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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-01-30, Page 1Ames Serving South Huron, North Middlesex One Hundred and Twelfth Year dvocate & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, January 30, 1985 Price Per Copy 50 Cents Planned closing of Clinton hospital could haunt new Premier, PC candidate Miller time in Huron was controversial The hoopla of the provincial Conser- vative leadership convention is over. but the ramifications of the choice for new leader are just becoming known. Frank Miller wasn't a popular can- didate in this area, and he wasn't the first choice of any Huron -Middlesex riding delegate. Miller is - remembered for his move to close the Clinton hospital while he was Minister of Health. First time delegate Carol Arthur of Exeter says she came away from the convention "a little wiser". "i lost all three ballots," Aurthur says. She originally backed Roy McMurtry. then Larry Grossman on the last ballot. Of Miller, Arthur says. "Ile will be better for the party in the long run. He's got the experience. But in this area we're going to have to work very hard to get in Bryan Smith." Arthur is the local riding secretary. She feels • •r that "people in the north remember the hospital incident". – Of the convention experience. Ar- thur enthuses, "It was great. It's fascinating to watch it all. It's very exciting, and you meet a lot of people." Bob Sharen, Reeve of Grand Bend. says, "Only the future will tell us if this choice was right. The people's opinion is more important than the opinion of the delegates." Sharen was a Timbrell supporter. but Dennis Timbrell lost on the second ballot by six votes. "There were nine votes not cast on that second ballot. and 20 not cast on the third. it bothers me when everyone doesn't cast their votes," Sharen says. "The important thing now is to sit back and watch the formaton of the cabinet," Sharen says. "1t was very close." Elmer Bell, Q.C.. is an old hand at ATTACHING SKIS s Tracy Cooper, Mark Rothbauer and Michelle Javier lace up their skis at J.A.D. McCurdy School at Huron Park, Friday. T -A photo 5 leadership conventions. "My choice for leader was Roy McMurtry. I thought he'd be the best. But any one of them could do a good job -- they're all smart and able," Bell says. Bell feels it was a hard choice to make, because "there was so. little dif- ference between them." Bell thinks that Miller was the se- cond best choice after McMurtry. "He's the type of man who will give us a very businesslike administration. He has broad knowledge and ability." Bell says. "I'm sure at some time he's made mistakes, but you learn from Sports dinner nears sellout open open to speculation Exeter OPP and are continuing their an incident at lAe� Trout closing time o There remain: Exeter OPP a postal inspector are continuing their investigation of an incident at the Centralia post office at closing time on Friday. remains some uncertainty as to the motive of two young men who Report no injury in five collisions Winter conditions continued to plague area drivers this week, but the Exeter OPP were called to in- vestigate only five collisions. There were no injuries. On Wednesday, a vehicle driven by James Butson, RR 2 Staffa. struck a railway flashing light on the Crediton Road west of Ilighway 4. Damage was listed at $3,000. The following day. vehicles operated -by Douglas Holmes. RR 1 Thedford, and Karmen Bedard, RR 2 Zurich. collided on Highway 84 ekst of Zurich. Damage in that one was set at $2,000. - Friday's Ione crash occurred on Highway 84 in Zurich. involving vehicles driven by Fermon Snyder. RR 2 Dashwood. and l )avid W ideman. Parkhill. Damage to the two vehicles was listed at $1,400. On Saturday. a vehicle driven by Michael Nelson. Ferndale. Michigan. struck a parked vehicle owned b. Frances Dyson. Damage in the MO dent at Oakwood Park was $(.dint The previous Saturday. vehicles driven by Daniel Horton. RH 5 Clin- ton and Jeffrey Chuter. HH 1 Varna. collided on Elizabeth Si in ffensall Damage was $1.2011. confronted postmistress Alice Koehler as she was closing up at 5:45 p.m. While one of the two had an object in his hand, there is some speculation as to whether it was a sawed-off firearm as was printed in daily press accounts of the incident. "There's no doubt Mrs. Koehler acted properly in the incident", com- mented investigating officer Don Millson of the Exeter OPP detachment. Ile said one of the two men had a piece of apparel partially covering his face. After closing the door to the inner office. Mrs. Koehler heard the two people in the lobby and asked if she could assist. One replied that he wanted a money order and Mrs. Koehler then opened the door and caught a glimpse of the pair and her reaction was to close the door. At that point. the two men began to kick at (he door and the postmistress pushed hack and then called police on a nearby telephone. - The two youths then left the building and were seen walking down the street by a nearby resident. They did not appear to be in any rush to get away from the scene. Speculation centers around whether the two may well have been planning to rob the pont office or whether they may have been merely reacting in frustration to the fact the door was closed on them. Police are asking anyone who may have observed two male youths car- rying a duffle bag in that vicinity on Friday around 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. to call the local detachment at 235-1300. A number of tickets remain available for the 12th annual Exeter Lions Sportsmen's Dinner slated for next Tuesday, February 5 at the South Huron Rec Centre. The headline speaker will be Gary Danielson, the first string quarter- back of the Detroit Lions of the Na- tional Football League. Danielson. is regarded as an ex- cellent speaker, and has a personal in- terest in providing help for Crippled Children. He is the current Easter Seals campaign chairman. for the slate of Michigan. Joining the Lions quarterback at the head table to represent_ football will be Doug Mitchell, who recently took over as Commissioner of the Canadian Football League. From the world of baseball come the ace of the Detroit Tigers pitching staff Jack Morris and Pat Gillick, a vice-president of the Toronto Blue Jays. Morris is one of the main remelts the Tigers got off to a 35 and 5 start'. • in the 1984 American League season. He also led his team to a rather easy World Series win. those mistakes." Bell also thinks that Grossman and Timbrell will have another chance because of their relative youth. "A few years seasoning won't hurt them," Bell says. Bell thinks Miller can win the com- ing election. Bryan Smith of Lucan is the Con- servative candidate for Huron - Middlesex in the upcoming election. Srnith was a Timbrell supporter, and then went to Grossman for the last ballot. "Miller is certainly a smart man, but Mr. Timbrell and Mr. Grossman have been good to me, and I felt I owed them my support," Smith says. Smith's not worried that Miller's election might hurt his own chances in the riding. "We're going to take the bull by the horns and get all the sup- port we can," Smith says. Smith thinks it was a very good con- vention. "It's exciting when it's down to a few votes." He couldn't say when the next election would be called. in getting some badly need help for the Blue Jays relief pitching staff. The female side of sports will be well represented by Sandra Post and Cindy Nicholas. In a professional golfing career that lasted 16 years, Sandra Post won eight official PGA championships and nearly $750,000. In 1979 she won the Lou Marsh trophy as Canada's athlete of the year. Cindy Nicholas is well known as a long distance swimmer having con- quered the English Channel. Area hockey fans will have the op- portunity to see and talk with two members of, the Canadian junior hockey team which won the world's title on New Year's Day in Finland. They are Brian Bradley and Jim Sandlack, stars of the London Knights. The Knights have an ex- cellent club this year and have set their sights on a Memorial Cup championship. Canadian auto racing driver Jac- ques Villeneuve who has made the headlines in recent years with his Canadian Tire' car will be in attendance. The line of sports fishing will be represented by Bob izame who is an outdoors writer and broadcaster. The master of ceremonies will be Cliff "Noss" Maxwell of St. Thomas who handled the same job quite capably a year ago. Tickets going at $35 for adults and $20 for public and high school students are still available from any member of the Exeter Lions Club or the local branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia. Receipts for allowable portions for in- come tax purposes will be issued. All proceeds from the dinner will go to the Easter Seal campaign and the Thames Valley Treatment Centre in London. Local crippled children will be represented by Allan Bullock, a grade five student at Usborne Central School. NURSING HOME DISCUSSION — Irvin Armstrong,chairman of the Exeter nursing home committee; mayor Bruce Shaw; owner of the proposed home Tom Kanampuzha and administrator Irwin Johnston are shown at a recent meeting. Hopes are strong for a nursing home building start within six months. Nursing home owner hopes Construction of the new nursing home in Exeter could be underway in about six months if the_ necessary approvals are obtained in minumum time. Tom Kanampuzha. owner of the Kilbarchan home in Seaforth met Thursday with council and the local nursing home committee chairmen. Kanampuzha has received tip - ear y summer proval from the Ontario Ministry of dent in the new Exeter home. it would Health to transfer :30 nursing home be wise to move to Seaforth now. thus assuring a transfer here. The town of Exeter will be asked for the necessary zoning changes and the provision of services to the location, east of Edward on an extension of John Street.- , treet., After some discussion by council on the costs to be borne by the town• mayor Bruce Shaw said. "Council has worked hard on this project, there is no way we will reject it. We are prepared to help all we can." In addition fo the 30 nursing home beds. the. new structure of 24.5011 square fool capacity will accom- modate 411 rest home beds and 10 day- care beds. About rest home accommodation. Kanampuzha assured councillor Dorothy Chapman 1 h1 residents would have the opportunity to bring their own furniture. beds from Seaforth to Exeter. He indicated that probably 20 of the present :30 residents in Kilbarchan -would wish a transfer to Exeter. Irwin Johnston, administrator at the, Seaforth home said there -were a couple of vacancies right now. Ile added. "If anyone wishes to Ix. a resi- Seaforth opposition not expected to delay home Despite a petitittn signed by over 800 Seaforth residents to protest the closing of Kilbarchan Nursing Home, it. is most unlikely the decision to transfer the beds to Exeter will be reversed. in a story printed in the Seaforth Expositor. Doug Enright, a liaison of- ficer for the ministry of health. advis- ed the town residents that a lot of con- sideration went into the decison ap- proving (he transfer. "After very lengthy review and consideration. the decision has been taken by the ministry that the new nursing home be built in Exeter. The decision to locate the home in Exeter was based on a proven need for such a facility in that area of the county." he said. "The ministry felt that there was a serious lack of service being provid- ed to residents of the Exeter com- munity. Kilbarchan was a structural- ly deficient building and needed to he replaced, and Seaforth was already being serviced by another larger nur sing home." said Enright. Enright pointed out the Nursing Ilome Act introduced in 1972 made it Ministry policy to phase out the older converted home -type nursing homes and replace them with modern and more efficient facilities. Ile said such facilities should have. for example. elevators and wider doors to facilitate wheelchairs. "The ministry has been concerned for some time about the condition of the Kilbarchan building. There have been lengthy discussions with Jack Riddell about the need for replace- ment, so people have known about it." he said. "The ministry in its own evaluation of the situation saw there was no direct conflict to move the beds. since Seaforth would be retaining the larger of the two homes and since the travelling distance 10 Exeter is not that great. it telt Exeter would he bet- ter served with a nursing home in its own community." he said. Enright added that in the last decade it has not been unusual to relocate beds consistently as was needed within a county. Beds. however cannot be transferred from one county 10 another. Enright said he saw no need for Seaforth to be concerned over the Toss Please turn to page 2 • BALCONY MOVES IN - A balcony to odd 105 seats to the Huron Country Playhouse capacity for the 1985 season was moved into place Friday morning. Shown at the left, helping to get the seats into place is Stephen township reeve Alan Wolper. Above. Playhouse general manager Heather Redick chats with former lombton MPP Ralph Ferguson. Wedding still has problem Kim Anne Adair and Mike Scott finally' became man and wife, a week later than originally planned. The wedding, scheduled for January 19, at Greenway t'nited Church had to be postponed when a blizzard trapped members of the wedding party in various spots around the countryside. Tis time the bride. bridesmaid and bride's mother took no chances on venturing away from home for hair appointments. Kim. who is a hair- dresser. set her bridesmaid's and mother's hair. and a neighbour who is also a hairdresser did the same for the bride. The cut flowers were still in ex- cellent condition after the week's wait. Guests who were stormstayed in Parkhill the previous week returned from Toronto and St. Thomas to witness the early evening wedding in Greenway United Church. A very large crowd - much larger than expected - turned up at the open reception in the Parkhill Community ('entre to congratuate the newlyweds. However. a contrary fate had one more curve to throw. One end of the food -laden table suddenly buckled without warning. sending salads and casseroles flying. The swift action of two men who rushed in to hold up the one end saved most of the smorgasbord from a short flight and a crash landing. Each guest left with a piece of wed- ding cake tagged January 19. The bride and groom departed for their delayed honeymoon. New mother-in-law Shirley Adair is glad it's all over. She thinks that perhaps. in a year or two. she will be able to laugh about her daughter's wedding--Rittnot for awhile