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Huron Expositor, 2004-05-26, Page 66 -THE HURON EXPOSITOR, May 261 2004 C�ieja �PQises Available at 11 Main St.Seaforth 527-0240 McTaggart Wettlaufer INSURANCE BROKERS INC. .AUTO 'HOME •FARh1 •TRAVEL •COMMERCIAL •LIFE INSURANCE BROKERS: Paul Wettlaufer Anette McTaggart Ken Hutchison Bill Siemon Vicki Siemon Suzanne Zehr 68 Ontario Rd. 348-9150 Mitchell 1-800-561-0183 KEEP IT DRY F-MaItby Picric Htivt t)ry t3.it En oya Sastateatthat Is: Comfbreadbile Odour ZywDry � P TCNFoundation Protector' 30 Year Leakage Warranty 236 - 7390 L 1 M -r www.hayl,nat,•••tdminaga News Record $24,Igo raised by 11 teams when Big Bike for Stroke comes to Seaforth last week By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Editor A record $24,150 was raised in Seaforth last week for the Huron County chapter of the Heart and Stroke Foundation when 11 teams, nine of them riding, entered the Big Bike for Stroke's 10th annual event. "We're thrilled. We raised $7,000 last year and our goal this year was $15,000. The amount raised this year is the highest for Huron in 10 years. It's phenomenal," said organizer Angela Horbanuik. Nine teams from across Huron County rode a 30 - seater bike around Seaforth in half-hour intervals from 3 to 9 p.m. last Wednesday. Teams included Huronview and Huronlea, the Seaforth Manor, the Centre for Employment and Learning, the Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board, the Scotiabank in Exeter, Walmart from Goderich, Heartland Credit Union from Clinton, Hurley's Celtic Inn and the St. Columban Soccer league and the Clinton, Brucefield, Brussels and Seaforth fire departments. The team that raised the most money was the Hurley's/St. Columban team at $4,430. The event was hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Hurley's Celtic Inn. Horbanuik said that the Seaforth location was chosen this year because it was getting more difficult to find participants in Goderich and Exeter, where the event has We have it all for Great Casua • Garda Areas P.V.C. 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"I'd like to see it here (in Seaforth) again but it depends on how everyone responds today," she said Wednesday. "We might take it from town to town as a road show." held in Above, Seaforth Manor staff dressed as hippies during their turn riding the Big Bike for Stroke Idst Wednesday while at left, Seaforth firefighter Toby Phillips, dressed as Miss Firefighter while riding with fire departments from Seaforth, Brussels, Brucefield and Clinton to raise money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. local farmer Christa Eckert (left) hosts students from around the world at her farm Eckerlea Acres. Exchange farmers (left to right) are Sue Samuleit, of Germany, Stewart Sutcliffe, of England, Annette Schoenberger, of Germany, and Ryan Gandy, of Australia. Eckerts open barn doors to international students By Jason Middleton Expositor Staff While the United States borders have been closed to Canadian hcef for just over a year, international boarders are still active at Eckerlea Acres farm in Seaforth. For 19 years the Eckerts have opened their harp doors to young people from around the globe with an opportunity to experience working on a Canadian farm. Both Stcwart Sutcliffe. 24, of England and Ryan Gandy, 20, of Australia, are part of the AgriVenture program which offers people aged 18 to 30 an opportunity to travel and work in 12 countries. "It's a good program and nowadays kids need to have kind of global awareness," said farm owner Christa Eckert. While some of the trainees come for the adventure some, such as Gandy, come for the experience. Gandy wants to he involved in the front lines of Australia's beef industry hut he needs more experience. "I'd like to he a herdsman. young has joined a Wingham rugby team with Eckert's 21- year-old son Steve. Sutcliffe said that people in town are usually surprised when he talks to them, especially girls at the bars. "They usually like the English accent. As soon as they get to know me they walk off," joked Sutcliffe. Eckert says that there are many hard parts to training people from around the world. "Seeing all the good ones go (is hard). I've met some good ones over the years and I guess you can't have everybody stay." For the workers on the farm it is also difficult because there arc often new trainees arriving. "Our herdsman is training new people all the time," said Eckert. Eckert said she also has troubles sometimes with language barriers. While Eckert, who was horn in Germany, is fluent in German and some French she said she has trouble understanding Danish. In 1985, Eckert saw an ad in the newspaper for AgriVenture looking for host families and she has been Quoted 'It's a good program and nowadays kids need to have a kind of global awareness,'-- Christa Eckert, Seaforth-area farmer As I'm only 20, I can't because they'll say you haven't got enough experience," said Gandy. Sue Samulcit, 23, and Annette Schoenberger, 23, both of Germany are also working at the farm as trainees. Both are currently on a work term from Fachhochschule Nucrtingen University in Germany. For Samuleit coming to Canada is a dream come true. "It was always my dream to come to Canada because everything is bigger and everything is wider," said Samuleit. For most trainees Eckerlea Acres, a farm with 230 milking cows, 200 steers and 1,500 acres, is one of the larger agricultural operations they have seen. "In the part (of Germany) we are from, if you have only 40 to 50 cows then you're big. Here it is different but the work is still the same," said Samuleit. Since Sutcliffe arrived two months ago he involved ever since. In that time she has seen trainees from Austria, Switzerland, Denmark, Holland, Germany and England. In 1990, Eckert visited all the trainees in their countries and she said, "It's alinost time to do it again." The two trainees ' nrolled in the AgriVentuk program are at Eckerlea Acres for almost a year while Samuleit and Schoenberger are in Canada until later this. summer. Each year Eckerlea Acres sees four to five trainees from other countries work at their farm. She said that AgriVenture is always looking for new host families and young Canadians to be involved in the program. "We need more Canadian students to go out on the program," said Eckert. For more information visit AgriVenture's website at http://www.agriventure.com.