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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1996-12-25, Page 44fi-TN! NNNON iXpo iTo , OswMiM as, $ S1 Your Community Newspoper Since 1860 TERRI-LYNN DALt - General Manager & Advertising Manager MARY MELLOR - Sales PAT ARYES - Office Manager DIANNE McGRATH - Subscriptions & Classifieds PAvt SCOTT • Editor Segfiu - Reporter BARB STOREY • distribution A Bowes Publishers Community Newspaper SUBSCRIPTION RATES tOCnt 32 SO a year,in advance, plus 2 28 G 5 T SENIORS. • 30 00 o year, .n advonce, plus 2 10 G S T USA & foreign 32.50 a year in advance, plus 878 00 postage, G 5 T exempt SUBSCRIPTION RATES Published weekly by Signol-Ston Publishing of 100 Main St., Seoforth Publication moil registration No 0696 held of Seaforth, Ontario. Advertising is accepted on condition that in the event of o typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for ot the applicable rote. In the event of o typographical error, advertising goods or services at o wrong price, goods or services may not be sold Advertising is merely on offer to • sell and may be withdrawn ot any rime The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and undeliv- erable copies are to be sent to The Huron Expositor Wednesday, December 25, 1998 Edirwial and Business Offices - 100 Main Street.,Seafotiis Telephone (519) 527-0240 fax 1519) 527.2856 Mairing Address - P.O. box 69, Sealerlfs, Ontario, NOK IWO Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Ontario Community Newspapers Association orad the Ontario Press Council Views expressed on our opinion page(s) don't necessarily represent those of The Huron Expositor or Bowes Publishers. The Huron Expositor reserves to right to edit letters to the edi- tor or to refuse publication. Letters to the Editor In Huron -Perth: Stratford. busiest hospital Dear Editor: Healthcare and hospitals are going through significant change, culminating in provincial reviews that are focusing on altering the role of hospitals as we know them today. The fundamental rea son for these changes is provincial funding which, for Stratford General Hospital (SGH), has declined steadily over the past five years. During this time, SGH has ended each year with a small surplus and will do so again this year. Throughout this period we have not only maintained our existing pro- grams but have added pro- grams such as CT and Plastic Surgery. At the same time, we have continued to attract specialists. e.g., surgeons/internists, to the area, specialists who benefit all residents of Huron and Perth. We have been able to do this only through the con- tinued commitment to excel- lence of our highly skilled staff and all associated with the hospital as well as by always looking at how we deliver care. Of all the hospitals in Huron and Perth. Stratford. due to the types of service available and diversity of staff, treats the sickest patients. Not only do we treat patiepts from Stratford but, due to the regional focus of the hospital, .Le treat a large number of patients from other parts of Huron and Perth counties. As an exam- ple, of the hip and knee replacements performed at Stratford General Hospital last year, 23 per cent were to Stratford residents, 32 per cent to other re.sidents of Perth county. 29 per cent to residents of Huron county and 16 per cent to residents from outside both counties. The regional focus puts added financial pressure on Stratford as regional pro- grams are very expensive to deliver. Despite this, we were pleased to see that the finan- cial review undertaken during the current District Health Council study highlighted Stratford as the hospital most appropriately spending its resources. Stratford General Hospital is by far the busiest hospital in Huron and Perth. Recent published figures highlighted that, on average, hospital beds in Huron and Perth were 53 per cent occupied in 1995/96. At SGH, that figure was 70 to 80 per cent. To a patient, the most important considerations when dealing with healthcare are quality and access. While quality depends on a number of dif- ferent things, the most impor- tant are those providing the care and the numbers of patients treated - what the Health Services Restructuring Commission refers to as "critical mass." As an example, by deliver- ing a lot of babies, staff and physicians regularly deal with a broad range of situa- tions and are, therefore, bet- ter able to respond to prob- lems should they arise. Stratford delivered 763 babies (44 percent of ail Huron/Perth deliveries) in 1995/96. an increase of 6 per cent from the previous year. Supporting these ongoing increases in deliveries at SGH are Huron and Perth's only three obstetricians, only two paediatricians and only Special Care Nursery. With respect to access, Stratford is the only hospital in Huron and Perth counties to provide 24 hour, seven day/week trauma surgery coverage for patients needing emergency treatment. In the medical literature, having 24 hour. seven day/week• access to a fully staffed operating room. anaesthetist and trau- ma surgeon is considered the most appropriate way to treat seriously injured people. In addition, a number of specialists on staff at Stratford travel to surround- ing communities for clinics. As just one example, physi- cians from Stratford hold weekly clinics in Listowel for gynecology, orthopaedics and internal medicine thereby making these services more accessible to the people of Listowel. Everyone associated with Stratford General Hospital remains completely commit- ted to providing the first rate health care to which the resi- dents of Huron and Perth have become accustomed. We will continue to look for innovative ways to provide this care and to fulfill our role as a Regional Hospital for Huron and Perth. As con- sumers of health care, you can be assured that the excel- lence of the programs and services delivered will always remain our Number One priority. David A. Rae Chair, Stratford General Hospital Board of Directors • Celebrating Christmas 'Down Under' Thirty-five degrees. The ocean waves crash lightly against the dock while scanti- ly clad people saunter up and down the pier. We're seated on an outdoor patio eating a light snack of pizza and pasta while drinking heaps of water and swatting flies and mossier left and right while the musical riff, "Dashing through the snow, in a one- horse open sleigh" drifts over to our table from an accor- dion -playing street busker just a few feet away. It's Christmas in Sydney, Australia, fast -approaching what will be my first ever, non-white Christmas, some- thing that when I tell that to most Aussies, they think I'm talking about Pauline Hanson's (Australia's answer to Preston Manning) immi- gration stance. It's a strange feeling to see Charlie Brown Christmas trees, candy canes, stocking stuffers and so on, being sold in an outdoor mar- ket in plus 30 weather as I dodge the sun, going from awning to awning, now to the toilet (not called washroom down here, what are you going to wash?, they ask) and even resorting to using a fire hydrant to deflect the sun's intense rays. (I've even found that if you slouch right you can create your own shade). Having spent many a day in Canadian weather racing from store to store, hiding in phone booths and bus shel- ters to get out of the cold, I'm beginning to think that extreme heat and extreme cold causg the same sort of troubles Grocery shopping in Australia at Christmastime is quite an experience, my list consisting of light food items, vitamin B (something many Aussies take during hot Guest Co um by Shane Taylor SDHS '92 Graduate times) and mostly liquids, including mango juice (which the local elders tell me used to only be produced and consumed in Queensland but now due to modern trans- portation methods can now he enjoyed in New South Wales) a delightful refreshing drink that I've acquired a taste for. Every third person in the store is in hare feet, the lines are never long though they move slow but are never in a hurry. Indeed Australia is the land of no worries or no hur- ries, and I'm just beginning to see the real meaning of the phrase that every Aussie utters at least 15 times a day. In fact the memory of the hustle and hustle of the fast - paced cold -laced Christmas holiday snow streets quickly fades from sight as I go through the sixth day in a row of mid -thirty degree -heat in a land where hardly any houses have central heating and school kids aren't allowed outside for recess without a hat, shades- and gobs of sunscreen. It really leaves one no choice but to'say 'no wor- ries.' What's that? Can't cash your cheque till tomorrow, can't fix your bike till Saturday, can't order that part till next week? Hey mate, no worries, I'm just sitting here between two fans, blinds down, windows open, guz- zling down mango juice like I'm in Queensland just trying to make it through the after- noon without sticking to the couch. But evenings here can sure make up for it, often dropping to between five and 15 degrees at night, causing one to believe the cliche that Australia is the land of extremes. Ayers Rock, in central Australia, can get to 45 degrees during the day and yet still drop to minus five that same night. Australia is also the land of no tipping. something which I'm sure would make some Canadians flinch, especially during such a high service industry time as Christmas. But here, the award wage (what they call minimum wage) is about thirteen dol- lars and cabbies, waiters, bar- tenders would be seriously offended if you left them a tip. However, you are expected to greet people with the traditional aussie intro- duction, "Good'ai mate, how ya going'.'" and shoot the breeze for a while before one gets down to business. I reckon it makes for a much Netter, person to person encounter rather than a cus- tomer and servant one. Indeed there are many things to remember when ordering food in Australia, hamburg- ers and steak sandwiches tome with a mandatory pur- ple beet root. ketchup comes in packages labeled, "Tomato sauce for dunking". green peppers are called capsicum, the Aussie Legend pizza comes with eggs as a top- ping, fish and chips are called fish and chips not fish and fries (I've been accused of being a damn Yankee when I asked for fries and have not made the same mistake since) and last but definitely not least of all, most places have a BYOB policy whereby you can bring your choice of dehydration prevention liq- uids into their establishment for free. I was also able to ask a few local Aussies about Christmas here including the all important question: Where does Santa Claus land if the roof doesn't have enough snow to cushion his landing? Their answer, the roof of course. And having spent an early morning (the best time to work in in this country is to be up by five and in the house by eleven) taking the tiles off some blokes' (Aussie for man) • roof, I can vouch for the fact that their pretty damn heavy and apparently are built to last a life -time as every house here has the same heavy tiles on their roof. So I reckon Santa wouldn't even leave a scratch. As for the infamous twelve days of Christmas song, the Aussie version includes the line "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a cookahur- ra in a gum tree" and if you are looking to catch the right girl underneath the mistletoe, well you are out of luck, mistletoe is non-existent in Australia. Family Christmas get- togethers and reunions here have a. different flavour, for one thing,iall the peoile you don't know well, wish you didn't know or don't want to • CONTINUED on page 5 Ifwe all took a cut, no hospital would close Dear Editor: I would like to compliment the people who so ably pre- sented the options open to us in our health care. Regrettably, we have created this serious crisis by our own self indulgence. Had we, been required to pay even a small users' fee I am sure our patient load would have been much reduced. The phrase "No Pain - No Gain" has been overworked but if we were all to take a 20 per cent cut in our pay cheque - regardless of its size - I doubt if any hospital would need to be closed. I am a very senior citizen but 'in 1994 the interest rate on' my savings dropped from 10.5 percent to 7 per cent - a difference of 3.5 per cent. We are still living quite comfort- ably in this great province of ours but .have put all Caribbean cruises on hold. I read in the London Free Press that the president of Air Ontario is trying to restructure their finances acid have asked their employees to take a 10 per cent cut in their salaries. I think this is a small sacrifice to slave 16,000 jobs. If we all took a reduc- tion we could save our depleted economy and avoid a repeat of the devastating depression of the 1930s. Yours truly, H.G. Campbell Heaviest Christmas mail in 1946 • FROM THE PAGES OF THE HURON EXPOSITOR JANUARY 8, 1897 LOCAL BRIEFS - The lacrosse boys.had a big house at their concert on New Year's night, Cardno's hall being packed. - The Poultry Association are getting out a splendid prize list for their show which is to be held in Seaforth on the 25th. 26th and 27th of this month. It is expected that the show will be a good one - We think it would be a move in the right direction if the council would pass a by-law compelling people to remove the snow off the sidewalks in front of their premises. If this were done, people would be able to walk on the sidewalks instead of on the road. as has to he done every winter, which makes it dangerous for our pedestrians and extreme- ly annoying to those who are driving. * * * THE TOWN ELECTIONS - Monday was an umpropi- tious day for the municipal politicians especially in so far as weather was concerned. It opened with a heavy down pour of rain, which continued steadily throughout the forenoon, while the mud and slush were deep and dis- agreeable. Nothing daunted however, the politicians were at work early and each one did his best for his favourite. The edge however, was taken off with the withdrawal of Mr. Gunn from the field for the Mayoralty. The principal interest centered in the con- test for the Reeveship between Messrs. Beattie and Watson. In the Years Agone The council for the current year will be composed as fol- lows: Mayor. Robert Scott; Reeve, James Beattie; Deputy -Reeve. William Smith: Councillors - North Ward. Robert Winter. William. Ament, Donald McIntyre: South Ward James Gillespie. J.S. Roberts, George A. Sills; East Ward. John Turner. John G. Wilson. Thomas Stephens. DECEMBER 30, 1921 Fifty years ago the Toronto Globe of December 28, 1871, "Cold was very intense throughout Ontario yesterday and trains were blocked by heavy snowfalls. At Owen Sound it was 19 degrees below zero; at Seaforth 17 below. * * • LOCAL BRIEFS - Mr. J.F. Daly representing the Seaforth Public Utility Commission and Mr. J. M. Govenlock. MPP attended the formal opening of the great Chippawa power canal on Wednesday - Mr. George Nesbit walked from Clinton, a distance of nine miles to spend Christmas with some of his old neighbours in McKillop. He is over 80 years of age - The Christmas music will be repeated at First Presbyterian Church next Sunday evening. Dr. Larkin's subject will be "Christmas Still Going On." - Mrs. L Makins had the mis- fortune to scald her foot very severely on Christmas Day, and although the injury is not serious it is very painful. JANUARY 3, 1947 The heaviest letter mail in my twenty-three years as postmaster is the way Postmaster C.P. Sills describes the avalanche of Christmas mail that passed through the Seaforth post office during the past month. It is not possible to deter- mine the actual number of incoming pieces. one -cent pieces dispatched totalled 50.000. Postmaster -Sills paid tribute to the co-operation of the public who heeded the advice of the Department and mailed early. This action assisted greatly in clearing the heavy volume of mail. *** Seaforth ratepayers crowd- ed the Town Hall Monday evening to nominate 27 can- didates for 12 offices. It was the largest attendance and largest number of nomina- tions since the record year of 1936 when 40 candidates were nominated. eec Seaforth hockey team will play its opening game in the intermediate 'B' OHA dis- trict group schedule drawn at a meeting in Seaforth‘his weekend. The first home game in on Tuesday, January 7, when Stratford plays here. Four teams make up a group including Seaforth, Stratford, Clinton and Clinton Radio School. The schedule provides for the last game on February 14. * * * ' Decision to launch a coop- erative hospitalization plan available to both urban and rural residents of Huron County was unanimously agreed on at a meeting of directors of the Huron County Federation of Agriculture. held in Clinton on Friday. JANUARY 6, 1972 Seaforth can anticipate an increase in the cost of the power it purchases from the HEPC Dr. Roger Whitman. a member of the PUC told council at its inaugural meet- ing Monday morning. Dr. Whitman said the com- mission had been advised the increase would he in the order ot:8% * * * Well known area lawyers were honored on New Years when they were named Queen's counsels. They are Donald Ian Stewart of Seaforth and Ronald Sills of Kitchener. a son of Mrs. C. P. Sills. Seaforth. The honor allows lawyers to use the letters QC after their names, the use of silk as opposed to a cotton gown in court, and certain other recognitions among lawyers. * * * , Tuckersmith council is con- sidering the replacement of Silver Creek bridge on con- cession 2 and 3 HRS adjacent to the Seaforth Golf Course. At its first meeting in 1972 held Tuesday night at Brucefield road superinten- dent Allan Nicholson was instructed to obtain a prelimi- nary engineers report on the work.