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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-12-20, Page 4Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 Terri -Lynn Hort - Publisher Pat Armes - Office Manager Scott Hilgendorff - Editor Dianne McGtdh - Subsaiplions/Clouifiecs Susan Hundertmark - Reporter Katrina Dietz - Sales Anne Roden - Distribution Bowes Publishers Limited Sues/dr/ e,' Sr. Mab CSM - A Owl.,.. Cw0cn E-mail us at seoforth@bowesnet.com Visit our home page at www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES: LOCAL - 32.50 a yeor, in advance, plus 2.28 G.S.T. SENIORS: - 30.00 a yeor, in advance, plus 2.10 GS.T. USA 8 Foreign. 28.44 ayeor in advance, plus $78.00 postage, G.S.T. exempt SUBSCRIPTION RATES Published weekly by Signol-Scor Publishing at 11 Main Si., Seaforth. Publication mail 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 o reasonable allowance for signature, %anal be charged, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the. applicable rote. In the event of o typographical error, advertising goods or services ce o wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely on offer to sell and may be withdrawn at any time. The Huron Expositor is not responsible for the Ess or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduction purposes. Changes of address, orders for subscriptions and, undeliverable copies are to be sent to The Huron Expositor. Wednesday, December 13, 2000 II.4f1. lel .tad t.sits.ss Offk.s - 11 Mahe Slr..f.,S..f.rlli Tel.pit.tts. (519) 527.0240 Fax (519) 527.2858 M.ilitse Adds.ss • P.O. M: 69, s..t rfis, O.ferle, NOK IWO Member of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Oratorio Community Newspapers Association Publication Mail Registration No. 07605 'We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), toward our mailing costs." Editorial Some gifts can be given without a cost to you With the holiday season here patience and goodwill can be both at a peak and a yearly low. Fighting crowds and traffic, hurrying and feeling like you?re running out of time can put the pressure on and make patience run short as we race to get gifts bought and wrapped and plan holiday parties and, family gatherings. Christmas was never meant to be the stressful time of year it has. become for some. The Christmas season was meant to be a celebration of the birth of Christ, the provider of salvation and a figure of love and kindness. Whether you're a believer or not, this is a time when, despite the rush and ever- growing commercialization, we need to take a break and look and appreciate what we , have. It's a time to reflect on the blessings in our lives, whether it be friends and family who care about us, our health or the gifts we have in ourselves from the ability to simply love another person or appreciate that which surrounds us from snow covered trees to cold starry nights. Forget the gifts and the rush and try to look at the priceless things you have --friends and family who care about you and people you care about. This is what really counts -- beyond the measure of how many gifts are under the Christmas tree. But let's remember those who, during this holiday season for one reason or another, have found themselves alone. letting them know there's someone out there who cares about them even a little, could make all the difference for them this Christmas whether it's a visit, card or kind word shared over the telephone. It's the least expensive gift with possibly the greatest value. The Huron Expositor sincerely wishes all its friends, our readers, a joyous holiday. Scott Hilgendorff How to access us Letters to the Editor and other t caa be made to us. by Goon 011,h Beaforthe 1 All letters etnd submissions. mot; and accompanied by a dity4lillif number. All admissions, forth 0 o '' 4 Oft s mow' Opinion Letters Homecoming committee, having homecoming of their own, of sorts To the Editor: In 1993, when the late Bill Pinder came up with the idea to have a Homecoming in Seaforth, he didn't know how much his idea would come to impact our community. With the hard work and commitment of a great group of people the original high school reunion idea became a "get together and celebration" for all Seaforth and area residents and former residents. The civic holiday weekend of 1995 became the target date and for the next two and a half years, the committee members worked hard to put the event together. Unfortunately, early in the planning stages Bill Pinder passed away and for awhile it looked as though his idea would not come to fruition. It was a big responsibility and a real challenge. In a way, Bill's passing gave everyone on the committee a real reason to , keep the dream alive. We met every couple of months at the beginning, then once a month for the second year. In the final year we met twice a month and when it came right down to the summer of '95 we were meeting weekly to tie up the final details. The committee had no idea if people would even show up, but our dreams were realized when registration began on the Thursday night and the people began to arrive. Events were happening all over the community - dances, barbecues, reunions, a 'community church service, and a parade that was no less than magnificent with thousands of people lining the street from the tracks to the community centre. One of my favourite comments of the reunion was when there was lightning one night and someone commented that it was just Bill Pinder taking pictures. It was a resounding success with many local organizations making money for their cause and the Homecoming committee able to give back money to the community too. When it was over, the dust settled, the decorations swept up, and the bills paid, many of us were at a loss. Sure we had other interests, other jobs, other causes, but we had worked so well together for so long that we needed to keep in touch. For the last five years we have had a homecoming of the homecoming committee just before Christmas each year. This will be our fifth one and we invite those who participated in organizing events for the '95 Homecoming to reunite at Seaforth Golf Club on Wed. Dec. 20 between 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. Perhaps if we keep the flame lit someone will pick up the torch in a few years and plan another gathering of the Seaforthians. • Carolanne Doig Readers looks for Dale family members To the Editor: I am hoping that through you I can reach your readers to lead me to any descendants of the late Thomas Edmund Daly. He was, as I am, a former radar officer who served with the R.A.F. in the Middle East during WWII. There were about 5,000 of us who joined the R.C.A.F. and most of us served with the R.A.F. in many parts of the world, I have a book nearing completion in which I have some anecdotes of Ed Daly's experiences as well as those of several others. I want to include a picture of each of those whose stories are told but do not have one of Ed. I hoped an Edmund Daly in Seaforth might be a son but the telephone listing given to me for him is said not to be in service. - Alan D. Revfll Belleville Federation of Agriculture has hopes more drainage issues will be recognized By Ron Bonnett, Vice -President, Ontario Federation of Agriculture Almost 10 months ago the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs undertook a review of the province's drainage programs as they relate to agriculture. We, at the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, had concerns with the implications of such a review. The provincial / municipal / farmer partnership of drainage programs in Ontario has a history of more than 165 years, and during that time a lot of improvements have been made to the governing legislation. There was speculation that the provincial government was looking - for ways to withdraw from its historic responsibilities to the rural and farming communities of Ontario and washing its hands of drainage. OFA, in .its submission to the government's review, made it clear that the province should maintain and perhaps even enhance its areas of responsibilities. It would appear some of that message was heard. Just this week ' we received a news release from Minister Hardeman announcing that OMAFRA will continue its grant rates to Ontario municipalities under the Municipal Outlet Drainage Program. In his announcement, the Minister • acknowledges how critical good drainage is to agricultural production in Ontario. There are some 20,000 municipal drains in the province, and his news release makes it clear the municipal governments will continue to receive grants to maintain and expand this network. His' statement refers to the economic advantages of an efficient drainage system. These economic advantages cause a ripple effect through the rural economy. Not only do farmers benefit, but so do other rural businesses and residents. There was considerable concern that -the provincial government was not going to continue with its transfer of funding to the municipalities under the program. That possibility put considerable stress on the people who work at the municipal level and recognize the value of the drainage network to their agricultural tax base. Now, we are waiting to see the results of the other aspects of the review. Will OMAFRA continue its involvement in the certification and licencing of drain installers? Will OMAFRA make funding enhancements to the tile drainage loan programs? Will the provincial government commit to a long-term partnership with municipalities to administer the drainage outlet program? Farmers across the province are asking questions about the review. They want to know what to expect from the province in the short and long-term. When the review was announced, OMAFRA indicated it was looking for "efficiencies" in the system. Is this week's announcement a recognition that the existing drainage program is effective and efficient? The review asked if the government should stay in the tile loan business. OFA left no doubt that the answer should be yes. After all, these loans, besides providing the farmers using them with a stable loan rate over a 10 -year period of time, also provide the province with a guarantee of repayment. With the repayment coupled with the payment of property taxes, it is unlikely any farmer would go into default on such a loan. One change to the loan program the OFA supports is an increase from 20,000 to 50,000 dollars as the maximum amount available for each farmer to borrow. We feel this is important because it would reflect present day market values. We hope the provincial government's recognition of the value of drainage is reflected in the remaining announcements OMAFRA officials might be expected to make in the near future. f There has always been something magical about uncovering. Christmas treasures each year Gently unwrapping Christmas Qrnaments from tissue paper, turning them over in my hands examining them and finding the exact right place on the tree is one of my favourite Christmas traditions. There has always been something magical about uncovering the treasures that are only opened for a short time each December and then packed carefully away again for another year. Somehow, the yearly ritual layers memory upon memory on the ornaments, until it's almost as if I'm decorating the tree with memories instead of physical objects. When I was a little girl, my aunt began giving an ornament to my two sisters and me each year as gifts. To avoid the inevitable fights, my mom would make sire our initials were marked on the back so we knew whose ornaments were whose each year. By Susan Hundertmark And, it didn't take long until we each required a section of the tree to display our own special ornaments. When I had some money of my own, i joined the tradition and began buying my mother an ornament each year. When she died when i was a young adult, there was about a decade's worth of dated Christmas balls i divided up between my sisters and me to remember her by. The only one I gave my mom that is not a Christmas ball is my favorite - a blown glass Christmas tree - a fragile little thing i gave her on her last Christmas. Cupping it in my hand each year helps me cherish the precious things in my life, like love and family, and reminds me how enduring breakable things can be if treated with care and respect. But, it also reminds me how despite the greatest of care, intentions and desire, things - and people can break irreparably. I think my own kids just might be old enough this year for me to start hanging those fragile mementoes of my mom back on the tree. Along with the tender memories and musings, those childhood ornaments also bring back visions of my family's own particular brand of disfunction, something shared by every family that's not posing for a Hallmark card. Along with trimming the tree came the inevitable yearly tantrum by my mom who wa s temporarily defeated each year by her attempt to string the lights. Jabbed by needles, baffled by burnt-out bulbs and just plain exasperated by the contrast between reality and her own romantic vision of how Christmas should be, she would routinely blow up, stomp down the hall and slam the door on the way into her bedroom and sulk for awhile before trying again. Stuck in suspended animation until my mother's mood improved and the festivities could begin again. my sisters and I would sit as quietly and unobtrusively as we could, listening as my father muttered and cursed under his breath, trying to complete what had once more defeated my mom. It's not surprising that trimming the tree has become an emotionally - loaded time for me as well, and i've been known to re- enact the Christmas tantrum my mother was so well known for. Just doing my bit to keep one more family tradition alive.