Times Advocate, 1992-07-15, Page 381
Page 24
Times Advocate
REFLECTIONS
Harold Cudmore contemplates about Usborne
hen Harold Cud -
more first started
his wrecking yard business
in Usborne Township in the
1950s, most of his custom-
ers were young men.
"The young lads were our
clientele. Father, he maybe
had enough money to buy a
new car, but for the young
lad a second hand car was
as best as he could do.
"As time went on it all
changed. The young lads
bought the new cars and fa-
ther had the older car," Har-
old said recently.
But more than just the
age of the customer has
changed since Harold
bought his first three cars at
an auction at Arva in 1952.
"Now when the phone
rings half of the calls arc
ladies looking for parts.
When we started back then
it was a man's world."
Before 1952 Harold's
main business was drawing
gravel from a pit on his
property. But it only pro-
vided seasonal income
from May until frost in the
fall.
At the suggestion of a
fnend, he decided to fill the
gap by starting his own
wrecking yard. The first
time cars he bought were
a Model A, a 1935 Oldsmo-
bile and a 1926 Page.
His interest m older cars
wasn't shared by fellow Ca-
nadians.
"I had a 1939 Ford coup
in real good shape, -but -no
Canadian was interested in
buying it. I sold it and it
went across the border."
But attitudes changed
with Canada's Centennial
in 1967.
"After 1967 all the old
junk became antiques -
dishes, lamps, tools, cars.
Before that there was very
little interest in antique
cars.".
Harold said the interest
now seems to be increasing
each year. He regularly re-
ceives calls from Windsor
to Toronto and has sold
parts to South America and
Europe.
One exchange student
from Switzerland recently
returned -hone with a 1953
Ford sun visor and front
bumper for. a half ton truck
from Cudmore's yard.
And the auto wrecking
business has brought some
strange customers to his
yard.
On one occasion two men
drove in. Neither was wear-
ing any clothes and they
had a shotgun in the back
seat.
"I didn't have anything
they wanted," said Harold.
Besides selling autoparts,
Harold has restored several
older cards, including a
1914 Saxton and a 1938
Hudson, which he hopes to
have in Homecoming
Weekend parade on July
25.
After 40 years in the
business, Harold Cudmore
can sec it coming to an end.
"Wrecking yards as we
have here, you will see the
finish of them. There won't
be any.
The killer for the yards is
the new computer technolo-
Reflections by Myrtle Willis
yrtle Willis lived on
a farm in Stephen
Township and moved to
Elimville as a child. She
enjoyed living in Elmville
because of all the children
there. She also recalls hap-
py days spent on a baseball
diamond in the back yard.
where the adults would join
m as time permitted.
After her marriage to
Willis they moved back to
Stephen but crossed the
border again when they
bought the farm in 1940
where she lives today. She
and her husband looked at
several farms but liked this
one because they had
young children and the
school was just down the
road. D -Day had a special
significance to the Willis
family as that was the day
the water was turned on in
the barn! She said she real-
ly liked Usborne because
everyone was so friendly
and the people you were
friends with years ago still
keep in touch.
"Friends from
years ago still
keep in touch"
Other memories from the
war years included that of a
man from England who had
a family here and was
afraid he might get called
bock to the war. "Everyone
back then was interested in
the war''. She also said that
there was a great deal of
tension between the Ger-
man and the Englishmen
that resided in the area
about theirdoyalties to their
homeland. The first car she
Congratulations
to
'Usborne 'Toumship
on your
Sesquicentennial '92
Hamilton's
A
w.,
Machine Shop "4
281 Thames Road W. Aw
tisetar 2854055
d
_A A A A -
remembers seeing in the
area was owned by Mr.
Midds of Winchelsea. She
remembers going out and
looking at it, and says, "it
was a real novelty at the
time."
Mr. Willis' grandparents,
James and Jane Willis,
were the first white settlers
of Exeter. They were mar-
ried in the church of Ireland
Cathedral (Anglican) in
Anna. Ireland in 1832.
That same year they moved
to Canada. James left Jane
in London, walked to Exet-
er and built the first log
house. Recently Mrs. Willis
daughter travelled to Ire-
land; the land of her roots.
A long-time resident of
Usborne Township, Myrtle
Willis cites the economic
changes as among the most
dramatic over her life time
However, of most concern
ongratulatlo
to
Usborne Township
on your
Sesquicentennial
KIRKTON
VETERINARY
CLINIC
Kirkton, Ontario
___AMAIN__...
to her today are the morals
of the citizens of this coun-
try. Perhaps it is not eco-
nomic changes but the ab-
sence of community or
commonly held values that
will be the downfall of our
nation.
gy and sensors built into
automobiles.
"Unless you have
5100,000 to buy the testing
equipment like a big gar-
age, how are you going to
know what you are selling?
"The average -guy can't
come m and get a sensor
and put it on his car."
Creation in 1946
Conservation Authority
sborne Township was one of the founding mu-
nicipalities of the Ausable Bayfield Conserva-
tion Authority which was created in 1946. The. Authori-
ty serves 32 different municipalities with the office
right here in Usborne Township. In the 40 years in
which the Authonty has been open they have worked
with just about everyone in one way or another in Us -
borne Township.
The last 150 years in Usborne Town-
ship have seen many things change in
the field of agriculture. Farm-
ers - have gone from using
oxen and horses to using high
solos 1 tech farm machinery. The
Authority works with the •
Huron Soil and Water Conservation and rents out ma-
chinery to land owners to try on their land. Using this
machinery is much more gentle on the earth.
Continued on page 25
Congratulations
Qlsborne
Township
'150 dears
//
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