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The Citizen, 1995-10-25, Page 8Working behind the scenes October marks the 10th anniversary of the found- ing of The Citizen. During the month Publisher Keith Roulston will recall some of the memorable moments in the paper's history. While the fact The Citizen is owned by sharehold- ers in the community has created a lot of curiosity over the years, in the day-to-day world of the newspa- per things move along very quietly. Working on behalf of the shareholders is a board of directors who meet monthly to oversee the operations. The board has included, since its inception, president and publisher Keith Roulston and secretary-treasurer Jill Roulston. It also includes one representa- tive from Blyth and two from Brussels, For most of that 10 years Sheila Richards, so integral in raising the money to get The Citizen started, has held one of those Brussels positions. Other Brussels direc- tors have included Max Demaray, Barbara Brown, Ron Clarkson, and currently, Hank Ten Pas. Blyth has been represented over the years by Mason Bailey and Diane Radford. Over the years the advice of these directors has been key to keeping The Citizen going. The years haven't always been easy. Since late 1989 a recession has gripped the publishing industry. Keeping the ship sailing through those stormy waters made for interest- ing navigation. Along the way there was also a revolu- tion in technology, changing from the old world of photo-typesetting to the new world of desk-top pub- lishing on computers. Today the directors face new challenges. In the past year, newsprint has increased 100 per cent in price. Come next spring, there will be huge changes in postal rates. According to the latest word on the new postal rates within the community newspaper industry (no official announcement has been made as yet) the changes will cost The Citizen $6,600 in mailing costs each year. On a budget as small as ours, with advertising space not growing because of the continued recession, this is a serious amount of money. But with the guidance of the directors, The Citizen has survived and grown in the past decade. North Huron Publishing Company Inc. not only includes The Cit- izen, today, but also The Rural Voice, a magazine that was born 20 years ago in Blyth and came home in 1991 after jour- neying to Seaforth, Dungannon and Goderich along the way. They say that the most difficult years for survival of any business are the first few years. The Citizen managed to get through those years while growing in scope and the size of its staff. Today some 15 people, full and part-time, work in the two offices in Blyth and Brussels. The years ahead will contain challenges. With the help of the community and the volunteer directors however, The Citizen should be here in 10 years to mark the 20th anniversary of this successful experi- ment in community ownership. Serving the community Owned by the community `Citizen' remembers newsmakers of '85 Ten years have passed since Volume 1, Number 1 of The Citizen rolled off the presses. For some, the time has changed little in their lives, for others they have moved on to different professions and communities, yet have left a story of success and accomplishment in their wake. To reminisce with long-time readers and show new friends where their local paper has travelled over its 10 year history, a retrospective of newsmakers from that first issue, has been complied. Though just a small taste of those who were, and continue to be, involved in community activities and organizations, this retrospective may be a reminder of the changes in lives over the last 10 years and ;about the coverage, education and information provided by a local community paper. Dance skating pair takes different paths PAGE 8. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1995. Grey reeve recalls past decade For Leona Armstrong, reeve of Grey 'fwp., the last 10 years have been interesting and challenging. On Dec. 10, 1985 she was the first woman to be named Warden of Huron County. "It was exciting, educational, stressful and required a lot of dedication, but certainly was one of my most enjoyable experiences". That year she was a member of each and every committee of the Huron County Council which gave her insight into all departments. "Over the past 10 years I have had the privilege of sitting on many interesting committees. I served on the Huron County Waste Management Committee from 1987 to 1992. I will never forget the day, Oct. 3, 1991 when six candidate landfill sites were identified and four of the sites were within Grey Township. These sites were all eliminated and the search is still on-going." For three years Armstrong sat on the committee of Management of Huronview and also was appointed a member for a number of years on a Senior Care Facility Committee. "What a proud day it was to be a part of the Official Openings of Huronview and Huronlea on June 25, 1993." The Huron County Museum was officially opened in 1988. In 1990 Armstrong was chairperson for the Huron County Museum Committee, a member of the Executive Committee for the County and also a member of the Huron County Gaol Board. For 1994 and 1995 her committee was Cultural Services which consisted of the Library Board, the Museum committee and the Social Services Committee. She has been an appointed representative of the Social Service Committee on the Huron County Children's Aid Society in 1991 and 1993 to 1995. The Children's Aid Society officially opened its new headquarters in June 1994. In 1993 she became a volunteer member of the Huron County Long-Term Care Planning Committee and the Community Dining Advisory Committee of which she is still actively involved. In addition to council duties she served two years on the Blyth Theatre Board of Directors and two years as President of the Majestic Women's Institute. In 1987 and 1988 she was the alternate homecraft director for District No. 8 Agriculture Societies and also served the next two years on the Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies. At the present time she is program co-ordinator for the Majestic Women's Institute, president of the Homecraft Division of the Brussels Agriculture Society and treasurer of the Melville Church Women's Missionary Society. Continued on next page Big moment in Morris history In October of 1985, two young people from Blyth and Brussels were the pride of the area. Kerrie Shepherd, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Murray Shepherd of RR1 Blyth, along with her skating partner, Peter MacDonald, son of Graeme and Faye MacDonald of RR3 Brussels, had just earned gold medals in Novice Dance at the Hamilton-Stoney Creek Invitational Competition. Over the last decade, their lives have taken very different paths. After a year and a half out of figure skating competitions, Peter returned to the ice this spring with new partner Jackie Wicket, of Chatham. They will compete in their first contest this fall in the Western Ontario Sectionals. Peter has stayed involved in skating, working part-time as an instructor. He resides and trains in Toronto and takes college courses. For Kerrie, time presented a different course, literally. Kerrie, who attended Georgian College in Owen Sound for tourism and management, is now a restaurant manager in the Royalty Room at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto. She skated in the Senior Dance competition with partner Jeff Cann, in 1991, where they placed 11th. Now, the only skating Kerrie does is just for recreation. She no longer competes or teaches. "I decided it was time to finish school, something more concrete instead of wishing on a star." ******* Members of Morris council celebrated a major achievement as the official opening of the new municipal building was held on the Sunday before the first edition of The Citizen. In the final days of his political life, then-Reeve William Elston, along with Deputy-Reeve Tom Miller, Councillors Doug Fraser, Clem McLellan and Rcitiert Grasby, District Engineer for MTO John Godin and Health Minister Murray Elston, cut the ribbon. Reeve Elston retired prior to the next election and has spent his retirement helping out on the family farm and attending coffee meetings. Councillors Fraser and McLellan continued in political life, serving in various posts on municipal council. Both are now retired from public office. a