Village Squire, 1978-04, Page 42PEOPLE
4It was a case of one former Stratford
resident saluting another that the series
Something Ventured appeared on C.B.C.
television on April 2. One of the people
who stuck their neck out and succeeded
who were featured on the program was
Tom Patterson the Stratford journalist who
had the crazy idea to start a Shakespearean
Festival in the small railroad city back in
the 1950's. That crazy idea has grown into
one of the biggest theatrical operations in
the world today, despite its improbable
origination.
The man doing the saluting was Allan
Gough, who is a Stratford native and whose
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Gough still
live in the city today. The series was
produced by Magder Film Production Inc.
of Toronto. Although growing up in
Stratford he had heard the legend of the
founding of the Festival, Mr. Gough never
met Tom Patterson until he began filming
in July. The show included many scenes
from around Stratford.
Skating can take you a long way in this
world. For Lori Baler of Mitchell and Lloyd
Eisler of Seaforth it took them half -way
around the world last month to Megreve, ,
France where they took part in the world
junior figure skating championships. The
couple finished sixth in the pairs
competition, behind fellow Canadians Paul
Martini and Barbara UnderhW of Toronto.
Lori also placed 14th in the singles
competition. She and Barbara Graham
represented Canada there. Both were only
novice skaters but were chosen for the
competition over the junior champions
from Canada. Lori said she was for perhaps
the first time in her life, slightly nervous
when it came time to trace the first figure.
If things were nervous for Lori, they
were much more upsetting for her sister
Sherri who with her partner Robin Cowan
had to withdraw from the world senior
championships in Ottawa when she was
injured.
It's the kind of thing a kid could dream of
and never think to see: 150 pounds of
chocolate carved into a replica of Stratford
city hall. It's a project of Victor IacobeWs
chef of the Stratford Country Club who
carved the culinary architecture for a food
show in London to be held April 17. The
carving measures 18 inches at its widest
and 13 inches at the tallest point and is
carved on a scale of 1 inch to eight feet.
The sculpture is as accurate as possible
and Mr. 'lacobellis even used blueprints of
the city hall to help his work. He also took
photos of the building. The show he's
taking part in will pit the skills of 85 chefs
from Toronto to Windsor. In a similar show
last year Mr. lacobellis placed second. But
this year he's got city hall on his side.
Tony McQuail has been practising what
he's now preaching for several years now.
The Lucknow area farmer has been very
conservation conscious in his own farm
operation. He lives in a solar -heated house
PG. 40. VILLAGE SQUIRE/APRIL 1978.
and provides supplementary heating with a
wood stove. He's experimented with other
renewable energy sources as well. Now
he's the head of a seven -member project
which has set up energy conservation
information centres in Lucknow and
Goderich. Mr. McQuail and the rest of his
staff will provide information on how to cut
back on your expensive energy needs
whether it be simply with insulation, or
whether you're interested in something
more exotic like solar greenhouses or a
methane -gas recovery unit to turn manure
into fuel.
For Dean Robinson it was like coming
home recently when he took over the job of
news director for CJCS radio in Stratford.
He's been a Stratford resident for several
years even though he has been working in
Kitchener as a reporter -announcer for
CKCO television. CKKW and CFCA radio
stations. The Mitchell native, whose
parents Mr. and Mrs. Kingsley Robinson
still live in Mitchell, started out while in
school working for the Mitchell Advocate.
He worked for the London Free Press and
the Stratford Beacon -Herald before he
entered university in 1975. He graduated
in May 1977 with a Masters Degree in
Journalism from the University of Western
Ontario. His wife is a member of the staff
of Northwestern Secondary School, Strat-
ford.
Many things can be said about Robin
Philips but he will never be accused of
being too timid. Mr. Phillips created a stir
in the theatrical worl 1 last month when he
challenged large grants the National Arts
Centre received this year to help it set up
its new national theatre program, including
both a French and and English resident
company. What irked Mr. Phillips was that
at a time when other theatres were facing
cutbacks from such bodies as the Canada
Council, the National got a special grant of
$1.1 million outside the regular channels of
the Canada Council set up its program. It
means the Canadian taxpayer will pay a
total subsidy to the National Arts Centre
this year of $10.3 million. Mr. Phillips
predicted that next year that figure would
go to $12 million. He cited the plight of the
National Ballet and the Canadian Opera
Company, neither of which have a home.
as places where aid is better needed. Mr.
Phillips indicated that he was trying to do
something at Stratford to aid the situation
of smaller theatres needing more money.
He said he tried to convince the Festival
board to give back its Canada Council grant
but the board wouldn't go along. The
Festival, he said, is working towards the
day when it can finance itself out of
box-office and private funding and not
have to accept government subsidy.
The blast triggered counter charges from
National Arts Centre officials that kept the
entertainment pages of Canadian newspa-
per lively for several days. 0
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