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Times Advocate, 1992-07-15, Page 40Page 26 Times Advocate REFLECTION'S Memories by the Strangs Fil enr y Harvey Gra- ham -Strang, known to most Usborne residents as Harry, is the third gener- anon of Strangs to farm in Usborne Township. He and his wife. Marga- ret, shared some of their memories on their involve- ment with the Usborne community. Harry became involved in municipal affairs after being approached by Coun- cil in 1947 to become clerk of the township. At that time. this was a position by selecuon rather than apply cauon. Harry's father, Hen- ry Strang, had previously attended to the job for the period of 1923 - 1933. Ar- chie Morgan was clerk for the period between the two Strangs. Under the system at that ume there was a division of duues between the local as- sessor, clerk and tax collec- tor. olle- tor. These tasks may have been performed by one, two or three people depend- ing on the time and inter- ests of the persons involve By 1971, the jobs had been rolled into one full time po salon. with assessments be- ing made from the county level in Godench. Many residents may re- call the days when tax no- uccs were delivered by hand, and then usually paid for at the bank. One collec- tion a year gave way to two, with the first amount being based on a 25 percent increase over the previous year. Following dehbera- _tion of the budget by coun- cil, the second collection would be adjusted accord- ingly. At present, taxes arc collected in four install- ments. The philosophy of the council, Harry rerrtern- bers, was to deal with the problems of the day with the recourses available to thorn. Community plays an important role in their lives Harry's 37 yea man saw the coaminrction of several of Usborne's lamest under- taitiap: Morrison Dam by dm Amiable Ra yfasld Con- ssrvslion Aulrsrity in 1959: the central school in 1964. a project of much de- bate and consternation within the community in part because funds needed to be raised through munic- ipal debentures; m 1973 the Kirkton-Woodham Com- munity Centre in collabora- tion with Blanshard Town- ship: and the new Township office m con- junction with the A.B.C.A. which was officially opened in 1984. Municipal government was strongly affected by Secondary Plans, brought mu) being through the ,County planning depart- ment, with Usborne's being registered on January 10, 1979, after approximately 10 years of study. The adoption of this plan as well as the hiring of a Building Inspector had both good and bad points: a set of regulations brought- sistency for all but created a whole new workload on paper. The clerk's joh was a family affair. as up until the construction of a new of- fice in 1983, duties were conducted out of the clerk's home. "Office hours" were any ume of the day or night and often wife Margaret filled in as Harry carried on with his farming or seed growing enterprise. One of the less pleasant aspects involved the fox bounty, whereby a hunter brought foxes to the clerk, who was required to cut off the ears as proof of capture to the county. Margaret re- calls one chap performing this task for her, receiving his monetary sum and tak- ing his leave. A shoe time later, a knock at thc door announced another fox hunger, requesting his boun- ty. Upon closer examinia- tion, the Strangs found these foxes to be minus ears. It seems that the sec- ond man had found the fox- es abandoned and sought to make an easy "claim". Monthly council meet- ings often lasted into the wee hours of the marring but were cot Soul drudgery as Harry recalls stories of making tea on the stove in the addition of the Town- ship Hall in ElimvWe. One of the traits of a good coun- cil member also sterns to have been to smoke a good cigar. Harry highs. some- times in self-defense if mot The Strangs for the pleasure of it. Margaret, who was raised on a farm near Weston, met Harry while attending On- tario Agricultural College and Macdonald Institute in Guelph. Distance from her family was eased through the community spirit she found through thc Huron - dale community club. Once a month, programs were planned with a guest spoil- er or project on the agenda, and children always brought along. ,A lasting tribute to these pleasant memones exists in the addition on the present Strang home on the former Jackell farm, as the bricks from the Hurordalc School were used in its construc- tion. "Linc" activities, based on the section of road lived on, were also a strong focal point of social needs in the past. Showers for the mar- rying girls, presentations for the marrying men, and simmer picnics arc some of the gatherings still in ex- istence from this network. Before the advent of the snowplow, "lines" also cooperated in clearing the road after a heavy snowfall. The men used a specially constructed sleigh with wood sides on it and their teams of horses to move the snow. Margaret finds that their involvement in the Huron - dale Women's Institute from 1937 to present has provided an opportunity for participation in projects for the well being of the corn- munity as well as for social functions. .Harry and Margaret won- der about this 'ease of com- mtrity in the future as fam- ilies became busier and get scattered due to job place- ment To them, it has played an important role in their lives in Osborne Towmbip. Jennie Bray remembers ennic (Janet) Bray moved to Us - borne from Hibben Township in 1926. As newlyweds, she and her husband John Henry Bray took up residence in his home, which was built in 1906. The house has remained in the family, now home to Robert Bray and family, Jennie's grand- son. Jennie recalls life on the farm as being a busy time. She helped out on their 100 acre farm by milking their eight cows and stooking grain in the fields. A flock of lay- ing hens provided them with grocery. rf�r n - en. in the house, there were daily duties to attend to such as churning butter and mak- ing soap for laundry and dishes. "...just what we needed and no more" Today's farming is much different from seventy years ago. Jennie describes all the steps needed to bring in the crops and re- marks "We had to do all that and now they just go in with a combine and it's all done in one motion". One memory that stands out is of the get-togethers at thc local school. They would play cards and then dance to the music of the violilL The children would always go along. These gatherings were mainly in the winter and only on Friday nights. That way if the merriment hap- pened to carry on to the "wee hours". no one ran the risk of breaking the Sabbath. Mrs. Bray is now 93 years old and liv- ing with her daughter Agnes in Exeter. She remarked that "through the 30's, we had just what we needed and no more. It would be hard for most people to go back and most people wouldn't know how to (it, lot of t. things. They could learn tut today t don't have to so many don't have the inclination to try". As technology has made our lives easier, per- haps we have lost what peo- ple like Jennie Bray have al- ways known, that what we need and what we want are , two differ- ent thongs. Jennie (Janet) Bray COngratildatiOlIS to Usborne Township for 150 years of community spirit CONSTITUENCY OFFICE: Brussels 887-6852 Zenith 31020 Murray Cardiff M.P. Huron Bruce WOODVUE FARMS RR. 1 Woodham - since 1863 - Lorne & Margaret Hern Lynne - Steven = Beth Ann Our Usborne roots are deep. We are proud of our heritage Congratulations "150" ,;�'