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The Rural Voice, 1978-02, Page 7HALBERT AND GOLLAN FARM DRAINAIS Call: (519) 291-1474 for your farm improvements. Buckeye and Barth machtrte"y. 561 Ann Street. Listowel: he would do on such a program and the idea was accepted by one of the stations. In the fall of 1955 he began a morning radio show, at first without even a sponsor. But a local garage owner an old country boy named J.R. Simonette, who later became a provincial cabinet minister, heard the show and liked it and offered to sponsor it, although he'd never advertised on the station before. Soon Cliff had a noon hour show as well and the job became fulltime and farming was left behind as an occupation. Problems arose, however, and in 1962 in the fall he went to CHEX in Peterborough to run a farming program. His family stayed behind in Kingston until the spring. In the spring, however. before the move took place he received a call from Vaughan Douglas at CKNX who said he was leaving the station and wondered if Cliff would be interested in taking over his job there. He jumped at the chance and came west. Yet his memories of eastern Ontario drewhim to look for a job in that part of the province after he decided he'd had enough of Toronto. Looking for a job was one thing, however, and finding a suitable job was another. Then one weekend he and his wife travelled to Seaforth to visit their son and David took him out for a drive to show off a new car. The drive took them up to Wingham where they drove around the town, past their old house and brought back many memories. They passed by the CKNX station and seeing a few cars outside, decided to drop in to say hello. One of the people who happened to be working that Saturday morning was station manager Ross Hamilton. They chatted for a while and Cliff mentioned that he wanted to leave Toronto and Mr. Hamilton offered him a job with the station. He laughed at first and said no. because he had planted on going east. Later, he recalls now. he did a lot of self annalysis and thought to himself that he'd better take a good offer because he was neither as young. or as healthy as he once was. He hasn't regretted the decision for a moment, he says. He just loves it back in the area. both working v: ith the people at the station and with other people in the area. There's a lot of fun back in the job. Still. he says. he's not the man that was here in the 1960's. His health problems have slowed him up and made it necessary for hint to take things easier and he hopes that people will understand it. This day. for instance, he had hoped to get to a nearby luncheon meeting and had accepted an invitation but then realized that he had a very busy afternoon ahead and just couldn't manage to do everything. He has to managed to work in a nap some time during the day to keep his drive up. There's no use him pushing himself too hard. he says, or he'll end up not being able to do the job at all. But if the face shows the weariness of battling health problems - and other problems over the years, there is also a boyish enthusiasm which can transform it in an instant into that of a much younger man. He's a man who loves his job and who has an intense interest in what happens in rural community. He's both strongly opinionated and humourous at the same time. He expresses doubt about many of the trends in modern agriculture and has a great fund of experience over the years to back up some of those doubts. He sees his new job as one of building understanding between the producer and the consumer. Even in this. the breadbasket of Ontario. he points out. farmers are outnumbered by consumers. He wants to help consumers understand what's going on on the land. what living on the land means. Back in the 1950's. when he started, he says. there were 30-40 farm broadcasters in Ontario. Today there are about five. If these nien had been doing their job properly. he says, they'd still have :i job. There's a great opportunity out here on the land. he says. if \.e'Il just listen to it. People are finding that the bright lights. smog and sex strips of the big city just don't work. They're turning back to the land. looking for a more healthy way of life. He criticizes the churches for their lack of leadership through the -i McGAVI N'S FARM EQUIPMENT Sales and Service Walton, Ont. NOK 1ZO 527-0245 Seaforth Established 1936 887-6365 Brussels We specialize in a complete line of farm equipment. THE RURAL VOICE/FEBRUARY 1978, PG. 7.