HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 1999-10-06, Page 1_. .� . _....... ,..N .,,.....a-._ ,..w_
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October 6, 1999
Si
(includes GST_ --
Local weather
Wednesday --Cloudy with
scattered showers. Flumes in the
rnorning High 7
Thursday --Mx of sun and doud.
low 1 Nigh 13. •
Friday --Mainly cloudy with
scattered showers low 8 High
18
Sahx'day--Mainly doudy. law 9..
I Nigh 14 .
From Environment Canada
In brief
Board
wants more
information
about
fitness
complex
The Avon Maitland
District School Board is
asking the Seaforth and
District Fitness Complex
oommitee for clarification
about the costs the board.
is being asked to take on.
An e-mail message
'from education director
• Lorne Rachlis to
committee spokesperson
Terry Johnston asks for
the "total monetary
contribution your
committee is asking of
the board...
It also asks what is
included, as maintenance
cbsts, who will be
responsible for payment
of minor repairs or
replacements, , the
committee's concept of.
ownership of the complex
and the time commitment
expected of the -board.
Man rams
vehicles
A 36 -year-old Saugeen
Township man is an
inmate at the London
Psychiatric Hospital after-
causing
ftercausing a disturbance -at
the Brussels Stockyard
Sept. 30.
He was taken • to
London after escaping
from Wingham General
Hospital following the
incident at the stockyard
where 12 vehicles in the
parking -. lot recei red._
S10,000 in damages when
the man ,smashed .into:
-them with his pick-up
truck.
The man, who attended
the sale with five of his
children. . ages five.
through 12, showed signs
of erratic mood swings,
throwing items into the
animal ring that caused .
some damage. After
employees escorted him
outside, he jumped into
his truck and began-
smasbing•.vehicles with
his children inside the
truck with him.
Six Huron OPP officers
were sent to the scene
where they found the man
pinned to the ground by
citizens.
The Children's Aid
Society and the Huron
OPP are investigating the
incident.
See who the
Ambassador
to the fair is
Page $
Doug Hugill
points for the
leafs
Pog.5
Seniors plant
trees
Pop. 7
Exc
e leads to farming adventures
Youth from across Canada and Thailand learn about farm life in Seaforth for three months
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Stoll
While the)'ve made great
strides learning English.and
Thai during the past three
-Months of the Canada
World Youth exchange on
Seaforth-sea farms. Nikons
Tharasena. of Thailand and
Amy -\'s-Nair. of :lfonkton.
Nova Scotia still are far
from fluent. -
But. their code phrase.
"Happy. crazy.. funny." -
helps them check inwith
each other to see how
they're feeling.
"Wreally means. Are
-you having a good time?'"
says ,Amy. who is sharing a
room with Nikorn on the
dairy farm of Joanna
Ramaker. of RR 1 Clinton
for the next two weeks
before travelling to
Thailand. where the
Sx-chang e continues for
another three months.
The exchange. which is.
happening for the second
year in the Seaforth area,
has placed urban Canadians.
and mostly rural Thais on
local farms over the
summer. - . -
Ramaker says -some of
-the- city youth: from Canada •
.ha.e just about as much
culture shock. if not more.
than the Thais. who mostly
-. five on farms at home.
"There are very. earn-..
-morning hours on the farm
with• .hard; boring and
menial work. The city kids
get bored and feel. isolated.
There's no access to go to
the movies ..or. go
shopping." adds' another
host .mother Diane Peckitt.-
Of RR 5 Seaforth.
"Birt:- the --Thais are --not -
afraid of the animals and
..they're not afraid to .work
and work never ends on 'a
•. farm." says Ramaker. -
For Nikorn. who comes
from. a rice farm in
Thailand. the buffalo her
farnily uses to pull the
'plows seern very similar to.
the dairy cows and she's
mit afraid to give the Cows
*push to get them moving.
In fact: Nikorn was the
one to chase down an
escaped -two -month-old calf
while Amy hid in a stall.
"Once NiE.urn cornered it.
Hundertmark photo
Amy McNair of Monkton, Nova Scotia and Nikorn Tharasern of Thailand have been
working on the Ramaker farm near Clinton.
I jumped. in She was
holding onto -the calf for
dear life," -laughs Amy.
Bui. since `farm
tech'nolrigy is much Jess
advanced in Thailand.
Nikorn and Ain) were both
new to the tractors and
riding ..fawn mowers. A
misadventure while cutting
the lawn' involved al.,'
cutting down a new
magnolia tree Rarnaker had
received for Mother's Day.
"Oh wcll.": Shrugs
Ramaker. ''We'll ha %.e
to
replace it next )ear."
While she entered the
prografn -with nti idea about
'farming. Amy sats. though
"a little nerv.otl. at Itrst."
she really enjoy: milking
cows but renals),
"squeamish about khat the
set does whlithe cows."
re.ili,e farming is a24
Teacher wins special award
for treating kids as equals
By Scott Hitgendorff
Expositor Editor
Walking into Bill Farnell's classroom, a
visitor would see rows -of students working
On assignments. ariswenng question.. taking
.part in discussions' and being active in the
classroorn.. • -
Watching a little longer. the visitor might
see- some students freely expressing their
• thoughts or feelings in one of his "circle
meetings",'run as. an open forum to
encourage free discussion.
But what the visitor probably wouldn't see
is exactly what earned Farnell the Coaching
to Inclusion. Inclusive Educator of.the Year
Award. one of 13 presented to teachers across
Southwestern Ontario with Farnell being the
only teacher in the Avon Maitland board to
receive one. • • .
The award is -for a teacher who helps
include students with special needs into the
daily structure of the classroom.
Mary Lynn Cook -McEwen, a regional
resource teacher with the board who helps
special needs. students,. -was assigned to
Bill Farnell
Farnell's class last year to assist:
"When I walked into the classroom.I
couldn't pick, out any of the kids in the
classroom," said Mary Lynn C'ook-McLwen.
of the special needs students: •
Last year -was the only time she worked
with Farnell. That iinle time with the Grade 4
teacher, who is teaching Grade 5 this year at
Seaforth Public School, was enough for
S.. ALL, Pogo.'
hour job nor and 1 really
look. up to farmers now that
1 reali/e what they're
doing" she ..iv.
Nikorn. who sa.s her
neighbor. ha,s a tractor even
if her Iamil) does not..says
using machine`. our the
Ramaker- latiu i. "very
interesting."
Communication .is one 05
the biggest challenges 01
the exchange; agrees the
participants and the host
families.
"Trying- to communicate
can he very frustrating but
it's amazing how much you
can .communicate without
many words," says Amy:
She says she and Nikorn
use the • word "grumpy" to.
describe many feelings and
situations such as how they
feel when they get up early
in the morning or how they
feel when they're
frustrated.
They. also mix Thai and
English` words together as
their.vocabulary grows and
sometimes find they have to
sit. down with a dictionary
to -find the right words:
"It will- be my turn in
Thailand to be a little bit -
handicapped (by -the
language).". says Amy. as
Nikorn smiles and nods'.
• Amyl adds that Nikorn
has started; to help her
prepare for her time in
Thailand by trying tb tell
her about some of -the.
cultural differences to
.expect. She has been told
she'll have to walk more
quietly in the house, sit
niore quietly at the dinner
table and be more formal
and polite especially with
older.people..' r
"In Thailand, older
-people are really
respected." says Nikorn. As
well. she says. boyfriends
and girlfriends "sit far away
and don't touch."
Dress. as well. is more ..
modest, with shorts and -
open -toed shoes.
inappropriate.
"The girls from Thailand •
are very modest."' says
Ramaker. ''They wear long
_shorts and a 1;sirt to go
swimming. Even though
they were briefed about our
'culture •before coming here,
it's somewhat shocking for
'them • I to see North
American girls wearing.
bathing suits." • On Saturday. the Thais
got to try skating for the
first time during a skating
party at the Seaforth arena.•
And, while Amy helped
Nikorn stay, lin her feet on
the ice. Nikorn was
preparing Amy for another
challenge in Thailand - no
hot water for baths. -
Presidents to bake pies
in new Fall Fair contest
By Scott Hilgendorff
f A t,osrtor Editor
Presidents . and . past
presidents of the Seaforth
Agricultural . Society,
including the men, will he
baking apple pies this week
•in a new sr.ihirth Fall hair
c•umpetiuo11 -
"It's gonia to be judged,"
said Betty Glanville,
organiser oI the event.
"Then they're going to be
auctioned off Friday night
like the pork carcass," she
said..
The pork carcass
competition.is one of the
standard •fair .events and the
new • tomes! will he
incorporated into it with
pies being auctioned similar
to the pork.
Prior to the sale, the pies
will he judged like any
other fair entrees_with prizes, -
to the winners.
One catch to the event is
proof of who baked the pie.
Three volunteers with
Polaroid cameras will be
available to take a picture of
each contestant as they are
baking their pie, which must
be submitted with the
finished product.
1 know my pie •dough is.
ready," said Glanville.
Money raised from the
pie auction will be donated
to the Seatorth All -Girls
Marching Band. •
"We've got to keep them
here," said Jin) Floyd,
agricultural soEiety
president, and also a.
contestant in the contest.
He points out this is a
$s ANNNUAt, PIO $
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