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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-06-12, Page 3TNT-TFThIFW' . _ Tithes -Advocate, June 12, 1991 Varna authoress receives national recognition By Rhonda Vandeworp VARNA - She is the authoress of five books, her works have been commended by fellow Canadian writers such as Sonya Dunn, and her most recent essay, Feel- ings, has achieved provincial and national recognition. Who is this budding Canadian talent? She is none other than Heather Laurie, a seventh grade student from Hu- ron Centennial Public School. Laurie was first inspired to write when she was eight years old. It was at this time that her teacher encouraged the students to submit a piece of writing to be judged, and if chosen, to be dis- played at the school's annual Au- thor's Day. Laurie's book, Where's my Puppy?, which tells the story of a young girl looking for her lost dog, was one of the selected works. Laurie says the experience of writing her first novel was so en- joyable that she decided to enter a new piece of writing each year. She and her teachers have not been disappointed with the re- sults. All of her following books have won special Author's Day recognition: Sparky and Me shows a young girl's reaction to the death of her cat; What Should 1 Be deals with a boy snuggling with the decision of his future profession, Then and Now tom - pares Laurie's life to the life of her grandmother, and Just Old Junk suggests how one can con- vert "garbage" into toys and other useful items. Of all her novels, Then and Now seems to have brought Lau- rie the most success. Sonya Dunn who writes children's chants met with the young author last year, and expressed her enthusiasm to- wards the book. Then and Now is currently being reviewed by vari- ous publishers and is set for possi- Hopkins working to lift lives of native peoples By Rhonda Vandeworp Hensall - Val Hopkins left Mo- ravian Town with her fam- ily when she was 10 years old. Natural- ly, she expe- rienced culture shock, faced preju- dice, and struggled to adapt to a life without the security of the res- ervation. With strong perseverance, Hop- kins managed to create a life for herself that is rewarding and ad- venturous. Besides being and aux- iliary policewoman, mountain climber, amateur photographer, and world traveller, Hopkins is a person dedicated to the cause of improving the state of native reser- vations. Hopkins works as a manage- ment analysis for ARISE (Associ- ation of Reserves for Improving Social Economics), a government - funded organization which lends money to natives wishing to start their own businesses. Hopkins says most of the major enterprises on reservations such as restaurants, craft stores, gas sta- tions, and construction companies have been funded by ARISE be- cause of difficulties faced by na- tives applying for bank loans. As pan of the Indian Act, which was put into effect after WWI, non - natives do not have the right to seize property or household con- tents on a reservation. As a result, the banks are not promised collater- al if the businessperson should have to renege on a loan. Hopkins admits that ARISE is somewhat more lenient in compari- son to the strict requirements de- manded by banks, but also stresses that the organization does not hand out money without a careful evalu- ation of the applicant. As a management analyst, Hop- kins is in charge of reviewing the applicant's business plans, making credit checks, and assisting appli- cants with financial statements. She then must recommend to ARISE's board of directors as to whether the applicant should be granted or refused a loan. Hopkins was employed by ARISE shortly after graduating from university. It was around this time that the government intro- duced the new position of assistant manager trainee in an attempt to in- clude more native women in this government program. Hopkins qualified for the position not only because of her strong edu- cational background in business, but also because of her deep con- cern for the welfare of the natives who chose to stay on the reserva- tions. She did not want to abandon those natives who were struggling to make ends meet. "The natives who get the high paying jobs generally leave the re- serve, and a brain drain occurs. That has always bothered me, which is why I applied for the posi- tion of assistant manager trainee," Hopkins explains. She continues to explain that al- though the recently implemented Bill C-31 gives all natives the ad- vantage of free post -secondary school education, many feel pres- sured to stay at home because of the lingering prejudice towards na- tive people, and also because of the extreme culture shock a native fac- es when beginning a life outside the reservation. Hopkins left Moravian Town, near Chatham, with her family when she was 10 years old. The culture shock was immediate, hard- hitting, and sometimes humourous, Hopkins recalls. "There was no running water or electric stoves when we left the re- serve. When we moved to the city, I loved to go into people's bath- room's to flush their toilets and look in their medical cabinets." Unfortunately, the transition is not as easy or enjoyable as that statement makes one believe. Leaving the reservation induces emotional pain, sometimes too strong to handle. "There is still a lot of prejudice that exists," Hopkins reveals. "It is assumed that natives are going to continually get drunk, men are lazy, and women are prostitutes.' As a result, some natives do not complete university, and instead re- turn to the reservation. Instead of providing further edu- cational incentives, the government is cutting back on education dollars because the graduation rate contin- ues to decline. Even ARISE is finding it difficult to find natives with the proper education to fill po- sitions. Hopkins is often discouraged by the slow rate of progress on Cana- da's native reservations, but contin- ue to fight for the advancement of her people. "1 . find , the job frpstrating,.. but also 'rewarding because I know the ability is there to make a positive dent," says Hopkins. ble publication in 1992. One of Laurie's most recent lit- erary accomplishments was win- ning the provincial title for the Royal Canadian Legion's annual Remembrance Day essay contest. Her work, Feelings, is currently being reviewed by judges on a na- tional level. All rade seven and eight stu- dents in Canada were welcomed to enter the competition last No- vember. Legion representatives chose Laurie's essay to represent Huron Centennial at the local branch's competition. There are approximately 600 branches in this province. Feelings climbed all the way to the top m Ontario, and is now competing against oth- er provincial winners. Since Laurie had never first - handedly experienced a major war, she admits she found the Re- membrance Day subject difficult. Fortunately, she found a way to use this lack of understanding to her advantage. Laurie confesses, "I was never there. I didn't know what it was supposed to be like, so I just wrote that I didn't know what it was like." In her essay, Laurie questions various feelings provoked by the remembrance of war - issues con- cerning Canadian pride, fear of weapons, humiliation of being vic- timized, joy gained by freedom, and sadness caused by death. Laurie read several books dealing with war issues such as The Diary of Anne Frank and Number the Stars in an attempt to comprehend what it really must have felt like to be a Jewish person in hiding, to be sent to a concentration camp, or to have a son die in battle. She con- cluded that she might never fully understand. "I haven't felt any of the feelings that the people in the war went through.... I know nothing about the hardships of war," writes Lau- rie. 'Surprisingly, one Legion repre- sentative admitted the essays are judged, in part, by the child's ability to portray a strong understanding of war. Laurie has shown through her es- say, however, that even though the younger generation has studied the great battles in history class, or has heard war stories from grandpar- eras, it can not fully understand what war is all about. Laurie concludes her Remem- brance Day essay with her own per- sonal feeling towards war, the feel- ing of responsibility. There is one feeling I do have on Remembrance Day ... rgsponsibili- ty. I feel respotw'ble for the future. The future of our earth. I want to prevent a World War III. ; I wsett to make sure that my cadge, my family grow up in a world of peace and contentment. I want to spread peace and love where I possibly can." c ',tub e Proud authoress - Heather Laurie displays ceived special recognition at her school's two of her works that re - annual Author's Day. 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The Outreach Attendant Care Program provides day-to-day assis- tance to people with physical disa- bilities to allow them to continue to live in their own homes as self - sufficiently as possible. "This government believes that people with physical disabilities, and seniors should be supported in living independently at home, in their own communities," said Akande. "Funding of services such as the Cheshire Outreach Attendant Are program is pan of the govern- ment's Long -Term Care initiatives, designed to achieve those goals." Cheshire Homes of London is part of an international organization that provides services to help peo- ple with physical disabilities to live in the community by helping indi- viduals with their personal needs, as well as day-to-day assistance. Such care may include help with dressing, grooming, cooking and other activities. 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