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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-08-14, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, August 14, 1991 Publisher: Jim Beckett News Editor: Adrian Harte Business Manager: Don Smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord CiigA Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 $UBSCRIPTIQN RATES: CANADA Wlthin•40 miles (65 km.) addressed to non letter carrier addresses $30.00 plus $2.10 0.5.T. Outlsds 40 miles (65 km.) or any letter carrier address $30.00 plus 530.00 postage (total $60.00) plus $4.20 G.B.T. • Outside Canada $68.00 I "Men are never so likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macauley PubMNled Each Wedaeeday Mails at 424 Main It., Exeter, Ontario, �1:6i J.W.Eedy Pubiloador s Ltd. 3231 • LILT.2R10ti210S$1 I DI'lORIAL Don't pay without a say f you have been following the ongoing saga of Exeter coun- cil's war against the overhaul of Ontario's policing policy, you may have found it, at times, more than a lit- tle confusing. Perhaps, in a misguided attempt to set the matter straight, it might be worth- while to set out the problem as it has evolved thus far. The crux of the matter is nearly the same thing that got the American colo- nials so riled up two centuries ago: tax- ation without representation. The Town of Exeter provides its own mu- nicipal police force, maintained be- cause it is believed a small force better serves the specific needs of the town. Town ratepayers pay for police service virtually directly. There is a provincial grant, which is said to subsidize polic- ing costs, but the province has occa- sionally denied it has any direct rela- tionship to policing. The town administers the police pro- gram and its costs through the police committee, appointed by council. So far, so good. However, the province, under legisla- tion introduced during the Peterson era, has decided to replace local police committees with police services boards. The difference is only one or retired police officers. There are those who argue it is time to unify Ontario's policing under a com- mon policy to meet common standards, but Exeter council is worrying the con- trolling vote on police boards may be more pro -police or pro -province, than pro -taxpayer. It could provoke a situation similar to the recent Fire Department fiasco when the province declared all firefighters must have form -fitted bunker suits with- in the next few years. While the $1,000 suits were considered investments for professional full-time firefighters in cit- ies, no one gave a second thought to the cost to small-town volunteer depart- ments. The province was able to spend municipal funds at no expense to them- selves. And so, Exeter council argues if the province wants control of policing, they can have it, so long as they are willing to pay for it. But they should not be al- lowed to spend Exeter's tax dollars di- rectly. That, at least, is how council sees it. The latest volley in this discharge is now council's attempt to dare the prov- ince to reject their idea of a police board: the three council members froth the original committee. Will the prov- ince have the nerve to come up with more politically suitable candidates? Or :will they back down to council this time? David and Goliath. You wish them some luck with this one. two members of the board would be council members, the rest are to be se g lected from the community. That may not sound so bad, except detractors argue the appointments would be open to government party faithful, judges, or A.D.H. Hansel and Greta! and Alexander, Part ll, By the Brothers Grimm with Peter Hesse! The columnist and his wife sat in the front seat of the old Tem- po, while Hansel and Gretel and Alexander were huddling in the back. Deeper and deeper they went into the forest, until they arrived.at Camp Arrowhead. Here thy abandoned the chil- dren again. Hansel and Gretel were afraid, but Alex said: "Don't worry! We'll be home in no time." When the moon came up, they started looking for the bread crumbs, but they didn't find a single piece. The birds of the forest had picked them all. Alex said: "We'll find our way with- out the bread crumbs," but they didn't. They walked and walked, all night and all the next day from morning till evening, and they still didn't find their way out of Camp Arrowhead. They were very hungry because they had eaten nothing except a few wild blueberries. They were so tired that they couldn't walk any more. They laid down under a big pine tree and fell asleep. When they woke up, it was the third morning since they had left their parents' house. They walked again, but they just got deeper and deeper into the en- chanted forest. They knew that without help they would be doomed. At noon they saw a little white bird sitting on a branch, singing so beautifully that they stood and listened. When the bird stopped singing, it spread out its wings and flew ahead of them. They fo)lowed the bird until they came to a little cabin with a sign that said "Office". The bird flew up to the roof of the cabin. When the children came closer, they saw that the entire cabin was made of assorted chocolate bars and candy. (conclusion) Hansel said: "Let's try if we can eat some of this," and he broke a piece of peanut brittle from the wall. It tasted good. Alex and Gretel tried some Reese's Pieces, licorice and oth- er junk food. Suddenly they Peter's Point • Peter Hessel heard a voice from inside: "Nibble, nibble, mousey, Who's nibbling at my hous- ey?" The children answered: The wind, the wind, It's only the wind. They kept eating because they were so hungry. But the door opened, and a very old women came hobbling out. She was at least 40 years old. The children were scared. They dropped the candy they were holding. But the old wom- an seemed very friendly. She laughed and said: "Welcome to Camp Arrowhead! Come and join the fun!" Then she handed them over to a bunch of coun- sellors who grabbed them and took them all to different cabins, where they met other abandoned children. They were all served plenty of food. Then they played tennis, and after that they went for a swim in the lake. They also did boating and sail- ing and waterskiing and arch- ery. In the evening they sang campfire songs. Meanwhile the columnist and his wife, who were spending an adult holiday in exotic far -away places, worried about Hansel 'and Gretel and Alex. Every •Ief once mu . tonna atmf4wa. ,el ,018r M/KKIT.bl"'pat fpm•'. i:i,.$,;txn.. "I'm, the new pian — when d� we go on strike?" The bikie's tan I was working on my tan this weekend, my bikie tan. Bikies are not to be confused with bi- kers. Bikers ride Harleys, belch smoke and fire, then start their engines and ride away. Bikies get the diminuitive because their machines do not have engines. As for the tan, it is similar to what we call a farmer's tan. There are the same bumt arms and white shoulders from wear- ing the short -sleeved shirt. The upper face is also pale, not from the brim of a John Deere hat, but from wearing shades and a hel- met. The bikie, however, gets tanned legs between the knees and the ankles: what the shorts and socks don't cover. The best tell-tale marks are the dark ovals on the backs of the hands - the result of bicycle gloves. night the father said: "Maybe we Of course, I was out with the shouldn't have abandoned our 288 people who entered the poor children in the middle of Multiple Sclerosis 150 kilometre the forest. What if they get ride from Grand Bend to Lon - homesick?" And the mother don and back, making good on wondered: "Will they ever for- the pledges of my sponsors. give us?" And like last year's Brampton - The parents sent many letters Guelph ride, I loved just about and picture postcards to the coil every minute of it. Saturday's �-mon seemed almost dren in the forest, hoping�iia� easy, and the MS people provid- Canada Post could perform mir- acles. And since this is a fairy tale, the mail actually did arrive. Finally the father could stand it no longer. He telephoned the old woman who lived in the candy cabin and asked her whether his poor children had survived. The woman said: "Hang on!" and let him talk to his eldest son. "How are you doing, Alex?" the father asked, suppressing his tears. "I've missed you, and I'm looking forward to seeing you again this Saturday." "Dad, can we all stay for an- other two weeks? This place is awesome! We don't warn..1010 home on Saturday." • Then the father and mother talked with Hansel and Gretel. They cried: "We don't want to leave here yet. Can we stay for the whole summer? Please?" Enough is enough. As soon as the parents came home from their holiday, they picked the children up. The children didn't want to leave the enchanted for- est, but they had to. At home, they all had to have showers whether they needed them or not, and the washing machine didn't stop running for two days. And then they all lived happily ever after. Since fairy tales are not like fables, they don't have to have a moral. And Peter doesn't really have to make a point if he doesn't want to. The End. 4' ed a massage team to loosen lip the muscles of their riders. I in- dulged, aware that my ankles and calves seemed a bit tighter than I would have liked. It didn't help, I suppose, when I left for the wedding of Cheryl Clarke, former T -A reporter, that evening. Yes, Cheryl is now Mrs. Cheryl Cowan, be - Hold that thought... By Adrian Harte lieve it or not. This did mean I had to miss much of the pro- gram the sponsors provided for the ride participants. Needless to say, getting back into the saddle the next morning was a little harder than it should have been, but I soon loosened up, glad it was nbt raining and glad of the very smooth county roads we have in this part of the province. Sunday's pace was slower than the day before, mostly due to the relentless headwind we faced, but I still managed to finish in a respecta- ble time. In fact, Ispent�ttie I 32 kilometres in near euphoria as part of a three -bike pace line. One of the guys was reading his heart rate off a monitor on his handlebar, providing a some- what scary idea of what we were doing to ourselves on the hills. But it wasn't a race, and even those we passed weren't all that far behind when all was said and done. And yes, it was great to be part of an event that joined people of all ages together to raise $100,000 to fight this mysteri- ous disease. I say mysterious, because even though Multiple Sclerosis affects about 50,000 Canadians, no one knows its cause. What is understood is that it affects more women than men, and is more common in colder climates, making Canada a high risk country. However, I might point out I discovered that out of nearly 300 riders, I was one of only three or four from this immedi- ate area. Most participants seemed to come from Sarnia, al- though others came from much further afield. But hey, with such a well -organized event on our doorstep, I admit I expected to see a few more familiar faces. I promise you that 150 kilome- tr,da s in two y is not as hard as est it sounds. If you're reasonably fit and your bike works, you really can do it. According to organizers, the Grand Bend ride will be back next year and I hope we will see some more lo- cal interest in it. Letters to Editor New award for students Dear Editor. The Lake Huron Zone Recrca- tionists Association (LHZRA) is an organization comprised of Rec- reation professionals in Huron, perth, Grey, Bruce and Wellington counties. The Zone members meet on a monthly basis for profession- al development are also active in providing training opportunities for pool and playground staff, summer program co-ordinators and volunteers. The LHZRA has also developed an annual award to recognize a student enrolled in post secondary To the Exeter Lodge of the Odd - fellows and Rebekahs, This year 1 had the privilege of representing South Huron District High School at your public spwk- ing contest at the high school lev- el. I succeeded at winning the con- test with a trip to New York City for the pilgrimage for youth hand- ed to me. Ierecently completed that trip and I am now evaluating that trip publicly. The United Nations Pilgrimage for Youth trip 1 attend- ed was the best experience I have ever encountered in my entire life. And I believe no a could ever top this one. saw a lot of sites in a lot of different states, and education in a recreation related field. Applicants for the student award must be residents of the Lake Huron Zone and have com- pleted one full year of College or two full years of Uni- versity and are presently pursuing their diploma/ degree in the field of recreation. Students malting ap- plication should also demonstrate their commitment to the recreation profession by adequate academic Open letter learned about the two governments. The people I met on this trip were not only peo- ple, but friends which Nos- quitesomed into a family. I made111) a number of friends on this trip Bern Canada, the United States and Sweden. 1 thor- oughly enjoyed myself and al- though it was very sad to s� every- one go at the end, there was a talk of a reunion. I would recommend this trip to any teenager who wants to meet life lasting friendship like I did and standing, community service/ volunteer work and part time em- ployment in the recreation field. The successful applicant will re- ceive an award of $300.00 and a full year membership to the LHZRA. Application deadline is October 15, 1991. For application forms and infor- mation on the LHZRA Student Award, please contact: Lynne Farquhar Recreation Director South Huron Recreation Centre 93 Victoria Street Exeter, Ontario NOM I S 1 235-2833 have loads of fun. Although I came in second place in the semi-finals, I enjoyed myself and welcome the opportunity again. am happy to report that out of 142 delegates from Canada, the United States and Sweden, 48 were Canadian and for the speech com- petition finals, 7 out of 12 finalists were Canadian which then left Canada witll the best male speaker position for 1991. Again I thankyou for this trip. It was well worth the effort, the time and the money. God bless Robert Mizzi