HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-06-24, Page 15Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, June 24, 2009 - Page A15
County to add a fourth Volvo machine to fleet
From page 1
highest it has ever been, and our
employees stepped up to achieve it. It's
difficult, with an uncertain future. This
is something nobody wants to have to
do but, since they had to do it, the did
• a great job."
Davis estimates that 92 per cent of
the factory employees live in Huron
County. As the last grader came off the
line, signatures of current employees
were collected to be displayed on the.
side panels of the grader. The signa-
tures were printed into a material that
will ensure that they are protected on
the grader for many years to come. A
second set of the signed side panels
will also be donated to the Champion
Antique Grader club as part of the
town's permanent grader archive.
Oke fondly recalled many years of
working with the Goderich grader facil-
ity. He was involved in municipal grad-
er purchases in the .1980s when the
factory operated under the Champion
trade name.
"We always felt it was important to
buy locally," he said. "At one time we
had a road superintendent who was
Flower show
moves to
Suncoast Mall
signal -star staff
The Goderich Horticultural Society is
pulling up their roots this year and relo-
cating the annual flower show and com-
petition to the Suncoast. Mall on Satur-
day, June 27.
Sandra Goddard, a representative of
the society, said that they are hoping
the higher -traffic area will help them get
more people interested in gardening.
"Last year we were at the MacKay
Centre, and this is a community event,
meant to get more people interested in
joining us and gardening," she said.
"That's why we moved to the mall, to
try and get more people interested."
Exhibitors can drop of their flowers
between 9 and 11 a.m., and judging will
be done between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Af-
ter that, the show will stay open until 3
p.m. for viewing.
"We've got 19 different classes, in-
cluding things like ferns, lilies, roses,
iris and flower arrangements," Goddard
explained. "We had 71 entries last year,
we're hoping for more this year."
The cost is $2 to exhibit, with the
chance to win in each category, as well
as best in show. Winners will be com-
memorated on a plaque that the society
keeps. Funds raised from the event go to
the Horticultural Society, who maintains
gardens at locations like MacKay Cen-
tre and Alexandra Marine and General
Hospital.
Anyone interested in participating can
contact Sandra Goddard at 519-524-
7400.
Photo by Dominique Milburn
Chuck Horton puts the finishing touches on a road grader on the final assembly line at
the company manufacturing facility on Maitland Road in Goderich. The final road grader
to be manufactured at the Goderich plant came off the assembly line this week.
skeptical of the Champion product but,
after two years of operating one, he
insisted on making the next new grader
a Champion."
Today, the current Huron County
fleet is comprised of three Volvo
MAIIMMIR
machines purchased between 2001 and
2006.
Grader manufacturing first came to
Goderich in the horse-drawn era in 1908
and the company, known as Dominion
Road Machinery, moved to its current
location in 1966.
Many of the early equipment innova-
tions, that will remain a lasting legacy
to the industry, were led by Bruce Sully,
still an active community leader. The
Sully family owned Champion Motor
Graders through decades of global
growth following World War II. The
Champion name and facility was sold to
Volvo Construction Equipment in 1997.
Grader history and pride will continue
to live on in Goderich through the
Champion Antique Grader Club which
will display some it restored graders
from bygone days at the June 30th pre-
sentation at the YMCA.
aft
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