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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1989-11-15, Page 7• the Street By Jim Beckett • T he efforts of many who make Exeter a better community were recognized last Wednesday at the annual town ban- quet as the town took time to sax thanks and a "job well done" to a variety of individuals. People who volunteer their time were acknowledged and others who have achieved success in sports such as, lawn bowling and field hockey were invited to accept congratulations from the town. The evening will be something they will remember for the rest of their lives. The people who were recognized deserve the appreciation of the com- munity and undoubtedly many of -them will turn up again at other similar dinners in the years ahead. The town appears to have estab- lished a precedent when it comes lo honoring sport teams for their athletic accomplishments. The Exeter Express baseball team was among those saluted for their 1988 Ontario Championship and this year's SHDHS Panthers fielthhockey players were honored as they proved they are the best in Ontario. If indeed, the town has made a policy of saluting athletes for winning championships and bringing trophies to Exeter, they have twice overlooked the Exeter Mohawks hockey team. During the 1987-88 season they were Ontario Sr. AA Champions and last year the team captured the Ontario Hockey As- sociation Sr. B. trophy proving twice they were the best hockey players in their class in the province. This year the Mohawks are playing in another league and have an excellent chance of bringing the Sr. A trophy to Exeter. More people have watched the Mohawks in action at the local are- na over the past several seasons than any other team from any sport. A few people connected with the organization are starting to won- der what they have to accomplish to share in the accolades be- stowed on those representing other sports... - Frenchman's Inn opens Thursday Robindale's Restaurant on Main St. closed last week and will open tomorrow with new owners and a new name. Lesley and \ Michel Bonnot of Montreal were attracted to both the restaurant and the community last summer and have successfully negotiated the purchase of the business: It will be called the Frenchman's Inn. Pharmacist -agrees with working hours Education comes ahead of work when it comes to students work- ing in the local Big.V Drug Store according to pharmacist Leo Krahn. Leo totally agrees with recommendations students work no more than 15 hours per week. In our store students can put in a maximum of 12 hours per week," Krahn said. Parade entries wanted Again this year The Exeter Lions Club in conjunction with the Business Improvement Association is hosting the annual Santa Claus parade. Parade chairman Bob Sargeant is inviting businesses to enter floats to continue Exeter's reputation of having one of the best parades in the area. This year's parade will be Saturday, De- cember -2 at 1 p.m. Set-up is not later than 1230 p.m. on Huron St. East. Back in time 10 years ago ' The Exeter Lions finished $10,000 worth of renovations to the Scout Hall, which included a 600 square foot addition. The Lions said they wanted to see the building used by more groups in the commu- nity. •The Grand Bend Chamber of Commerce was praised by a promo- tions expert on their slogan "Grand Bend is for Lovers". They were told the the slogan should be played up to appeal to lovers of water, sand, sun, night life and shopping. • The South Huron Panthers clinched the Huron -Perth junior foot- ball championship for the seventh straight year by defeating Goder- ich in a tight 15-14 game. 20 years ago •Subscribers to the Blanshard Municipal Telephone system in Granton were finally geuing dials on their telephones. Hand -cranked magneto phones and "number please" girls were being replaced by automatic switching. • Lad icr' col$m s4 w,swl/Wismit '-seen-any maxi -coats in Exeter yet, but said those she saw in Toronto reminded her of little girls on Hallowe'en dressed in their mothers' clothes. ' •Twelve members of the Hensall Legion Ladies' Auxiliary were presented with.pins for 20 years of service. Several of these same people received pins for 40 years service this Saturday. SQ years ago •The proximity of Stephen Township- to London did not help livestock farmers because that city does not have a market, forcing farmers to ship to Stratford, Kitchener, or Toronto, said Ruben Goetz at a county assessment hearing. He also said the closeness of Grad Bend didn't help either. "There are many complaints of farmers being unable to keep competent labor around the summer resort. Young people stay out all night and are unable to work next day," he said. • "Hiking through S. America is the new Travelogue given by the Toll Bros. in Dashwood Evangelical Church on Tuesday November 21, 1939 at 8:00 p.m. sharp. This is the only opportunity to see such a program of unusual interest given in motion pictures and colored pictures. It is recommended as even surpassing their previous travelogue, so do not miss such a real event. Admission 25c and 15c." 100 years ago. • Dashwood: "The'party who left the dead horse on the public highway between the 16th and 17th con. of Stephen, will confer a favor to -the travelling public by removing the same to some more suitable place. If not done by free will our law authorities will have to look into the matter." •Kippen: ','A literary and debating society was organized here last Friday evening. -The Rev. S. Acheson occupied t to chair and delivered a very able address pointing out the advantages of such a society, and warned against falling to such improprieties as giggling, hooping &c." - •Exeter: ''Mr James Howard has just commenced the erection of a large skating rink 40 x 100. This will furnish excellent amusement for the young people during the winter months." Magic - in every auction By Adrian Harte ZURICH - There is a Iittle•mag- ic in every auction. At least that is what Richard McKinnon believes, and he plans to make that his trademark as he begins his career as an auctioneer. "Anyone who wants a deal, go 'to an auction," McKinnon advises. "Because that's where you'll find a deal." Although McKinnon is just get- ting started in the auction busi— ness, he has been an avid fan of auctions forat least 10 years. His collection of vintage oil lamps was created out of bidding wars at auc- tions. He also points to a piano for which he bid $35. At some point, McKinnon decid- ed he would like to be an auction- - eer himself, and when an unfortu- nate nfortunate back injury put him out' of _work at EMAB in Huron Park, he used the spare time to take an auc- tioneer's course in Woodstock: eight days at 14 hours each. The course, , he said, is recognized around the world as being one of the best. One of the instructors is Frank Stapleton, who was the 1985 world championship auction- eer. 'Burt Pepper from Wingham, likely the only Country and West- ern singing auctioneer, also gave tips to the student auctioneers. "We were taught by the best, the absolute • best in Canada," said McKinnon. . - "If this pans out," said McKin- non. "I'd like to make this full- time:" His ' ultimate goal would be to open his own auction barn, but he concedes that's a distant dream at best. • "I think a gg,00d part of auctio- neering is entdrtaining," he said. - The hick is to keep the crowd in- terested enough in the proceedings even when the items up for sale are perhaps not generating much interest. ' Speed helps:says McKinnon, to run through the lulls in an auction quickly. He concedes it will take a while before he is able to devel- op his talent for fast talking. There are already quite a few auctioneers operating in the South Huron region. Is there room for one more? McKinnon, believes there is. "I think there's all kinds of room," he said, citing statistics that suggest only four percent of the population are even aware of auc- tion sales. If that awareness could Times -Advocate, November 15, 1989 Page 5 Newest auctioneer - Richard McKinnon will soon be auctioning part-time in this area. His belief in "get- ting a deal" at an auction is reflected in his oil lamp collection, clock, and piano. • be expanded to even 10 percent, the numbers of sales would increase and the demand for auctioneers would grow. Virtually anything can be sold by auction, with the exception of food or possibly lottery tickets,. observes McKinnon. 'Many ill the business specialize by auctioning one,partic- ular type of merchandise: cars, glassware, artwork, or antiques. Other auctioneers will sell anything from housewares to real estate. That's where McKinnon fits in, al- though he says his interest in an- tique furniture might lead him .in that direction eventually. Some people complain of auc- tions being "fixed" with hidden bids or staged bidding wars to drive prices up. It isn't true, says McKin- non, explaining that a good auction- eer will tell his audience if mem- bers of the family arc at an estate sale and are prepared to bid for their family's heirlooms. "You don't want people to think they're there to boost the price," he said. -Dealers, however, are a necessary evil at an auction. "I always viewed an auction as a public forum. Unfortunately, that isn't the case," said McKinnon, not- ing that dealers do bid many items away from the general public.' However, they also keep prices rea- listic - they won't let an item go for next to nothing if it can be sold lat- er, and they won't bid an item be- yond its true market value. - "Auction fever" does affect some people, however, and a bidding war for something they "just had to have" can quickly lead to a price double its worth. That is too bad, says McKinnon, because once "sold" is called it is legally -bought. We have all seen auctions on tel- evision when people wink an eye or rub their nose,todiscreetly make a bid, but McKinnon says that hap- ' pens all. the time. Often a bidder won't want a friend or family mem- ber to know who is bidding against them and will want to be unobtru- sive. These signals are usually ar- ranged with the auctioneer before the auction, so he knows what to look for. Auctions are often the result of sad situations - divorces, deaths, or bankruptcies - but the decision to liquidate is made long before the auctioneer is called. There is no resentment because he tries . to make the best of the situation and get the best price for each item. His job is to entertain the crowd and get them in a buying. mood. In fact, McKinnon reflects, out of 200 people at an auction, usually only 50 arc there to buy. Exeter appears to be the hub of the auction circle in this region, said McKinnon, noting that people will come from' London or Kitch- ener to attend an event. That's why his first arca sale will be in Exeter next week. - Anyone who has the impression - an auctioneer 'shows up for a sale - and makes up his patter as he goes, is mistaken, says McKinnon. A good auction takes a month of preparation and research to make sure eacharticle is properly repre- sented at a sate. If something vain.- able ale.able is not sold for its true worth, or if a customer buys something - that is . not . what the auctioneer claimed it to be, that reflects on the auctioneer. "Bad news travels fast," said McKinnon. What will happen to McKinnon's love for auction bargains when he has to sell off the articles himself? ' He says he has a fair solution. • "If I want it, my wife will have a card and -will bid on it,"- he said, laughing From far and near PFW Systems Inc. held a computer seminar for users of their hardware and software last week. Delegates from all over Canada and the United States attended the sessions. Instructing at the front of the room are Joanne Scott -Tract and John Anderson. NEED A MORTGAGE? 1st, 2nd, Multi Family or Com- mercial, flexible terms, fast, confidential service, Gall "The Mortgage Mart" ' London - 433-6666 _ 1-800=265-1508' • WE GET RESULTS! WATCH Your Money Grow I 1 3/4% Rates Subject to lyr GIC verification r2A J `iiia Geiser Kneale Exeter Grand Bend Hensel) 235-2420 238-8484 262-2119 1 ' a.11j I= I ACCT. r• . INTINfl ; V,. tE lanon-to - select- ing the right comb / tion to meet your specific information needs. G.W. PARSONS & ASSOCIATES INC.• 396 -Main Street .South, Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S6 . (519) 235-1304 The management and staff of Robindale's Fine Dining 1 Ltd. . would like to take this opportunity- to thank the people of Exeter and area for their generous support over the past 5 years. We would also like to wish Lesley and ':: 11-1 Bonnot every success in tlr r f iet . ''-iture "The Frenchman's inn". Kii,(19 J 1i,)! ' that any gift certificates outstanding will be honoured in our Goderich Restaurant, fI<Qbinctak'sflTihe . Dining Ltd. -, � - of Goderich For reservations please call 519-524-4171