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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1996-12-18, Page 23HAPPY 50TH ANNIVERSARY DECEMBER 28, 1946 -1996 GORDON AND LOUISE BOSMAN The family of Gordon and Louise Bosman invite relatives and friends to Join us in celebrating this special anniversary at an Open House, to be held on Saturday, December 28, 1996, from 2:00 - 4:30 p.m., at the Belgrave Women's Institute Hall. Best wishes only. Love and congratulations from Allan and Barb, Don and Cheryl, Dave and Marg, Joan and Piet, Clayt and Debbie and all the grandchildren. NEW YEAR'S EVE DANCE December 31 at the Blyth Memorial Hall sponsored by Blyth Minor Hockey Dancing from 9:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. ) $10.00 per person Q tiC Door Prizes • (1 Prize for best decorated hat , Age of majority required For more information call: Shirley Archambault 523-4538, Cathy Carter 526-7217, Chris Courtney 523-4476 (Calvin Kerr D.J.) 9/e "DISNEY MAGIC HAS DONE IT AGAIN!!" Breuinvon. AMERICA!, IMO 11.A.1)10 KETI,OFUCC '6 • 4416f.' it4 FINAL 4 DAYS FRI. - MON. DEC. 20-23 CLOSED DEC. 24 @ 25 FRI. & SAT. 7 & 9 PM SUN. @ MON. 8 PM SAT. MAT. 2 PM MONDAY ALL SEATS $4.00 THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1996 PAGE 23. McCall retires from MVCA board after 20 years Retiring After almost 20 years as the Village of Brussels' representative on the board of the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, Bruce McCall is retiring. McCall, who was the drive behind the rejuvenation of the Brussels dam and park, calls his time with MVCA a wonderful experience. FWIO sends 47,000 squares to Zambian organizations At the recent annual meeting of the Federated Women's Institutes of Ontario, International Convenor Donna Russett announced that over 47,000 knitted squares (10 cm x 10 cm) have been sent from Ontario Women's Institute members to two organizations in Zambia. One purpose of this project, undertaken in the 1994-1997 triennium the Federated Women's Institutes of Canada, is to assist the Mazabuka Association for the Disabled and the Monze Centre for Rehabilitation by providing gainful employment for disabled Zambian women. The women assemble the squares into blankets, vests and stuffed toys. This project also provides funds for purchasing needed items, such as teaching aids and wheelchairs. Mrs. J. Spitteler of Mazabuks said, "We often fill a Toyota pickup when we collect them (the parcels of squares) from the Post Office, so you can imagine the scale of the operation." CAPITOL THEATRE Adult (Age 16 & over) $6.00 Child (Age 15 & under) $4.00 Senior $4.00 Tuesday (All Tickets) $4.00 291-3070 LISTOWEL Dolby Surround Sound Stereo STARTS FRIDAY December 20 Closed December 24 & 25 7 & 9:15 P.M. Matinees December 21, 22, 23 at 2:00 p.m. 101 DALMATIONS • Parental Guidance Associated Country Women of the World (ACWW) President (Canada Area) Peggy Knapp announced the success of the Tweyambe Goat Project and the United Women's Group Pig Project at the same meeting. In 1995, Canadian Women's Institute members decided to support families in Uganda affected by AIDS. One project was to enable the women in Tweyambe to purchase a herd of 102 goats to produce milk for nutrition and to sell as a means of generating income. The piggery project is a source of income for AIDS orphans and allows them to be contributing members of the community. A total of $10,000 was contributed from across Canada. FWIO members contributed $6,000 to the projects. This will enable the ACWW to fund the projects and monitor them for a two year period. By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff He did what any good representa- tive should — he made a differ- ence. But now after almost 20 years as the representative for Brussels on the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority's board of directors, Bruce McCall is ready to retire. It was 1978 when then reeve Cal Krauter approached McCall to see if he would be interested in being the village's voice at MVCA. McCall and his wife Doris owned property adjacent to the Brussels dam, on which they were planning to build that year. "He called upon me because the dam was such a mess and he thought I might have a vested interest in seeing it cleaned up." His first submission to the board as a backbencher, was not taken too seriously, however. "The feeling was that the Ministry of the Envi- ronment didn't believe in small dams so there would be no funding for such a project." McCall tenaciously stuck to his guns bringing the subject up year after year. "The saying got to be 'Bruce and his damn dam,— said McCall. Funding was eventually received from the federal Liberal govern- ment through a Works program to encourage employment. "I think what put them over was when •Brussels council said it would come up with one-fifth of the cost, about $60,000. The government was impressed that a small village would commit itself to raising that amount." After getting the feds on board, McCall then used old political ties to lobby the province. "I suggested it would be bad to see Ottawa building the dam and not have sup- port from the province." Less than a decade after his cause began, the efforts paid off. The out- come is a focal point in which the Royal seeks items for archives In anticipation of our 75th anniversary, the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair is looking for any items of interest to add to its archives. This would include ribbons, photos, video footage, old home movies, news articles, posters, etc. Any donation would be appre- ciated. Make '1997' a great Diamond Jubilee celebration. Contact Sue Bunday at (416) 393-6411 to make a donation. village takes pride. "We were so delighted by this project," said McCall. It was something that everyone said couldn't be done, and it was. It proves nothing is impossi- ble." McCall knows firsthand what the dam's rejuvenation has meant. "Living there I can see it's been a great thing for Brussels. Every summer, there are dozens of people walking across the project on any given day. I am naturally very proud." Another highlight of his tenure was the organization of the Wawanosh Education Centre in 1984. McCall, who was then on the Community Relations Committee for MVCA, had visited the centre in Saugeen. "It impressed me so, I pushed for this one. I knew it would be a wonderful thing for everyone." "That was one of the greatest accomplishments we have made. It's good not just for the watershed but for the education of our chil- dren. There is no better education than that which you get on-site." McCall did sit for some years on the Maitland Conservation Founda- tion, formed to raise funds for the Centre. He credits the community with tremendous support for the project. From 1987 to 1991 McCall was chairman of the MVCA at a time which he describes as having, been "very good." Those times have changed, which has contributed to his decision to retire. "I actually had planned on retiring last year, but was con- vinced to stay on. I must admit now that I am frustrated by the way this government is operating. They are destroying the grassroots of many organizations." McCall said, "We have a good base in this country. The waste is with government, not with the peo- ple who pay tax dollars. The waste is with the people who don't have to earn this money." With Conservation Authorities threatened by government cutbacks and intervention, McCall doesn't like to look to their future. "I am so down on the direction we are going." The past, however, brings differ- ent feelings, a sense of satisfaction and pride. "I enjoyed every minute of my time on the MVCA board. We got probably double the value of our money than we get from the Ministry of Natural Resources." "The Conservation Authorities in this area are protecting the quality of water for future generations and teaching our children the impor- tance of conservation."