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The Huron Expositor, 1994-11-02, Page 22 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, Nove nbor 2, 1994 J Community Local drummer wins Ontario award BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff Charlie Malcolm has always marched to his own drum. And for that he would like to apologize to his neighbors in Seaforth, Paul and arol Hey, who have been good its and never complained about (it. Charlie is a drummer in the Metropolitan Toronto Police Band and practises every day for about three hours, sometimes out on the back porch of his High St. home. He's good at it too! Two weeks ago he received notification he is this year's winner of the provincial Pipers and Pipe Band Association's Ontario Champion Supreme Award for Grade 2 solo drummers. The presentation of trophy and plaque will be made at a Highland Ball at the Thistletown Country Club in Toronto on Feb. 26. The rhythms of burr and heather have been part of Charlie's life since he was born. He comes by it honestly. His parents, Annie and Peter, are both Scots, and the latter from Perth, Scotland, now retired, served with the 51st Highland Division and was pipe major of the Clinton Legion Band for 14 years. Charlie often tagged along with his Dad when he as a little squirt, then took to the Brims himself when he was seven years old, later joining the Port Elgin Legion Pipe Band then the Bruce County Pipe Band, finishing second in his first solo competition, the 1980 Cham- pion Supreme Grade 4. He became a member of the Bruce band, a Grade 2 outfit, as a 15 -year-old, quite a feat in these circles. Then his interest turned to other things and he drifted away from competition but never quit playing altogether. Part of the problem was he never learned how to read music and was playing by ear, a definite drawback to going higher in this drumming game, but his interest was rekindled and he took to lear- ning to read music in about 1990 THE BEAT GOES ON - Charlie Malcolm of Seaforth has won the Ontgrio Champion Supreme, Grade 2 solo drumming title. The 29 - year -old Seaforth man has been around the pipes and drums since he was an ankle -biter and is a member of the prestigious Metropolitan Toronto Police Band. when he ran into some old friends at a Highland Games. Then his Scots' soul was stirred by some of the modern scores being played by some state -of -the- art Grade 1 bands, for instance the Calgary McBain Pipe Band, 78th Frazers or the Strathclyde Police Band. A trip to the World Champion- ships at Glasgow, Scotland in 1990 with the Billy Bishop Band out of Owen Sound, which finished 21st out of 45 in its class, also fanned his interest and kept his feet 'a tapping. "There is a lot more to pipe bands than a bunch of kilts stomping down the street in the Santa Claus parade," says Charlie. "There's a lot you don't see. And your ears havgn't heard until you experience a full -force medley competition of Grade 1 bands." After a couple of years with the Bishop band he was good enough to get a spot on the prestigious Metro Police band two years ago. His ambition is to play with the Metro Police's Grade 1 band. The pipe and drums is not a dying art restricted to oldtimers who have had a wee too many drams of Scotch or too much hag- gis, says Charlie, who notes that although many of his fellow band members have Scots for parents like himself, there are lots of young people, college students, police officers and the band's lead drum- mer is a professional percussionist. Two band members are Portuguese. Bagpipes are now considered an instrument at some music colleges, he adds. Charlie says the social end of it is a "blast." From May onwards he practises with the band in Toronto every Monday and Thursday, and when in competition it travels all over the place. For instance to earn the accumulated points that led to his recent solo award he had to compete at the Canadian champion- ships at Cambridge, the U.S. cham- pionships at Alma, MI. and the North American championship at Maxvill, and he also played with the band at gigs in Chatham, Fer- gus, Sarnia, Coburg, Embro, Montreal, Bethlehem, Penn. and Georgetown. Admissions up at Seaforth Hospital The number of admissions at Seaforth Community Hospital has increased by 13 per cent over the same six-month period last year. Day surgery visits are up 20 per cent over the same period last year There has been a 71 per cent increase in the number of births at Seaforth Community Hospital in a six-month period this year com- pared to the same period last year. The average length of stay for a patient has stayed consistent with last year (dropping only slightly). Emergency out-patient visits are also consistent with last year. The number of chronic -car patient days were down this year leading to an 18 per cent decline in overall patient days. The number of acute- care patients actually rose,however, meaning the hospital is generally busier. McLaughlin Chev-Olds Ltd. 131Matn St: Sea1Silif't: 527=1't40 'Service •Selection 'Savings •Satisfaction .Leasing •Cdntplete BODY SHOP Service I would appreciate the opportunity to serve you as REEVE of HULLETT TOWNSHIP VOTE HUGH F. FLYNN On Monday, November 14 Advance Poll - Sat., Nov. 5 and Wed. Nov. 9 If you have any questions please do not hesitate to call 523-4490 s NOTICE OF POLL MUNICIPAL ELECTORS FOR THE TOWNSHIP OF GREY Offices for which poll to be held: Reeve (1 of whom is to be elected) Councillor (1 of whom is to be elected) ADVANCE POLLS Advance Polls will be held on Saturday, November 5th and Wednesday, November 9th, 1994 at the Grey Township Municipal Building, Lot 21, Concession 9. The Advance Polls will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. REGULAR POLLS Regular polling day will be Monday, November 14th, 1994 from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. The locations of the regular polls are as follows: Poll No. 1 Grey Township Firehall (Ethel). Concession 1 to 4, all lots. Poll No. 2 Grey Township Firehall (Ethel). Concession 5 to 8, all lots. Concession 9, Lots 11 to 35 Poll No. 3 Walton Public School Concession 9 to 18, lots 1 to 10 (except Village of Brussels) Poll No. 4 Cranbrook Community Centre Concessions 10 to 18, lots 11 to 35. PROXY APPLICATIONS A person who has been appointed a voting proxy may apply to the Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m. on Polling Day to receive a certificate to vote by proxy for the polling subdivi- sion in which the person appointing the voting proxy is. entitled to vote. Proxy applications will also be considered by the Clerk during the period from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 5th, 1994. ` .... ,'""" .,.......,., , .,,.,.."" ,ma kiiiot, .,,. -.., .,,. Rebirning Officer WO%vnship of Grey' MONSTER MAKERS - Gerry Martin (left) and helper Sam Dougherty and friend Frank try to make sure they don't have any wires crossed while preparing for Halloween Night's onslaught at their annual Tuckersmith Township eerie extravaganza. Though it was clod and wet, more than 800 visitors, kids and adults alike, took in the show this week. Old wares create new scares BY GREGOR CAMPBELL Expositor Staff It's amazing what you can dream up from some old junk. Take some scrap angle iron, an idler pulley out of an old tobacco machine, the timing sprocket from a dead Datsun, a TV'aerial that has seen better days, the gearbox from a deceased washing machine, the drive out of an old dictaphone, then stir in a bit of this and a touch of that, lights and strange sounds and lots of black. What do you get? Why, a witch that cooks up a mean brew in Gerry Martin's now - almost -traditional, Hallowe'en show, of course! The 42 -year-old Tuckersmith man is an electrical operator for Ontario Hydro at the Seaforth transformer station and describes himself as a self-taught "jack of all trades and master of none." But the simple description is hard to swallow after taking a good glimpse at some of his creations on Concession 5 of the township. There is a spider attacking a big bug in an eerie web. A coffin with a lid that lifts as a hand comes out. A ghost that glides at speed and has been known to make unsuspecting visitors move likewise. An eerie train. A head buried in the sand with a realistic snake to keep you on your toes. An electrifying Frankenstein's monster. its All arc ingenious and there is certainly more than meets the cyc. Mr. Martin has been doing this for nine years and every Hal- lowe'en he tries to add something new. This year it was a robot named Woodstock, much of it made from materials discarded then donated from a local school. People know what he docs so stuff shows up unannounced on his lawn. Later he sometimes figures out what to (10 with it. Sometimes not. Woodstock was having his problems Monday afternoon, as Gerry scanned the sky worried about the possibility of rain putting a damper on that evening's trick -or - treating. Something happened that he hadn't figured on Sunday night, when more than 400 people showed up on a Hallowe'en Eve dry -run, and old Woodstock blew all his diodes. Some heavy-duty rewiring was the order of the afternoon. Every year it seems there is something different. Last year it was so cold he had to replace the water in his spider's squirter with antifreeze. Sam Dougherty, a former Hydro employee . from Londcsboro, was helping Mr. Martin with the last- minute glitches Monday. He has been helping for the past few years and he's not the only one. The show is getting so elaborate five additional helpers were required to run it this year. And then there is Deborah, Mrs. Martin, who Gerry r says has been a "brick" throughout all the tinkering of the last decade. They must be doing something right. They don't do any advertising but word-of-mouth seems to be doing just fine, thank you. More than 900 toured the Halloween extravaganza last year. This Sunday night they had visitors show up from London, Lambeth, Kitchener and Milton. He estimates 400 plus made the pilgrimage Monday night despite the rain and cold, almost, if not more, as many adults as kids. A group from Seaforth Manor took the tour Sunday night. The monster maker says this Halloween's rain was the steadiest downpour the crew has yet had to put up with, so some effects were shorting out but we "endevoured to persever." Mr. Martin says the youngsters still get scared stiff but the older kids, say from 13 to 19 -years -old, arc getting kind of jaded in this age of mass-market splatter films and virtual reality. Whatever the reason, people like to get scared, he says, noting that a couple of years ago he tried some politically -correct talking pumpkins. They were very nice. Nobody lingered long. Mr. Martin, who was born �n Delhi and moved here in 1980, was big on electricity, math, machine shop and welding when he went to high school. He thinks the idea for all this sort of grew in his head after a visit to Disneyland. "I was amazed," he says. 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