HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1997-01-29, Page 44-11111.11,11,001 ILIMOS TO t, xMllw►y 3111, 11111P
Your Community Newspaper Since 1860
TERRI•LYNN DALE - General Manager
& Advertising Manogef
PAT ARMES - Office Monger
DANNE McGRATH Subsaiptions
& Classifieds
DAVE SCOTT . Editor
GREGOR CAMPBELL
Reporter
BARB STOREY
- distribution
A Bowes Publishers Community Newspaper
sSU8SCRWPTION RATEI LOCAL • 32.30 o year, in advance, plus 2 28 G.S 1
5EN10115 - 30.00 a year, in advance, pku 2 10 G.S.T
USA d foreign. 28.44 a year in advance, plus $78.00 postage, G S T exempt
SUBSCRIPTION RA1E5
Published weekly by Srgnol•Sur Publishing at 100 Man St . Seaton) Publication
nicht reg'oration No. 0696 held co Seaforth. Ontario Advertising a camped on
condition thot ,n the event ohs typographical error, the adverh%ung specs occupied
by the mrorwous nim. together with o rsosanoble allowance For signature. will not
be charged, but the balance of the advertisement wilt be pond For at tine applicable
rate to the event of a typographical error, advertising goods or servwes at a
wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising o merely on oiler to
sell and may be withdrawn an any rime The Huron Expositor isnot responsible for
the lou or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, pilaus or other mawipb used For
reproduction purposes Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and undahn•
eroble copies ore so be sent to The Huron Exposrur
Wednesday, January 28, 1997
Editorial and Business Offices - 100 Main Sir st.,SeOFarth
Telephone (519) 527-0240 fax (519) 327.2838
Massing Address - P.O. Pox 69
Seaforth, Ontario, NOK Two
merntm of Me Canadian Community Newapope•
Assoaanon, Ontario Community Newspapers Assodenor
and the Ontario Press Council
Editorial
Working together
accomplishes more
The latest announcement by the Huron -Perth DHC to accept
the eight hospitals' bid as the "Preferred Option" for health
care in the two counties is proof that crisis situations can bring
people with opposing views together.
When the initial three options were made public, and even
before, there was anger, division, fear and sadness in the com-
munities in danger of losing their hospital. In the opinion of
some, the government (or a government appointed body) was
doing nothing more than pitting community against communi-
ty and doing more destruction than production.
• What this crisis accomplished was something that probably
should have been done years ago. It brought the administra-
tions of eight nearby hospitals together to recognize how they
can work together efficiently and as partners, instead of stag-
ing petty turf wars that serve no useful purpose.
The preferred option, however, is still subject to the
approval of the provincial government, who we hope will see
fit to accept this cooperative plan and exercise some of their
"common sense." - DWS
Letters to the Editor
Quick response
from ambulance
Dear Editor:
We had a personal experi-
ence last Saturday,. January
25. Our daughter, son-in-law
and their boys were visiting
from Stratford. At lunchtime
our five-year-old 'grandson
suddenly went into convul-
sions and stopped breathing.
We immediately phoned for
an ambulance, which consid-
ering the weather was here
very quickly (less than 5
minutes). Fortunately, our
grandson had begun breath-
ing again.
The ambulance crew was
very attentive and he was
taken to the Seaforth Hospital
where they were ready and
waiting and he was very well
attended to. .
With the situation and the
weather that day our local
hospital was very much need-
ed and appreciated.
With much thanks to wery-
one involved.
Parents Phil and Lori
Knox and grandparents Pat
and Brenda Kenny
Brussels celebrating 125th
anniversary August 1, 2, 3
• Dear Editor:
Brussels, Ontario will be
celebrating its 125th
Anniversary on Aug. 1, 2 and
3, 1997. An invitation is
extended to all those with an
interest or roots in Brussels
to attend the planned festivi-
ties.
A book detailing the vil-
lage's • 125 years of progress
is being printed and will be a
wonderful historical addition
to any personal library.
We know there are many
more people who should
know about the ,festivities
and are not on our mailing
list. Please help us to contact
these "missed" families/per-
sons by sending us their
names and addresses. It
would be unfortunate for
those interested in attending
to miss the wonderful events
planned by the various com-
mittees.
Thanks to those who have
already responded and if you
think of anyone else, please
send their names and
addresses to Jim and Leona
Armstrong, Brussels,
Ontario, NOG IHO or fax 1-
519-887=9182.
See you at the Brussels '97
celebrations.
Lerma Armstrong
Homecoming Committee
Dialysis treatment closer
Arca kidney patients will
soon he able to travel to
Stratford rather than London
for dialysis treatment.
Ontario's government has
announced that the London
Health Services Centre will
get $304,200 for start up and
training and $336,400 to
operate a dialysis satellite at
Stratford General Hospital.
Wiarton Willie holds key to winter
Canadian winters are noto-
riously long, there's no dis-
puting the fact. The days
drag on and on, the freezing
cold being replaced with
grey, dreary slush. By
February everyone is weary
from struggling with the
tedious routine of having to
don boots, scarves, mittens
and coats to go shovel drive-
ways and scrape cars. 1t
seems the drudgery will
never end so it's little wonder
we all eagerly await Willie's
prediction -on Groundhog
Day.
Just how did this celebra-
tion come to be adopted by
Canadians? Well, the custom
of recognizing the arrival of
spring.on February 2 derives
from an ancient pagan holi-
day called 'Candlemas Day.'
The Irish believed if the day
"was sunny and bright, win-
ter again will show it's might,
but if it be cloudy and grey,
winter will soon pass away."
This evolved into.the legend
that if Willie sees his shadow
we will have six more weeks
of winter, if he doesn't we'll
have an early spring.
Wiarton's recognition of
this holiday actually started
as a joke a local .resident
wished to play on some
friends. Mac McKenzie, an
aide for then Ontario Health
Minister McKinnon Phillips.
Guest Column
by Patricia I.
Griffiths
sent invitations in the form of
'press releases' to friends in
Toronto asking them to come
help him celebrate "the day
of the groundhog." He is
quoted.as saying it was sim-
ply "an excuse for a party"
but somehow the Toronto
Star got wind of it and sent
their veteran reporter Frank
Tesky to Wiarton to cover the
event.
Tesky arrived to discover
their wasn't any actual festi-
val. Needing something to
take back to his office he
took photographs of a
woman's hat that doubled as
a groundhog - "a furry thing
with a button on it" - then
returned to Toronto and pub-
lished a story about 'Wiarton
Willie.' As a result the fol-
lowing year there were actual
festivities with real media
coverage. This has since
evolved to include represen-
tatives from major television
stations such as CBC, CW,
BBS and Global.
What of the actual Willie
himself? The current star of
this media craze is a rare
albino groundhog, his mys-
tique enhanced by his snowy
whiteness, lovely pink eyes
and the fact he was ban pre-
cisely on the 45th parallel. It
is claimed this puts him in
sync with the subtle nuances
of the Earth's axis which is
touted as the reason for his
acclaimed 90 percent accura-
cy.
On the 364 days he's not
working Willie dwells in .
pampered luxury in his bur-
row at the Wiarton Willie
Motel which is run by his
manager. Sam Brouwer.
Local residents justify
Willie's leisurely existence
by recognizing the revenue
brought in by the nearly
10,000 visitors who come to
Wiarton annually to witness
his prediction and participate
in the weekend festivities
which include a parade,
dances, a celebrity cook -off
and assorted tournaments.
But what about the 10 per-
cent of the time when Willie
is inaccurate? Then the
locals' love can turn to out •
-
rage as was witnessed last
year when the promised early
spring did not arrive. As the
miSerebk weather dragged
On into April Willie's manag-
er Sam Brouwer received so
many calls and letters. some
containing death threats.
Against the legendary rodent
he placed Willie under 'pro-
tective custody.' Apparently
we Canadians take our win-
ters seriously and when they
drag on too long Willie pro-
vides a safe outlet for Our
wearinesstand frustration.
So be forewamod, Willie.
Snuggled warmly in your
burrow you may be blissfully
indifferent to the hoopla sur-
rounding your.predicxion but
in less than a week thousands
of Canadians will he anxious-
ly awaiting your arrival. You
best not disappoint us!
As Enigma editor D. Trull
has put it:
If Groundhog Day is bright
and clear
There'll be two winters in
the year -
Or if no shadow do ye see -
An early spring is what
there'll be.
Groundhogs. if your aim be
true
Then loving fame awaits
for you
But guess ye wrong. and
lickety-split:
A groundhog carcass on a
suck.
Town's first doctor travelled by horse
With all the recent changes
in the air for local health ser-
vice; we thought we'd take a
look at where it all started -
Seaforth's first physician -
Dr. Dsdenba. The following
article was written by Martha
Smillie and originally
appeared in the London Free
Press but was reprinted in the
February 10, 1933 edition of
the Huron Expositor.
•*t
He rode into the little.ham-
let's single street one day, I
think it was in September.
with an -old buggy and a bat-
tered suitcase and a big
ungainly horse called "Ab."
Seaforth had swelled into a
place of two dozen or more
houses and the beginnings of
a side street with its well:
being on the knees of the
gods when its first doctor
rode serenely in and hung out
his sign without asking ques-
tions. He was only a•quack,
but the little town in the mak-
ing welcomed anything in the
shape of a doctor, provided
he could measure with bro-
ken bones and play up to
bronchitis and rheumatism.
And Dr. Dulenba could do
all of these things, although
there was no diploma on the
wall of his makeshift office.
He built up quite a big prac-
tice in the course of the years.
for he had neither fear nor
any such drawbacks and he
put courage into people in the
days when they needed
courage. There was a blunt
roughness about him that
came from contact with life.
on the frontier when men
rode hard and swore hard and
a'flag of truce was an
unknown quantity. He has
hands like meat hams and
big, purposeful feet, and he
was as strong as Goliath. He
was of the stuff of which pio-
neer doctors are made.
Big Ab made a good paral-
lel. He was neither swift nor
shapely. and the summer suns
had bleached him to the
colour of an old buffalo robe.
but he had resignation and
muscles like whalebone, and
.when every man in the coun-
tryside had pronounced a
road impassible. big Ab bun-
gled through.
When he plowed his way
over iniles of unbroken trail
to some out of the way cabin.
where life battled with death.
no one noticed his shaggi-
ness. A tired watcher in a
lonely shack in the bush.
catching the site of big Ab
fighting his .way through a
raging tempest. ran out into
the storm and threw her arms
around him. And once a stol-
id backwoodsman. having
blundered on to the signifi-
cance of the doctor's ultima-
tum, fought his way _through
his Gethsemane with his face
in big Ab's ragged mane.
They were a strong pair, the
doctorand his big sorrel. A
heavy laden, lumber wagon.
that was feeling its way
through the uncertainties of a
half -cleared toad, stuck in a
rut at the edge of a culvert.
The team, finding that they
couldn't get out of the rut -
without a supreme effort.
promptly washed their hands
of it and stood still. and the
driver was preparing to
unload when the doctor rode
CONTINUED on page 5
Man frees two friends from jail with axe
FROM THE PAGES OF
THE HURON EXPOSITOR
FEBRUARY 12,1897
During the past week a
report has been in circulation
that the electric power neces-
sary to run the cine-
matographe could not be got
in Seaforth. We have learned,
however, that the agent of
Mr. H.J. Hill was in town the
other day and consulted with
Mr. Ingram. of the electric
light station, when it was
found that the system of elec-
tric lighting in town required
exactly the same current and
voltage as that necessary to
run the cinematographe. We
can therefore, assure the peo-
ple that they will not be dis- ,
appointed, but that the mar-
velous invention will be here
on exhibition in Cardno's hall
on Tuesday and Wednesday.
March 2nd and 3rd.
•**
HURON MEDICAL
ASSOCIATION - The annual
meeting of the associaiton
was .held in the town hall,
Seaforth, on Wednesday, of
last week, when the follow-
ing members were present:
Dr. Shaw. Preeidnet; Dr.
Turnbull, Secretary; Drs.
McKay, Burrows, Bethune,
McGinnis, Seaforth;
Stanbury, Bayfield;
McKenzie, Moncton;
Graham. Brussels; Taylor,
Goderich.
F1 ISILUAKY 3,1192 2
THE VICTORIAN
ARTISTS - The fourth
Lyceum concert, under the
auspices of the Seaforht Red
Cross Society, held in the
Strand Theatre on Thursday
evening last, was one of the
most enjoyable of the criurse.
The attendance was also
large and the Victorian Artist
were thoroughly enjoyed.
The programme consisted of
numbers on the flute and
piccalo by Mr. Small. bas-
soon, saxaphone and cornet.
by Miss Callahan; flute, by
Miss Morley, while Mrs.
Small was the soprano
soloist. Each one was an
artist and every number was
listened to with the keenest
enjoyment and was tendered
an enthusiastic applause.
DUBLIN NOTES - The
annual meeting of the
McKillop. Logan & Hibbert
Telephone Company was
held in Dublin on the 18th of
January, 1922. There was a
large attendance of stock-
holders present. The financial
situation of the compnay is in
excelent standing, as the
auditors' report shows a bal-
ance of 85,000 in excess over
all liabilities.
There are in all about 550
subscribers with phones
installed, at an annual rent of
$12 per year. This company
started in business about ten
years ago and by careful han-
dling by the directors, the
company was brought .to its
present situation. The present
valuation of the company's
equpment amounts to
$40,000.
The Directors of this com-
pany are: President, John
Bennewies; Secretary -
Treasurer, A.A. Colquhoun;
Directors, G. K. Holland,
Michael O'Loughlin, John
Murray, Harry Templeman,
Thomas Ryan.
FEBRUARY 7,1947
USES FiRE AXE TO
BREAK OPEN CELL -
Three Goderich men will
appear in police court here on
Friday as the result of a party
on Seaforth Main Street late
Saturday night.
When Chief of Police John
Curie lodged Con Nevilles
and Ed Elliott, Goderich, in
the lockup after he had found
them on Main Street in what
he considered a drunken con-
dition. a third member of the
party, Stanley Merriam, also
of Goderich, decided he
didn't like the procedure. and
when,Chief Currie left the
Town Hall. proceeded to
break open the cell with an
axe borrowed from the fire
truck.
Returning to the hall a short
time later. Chief Currie met
Merriam escorting Elliott
from the buiding. Nevilles
was still lying in the opened
cell. Emergency repairs were
made to the cell and the three
locked up again. The trio was
taken to the county jail at
Goderich Sunday morning by
County Constable Helmer
Snell.._ — -
• • •
Prevalence of foxes in the
Township 9f Tuckersmith
resulting in extensive damage
to poultry, led the township
council meeting in .Seaforth
on Saturday, to approve pay-
ment of a bounty on foxes
destroyed in the municipality,
effective March 1. The boun-
ty will be $3 for a mature fox
and S2 for a pup. The council
wall interview neighbouring
Townships of Hibbert,
Huliott, Goderich, McKillop
and Stanley to request that
action be taken.
FEBRUARY 10,1972
Quilting and crocheting for
her 'family and watching tele-
vision keep life interesting
for a Seaforth nonagenarian
who celebrated her 95th
birthday Sunday.
This past year. Mrs.
William H. Miller of 54
George St. South has made
five quilt tops and crocheted
innumerable doilies' She
enjoys television. with
wrestling her favourite pro-
gram. .
Mrs. Miller is a native of
McKillop Township and is
the former MaryAnn Pethick.
daughter of the late Richard
Pethick and Margaret Ann
McSpadden.
•**
A new road grader was pur-
chased by McKillop
Township Council Monday
when it met in regular ses-
sion. The tender of Dominion
Road Machinery Ltd..
Goderich, was accepted for
531,447.50 (tax included)
which was the lowest of five
tenders.
•••
Monday was Seaforth Day
in the Grade Seven classroom
-at Si: -James- School and was _
a fatal celebration of a three-
week study session on
Seaforth town. All teaching
and learning experiences had
been centred around the main
theme, Seaforth. Pupils did a
great deal of research on the
early history and the develop-
ment of the town. Interviews
were held with some of the
town's people and senior citi-
zens. Each pupil completed
an individual project un dif-
ferent,areas of interest in the
A