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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-02-03, Page 4VERIFIED CIRCULATION PAID Signs of winter Photo by Bonnie Gropp Looking Back Through the Years From the files of the Blyth Standard, Brussels Post and The Citizen ONE YEAR AGO February 5, 1992 Ron Vercruyssen of Morris Township was nearing the end of his college basketball career. West Wawanosh staff was given a pay increase of 1.21 percent. There were 567 hands of poker sold at the annual Walton Sports Club snowmobile rally. A Huron office for the Canadian Mental Health Association opened in Clinton, to provide information about programs available to county residents. Blyth PeeWees captured the Chesley tournament championship. Just two points shy of a perfect game, Les Stafford of RR1, Ethel broke the house record at Molesworth Bowl on Jan. 28 by throwing 11 straight strikes. Brussels Bulls Todd Norman was named the top rookie in Western Junior C. Talks began for the idea of a Community Play in Blyth. 24 YEARS AGO February 6, 1969 Walter Hecke of Conc. 5 Morris Township, suffered a severe loss when nine cattle 800 to 900 pounds each were drowned in the Maitland River. The cattle, let out for exercise stampeded to the nearby river despite efforts to head them off. They were caught in the swift cur- rent of the swollen river. Value was estimated at $2,000. The animals were not insured. Ted Elliott was named president of the Brussels Legion. David Stephenson and Murray Bone were named the top Squirt scorer in their gamed against Ford- wich as part of the Brussels Minor Hockey Association Minor Hockey Day. Blaine McCutcheon was the star of the Brussels PeeWee team. The subscription price for The Brussels Post was $2 per year in advance or $3 to the U.S. Maurice Love of RR3, Exeter was re-elected to a second term as president of the Huron County Plowmen' Association. Other offi- cer were: Kenneth Stewart, RR5, Seaforth and John Clark, RR5, Goderich, vice- presidents; Russell Bolton, RR1, Seaforth, secretary treasurer and Elston Cardiff, Brus- sels, assistant. Gordon McGavin of Walton was appointed county director and Simon Hallahan of Blyth, a past president was named director to the Huron County Federation of Agri- culture. Mary Edith Gamiss, RR4, Wing- ham a Grade seven student of East Wawanosh Public School and Velma Fear, RR3, Blyth, a grade eight student of East Wawanosh were among the winners of the Huron-Perth TB Association essay contest. The competition was open to all elementary schools in grades seven and eight in the two counties. Mrs Jan van Vliet was president of the Walton WI. 45 YEARS AGO February 4, 1948 Simon Hallahan was head of the Blyth Horticultural Society. John Staples was the successful applicant for the position of Blyth town foreman. Leonard Caldwell succeeded William Carter as Hullett Town- ship's road superintendent. A package of Dare's cookies cost 19 cents at A.L. Kemick, while six cans of Campbell's tomato soup sold for 59 cents at Stewart's Gen- eral Store. Admission to the Trinity Church Ladies Guild pancake supper was 50 cents and 35 cents. Letters THE EDITOR, During the recent tragic events affecting the students of F. E. Madill Secondary School a number of groups and individuals have been very sensitive to the needs of the school and its students and very supportive in their actions. On behalf of the staff and students, I thank all those who have provided or offered assistance in any way. In particular, I wish to Continued on page 6 PAGE 4. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1993. ditorial Offering a helping hand In the face of enormous events, there is little that individuals and groups can do to overcome the problem, but there is often a way of offering a helping hand, to do something to show people you care. Such is the case of HEART, the Huron Emergency Assistance Response Team, put together to help people deal with the problems brought on by the crop failure of 1992. Nobody can solve all the problems but HEART is an attempt to show those in distress that people do care enough to try to help. HEART is also an example of what an individual, backed by group action, can do. It is the result of the concern of one man, Blyth-area farmer John Van Beers, who worried about the difficulties farmers would face as a result of last year's once-in-a-century weather conditions at a meeting of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture. Federation members agreed something should be done and mobilized. HEART was set up and people were recruited from other agricultural groups, from ag-related industries, from lending institutions and from agencies that could help with counselling. HEART members looking at the situation decided there were three parts to the problem and set out to help in each area. They worried about people who would be in such bad shape they literally wouldn't be able to put food on the table and oil in the furnace (farmers and other self-employed people aren't eligible either for unemployment insurance or welfare assistance). They applied to the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food for a special grant which will be funnelled through the Federation to the Huron County Social Services Department to help those in dire straits. The amount available isn't large, but it may save the day for some families. The committee worried about counselling for those who were suffering stress, and got Bonnie Johnson of Rural Connections involved. Rural Connections, sponsored by the Huron branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, can offer help through a network of volunteer counsellors, other farm families that understand the problems involved. The problem of how farmers could get enough money to plant crops this coming spring was also tackled. Working with local lending institutions, the committee members advise people to talk to their lenders as soon as possible about their fmancial situation. They also got information on the new Commodity Loan Corporation which could be the answer for many cash-strapped farmers this year. The non-profit, government-backed organization will loan money to farmers to plant crops, using the crop itself as security. Even farmers who have been through Farm Debt Review can qualify under the program. HEART hasn't all the answers to be sure. Nothing can undo the harm done by last year's unusual weather. Still, it's a brave attempt to help people. John Van Beers arid the Huron Federation and all those who have helped out with HEART should be congratulated.—KR Revealing the facts The high cost of garbage is being graphically demonstrated to homeowners in some area communities and the move to let people know the facts is spreading. Exeter is the latest community to look at a per-bag charge for garbage to make people aware just how big the problem is. Grand Bend has already begun such charges. Exeter has already doubled the tipping fee, the charge for taking a truckload of garbage to the landfill, on January 1 and plans to double it again on July 1. But Exeter Mayor Bruce Shaw says a $2 per bag charge for garbage may be necessary to bring home to people the cost of garbage collection and disposal. It's not a money grab, Mayor Shaw told the Exeter Times-Advocate. The taxes of Exeter would be lowered to reflect the additional income that would come in from the $2-per-bag charge. Mayor Shaw estimates the taxes would be lowered to the average homeowner by $116 a year. Since the average homeowner puts out about two bags of garbage a week, those who reduced the amount of garbage they put out would benefit. Reducing garbage will lengthen the life of the local landfill. A similar $2-per-bag charge was instituted in Grand Bend in October and the Times-Advocate says proponents say the system is working in reducing the amount of garbage that has to be trucked from the lakeside village to the landfill site at Watford. The system still hasn't been tested when the summer residents are there. Brussels puts a separate garbage charge on tax bills but it's the same for everyone. In Blyth, the cost of collection is included in taxes. Perhaps local municipalities will also soon be looking at this more complicated, but visible, way of paying the high cost of waste.—KR C itizen The North Huron P.O. Box 429, P.O. Box 152, BLYTH, Ont. BRUSSELS, Ont. NOM 1H0 NOG 1H0 Phone 523-4792 Phone 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 FAX 887-9021 The Citizen is published weekly In Brussels, Ontario by North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Subscriptions are payable In advance at a rate of $20.50/year ($19.16 plus $1.34 G.S.T.) for local; $31.03/year ($29.00 plus $2.03 G.S.T.) for local letter carrier in Goderich, Hanover, Listowel, etc. and out-of-area (40 miles from Brussels); $60.00/year for U.S.A. and Foreign. Advertising is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, only that portion of the advertisement will be credited. Advertising Deadlines: Monday, 2 p.m. - Brussels; Monday, 4 p.m. - Blyth. We are not responsible for unsolicited newscripts or photographs. Contents of The Citizen are CI Copywrlght. Publications Mail Registration No. 6968 Publisher, Keith Roulston Editor, Bonnie Gropp Sales Representatives, Jeannette McNeil and Julie Mitchell Serving Blyth, Brussels, Auburn, Beigrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and the surrounding townships.