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Home My WebLink AboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-08-31, Page 7gnal-Star • Wednesday, August 31, 2011 �m goal Star 50 -ISSUE X SHED WEEKLY -- EST. 1860 nal Star Publishing Huckins St. ench ON N7A 3X8 524-2614 w. goderic hsignalstar. com UN . MEDIA A Quebecor Media Company YKES !slier MU ER rtlsing Manager QUI MILBURN CRECES Eters tUST1R ~mild & Subscnpions BUTT PINSON tinting RIER r Manager LECZNY ORELAND E MCIVOR ay des !wstabowesn(t corn )rtsbowesnet.corn is➢bowesnet.corn richads@bowesnet.com rim deadline Friday at 2, pm IPTION RATES ADVANCE: $42 plus GST $39 plus GST $218 80 plus GST $395 60 plus GSI 1 25 alluding GEST s Mail Agreement RN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADMIT .SSE S T10M DEPARITAENT Err krns St., Godenrh ON N/A 3X8 dellvrlms a delivery concerns 20 Z814 EMAIL starsaleseOdwesnet corn ►„ Signal Star shat) not be liable for failure an ad for typographical odors in publtcatror► me extent of the cost of that txwtr n of the ad the error occurred The God'rk,h Sgnal-Star the right to relict or odd any adverttsoment tun Signal Star Is a proud member of the Ca ►mundy Newspapers Maw:tatIoo ICCNA) and Community Newspapers Association IOGNA) r)wlefige the financial support of the. tent of Canada through the Canadian I Pund (CPV) lin o it pohlh h1ng activities Canada Member of Vis Canton Community Nwaspoper Assocrsann.nd the Organ', CrxnrnrIltr irsrmpsprs Association editorial The real beauty of Goderich lies in all of you le beauty of tie k town lies in its residents. And the response of the citizens of Goderich in the aftermath of the worst nat- ural disaster to ever strike the area a has been nothing short of remarkable. Amazing and inspiring, in fact. Our town is broken and people are sad. 'the town that I chose to makemy home 35 years ago is broken and it makes me sad as well. People have lost their homes, jobs and belongings and they are despondent. Many personal memories are gone, destroyed by an uncaring and fiercely violent act of Mother Nature. People are sad. But they are not dispirited and they are not broken. "Their indomitable spirit is shining through and in the face of adversity and in their anguish they continue to help others: It is with a very heavy heart that we provide news coverage this week in the Signal -Star. Gerard Creces covered meetings all over town at all hours, found time to help friends with cleanup and has been the lead in organizing a community feel -good entertainment event this weekend. He is a good music guy and never hesitates to help. Reporter Dominique Milburn kept every- one up-to-date on Facebook all through the week and fought through tears to take compelling aerial photographs of the destruction of her hometown that appeared in the paper last week. Selfless acts of kindness abound as people look beyond their own misery and misfor- tune to extend a helping hand to a friend, neighbour or family member. People are expressing amazement and incredulity that only one life was lost and that the extent of injuries was relatively Not to minimize the loss of the life of Nor- man Laberge, the injuries, or the extraordi- nary damage, but residents are expressing the sentiment that we are lucky in many respects and have reason to be thankfid. The loss of life could have considerable. It could have been catastrophic. As 1 walked tornado ravaged streets Sunday afternoon, people rushed out of their homes onto streets littered with trees, debris, limbs, downed hydro lines and were frantically. searching for loved ones, friends and neighbours. Their immediate and only concern was for the safety of their loved ones. In all of the chaos and destruction it was the only thing that mattered. They're anguish and anxiety was palpable. The prettiest town in Canada has lost some of its superficial beauty. But its beauty shines through so stunningly in its people. In their generosity, indomita- ble spirit, determination, and willingness to help. Their caring and sharing attitude reflects the resilience of the community. '[he hurnan and community spirit is one of our defining qualities. Every emergency worker and volunteer. from out of town could not believe the hos- pitality extended to therm bycaring people Goderich. People who had to deal with their own personal losses and adverse con- ditions took the time to be courteous, thankful and respectful. It took volunteers by surprise. It amazed thein and inspired them. I am so proud of this community. I am so proud of the people who looked beyond their own personal circumstances andchose to help others. Their untiring efforts and small acts of kindness meant so much to so many. Small gestures can make minor. such a big difference. letters to the editor Youngsters raise funds for town To the editor: Just want to tell you about 2 girls that had an idea to help rebuild Goderich On Friday August 26, in the afternoon they opened a roadside stand and sold some toys, clothes, jewelry, pencil drawings and juice. They raised S153.00 which they took to Boston Pizza so it could be matched where a gentleman told them he had meant to stop and gave them another $Z0.00.for a total of $173.00. 'these two girls, are grade 4 students of Colborne Public School and I am honoured to be a friend of one and grandma of the other. S. Schoemaker, Sattford Thanks to good neighbour Ian Scott To the editor: In the immediate aftermath of the tornado Sunday, i was diverted off Hwy 21 by the police. This was my first visit to Goderich, on route from The Pinery Provincial Park to Kin- cardine and had no idea how to get out of the city. I parked my car and trailer on South Street and found two gentlemen who informed me of In our loss, we have every right to question why and what is fair and right in the world that this would be inflicted on us. We have a town of special people. We have a town of caring people who will get things done. 1 felt the anguish and pain etched on the face of Mayor Deb Shewfelt who struggled through early press conferences to keep his composure and keep media updated. The man is simply guilty of loving this place and its people and he felt helpless at the outset to make things tight. Butwe can be thankful for the capable administration and leadership provided by Mayor Shewfelt and CAO Larry McCabe and the hard working people on the town staff. Things got done. Not as quickly as some would have liked, but they got done. There have been so many miracles in this town manifested in so rnany small ways through extensions of kindness, compas- sion and consideration. Our town is broken for a time and people are sad. But they are also hopeful. We need to restore the mine and people's jobs and the business community in our core. There is always a tomorrow and we can make it better. We owe it to future generations to rebuild our town. Their town. Goderich may not be the Prettiest Town in Canada right now, but in so many ways, it is so much more beautiful.. The real beauty of the Prettiest Town in Canada lies in all of you! God Bless and take care of each whet. • Dave Sykes, Signal -Star Publisher the tornado and reported damage. When I asked for directions to get me aut of Goderich and north on l lwy 21 they got in a truck and managed to get me through blocked streets to Hwy 8 and up the Ben Miller Line. When we found it was blocked north of the bridge they helped me manoeuvre my taller into a U turn and back to Hwy 8. At that point 1 headed east and they were heading west to try and get back into town. !cannot adequately express my apprecia- tion to Ian Scott and his neighbour, unfortu- nately nfortu-nately 1 didn't get his name, for leaving their homes in the midst of a disaster to help a stranger find their way out of the city. Christina Summers, Toronto