Huron Expositor, 2001-03-14, Page 1March 14, 2001
Si
(includes GST1
In brief
Jean
Ross,
citizen of
the year,
dies
at 69
Winner of this year's
Humanitarian Award of
the Seaforth Citizenship
Awards, (Margaret) Jean
Ross died Monday at her
residence at age 69.
Ross was a regular
visitor at local retirement
homes and Seaforth
Community Hospital
where she spent time each
week cheering someone
up.
She was a member of
the First Presbyterian
Church, operating the lift
on Sundays, helping with
the offering and
accompanying the
minister to monthly
church services at local •
nursing homes.
Ross canvassed for the
Canadian Cancer Society
for many years,
organizing the Seaforth
and Egmondville drive for
three years after her
husband Murray died of
cancer in 1990.
She also had a daily
routine of feeding a dozen
barn cats and two sheep at
a neighbour's farm.
Nominators called Ross
"an all-round good
person and said if you
looked up the word
humanitarian in the
dictionary, you'd see
Ross's picture.
Ross is survived by two
daughters Heather and her
husband Bruce Kirby, of
Sarnia and Sandra and her
husband Tom Whiting. of
Ipperwash, two
grandchildren Greg Kirby
and wife Courtney, of
Vancouver and Jodie
Kirby, of Sarnia and one
great grandson Jamie
Kirby.
Friends will be received
by family at the Whitney-
Ribey Funeral Home
today (Wednesday) from
2-4 and 7-9 p.m.
Funeral services will be
held Thursday, March 15
at 1:30 p.m. at First
Presbyterian Church with
Rev. Nicholas Vandermey
officiating.
Quake shakes up evangelical campaign
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
Mark Bachert's plans for a
two-week visit to El Salvador
to pass out Bible verses
turned into two months of
hard labour helping to clean
up and rebuild after a
devastating earthquake hit
the country Jan. 13.
Bachert, 23, of Walton,
went to El Salvador for his
third evangelical campaign
with the Gospel Hall in
Clinton on Jan. 4.
But, after experiencing his
first earthquake and viewing
the aftermath of 844 deaths
and a 300 -metre mudslide
that buried a subdivision of
San Salvador, Bachert
extended his stay to pitch in
and help.
"There was more damage
from that earthquake than
from 10 years of war in that
country," he says.
The day of the earthquake,
Bachert was travelling in a
van with members of his
campaign in San Miguel.
Because the streets were
bumpy, Bachert says he
didn't think much when the
van started rocking. But,
when a woman holding a
baby came running out her
house screaming, he knew
something was wrong.
When they got out of the
van, they could see hydro
wires whipping together and
then the whole street rippled,
causing many people to fall
over.
"I would have fallen too if
I hadn't grabbed onto the
van," says Bachert.
"It lasted for 45 seconds
which really is quite a while.
I wasn't afraid to die but I
did wonder if the houses
were going to fall. The
biggest thing was the fear in
people's faces and seeing
them scream and cry - that
was terrifying in itself," he
says.
While there was little
damage where Bachert was
during the earthquake, an
hour and a half away in San
Salvador, thousands were
injured and houses were
buried and ripped apart.
"They dug people out by
hand for a week. I wasn't
involved with that and I'm
glad I wasn't. Then they
brought in machinery to
finish the job but there are
still people buried there," he
says.
"I heard lots of stories of
people going to town for
groceries and coming back to
find their whole subdivision
gone, their houses gone and
their families dead. A lot of
people lost everything. I've
never seen that kind of
suffering before," he says.
Bachert and the rest of his
group toured the mudslide
area and several of them
decided to extend their visit
to join work crews to help
rebuild.
"One of the most
rewarding things was passing
out food and clothing. It was
rewarding being able to help
with their physical needs and
their spiritual needs," says
Bachert.
One in every five houses
See FAITH, Page 2
Mark Bachert's mission trip to
Salvador's earthquake vicitms.
Former Walton school
open for business
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
The Walton Ventures Centre, formerly
Walton Public School, is open for business
with one tenant manufacturing canvas bags
in the former gymnasium.
"We're on the right road. We're still
looking for more tenants and we've had
some tours through the property," says
Graeme Craig, one of the former school's
new owners.
Eight Walton -area residents and business-
people gained possession of Walton Public
School in early January after buying it
Nov. 8 from the Avon Maitland District
School Board, which closed the school last
fall.
The eight formed an incorporated
company with plans to turn the school into
a small business centre.
Dorothy Cummings, owner of Barmy
Tech Canvas Bags, moved into the centre
Feb. 8 but the centre still has four former
See CLASSROOMS, Page 2
• Susan Hundertmork photo
Emergency room nurse Jane McNaughton shows Grade 1 students from St. James School what
to expect if they ever need a cast removed during a tour last Thursday of Seaforth Community
Hospital.
Susan Hundertmark photo
spread the Gospel turned into a two-month effort to help El
Permanent
ambulance site
pushed by warden
at county council
By Sarah Caldwell .
Goderich Signal -Star Staff
Now that the county has
been running the land
ambulance service for two
months out of temporary
locations, former warden
Carol Mitchell is pushing to
know when permanent
stations will be established.
Coun. Mitchell, Reeve of
Central Huron, firmly
demanded that a date for
permanent stations be
brought forward.
When clerk -administrator
Lynn Murray told her that
they would be coming
forward in the early spring,
Mitchell further demanded a
date.
"I'd like a date," she said.
Murray said that she was
targeting the April
committee meeting but she
couldn't guarantee
anything.
"I'm writing that down,"
said Mitchell.
Mitchell wasn't the only
one demanding answers of
county staff at the March 1,
meeting of county council.
Coun. Paul Klopp, Town
of Bluewater, wanted to
know why the county is
planning on paving the
temporary ambulance
location between Seaforth
and Clinton, otherwise
referred to as the Jervis site.
Jon Hambides, the
county's consultant on land
ambulance issues, said that
the paving was being done
for sanitary reasons and to
make sure that no one gets
stuck in the laneway.
The Ministry of Health
usually paves most
locations for these reasons,
he said.
Coun. Morley said
whether it is a gravel road
or not people can get stuck
anyways if the road is not
properly maintained.
Klopp said there was no
motion made by the
Agriculture and Public
Works and Seniors
Committee to pave the
temporary location, which
adds an additional $10,000-
$15,000 to the budget for
the site.
At first when he asked
about the cost of the paving
he was told it would be
about $15,000 then it was
dropped to $10,000. He said
"if we keep asking and push
more maybe we can get it
down to $0."
Klopp said he did not
want to see this process
happen again. He said the
committee is frustrated on
all sides by what is
happening.
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