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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-08-07, Page 13Unique record of 75 years with Canada's post office Neither rain. nur snow, nor sleet nor hail - nor advancing years - can keep Earl Guenther from delivering -the mail. The 89 -year-old Dashwood resident was honoured for 75 years service with the Canadian Post Office at an informal get-together in the Ex- eter Legion, Thursday. attended by family, friends, neighbours. customers, postal officials and TV and newspaper reporters. During the presentation of a fram- ed picture of both the former Dashwood Post Office and the Guen- ther home 'l'om Dalby. director of communications for the Corporation's Huron division. referred to the guest of honour as "the most famous and il• lustrious person to come out of Dashwood". Dalby said post office records had been searched from New- foundland toRritish t'olunrbia and as far as can be ascertained, Mr. Guen- ther's accomplishment is unique in August 7, 1985 Canada. Exeter postmaster Ken Dobney presented Guenther with a plaque commemorating his record term of contract. Guenther has been driving - either horses or horseless carriages - for most of his life. His father. who operated a thriving livery and car-, (age business in Dashwood. taught his oldest son to drive horses when he was six. After completing Senior Fourth (present-day Grade eight), 14 -year- old Earl Guenther began driving the mail stage run between Dashwood and Parkhill. Three years later in. 1913, when rural mail service was in- troduced and that route eliminated. Guenther began opera (ing the Dashwood to Exeter mail stage run for his father. He also began deliver- ing mail on Hay Post Oifices'ur-af--- route-number one: Sevent>'-two years Ames - Serving South Huron, North Middlesex 'AiWS4/.7 AMP later. he's still delivering. That year also closed one chapter of his life with sudden finality. His father. aged 50. was killed in Dashwood when his team of horses bolted and crashed the mail wagon in- to a pole. By 1914. Guenther was hauling mail twice a day from Dashwood -to Exeter. Guenther served overseas with the 8th Battalion Canadian Engineers from 1917 until war's end. He laughs when he recalls his homecoming at the Exeter station. Everyone was waiting for (he returning soldier to step out of the passenger car. Instead. Guenther climbed down from the cab: he had been riding .with the engineer. an old friend from mail ser- vice days. Guenther bought the livery and car- tage business Iron" his another. ex- - panding to London in 1921 and Toron- to the following year. Guenther's mot- dvoc 84 North Lambton Since 1873 PagelA to was "never come back empty". Besides hauling mail and passengers. he bought butter and eggs from the Exeter creamery. sold it in Toronto. then loaded up with sugar for customers like Jones and May in Ex- eter, who bought 500 bags at a time. In 1923 Guenther was appointed Dashwood postmaster. a position he held until 1966. He continued to drive the mail stage. If the federal government wants some advice on running the post of- fice, they could do worse than contact the man who recalls the days when mail was delivered promptly and regularly twice daily. including Saturdays and holidays. On a typical day Guenther would leave Dashwood with wagon and team at 4:00 a.m. for Grand Bend. return to Dashwood at 7:00. change to a fresh team,and on to Exeter to meet the 10:15 train. He would be back in Dashwood by 11:15, change teams, stop in at the hotel in Grand Bend for a 25 cent dinner, back to Dashwood at 3:00 p.m.. on to Exeter to catch the 5:05 train. stay for the one at 6:00. and be back in Dashwood by 7:30 p.m., his day's work done. Guenther began a small bus service in 1944, adding school busing and ex- panding other routes in 1946. By then, the mail stage route pick- ed up and delivered mail to Hay, Kip - pen. Hensall, Zurich. Dashwood. Grand. Bend and Exeter. The last of the horses were retired in 1947. Guenther operated the Exeler- Crediton-Grand Bend-Dashwood- Zurich-Hensall mail stage run from 1966 until selling out to grandson James Guenther in 1980. The transport business was sold to Benson Tuckey in 1952, and Exeter Coach Lines. which had grown to 21 buses on 17 routes. was bought by ('harterways in 1968. Guenther took his first-ever holiday in 1953, and vividly recalls the sight of the newly paved road from Russeldale to Grand Bend that greeted him on his return. He remembers years - earlier driving teams to London. and how the horses' ears would perk up in surprise as their hooves encountered the firs( pavement of the journey, at the loca- tion where a traffic light now lets peo- ple turn to University Hospital. During his millions of miles of driv- ing, Guenther has collected only two traffic tickets, both for minor of- fences. He never fell asleep at the wheel. sensibly stopping for a , 15 -minute cat nap if he felt tired. Guenther has never touched tobac- co or alcohol. He has been blessed with good health. and figues he has been off the job because of sickness for no more than two weeks in his en- tire life. Guenther had to give up his driver's licence two years ago. after a cataract operation and a lens implant didn't restore the vision in his left eye as well as had been hoped. He is still delivering mail to the :39 customers on the Hay route, as he has for 72 years. His daughter Shirley Kipfer has been doing the driving for him. Guenther's sons Lloyd and Ross also live in Dashwood. Daughter Ruth Walper resides in Cambridge. Another son. Ray. died in 1965. Perhaps the secret of a long. pro- ductive life is hidden in Guenther's re- cent comment: '1 like to work. 1 can still shovel more snow than anyone in Dashwood. As long as i can stand up. I can work." While addressing the gathering at the Legion in honour of Guenther. Tom Dalby predicted that everyone would be back in five years to present Guenther with another plaque for 80 years' association with the Canadian post office. PRESENTATIONS — Earl Guenther was honoured for 75 years assoziation with the Canada Post Office at a gathering at the Exeter Legion. He was presented with a plaque by Exeter postmaster Ken Dobney. Family friend Rev. George Anderson, who had made a speech of thanks on Guenther's behalf. holds the picture of the old Dashwood post office and the Guenther home, which had been presented by postal personnel from London. Joy Guenther was presented with a banquet of roses. FRIENDS AND FAMILY — More than` 100 people attended a gathering at the Eketer Legion to honour Earl Guenther's 75 -year association with the Canada Post Office. Shown with Mr. Guenther and his wife Joy are nephew Hugh Edighoffer and wife Nancy, Stan Frayne and Benson Tuckey. . Utilization report to determine future direction of hospital The future direction of South Huron Hospital should•be detailed early (his fall when the utilization committee and its professional planning consul- tant table their report to the board. On Thursday. Exeter Mayor Bruce Shaw and Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller mel with board representatives to 1x brought up to date on the utilization review..lt was also an opportunity lor- them to meet new administrator Trevor Nesbitt and the planning con- sultant. Mrs. ('arolee Bailey Board chairman Bob Down chaired the int ormaI session and explained (hat board members %very increasing- ly concealed with the role of the hospital and what directions it could take. The utilization committee was formed about a year and a half ago and draws representation from various organizations and interests in the area served by South 1Itn•on flospital. Down said that it became clear that the committee needed some profes- sional assistance in helping to come up with some conclusions from the study and that precipitated the hiring of Mrs. Bailey, who had previously been involved with shared services with University Hospital. She has been hired for a four- mounth• period and commenced duties on May 1.. "We're quite pleased with the thing she 's come up with." !)own remark, ed. noting that a draft report has been presented to the utilization committee. Down said that hopefully some "new and exciting directions" for the hospital %gill come out of the report. It will also be used to substantiate re- quests for funding from the ministry of health` for the role that is envisioned. Mrs. Bailey explained that South Iluron Hospital is not alone in its con- cerns over utilization of its facilities. as thie same thing is Icing experience in many community hospitals. She noted that many patients are by-passing their local hospitals and going into the teaching centres. such as those located in London. It was also explained that general Practitioners are finding their role is ehonging with more patients being referred to specialized centres. "in a general sense." Mrs. Bailey commented "(here are some exciting directions for the hospital." Some of those directions are already fairly clear. but need redefining. she added. Nesbitt said health care -in Ontario's small community hospitals is being dramatically influenced by many fac- tors such as high tech health.. an ag- ing population. dwindling resources. specialization of physicians and treatments facilities, etc. ''Throughout our decision-making process on the future direction of South Huron Hospital. the paramount goal will be our commitment that whatever we are going to do, we are going to do well," he emphasized. All three hospital representatives highlighted the need for better com- munication with the public. to not only ascertain the future role of the hospital. but also to make area residents more aware of the present services available. it was noted that many people are unaware that the hospital now pro- Videts tour clinics which are operated by specialists and a fifth is to be soon added in the field of allergies. ANOTHER ERA — An 1912 photo in Earl Guenther's album shows a Guenther vehicle picking up passengers at the Hotel Imperial in Grand Bend. HEAR OF PROGRESS The utilization study to determine the future role of South Huron Hospital will be released this fall. Mayo& Bruce Shaw, seated left, looks over the interim report from planning con- sultant Corolee Bailey, while standing are Deputy -Reeve lossy Fuller, board chairman Bob Down and hospital administrator Trevor Nesbitt. • • HISTORY A Guenther rig waits to pick up mail at the Exeter station. Earl Guenther was honoured last week for 75 years with Canada's mail service. Industrial land study on hold Exeter council this week held in abeyance a decision on engaging a firm of engineers to prepare a preliminary design and feasibility study on industrial land the town is proposing to buy from Ted and Don- na Jones. The Exeter. firm of iluron- Exeter student among UW winners Thirty-four co-operative students at the University of Waterloo 1 students who alternate between campus studies and work term jobs every four months 1, have won $100 prizes for writing the best reports based on their work term experiences. Tie tern on which .they reported was from .lanuary through April. Among the winners was Chris Van Gerwen. Exeter. a student in civil engineering. Work term reports are an impor- tant part of the education of a co-op student at 11W; the prizes are intend- ed to encourage them to develop com- municat ion skills. As dell. reports are often of value to students' work term employers. Middlesex Engineering Ltd. advised council that their charge for under-, taking the study would be $5,000. Reeve 13111 Mickle suggested coun- cil should talk the matter over with the firm before making a decision. noting that what the engineers were proposing in the study could possibly be done in a less costly manner. • Council has approved in principle the purchase of 50 acres of land on the west side of the (;,,Nit tracks south of Wellington St. for a proposed in- dustrial park. That plan has been criticised by local developer Len Veri,and the lat- ter has filed an appeal against the town's plan to rezone the proposed site from developmental to industrial. The town plans to pay for the land over a 10 -year period at a price of ap- proximately $5.000 per acre. 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