The Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-05-26, Page 9Lucknow 528-3000
Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, May 2n 1993 - Page 9
Who are these "Friends of Centralia"
' CREDITON -- The "Friends of
Centralia" are loyal friends and.they
aren't about to take the proposed
closure of their college and
veterinary laboratory services
without a fight. The group was
organized following a large public
meeting at the college May 3,
where more than 800 showed sup-
port,for the agricultural college and
lab which was slated to be closed in
the NDP government's April 23
announcement.
The Friends of Centralia have
been meeting regularly to develop
alternative plans to keep the college
and die vet lab services open, and
still reduce the government deficit.
The college and lab are located in
the community of Huron Park,
south of Exeter in Huron County.
Stephen Township has shown
their support for the college by
giving Friends of Centralia office
space in the township's municipal
building in Crediton. George
Thompson, a Clinton area farmer
who is co-ordinating the group's.
efforts, along with Mary Alderson,
a former communications instructor
at Centralia College, will be.
working out of the Stephen office.
The Friends of Centralia plan to
continue. lobbying MPPs and collec-
ting 'names on petitions, As well,
they are preparing a proposal on the
various alternatives and solutions
that can be offered to reduce costs
and create income at the college.
"It was never the college's man-
date to bring money in - but faced
with the alternative ofclosure the
Friends of Centralia feel strongly
that these things should be eon-
sidered . before the college, is
closed," Mr. Thompson says.
The group also points out that
while Premier Bob Rae has offered
to meet and discuss a social
contract with other groups in the
province, consultation or discussion
was never offered on the closure of
Centralia. "It was a unilateral, has-
tily made decision," Ms. Alderson
says. "We hope they will now take
timeto talk to those who are in-
volved and reconsider."
The Friends of Centralia or-
ganization is made up of concerned
residents in the Huron Park area,
farmers, current students, future
students, parents, alumni, staff, area
businesses, representatives of sur=
rounding municipalities, and various
associations representing the
• agricultural, food and nutritional,
and veterinary sectors in Ontario.
"We were absolutely shocked
when the closure was announced,"
said Marilyn Jenken, an area farmer
and mother of a graduate. She is
one of the 35 or so members of the
core group of Friends of Centralia.
The group says that there was no
suggestion that the college or the
vet lab mightbe considered. for
closure.
Huron County Warden and
Stephen Township Reeve Tom
Tomes is also upset by lack -of-
consultation.
of`consultation. "We should have been
'consulted on such an important
local issue. We know cost cutting
measures must be made, but it
should be done in a fair, consul-
tative.and well -considered manner,"
Mr. Tomes says..
The group is concerned about
what they call the misinformation
spread by the provincial
Library volunteers are
worth $100,000. to system
Volunteers are worth $100,000 to •
the Bruce County Library system.
That figure was given by Libraries
Director Marzio Apolloni, who
calculated it based on the present
50 volunteers who work an average
five hours a week.
At the minimum wage rate, Apol-
loni said . the volunteer work is
worth over $100,000.
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Atearlier sessions this spring
councillors questioned whether
volunteers could be used to keep
libraries open in face of a 14 per
cent cut in staff hours. A county
policy says volunteers cannot
replace staff, but where titne is
available to train volunteers, they
can be used -"to free up staff time
for value-added service."
r -
.government when the closure was
announced. "They (the government)
said that Centralia was under -used,
quoting a figure of 174 students and
400 beds," says Barbara Shipley.
Mrs. Shipley, and her husband,
Bev, an alumnus of Centralia,
operate a dairy farrn near Ilderton.
Mrs. Shipley was formerly co-or-
dinator of the Huron Literacy
Project working out of the Con-
tinuing Education section of the
college.
The college has beds for 200 in
Huron Hall residence, but it has
been described as comfortable with
174 students, letting mature students•
have rooms to themselves without
sharing. Another 112 bed residence,
Bruce Hall, has been converted for
convention and meeting facilities,
and it's kept busy without side
groups. The college was meeting a
rural need, and showed foresight by
creating the conference facilities in
the late 80s, Mrs. Shipley adds.
Two old buildings that were part of
the Air Force base and were once
used as residences have been tom
down for safety reasons.
The group points out that over the
past five years. Centralia has had
more graduates than agricultural
colleges at New Liskeard, Alfred,
Ridgetown, and Kemptville. "The
public perceives Centralia as a
small college and that's not the case
in comparison to other agricultural
colleges," says alumnus Mario
Lesvesque of Lucan.
Dona Stewardson, second vice
president of the Ontario Federation
of Agriculture, says that she is
upset about the lack of rural com-
munity development. "We're really
concerned about rural services
being cut back. What are we going
to lose next, and where's it going to
stop? We refuse to just stand by
while the government hacks away,
without a long term plan. We have
to keep reminding the government
about the importance of agriculture
to our economy." Stewardson's son
and daughter-in-law are both
Centralia graduates, and now
operate a dairy farm. "It's the next
generation of farmers we have to be
concerned about," she adds.
The college offers three programs;
Agricultural Business Management,
Food Services Management and
Veterinary Technology. The Friends
of Centralia point out that location
Lucknow
FEED MILL• INC
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00
OFF
DURING THE
MONTH OF JUNE
• 100 K izes
•Durable Plastic Tub
• 16,•24, or 25% pro-
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'Expected intake
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of the college is an important factor
in all three programs. Students in
the agriculture program are from
the seven counties served by the
college: Huron, Grey, Bruce, Perth,
Oxford, Middlesex and Lambton.
They want to learn about farming
practises that they can use in their
own area, and they want to be
within an easy drive of home so
that they can go home weekends to
work on the farm.
Many of the students in the Food
Service Management program are
mature students who have family
obligations and can't move to at-
tend other colleges.
The government has already been
forced to back down on the an-
nounced full closure and allow first
year veterinary technology students
to attend Centralia this September,
because there were no similar
programs at other agricultural col -
Leges. the students are being told
the program will be moved Oto
another college, but Friends of
Centralia are questioning whether
the course will still be accredited by
the Ontario Veterinary Association
if the facilities and staff are not the
srne.
The Friends of Centralia also cite
the Continuing Education program, .
the conference and meeting
facilities, and the veterinary
laboratory services as essential to
the rural community. "Mr.
Buchanan has always talked about
his partnership with farmers and
development of the rural com-
munity, and now he's taking this
away from us," Marilyn Jenken
adds.
Anyone interested in joining the
Friends of Centralia is asked to
contact them at the Stephen •
Township office at (519) 234-6331.
FLYING UP - These 1st Kingsbridge Brownies flew up last week.
Left to right, back row, Ceilidh Rankel, Johanna Ritgen, and
front row, Emily Lalonde and Natalie Hogan.
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