Village Squire, 1978-01, Page 28PEOPLE
"Dave was a unique person who was
able to find things that no one else seemed
able to" was the tribute paid by Perth
Historical Board chairman Tom Orr on the,
death of David J. Thomson, co-owner of
Stratford's Minnie Thomson Memorial
Museum. Before his death, Dec. 6 in
Stratford, Thomson had amassed a huge
collection of pioneer machinery and
artifacts at the sprawling museum on
Romeo Street in Stratford. The museum
was named after his mother who had the
dream of gathering old things together.
Speaking to Village Squire several years
ago Mr. Thomson proudly stated that the
whole amazing collection which filled
several large buildings was collected
without any government assistance.
He was self-taught restorer and often
fashioned by hand parts to make many of
the 17,000 pieces work. He was well known
to many for his appearances at area events
atop a huge steam caliope pulled by
horses.
His sudden death leaves negotiations to
turn the museum over to the historical
board up in the air, Mr. Orr said. The
negotiations for the purchase of the
museum had been going on for several
months and were part of Mr. Thomson's
hopes for the collection.
Six straight world championships: that
ain't hay. But in Russell Bolton's case, it is
hay. The 76 -year-old Seatorth area farmer
recently won the World Hay Championship
at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto for the
sixth straight time. "This competition
every year is a hobby of mine," Mr. Bolton
says. He farms 375 acres with his son Art.
Actually he attributes his success to
another area farmer Russell Dallas.
Mr. Dallas won the world crown three
times and when he decided to quit he
passed along his secrets to other area
farmers so that Seaforth would stay tops in
the competition. The result is that the
World Hay championship has come to the
Seaforth area 14 out of the last 17 years.
What is the Seaforth secret? "It's a
secret," Mr. Bolton says.
We think of log cabins as part of the long
forgotten past but for a Fordwich woman
they are a living memory. Martha Cathers
celebrated her 100th birthday on Nov. 26
and can still remember a few details about
the cabin where she spent her early years
in Howick township. Her husband died in
1957 but she continued to live by herself
until 1976 when she was hospitalized. She
still looks to be in her seventies or early
eighties. friends say.
"It takes time to learn to be a wife.
Perhaps it takes equal time to learn to be a
widow, longer because there's no one to
help you learn. It's a painful process and it
is singular." So writes Betty Jane Wylie
CARE *
11.
with all your heart...
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('AIRE Canada
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Ottawa KIS 5H7
SprouleSHOES LTD:
12 THE SQUARE
GODERICH, ONTARIO
IS HAVING ANOTHER
cl,FeJANUARY
G,1G,NT\C
Sale starts Thursday, January 5, 1978
ALL WINTER SNO-BOOTS 30% OFF
ALL FALL & WINTER DRESS SHOES 30% OFF
(Includes: Women's, Men's & Children's)
"Sale does not include Savage & Pussyfoots"
SPECIAL GROUP OF MEN'S DRESS SHOES 1/2 PRICE
ALL SALES FINAL.
NO EXCHANGES OR REFUNDS.
COME IN AND BROWSE
26, VILLAGE SQUIRE/JANUARY 1978.