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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-08-28, Page 4Page 4 Times -Advocate, August 28, 1991 OEM Publisher Jim Beckett News Editor: Adrian Harte Business Manager: Don smith Composition Manager: Deb Lord Second Class Mail Registration Number 0386 SUBSCRIPTION ATES: CANADA Within 40 miles (85 km.) addrassad to non letter osnler addresses $30.00 piss 82.10 CULT. outbid, 40 mitis (85 km.) or any latter carder address $30.00 plus $30.00 postage (total $80.00) piss $4.20 0.5.T. Outside Cansda $88.00 • • inion "Men are never so Likely to settle a question rightly as when they discuss it freely." ... Thomas Macauley Published Eaes Wednesday Month% at 424 Main St., Exeter, Ontario, NQI11181 by J.W. Esdy Publications Ltd. T,l.plrone 1-51-238-1331 e.e.T. anio8a10831 Beach clean up a long haul When Grand Bend's beach was briefly posted as being unsafe for swimming last year, it was seen as a tragedy all round. In addition to a mistaken public per- ception that the village's beach front had somehow disappeared or been fenced off, the impression that what was left was polluted was less than helpful. And yet beaches all around the prov- ince are closed every year. A lot of ex- cuses are made as to what causes bacte- ria levels to reach unhealthy levels. Some say it's the rain, others say it's the hot sun. But in order for bacteria to multiply, they have to come from somewhere. Identified causes include faulty agricul- tural handling of manure or milkhouse wastes, but also the fact that many rural septic systems are overloaded. It happens all the time. A cottage that served well as a weekend summer re- treat suddenly becomes a year-round retirement residence, despite zoning regulations. But the owner, blissfully unaware of what is going on under the lawn, has not considered that the septic tank or tile is getting many, many times the amount of waste it was designed for. Thankfully, the Clean Up Rural Beach- es (CURB) program will be taking aim at abuses of the lakeshore soils. And the $6 million will not just be spent on stud- ies and inspections to be carried out by civil servants, it will make its way into bricks and mortar solutions. Farmers will get fences to keep cattle out of riv- ers and ditches, milkhouse washwater disposal systems, and cottagers will get improvements to private sewage sys- tems. Of course, there will be some stum- bling blocks. Education is going to be a hard part of it all. Many will still con- tinue to believe that closed beaches are due to dirty beaches. Some farmers will still believe that cattle ought to wade in rivers, and some cottage owners will still not realize they do not have munici- pal sewage services. However, people are more likely to lis- ten when someone is willing to help pay for the solution to their problems. After Labour Day (This is an excerpt from my book, Fathering, Mothering and Kidding: pub.. by Kichesippi Books, 1990). For a long time now I've been postponing things till after La- bour Day. "When are you going to repair that broken chair in the dining room? Elizabeth asked. "After Labour day." "When are we going to get the first draft of that promised arti- cle?" "After Labour day." that's the way it went all during the lazy days of summer. I can't believe that it's August, and Labour Day is upon us, catching up with me. Back in May and June 1 thought there was plenty of time. but I should have known that July and August always pass with in- creasable speed. Something happens to the earths orbit around the sun in mid -summer. Something speeds it up, hurls the planet though space at an increased ve- locity just when we want to slow down a little, enjoy the warm weather, relax in the pool or on the beach. And now it's all over. The kids look like somebody else's chil- dren because they're in com- pletely new outfits. Stephanie has a new hairdo. The first ma- ples are tuming red, and it's dark when 1 get up in the mom- ing. What am 1 going to do? La- bour Day is upon us, and I'm not ready. I'm in a panic. What's so special about La- bour Day anyway? Why do peo- ple expect results so soon after the summer doldrums? Give me a break! When I said -Peter's Point • Peter 'barrel "after Labour Day", 1 don't mean that I would literally have everything ready by 8 a.m. on the first Tuesday in September. "After Labour Day " should be interpreted more flexibly. Strictly speaking, Christmas comes after Labour Day, and so does next Easter. What I mean when I said "af- ter Labour Day" was that some- times between this Labour Day and the next I'd give serious consideration to all sons of tasks and chores and obliga- tions. Who am 1? superman? I only have two hands. i know these jobs have to be done. 1 know they're urgent. 1 know that somebody could get hurt if the chair collapses. Yes, 1 would feel terribly embar- rassed. Especially if it hap- pened to someone in Elizabeth's family. Yes I know the first draft is overdue and if it isn't ready by next Monday, the earth Pesky pioneers 'There was a factory, Now there are mountains and rivers. ...We caught a rattlesnake, Now we've got something for dinner. ...There was a shopping mall, Now it's all covered with flow- ers. If this is paradise pt I wish I had a lawnmower. ...This used to be real estate, l Now it's only fields and trees. Where, where is the town? Now it's nothing but flowers." Talking Heads will shake. And yes, I know were going to be stranded in the middle of nowhere some day unless I spend $250 immediate- ly for getting the brakes fixed on Tempo II. I told you I'd look after it. Labour Day - what a farce! Who dreamed up that name, I wonder? What's labour got to do with it? Then next few weeks are still part of summer, you know. Fall doesn't start till the 21st, 22nd or 23rd of September (I never know which). . Chances are the last thing you'll be thinking of on Labour Day is labour -- unless you're having a baby. 1 just want to lie in a lounge chair, soak up the sun and watch the clouds go by. I want to lis- ten to the waves and the rustling of the leaves, and the cry of the gulls. Every Labour Day I feel cheated. Why do we Canadians have such short vacations? In most Western countries, people get an average of five or six weeks paid holidays. I should have become a teacher. At any rate, I'm not ready for a, hectic pace. - - -- So don't remind me of what of what I said weeks ago about "af- ter Labour day"! I don't need your reminders. Don't worry, I'm going to do all the things people expect of me. Maybe soon. Maybe next week. Maybe after Thanksgiv- ing. Maybe after Hallowe'en. Maybe after next Labour Day. • HAVE AN OPINION? The Times Advocate welcomes letters to the editor. They must be signed and should be accompanied by a telephone number and address should we need to clarify any information. The newspaper also reserves the right to edit fetters. Letters can be dropped off at the Times Advocate Office or mailed to: Exeter Times Advocate • Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 136 The citizens of Exeter should be proud that something will fi- nally be done about that nasty nature -infested eyesore that blots the middle of the town. MacNaughton Park has obvi- ously been allowed to run wild for far too long. And now that the ABCA and the Lions Club have joined forces to correct all such blemishes, the park will be brought under control. They tell us there will be grav- el walkways running all through the park, so we can take this to mean that Exeter's pampered feet will no longer have to walk on unsanitary common grass. The Lions Club point out that getting rid of all that grass will cut down on grass cutting, as- suming it is much more fun to use manicure scissors on flower- ing shrubs. But one wonders I why they just don't go for the ul- timate solution: astroturf. No Hold that thought... By Adrian Harte cutting at all and it could be hosed off with a pressure washer twice a year. The trees, we hear, will be carefully inspected for member- ship in the park. Those that re- main will be sponsored and have brass plaques proudly nailed into their trunks. Ordinary trees 'need not apply. And there will be parking. Af- ter all it is a "park". It will be an ideal place to drive to for a de- cent walk. If there is a fly in the ointment for this scheme to tum the unru- ly park Into a quasi -botanical garden, itis the house. The house is an example of poor planning. Obviously those Letter to Editor who decided to build a home be- side a mill in 1860 or so should have thought ahead. Could they not appreciate the river would someday no longer be a place to saw wood and grind grain? Could they not see it was bound to become a park and the house might be the one surviving link to those pioneer's attempts to tame the Ausable River? And while they were at it, should they not have built it with low maintenance vinyl siding and fake corinthian columns - know- ing it might eventually be a good spot for a museum? These pesky pioneers evident- ly had little vision for the future and we future generations may have little choice but to obliter- ate all memory of them from the face of the earth - as a sort of be- lated punishment I suppose. There are those who say this is not the way it should be. They claim the pioneers.of this place stalled Exeter did not have crys- tal balls and were actually more concerned with subsistence and survival than landscaping and architecture. Obviously this is an extreme view, shared only by a handful of left-wing extremists. Who would pay any attention to them? A special person Dear Editor. Exeter is the poorer after t "ire cent passing of Marion F101QiW.8. wonderful woman who episOmised the best in our society. She was a winner afi'rieter's "Citizen of the Year" award, a hard worker for her church and the town. She was the guiding light of a Young People's discussion group where the youthful members dis- cussed matters of note and heard ving speakers with g backgrounds. Of course her example and in- spiration affected many lives, as peo- ple, now older, can testify. Marion had a long and fruitful Letter to Editor life. As a professional nurse she su- pervised nurses in a large hospital. Once in Exeter she raised a good family and was a credit to her background. Every now and then somebody special comes along. Marion was "special" and I shall miss her. Yours truly, Gibby J.M. Gibson World Vision Canada To the Editor: While starvation and natural disaster afflict millions of people worldwide, residents of Exeter have helped show that Canadian generosity is not running dry. In 1991 tragedies ranging from the Gulf War to a volcano in the Phi have drawn heavily on c table giving. People have be- gun to talk about donor fatigue, and wonder whether Canadians can really make a difference. Bangladesh, one of the world's most impoverished nations, suf- fered the most lethal storm of the decade. It killed over 125,000 peo- 4 pie. Canadian -funded shelters saved thousands from the cyclone. Food and medical sup- plies sustained ill survivors in the chaos after the winds died away. 1 am glad to re- port that 11 Ban- gladesh children, supported through World Vision Canada by sponsors in the vicinity of Eimer, have survived the recent tragedy. The monthly donations provide food, clothing, education and medicine for the children, as well as helping their comm mite s become self-supporting. Without this help these communities would have been i11 -prepared for the cy- clone and the casualties in Bangla- desh would have been much high- er. At a time when Canadian gene- rosity has been tested, I wish to commend the people in your com- munity who have been shown will is stiU in good supply, by ing ensure a future for children in angladesh. Yours truly, Dort Scott President World Vision Canada 1