HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1995-06-07, Page 44-T1111 HURON IXPOSIT011r June 7, 10168
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GREGOR CAMPBEU,
- Reporter
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Wdnaday, June 7, 1095
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Editorial
Nastiness not needed
There is a saddening trend in recent Canadian
elections towards nastiness in election campaigns.
Although dirty tricks probably date back to Confed-
eration, candidates did more than criticize their
opponents in the early days.
Today, it is more common to find what a candidate
is against than what a candidate is for.
The U.S. phenomenon of negative advertising has
taken hold to some extent in Canada. For instance,
Preston Manning was able to attack the
Charlottetown Accord through television ads
labelling it the 'Mulroney deal'. (The deal had, in
fact, been unanimously approved by ten premiers
and coordinated by Joe Clark...with little help from
Mulroney). During the 'Free Trade' election of 1988
John Turner was attacked with ferocity in a vicious
advertising campaign.
One encouraging development was when the
Conservatives tried to mock the physical handicap
suffered by Jean Chretien...the Canadian people
reacted in disgust and instead of helping the Conser-
vatives it contributed to their political devastation.
On a provincial level the Ontario politicians are
spending far too little time debating the issues and'
too much time attacking each other.
Let us hope in the future that Canadians will let
their politicians know that the negative campaigns
which have been so successful in the U.S. will not
work here. - (TBC).
J
Letters to the Editor
Centralia closing blasted
Dear Editor,
It is interesting to note in the
London Free Press's Election
issue that Huron County NDP
MPP Paul Klopp lists his
diploma in Agricultural Busi-
ness Management as a "Per-
sonal Achievement". What he
fails to add is that his diploma
came from Centralia College. It
is amazing that he is proud of
this diploma, since he ensured
the closure of Centralia College
two years ago.
Voters in Huron County and
the rest of rural Ontario should
be reminded of the NDP's
hastily -made decision to close
Centralia College. It was truly
an overnight decision - when
the announcement was made, a
major roofing and brick repair
project costing hundreds of
thousands of dollars was
underway. Tenders for ncw
greenhouses had just been
approved. A new convention
facility was about to have its
grand opening. The day before
the closure was announced,
staff watched a video of NDP
agriculture minister Elmer
Buchanan promoting his new
team work strategy, with no
hint of the closure or job loss
which was to follow. After
Centralia was closed, millions
of dollars had to be spent
building an addition at
Ridgetown College. Obviously
no foresight or planning wcnt
into this decision.
Buchanan, Klopp and others
in the NDP government refused
to meet with "Friends of
When mind is stronger than body
There was a grey-haired old
man on the couch...old before
his years.
This weak creature, occa-
sionally gasping in pain, was
only in his mid -sixties but he
looked much older. Inside the
polyester track suit was the
body of a stick man, frail and
worn out by a sickness which
robbed him of his vigour.
This person was once able
to command fear in his
children like a great jackal
but now received the sym-
pathetic attention given a
wounded robin.
This man was my father.
He once had powerful limbs
like tree trunks, born of his
early years on the farm.'But
there on the couch his arms
looked like the arms of a
skeleton, loosely covered with
the weather -worn leather of
his skin
Only his clear, steel eyes
(were they blue? wcrc they
grey? I seem to forget) let the
outsider know there was a
young man hidden inside.
Every few weeks he would
seem to be on death's door
until a fresh transfusion of
blood would give him ncw
breath.
On those days he would
have the colour of lift back
in his checks. This was not
one of those days.
No, there he was on the
couch rolling around in pain.
Lying down was the only
thing he could, or should, do.
There was nothing much I,
and my brother and brother-
in-law, could do so we went
out onto the driveway to play
some road hockey. The tennis
ball was flying that day as we
raced up and down the
asphalt.
The sounds of sport must
have risen in the air, like the
smell of rhubarb pie, through
the front window of our
home. My poor father had to
listen to the sound of the
boys at play while he had to
endure the prison which was
his body.
(As a young man he was a
goaltender...he once stopped a
puck with his great big
honker of a nose and received
a concussion in the process.
He didn't sec the puck
coming. It didn't matter. His
team-mates thought it was
quite a save.)
1 guess we didn't think how
cruel it was of us to remind
him of all the things he could
not do.
So, we continued to play
street hockey doing a very
poor imitation of Gordie
Howe and Bobby Orr. Then
we looked up to sec someone
who wanted to join in. It was
my Dad.
He could barely stand up on
his rickety legs but there he
was, intent on showing up the
young whippersnappers.
For all his faults, he had a
love of life and adventure and
refused to admit there was
something he could not do.
Dad was wearing a great
big oversized touque with a
ball on the end sitting on his
emaciated head. My brother-
in-law and I looked at each
other and stared. We didn't
know whether to laugh or cry.
It was the most pitiful thing I
had ever seen, this old man
who should have been in bed,
trying to join in a driveway
game of hockey.
Or at (cast that's what I
thought at that moment.
He soon placed himself in
net where we sadly drifted a
few feeble shots his way. His
stick -like legs shot out to stop
the ball. A shot. A save.
Another shot. Another save.
Progressively we got braver,
hitting the ball with a wrist
shot or even a slap shot. He
was no 'Chico' Resch, but the
gruff old so-and-so didn't
make it easy for us to score.
It was an image I will never
forget...the picture of a
human being who refuses to
give up on life.
I will spare you the other
examples (like the time he
drove two hours to visit his
girl friend in the middle of
winter when he never should
have been out of the house)
but there were others.
I can only hope someday I
will have one fraction of his
tenacity and joie de vivre.
This was my father. I hope
you will forgive me the indul-
gence of talking about him as
we near Father's Day on June
18.
Perhaps as I write this it is
my way of saying 'I love
you', which I never said
enough.
In some small way I hope
you see a little of your own
father...and have a chance to
say 'I love you.'
For those of us who have
lost our fathers I can only say
this: there are pieces of their
personalities which will
always stick with us.
I know I sometimes open
my mouth only to hear my
father's words come out. I'm
sure you can relate.
Centralia" - a committee of
Alumni,' students, staff, area
farmers and agribusinesses, and
local municipalities - to discuss
alternatives. The economic
benefits of Centralia College to
the local economy were com-
pletely ignored by the NDP
government.
Although Centralia was a
small college, it did have one
track record of which it was
very proud. Each year 90 per
cent or morc of the graduating
class found employment. Grad-
uates of Veterinary Technology
wcrc in demand across Canada.
Food Service Management
grads wcrc hired by the best
hospitals and nursing homes in
Ontario. The Agricultural Busi-
ness Managcmcnt grads went
back to the honk farm with
improved technical and busi-
ness skills, or found jobs in
related ag-businesses.
At the same time that Bob
Rae, Elmer Buchanan and Paul
Klopp wcrc closing Centralia
College, they were pouring
millions of dollars into the
jobsOntario Training Fund,
which has had a dismal record
for finding employment for its
long list of registrants. Did it
make sense to close a college
where grads were able to find
employment, all the time talk-
ing about the need for training
to fight unemployment? Voters
should think this over before
going to the polls on Thursday.
Mary Alderson,
Forest
Flashback
This graduating entrance class from S.S. No. 3 Hullett (Kinburn) dates back to 1936. The
class is (front row, left to right) Mary Thompson, Marion Lawson, Olive Grimoldby; Viola
Dexter and Stella Armstrong. Back row is Alvin Riley, Keith Dale, David Anderson and
Donald Coutts. The photo was graciously lent to The Huron Expositor by Mrs. Wilfred (Mary)
Scott of RR 2 Seaforth.
Harburn first in shoe pitching
FROM THE PAGES OF
THE HURON EXPOSITOR,
JUNE 21, 1895
Louis Crich, of Tuckersmith,
has purchased from James
Crich his fifty acre farm in
Hullett, paying the handsome
price of $2,500.
* * *
During the rain storm E. Ball
of Tuckersmith lost tcn sheep
by lightning.
* * *
A peculiar occurrence hap-
pened on the farm of John
Cochrane, near Hillsgreen. A
steer disappeared and one day
it's head was noticed protrud-
ing out of an upstairs window
in an empty house. How the
animal got there is a mystery.
* * *
The home of A. Monteith,
Kippen, was the scene of a
very pleasant gathering when
his daughter, Miss Annie Braid
was united in marriage to John
A. Dallas of Tuckersmith.
JUNE 18, 1920
When the executors of the
estate of the late Dr.
McDermid of Hensall, were
going through some of his
papers they came across a
twenty-five cent piece wrapped
in paper. The paper was dated
30th of November, 1876, and
stated that it was the first
money he had rcccived in
Hensall. It was paid by Mrs.
Burns for the extraction of a
tooth for her son Donald
Burns.
In the Years Agone
* * *
The trustees of R.R. No. 2
Tuckersmith have been fortu-
nate in securing the premises
of W. G. Strong as teacher for
another year. Mr. Strong is a
son of Mr. and Mrs. Geo.
Strong of Tuckersmith.
• **
A. W. Norris, of Staffa, had
the misfortune to have a horse
killed with lightning and three•
others blinded by the shock.
They wcrc under a trcc.
JUNE 15, 1945
Electors of Huron -Perth
turned out at the polis on Mon-
day to give William Henry
Golding, Liberal candidate and
sitting member, a majority of
512.
* * *
PERSONALS -If you want to
get married, write Box 358,
Juliaetta, Idaho. Send stamp.
Fred Harburn, past holder of
the Canadian championship for
eight years, was first in horse
shoe pitching at the Third
Annual Huron Federation of
Agriculture picnic.
***
Overseas boxes were packed
Monday evening by Miss
Violet McClymont and Miss
Irma Kipfer and will be sent to
Major Howard Hemphill, Pte.
Cecil Kipfer and Lieut. N/S.
Marion Dougall. The boxes are
sponsored by the Wohelo
Class.
JUNE 18, 1970
Paul Hagan, son of Mr. Leo
Hagan, recently graduated from
Sheridan College of Applied
Arts and Technology,
Brampton.
* * *
Joanne Meidinger, daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Delmer
Meidinger, graduated from
Stratford Teachers' College.
* *•
Peter Stinnissen graduated
and received a bachelor of arts
degree of the faculty of science
at the University of Western
Ontario at last week's convoca-
tion ceremonies..
• • •
Miss Deborah Miller, of
Seaforth, has been appointed
Secretary to Ross Milton,
Administrator, in Huron county
for Conestoga College of
Applied Arts and Technology.
For the first time in the 40 -
year history of Seaforth Legion
Branch 156, the Legion and
Auxiliary are headed by a
husband and wife team, Cjeave
Coombs and wife Peggy.
* * *
Lome Whittaker, 24, of
Seaforth, skated for 29 hours,
winning the $75. first prize, in
a roller-skate-a-thon held in
Seaforth Arena. Second prize,
$50 went to Ken Doig, 16, of
Seaforth, who skated 28 hours,
40 minutes, Ron Dalton, 14, of
Seaforth, skated 28 hours, 10
minutes, winning the $25 third
prize.
Elizabeth Ball, 15, Seaforth
and Sally Everett, 17,
Goderich, spent 20 hours on
their roller skates, stopping at 7
a.m.
Gary Eisler, a grade 9 stu-
dent, skated 16 hours, studying
for his math exam while circl-
ing the rink.
Frank Reynolds, 58, RR 2
Seaforth, won the prize as the
oldest skater after two hours on
wheels.
Ralph Bremner, 8, Seaforth,
who skated six hours, won the
prize for the youngest to par-
ticipate.
His family all joined in with
his father Frank Bremner,
skating 17 hours, his mother
61 hours, brother Charles 11
hours and sister Patty Ann, 7
hours.
•••
It seems that the recent
announcement of the shut -down
of the Sherlock -Manning plant
in Clinton signals the end of an
era in the town's history as a
manufacturing centre for musi-
cal instruments.
Hydro must be
accountable
To the Editor,
The Independent Power Pro-
ducers Society of Ontario
(IPPSO) shares a deep concern
with many citizens that Ontario
Hydro's $34 billion debt,
overdependence on expensive
and outdated centralized power
plants, and lack of regulation
risks making our power system
unsustainable, financially and
environmentally.
Along with such diverse
organizations as the Consumers
Association of Ontario, the
Municipal Electrical Associ-
ation, and most major environ-
mental groups, IPPSO has
called for the creation of an
independent regulator which
has binding authority to regu-
late Ontario Hydro, including
examining Hydro's books,
approving rates and future
power purchases, and ensuring
public scrutiny.
Despite its debt, scale of
operations, and importance to
the provincial economy, Hydro
remains exempt from such
regulation. Unlike every other
public utility and school board
in the province, Hydro's direc-
tors are not elected. Its board
meetings are closed to the
press and public. Multi -billion
dollar decisions are made with-
out any outside scrutiny.
Sadly, all three parties have
ignored this in the past, and
have not yet shown any signs
of addressing it during this
election campaign. We urge
you to make Hydro
accountability an issue by
raising the topic at all -candi-
dates meetings, and by support-
ing candidates who are serious
about reforming Hydro.
Stephen Probyn, President,
Independent Power Producers'
Society of Ontario
William Thomas will
return next week