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Dec. 25, 2002
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In brief
No
Norwalk
virus yet
in Seaforth
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
While Seaforth doctors,
both at the clinic and the
hospital, have not yet seen
any evidence of the
Norwalk virus in town,
Dr. Shawn Edwards says
there's a high probability
that they will eventually
this winter.
"We've all seen cases o
vomiting and diarrhea but
we haven't seen anything
that identifies as Norwalk
yet. it's generally more
intense but a shorter
duration than stomach
flu," he said Friday.
Clinical Site Leader
Mary Cardinal said signs
have been posted at the
Seaforth hospital asking
visitors to wash their
hands before seeing
patients.
"That's the most
effective prevention they
can do," she said.
The Huron County
Health Unit issued a press
release last week saying
that Huron physicians are
reporting an increased
number of patients with
Norwalk symptoms.
Norwalk virus is a
common cause of
vomiting and diarrhea in
the winter and has been
linked to outbreaks in
childcare centres,
hospitals and longterm
care facilities across
Ontario, including
outbreaks this year in
London, Toronto and
Kitchener.
Norwalk spreads easily
from person to person and
can survive on hard
objects like door knobs
and stair railings.
Symptoms usually
appear one to two days
after exposure to the virus.
Most people will
experience one to three
days of nausea, vomiting
and watery diarrhea as
well as fever and stomach
cramps.
Prevention of the spread
of the virus can be done
by thorough hand washing
for 15 to 20 seconds after
every use of the toilet and
before preparing and
eating food.
Those with symptoms
should not prepare food
for others, get plenty of
rest and stay home for 48
hours after you no longer
have any symptoms.
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..Page 12
Sleigh bells were the sound of Christmas
Seaforth seniors remember the most memorable Christmas holidays of their past
By Jennifer Jackson
Expositor Staff
The more things change,
the more they stay the same.
Last week's Christmas
edition of the Huron
Expositor featured artwork
and writing from Seaforth
students about their best
Christmas memories. And
although the modes of
transportation have changed
and people are spending
more money, Seaforth
residents young and old
agree that spending time
with family is what makes
their holidays special.
"Christmas was always
lots of fun because we'd
have a party at home with
family," explained Seaforth
Manor resident Freda
Bradshaw, who said her best
Christmas ever was the year
after World War II ended.
"I made a Christmas
pudding and put sixpences in
it and my son was getting
upset at me for putting all of
them in grandpa's side. He
kept saying `oh I've found
another one,' but he was
pulling them out of his
pocket."
At that time Bradshaw was
living on the Channel Islands
between England and
France. She hosted the
Christmas celebrations
because her mother was
recovering from an
operation.
Bradshaw also recalled
spending Christmas with two
Canadian soldiers during the
war.
"We were asked to invite
two soldiers to join us," she
said. "One of them was from
Alberta and we kept in touch
for many years after he'd
gone home."
Maplewood Manor
resident Elgin Nott still
continues his family tradition
of a musical Christmas with
his grandchildren. As a child
he remembered standing
beside the piano singing and
playing his violin while his
sister played carols.
"We used to hitch a team
Elgin Nott an• •a`Mcllwaln
of horses up to the sleigh,
with lots of bells and go to
my sister's house to celebrate
with lots of music on
Christmas day," recalled
Nott.
"It used to be great fun to
pile the whole family in the
sleigh and bundle up with
rugs and blankets ,over our
knees."• -
Ida McLlwain, also a
resident at Maplewood,
remembered riding a sleigh
in the winter and hearing
bells "from a ways off" along
the side roads.
"Sometimes you could tell
who it was, just by the sound
Susan Hundertmark photo
Mayor lin Steffler and webpage designer Glen Hall officially launch the new Huron East website
on Friday at town hall.
New Huron East website
has official launch Friday
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
With the push of a button, Mayor Lin
Steffler sent the new Huron East website into
cyberspace during an official launch at, town
hall last Friday.
'This is only phase one, the base model to
grow from and take off from. There's a lot
more to come," said website designer Glen
Hall, of the internet development company
OSIM in Caledonia.
Hall said the goal of the Huron East
website - at www.huroneast.com - is to
establish a strong presence online with instant
access to documents normally found
elsewhere. As well, he said the website will
promote Huron East to potential new
businesses and residents.
Steffler's Message from the Mayor online
welcomes visitors to "the best part of Huron
County."
"As you explore our new website, you will
find we have just about everything you could
want 'in a community, whether it is a place to
raise your family, a place to start a new
business or a place to retire and put up your
feet," says her message.
"Above all, Huron East provides that
quality of life that is unique to rural Ontario -
quiet and safe. It is that quality and the
friendly people of our area that are our key
assets," it says.
So far, the website contains a large section
on the Huron East council, with information
about each councillor, copies of council
agendas and meeting minutes along with 135
bylaws so far.
"If anything's going on, people can easily
get their councillor's phone numbers online.
And, the minutes will be archived and stay on
line year after year," said Hall.
Documents such as marriage licences and
building permits will also be available online.
Hall said he is still adding information to
SN HEW, Page 2
of bells," explained Nott. "I
always enjoyed my horses
and made sure to put on lots
of jingle bells."
For Maplewood resident
Gladys Leiper, Christmas
was more of a . religious
affair, than a celebration.
"We always went to
church for Christmas," she
explained.
"There were always lots of
carols to sing and school
concerts were the highlight
of the holidays."
All four seniors remember
going out to a bush and
cutting down their own
,Christmas tree to decorate
each year.
"When it came to house
decorations, my mom bought
white, red and green tissue
paper and we used to cut it
into strips and make a chain
that went across the kitchen,"
McLlwain recalled.
"But there wasn't the
buying of toys and the stores
weren't full like they are
now."
Leiper said that children
usually received a main gift
such as a homemade doll or
game, with a few little treats
like oranges, nuts and candy.
"We spend a lot of money
today on Christmas as
opposed to when I was
growing up. It's much more
commercialized now," she
commented.
But regardless of the fact
that they're not sure what to
buy their toy -laden
grandchildren, Bradshaw,
Nott, McLlwain and Leiper
agree that Christmas for
them is still about spending
time with family and friends.
Bradshaw is spending her
holidays with her daughter in
Bayfield, Nott will be
heading down the road to his
son's farm near Clinton and
Leiper will be staying in
Seaforth with her sister. And
although she's not quite sure
where, McLlwain will be
celebrating with her five
children, 10 grandchildren
and four great grandchildren.
"I'll just go wherever they
invite me," she laughed.
Sixteen Iranian
delegates tour
Huron East's
farms, industry
By Jennifer Jackson
Expositor Staff'
Sixteen Iranian delegates toured Seaforth's downtown,
municipal offices, industrial park and an area farm recently as
part of a rural development exchange with the University of
Guelph.
•
"We hope to get some information about agriculture
organizations in your country and take them back to our
country and adapt them to the conditions of Iran," explained
Dr. Ali Yadghar, advisor to Iran's Deputy Minister of
Agriculture, during the group's tour of Bill Wallace's jersey
farm, just east of Seaforth.
"We also want to form a good base for future cooperation
between our country and yours."
Guelph University professor of rural planning and
development Harry Cummings, who is originally from
Clinton, helped to organize the Dec. 17 tour.
"They were very pleased with the day and impressed with
the warmth and friendship of the people of Huron East,"
Cummings said.
"What impressed them most was the Wallace's farm
operation and how much Bill and his wife Rowena are
doing."
Wallace said after the tour that the delegates seemed to be
most interested in the economic aspects of his farm.
"They were also very interested in how much the
government was involved and were very surprised to hear
that it wasn't," the former Huron Federation of Agriculture
president explained.
"I got the sense that they experience a lot more government
involvement in their farming. They thought there would be a
government person telling us what to do."
Cummings spent two weeks in Iran in 1999 as part of the
exchange. He said that Huron East was chosen for the tour
because of his previous connections with Huron East
economic development officer Bonnie LaFontaine and its
abundance of agriculture.
Yadgharsaid that he noticed both similarities and
differences between the business of agriculture in Iran and
Canada.
"Iran is a developing country and Canada is developed, so
there are many differences," he explained.
"Only some of your people live in rural areas and are
engaged in agriculture, but most of our people live in rural
See DELEGATES, Page 1