dan, it's me!" He turned
slowly around and who did he see? Kim, his' friend, his
friend from last Year. Daniel's heart was shaking with
. fear.
Ile moved his mouth and croaked out •a
a. Tin stutter'e'd ,out, "I :feel so shy�r,
Me too, . nodded Dan, "Mel like a fool! It's always so
hardthis first day of school."
"Oh well,. "laughed Kim, "It isn't the end. At least I
'know that I've got a afriend."
Dangiggled, he laughed, he chortled with glee - "And
you," he' gasped, "are a friend for me!" The first day of
school wasn't bad afterall — to think that he'd wanted to
face the dumb wan!
"Dan," Kim said do you want to play catch?"
"Sure," said Dan, "we're an even match! "
(c) Canada Wide Feature Services Limited
by MacKay Fairfield Tate
It'"s . great to ; have understanding
neighbours. '
We spread our manure pile last
week on the front field. We had only
one horse in the barn all winter until .
the„colt arrived in May so we only had
half the amount of manure that Is
usually spread. We usually borrow Our
neighbour's tractor and spreader for
the job, too, but because of the.: small
amount, we decided to do ' it with
manure "forks and a wheelbarrow.
A. -mistake. Muscles that get used
for pounding a'' typewriter are' not
attuned to the day -long swinging of a
loaded manure fork. 'By mid-after-
noon, each forkful weighed 90 pounds.
The trip from the barn to the field got
10 miles. long, It was only about 200
feet. •
Our 14 -year-old daughter- tried
handling the agonywagon, the wheel-
barrow, a couple of times but .dumped
it too soon andgave up. The bottom of
that manure pile seemed impossible to
reach.
When we Moved to the country 15
years ago; the closest neighbours were
to the ' south of u4' by " a •• couple of
hundred .feet. To the north was a
chicken stable. They didn't mind the.
odor of fresh horse . manure once or
twice a year.. •
But the chicken stable. is gone. A
new home . is there.. Four more lots
between that house and our front field
are now available. One has been sold
but the home has not been started.
Something to , do with getting a
building permit for a solar dome.
When he does move in, .I hope he is
as used ;to farm' smells'; asthe rest of
' our . neighbours. The house to the
South ` is' occupied by a family. with
Dutch background and they lived in
the •city before coming out here. They
actually say they like the odors that
waft •'their way from our . barn.
Next to them is a Mennonite family.
also with farming' background. They,
too; have never complained.
It takes understandingpeople to, put
up with the sights, the sounds, the.
smells of agriculture; .I can understand
why some farmers have trouble with
complaining. neighbours. What makes
me angry, , though, . is when those
neighbours move to the country
knowing full well that a large-scale
agricultural industry is in operation,
maybe right in thein .front yard..;,
The farmers were there before those
people moved. To be a johnny-come
lately; andthen scream loudly about
noiseand smells that have been' going
on for years seems to me to be- the
heightofeffrontery', audacity and
cheek.
It is insane, absurd and ridiculous to
think that anyfarmers should drastic-.
cally change his method of operatio
when a citydweller buys property near
p l�t'tY
working farm.because the tenderness
in that :citified olfactory gland. •
I can certainly understand if the
bfarutmer1aiscocareless. thores� eevenpeop• neglealigerenint
m' '
the minority and will do ail that is
possible to maintain good relations
with their neighbours.
Even in our little operation ; here
where the winter's manure can be
spread in one day with a wheelbarrow,
our neighbours have come to expect it.
Spine, in fact, like to get a load ortwo
for their own gardens. I understand
horse manure is excellent for roses. I
have a feeling our new neighbours in
the solar home•, are going to be right,
friendly. They came to inspect their lot.
the • next day and the lady. ' of the
planned house specifically requested
we save her some next year.
"Just throw it over the fence, she
said, "We'lluse it."
Now, that's the kind of neighbours
to have, tight?'
We're lucky. All of ours are like
. that.
e.dtrees
By Don Campbell -
For the "first time since the exiled
people arrived in Upper Canada, there
was a general meeting of the Friends
of Skye.' Not all of the members were
present of course, but those within'
sleighing distance of Toronto assemb-
led together in the Masonic Hall: So it
was, -that on Friday night, the last day
of December 1841, they gathered to
celebrate that occasion beloved by all
Scots; it was New Year's Eve!
• When the sleigh carrying the Rev-
drend Duncan MacLeod, Katie Mac-
Queen and her two children arrived at
-the meeting place, the sounds of the
revelry .within could be heard on the
street outside. Two neer-dodwells,
standing near the door were interrup-
ted in their conversation as MacLeod
and his guests brushed by, but not
before the minister heard the tale end
of their remarks.
"It sounds like the start of another
rebellion," one of them was saying.
"With all that whoopin' an' rantin',
you. would think that devil- of a
Scotsman, William Lyon MacKenzie
was back to •plague us!"
The noise, was, of course, far more
than could have been mustered by the
few exiles who attended. There were
almost a hundred people in thehall,
most of there from the old country.
They were not all highlanders - but
most certainly they, were all Scots,
400king to recapture the "auld spirit of
hoginanany".
Along the sides of the hall the plain
board tables were filled with, good
things to eat and it vvas here that the
children gathered. There was bread
and cheese, sweettheats of all kinds
and in the middle of it all, a crowing
glory, the whole -carcass of a roasted
pig. When MacLeod asked to whom
they were obligated lot this blessing,
his attention•was drawn to a•handsome
man in a blue seaman's coat, sitting
quiety in a corner and enjoying the
festivities. It was Captain lan Jstttrie-
son back from his rovings on the Great
Lakes. Duncan MacLeod went over to
him and embraced him like a long lost
brother. •\
In the long conversation that follow.
ed, Captain Jamieson related .some of
his adventures. There were tales of
the, great forest known as the
"Queen's Bush", of a lake called
Huron which teemed with fish, and a
youngnew place which became known
as Goderich, ° where a man called
"Tiger Dunlop" was making a name
for himself.
The festivities were becoming quite
boisterious and noisy before MacLeod
tore himself away from the captain to
make an announcement.
"My friends," MacLeod said,
standing on a chair and shouting, to
gain silence. "I have a very important
announcement: it would appear we
shall be having another important
festivity in the spring. Let me be the
first to congratulate /famish :Murdoch
and Katherine MacQueen on their
forthcoming marriage. The clapping
and calls of congratulations drowned
out any attempts of the midrster to add
to his statement: Everybody was
delighted. Everybody except . a liftle
boy who was suddenly both ,saddened
and angered. Young Edward Mac-
Queen still lived with the memory of
his• true father:
• in spite of all these festivities, • those
who had stayed behind at Richmond
Hill •managed to bring in the new year
in the traditional gray. -The MacCrim-
mon pipes sounded out and echoed
back from the bush. The dark haired"
William Blake was chosen to act the
part of the "dark stranger" bringing
good tidings for the new year.. As
midnight turned and whilst Neil
played "Auld Lang Syne", William
was asked to knock on the door of the
MacCrimmon cabin and, havingbeen
admitted, walk through the "wee
hoose" r carrying • a small basket
containing some strange items; -a few
grains of oats, a small piece of bread,
some charcoal and a red feather. He
was rewarded by a good stick dram of
Scots whisky. This was the only part of
the play acting that 'William apprec-
fated!
"Oats frae the livestock, bread frae
their keepers, - coals tae keep the
friendship warm," Flora. MacCrini-
mon explained, ,
• "But why a feather", the puzzled
Blake asked her?
"Och that!" she said with a wry
twinkle in her eye. "That's frae my
wee laddie who will be wi' us next
year. I pulled that feather frae the tail
o' that cock bird who squawks at the
sun every morn. I'm hoping the new
MacCrimmon will make himself heard
and be as lively and as cocky as yon
bird!
.... "._...,. ;77,1