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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-09-19, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2019. From the playwright of last year’s sold out comedy The New Canadian Curling Club comes a slap-down drag ‘em out comedy about being truly “out” in small town Ontario. For a limited run. Two more of Mark’s plays premiered at Blyth: Stag and Doe and The Birds and the Bees. BED AND BREAKFAST Written by Mark Crawford| Directed by Ashlie Corcoran Season Sponsor Media Sponsor Hospitality Sponsor New Play Sponsor For Tickets Call 519.523.9300 Toll Free 1.877.862.5984 or visit blythfestival.com Image by Kelly Stevenson September 11 to September 28 80-year-old Townsend still delivering mail in Seaforth For almost 20 years, Clinton resident Alex Townsend has been delivering mail in the Seaforth area after retiring from farming. Townsend, who turns 80 years old today, Sept. 19, may not be the most senior Canada Post employee across the country, but he is something special according to his co-workers, who told The Citizen about the milestone. Townsend was a dairy farmer before switching into pigs, then cash crops, on his RR4, Seaforth farm. He would later sever off his home and sell the land. Early in 2001, a notice in his mailbox alerted him to the fact that a mail carrier was needed, so he decided to apply for the position. At the time he was also driving a bus, and he felt the extra job would keep him busy. He has since retired as a bus driver. In speaking to The Citizen, Townsend said he has been very fortunate to work for the Seaforth post office and its employees. “The people are the best memories,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of good times over the years, working together in the back of the office.” He also said that meeting people through work has been a highpoint of the job. “You get to stop and have a chat every once in awhile,” he said. “I also like having something to do, and the job fits in pretty well because I’m usually done by 1 p.m. every day.” He also said it’s comforting that so many of the mailboxes he has delivered to over his career have been the same boxes for the same families. Looking back to 2001, Townsend said that packages are easily the biggest change to Canada Post since he started. Aside from the corporation deciding to deliver them, he also said that the volume has increased exponentially in his time. He also said that, as package service has expanded, flyers have reduced significantly. “When I started, we did all the flyers,” he said. “There wasn’t really the bags of flyers there are now, and there were a lot more flyers back then in the earlier times.” The only downside to the whole job, Townsend said, is how rough it can be on vehicles. “It’s very hard on a vehicle, and it’s hard to get a vehicle that works for the mail today,” he said. “We have to keep switching and right-hand drive vehicles are tough to get.” In the end, even having to switch vehicles hopefully won’t slow down Townsend who said he hopes to make it to his 20-year mark in less than two years. “I think I can make it,” he said. A big change After nearly 20 years on the job, 80-year-old Alex Townsend says the biggest change as a Canada Post carrier is packages, both the corporation’s decision to deliver them and the volume that’s grown over time. (Denny Scott photo) By Denny Scott The Citizen Resident threatens legal action over Clean Yards Bylaw Reeve Bernie Bailey decided that if Wingham resident Steve Hill wanted to issue an ultimatum to council, threatening to take them to court, Bailey would save his comments for Hill until he was on the stand. Hill attended North Huron Council’s Monday night meeting to address the Clean Yards Bylaw which he was found in contravention of for not maintaining the boulevard in front of his property. Hill explained that he had stopped maintaining the property in protest, adding it was “absurd” that private property owners are held to a higher standard than North Huron. He said he is required to keep the boulevard in front of his property maintained despite the fact that, as part of the street allowane, it belongs to North Huron. Hill compared his lack of maintenance to what he saw as a similar lack of action from North Huron staff, who should do a better job of maintaining the municipality’s properties according to Hill. Beyond that, he had a laundry list of complaints for council including claims that staff would, out of spite, stop maintaining areas about which ratepayers had complained. Hill took issue with not just lawn and yard maintenance but also snow removal in the municipality. He said that, as a ratepayer, he was upset that council had moved to only maintaining sidewalks on one side of the street, forcing people to cross the street or walk on the road. He said that if the municipality had money for new televisions in council chambers (used for presentations at council and committee meetings) or money to update the municipality’s near- defunct website, it had money to tackle the problems he was bringing to them. Hill had received, according to his presentation, a $135 bill for the boulevard being mowed by the municipality. He said council needed to rescind the bill, rescind the Clean Yards Bylaw under which the bill was issued and meet his other demands or he would take them to court where he said he would call each member of council to the stand as witnesses. Hill went on to say that he felt he would win in court, and expose the “dictatorship” of North Huron, as well as reveal “historic abuse by municipal staff.” Council received Hill’s report. Upon no discussion occurring, Hill asked if council had any questions. Bailey said that, as Hill had threatened legal action both in the council meeting and on a blog that Bailey claimed Hill owns, any more discussion between Hill and council would take place in court. Hill continued trying to discuss the issue until Bailey asked if police should be called to remove him from the chambers. Later in the meeting, Bailey apologized if anyone thought he was out of line in dealing with Hill, but explained he would not stand by as someone addressed staff or council in the manner Hill did. He went on to say that, as Hill had threatened legal action, any more discourse would happen in court. Councillor Chris Palmer, however, wondered if council couldn’t consider some of Hill’s requests and asked if discussion should be opened on them. Bailey said that, in his experience, if people threaten court, then comments should be saved for in the courtroom. At that point he said that Hill owned a blog on which council and staff were targeted by Hill. Bailey went on to say Hill had threatened legal action on the blog as well, and said council members should wait until they were in court to discuss it. Deputy-Reeve Trevor Seip said the issue wasn’t necessarily dismissed. Council can, at any point, revisit it when more information is brought forward. However, for the time being council had decided to receive the report for information purposes only and not have further discussion. www.solaceonturnberry.com solaceonturnberry@gmail.com 519-887-9682 437 Turnberry St., Brussels, ON N0G 1H0 SOLACE ON TURNBERRY Spa.Shop.Suites Autumn Moonlight Sale Friday September 20 from 6 pm - 9 pm Huge sales up to 70% off most inventory SOLACE GIFT SHOP’S By Denny Scott The Citizen In the special issue produced for the annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer Thresher and Hobby Association by The Citizen, F. Stewart Toll was mistakingly omitted from a story that profiled members of the Twilight Serenaders both past and present. Toll was a member of the group, which has performed on Friday and Saturday nights at the reunion for over a decade, when it was first formed, only taking a step back in 2015. Over the years, Toll has played the piano, violin, guitar, mouth- organ, fife, trumpet, saxophone, clarinet and bagpipes. He has been a member of numerous bands, including the Goderich Bluewater Band, the Seaforth/Dashwood Band and the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry Military Band, as well as a number of dance bands. The Citizen regrets the omission. Omission Running man The Winthrop ball diamond hosted a year-end tournament over the weekend, bringing teams from all over the county to Huron East for some fun. Here, Greg Toll of the Marnoch Maroons comes around to score one of the team’s 10 runs. The Belgrave team defeated the home Winthrop Warriors by a score of 10-3. (Hannnah Dickie photo)