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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-09-30, Page 1Assorted Fall Mined Hunches 9" Cash and Carry • COUNTRY FLOWCRS Exeter igg Gainer-Kneale Insurance Service Experience Value 235-2420 Serving South Huron inside oenology Tracing your roots page 5 Official results All categories of Fall Fair pages 8 and 10 Imperials One win away from title Second front Fashions Show raises funds for theatre page 26 eco rx > x: sss v azxs>.., a o Sexual assault under investigation EXETER - Only two hours after being called to investigate an acci- dental shooting, Exeter Police found themselves calling in off- duty officers to investigate a com- plaint of a sexual assault. Police say a 27 -year old female has claimed a man assaulted her in an alley behind Main Street near lames St. in the early hours of Sat- urday morning. The woman has told police she was grabbed and fondled by the man, whom she identified to police. Police said charges are pending, although the mauer and the suspect are still under investigation. Auxiliary canvassing for hospital EXETER - The South Huron Hospital Auxiliary will be going door to door this week for their an- nual Tag Day fundraising canvass. The canvass, which runs Thurs- day, Friday and Saturday, will blan- ket Exeter and surrounding commu- nities. Vera Armstrong will be supervis- ing the campaign in Exeter and Margaret Cook will organize can- vassers in surrounding communi- ties. - Fundraising this year will be helping to pay for new x-ray equip- ment currently being installed at the hospital. Grand Bend residents wishing to contribute to the hospital can make their donations at the Loeb grocery store in the village. North Middlesex & Lambton Since 1873 Wednesday. September 30, 1992 Talk about a lot of klttens....Six year-old Joe Geurts of ()reckon had his hands full Satur day morning at the pet judging contest of the Exeter Fall Fair. More fair photos pages 18 and 19 Septic system failure Lewis says ministry tests proof of pollution or Nippa property By Adrian Harte T -A Editor LUCAN - While the appeal over the closure of the Lucan/Biddulph landfill site is still awaiting its day in court, Cecil Lewis, operator of the site now says he has evidence that Pieter Nippa, a neighbour in- strumental in having the site dosed by court order, is contributing to pollution in the area. Lewis is referring to a Ministry o( the Environment letter sent to Nippa on September 3 that says bacterial contamination of water samples taken from a drainage tilt on the Nippa property exceed ac- ceptable levels. Water samples taken August 21 near the Nippa house, which is on a property adjacent to the closed landfill, and from a drain crossing the driveway, indicate high bacteria levels. E. coli bacteria were found to be as high as 72,000 and 90,00(1 coliforms per 100 ml. of water. "Having a waste of human or ani- mal origin leave your property and enter a water course puts you in di- rect violation of the Environmental Protection Act. This practice must not continue and must be rectified immediately," reads the letter, a copy of which was sent to Biddulph Township council. E. coli bacteria levels in excess of 100 per 100 ml. close lakeshore beaches to swimmers. More than one coliform per 100 ml. is consid- ered unfit for drinking. "We knew this for years but we couldn't get anyone to believe us...it took so long to get the health minis- try to investigate," said Cecil Lew- is, operator of C.H. Lewis Sanita- tion, the contractors who handle several of the local municipal gar- bage collection contracts. Lewis said he hopes this new evi- dence will bring more people to be- lieve that the Nippa's complaints of a ruined environment because of the landfill site have been exagger- ated. Lewis said the landfill was al- ways operated legally and was nev- er found otherwise by the Ministry of the Environment. A London judge in May 1991 ruled in favour of the Nippa's com- plaints about the operation of the dump, citing a "callous disregard for the environment". ordered it closed and that the Nippas receive a 5100,000 settlement. Lewis said the judge never fully looked into the situation before passing judgement and said this new evidence helps prove that_ Continuedon page 3 75 cents 1 Attendance up, midway great Improvements to fair made a difference, says president Gun owner may be charged Youth survives shot in chest from friend EXETER - A I4 -year old Huron Park teenager remains in hospital after being shot in the chest by a friend Friday evening. The shooting was reported to police from South Huron Hospital by a friend of someone present at the time the youths were handling a revolver. Transported to University Hospital in London was Mau Wurm, 14, of Huron Park, in critical condition. The bullet narrowly missed his heart, say police. He was removed from the intensive care unit Monday. Police say they are treating the shooting as an accident rather than intentional at this point in their investigation. "Handling a handgun 1 guess is how you describe it. Playing with it is not the right word. Guns are not play toys," said acting chief Brad Sadler. Charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm is a 15 - year old youth who accompanied his wounded friend to the hospital. Two additional charges were added Monday: pointing a firearm and use of a firearm in a careless manner. He will appear in court Thurs- day. The youth's name cannot be published under provisions of the Young Offender's Act. The Exeter Police sealed off the Main Street address apartment above a closed restaurant and called in the Mount Forest OPP Identi- fication Unit At one point, Sadler said there were as many as seven investigators gathering evidence about the shooting. Seized by the OPP was a .357 calibre revolver, but Sadler said he would not discuss whether the gun was found loaded or unloaded by police as that point has some bearing on the investigation. Sadler did say that the gun was legally registered to an owner and was not reported missing. He said there is the possibility of laying charges against the gun's owner pending further investigations. Handguns are listed as restricted weapons under Canadian law and as such are required to be registered and stored under strict guide- lines. Exeter police have questioned several local youths about the inci- dent, some of whom are believed to have been present at the time. They were also hoping to get a statement from the victim Tuesday afternoon. EXETER - Although exact atten- dance figures arc impossible to tal- ly, officials.of the. 1992 Exeter Fall Fair estimate that the number of visitors to the fair likely topped last year by 200-300 people. "Things went very well," said fair president Wayne Shapton, who credited much of the event's suc- cess to the help of division organiz- ers and volunteers. "We changed a lot of things this year. Part of that was my doing," he added, noting that one of his goais as president was to maximize the fair's use of rented floor space at the South Huron Recreation Cen- i e. Reorganizing the display areas and moving the stage into the arena auditorium improved pedestrian traffic, he said, and met with the approval of the commercial exhibi- tors. Shapton said he was also pleased with the display of antique tractors at the Royal Bank parking lot, aimed he said, at "bringing agricul- ture back into the fair." With larger numbers of urban fairgoers these days, Shapton said it is important to emphasize the agri- cultural heritage of the area and fo- cus on exhibits that feature aspects of rural life urbanites are not often exposed to. Shapton also said another goal was to provide more interest for the more youthful visitor. An enlarged midway, stepdancing competitions and other events were geared to that market. "The midway as far as I'm con- cerned is the best we've had in a long, long time," stated Shapton, adding it appeared popular with visitors, although favourable weath- er did help. "The weather was 'in our favour this year. You know the Exeter Fair: it usually rains at least one day," he said. "On the whole, it was fantastic." Memories on display By Ray Lewis T -A staff EXETER - Fourteen months ago, members of the Exeter's R,E. Poo- ley Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion embarked on a very spacial project. With the help of their comrades and members of the com- munity, Jim Merrylees and Ray Snell engineered the construction of a display case inside the branch. The case, which is situated along the north wall of the building, is a tribute to those who served their country, and a visual reminder to a younger generation. "We've been adding things as they come in," confirmed Merry - lees. "But of course we're still looking for more." Merrylees and Snell crone up with the idea after viewing a simi- lar case in Seafo[th. Since that dine, they have slowly been gather- ing combat memorabilia for the display. Funds for the construction of the cabinet were generously provided from the estate of William McCur- dy, an area farmer who eventually retired to Exeter. The oak cabinet was built by the likes of Keith Brittain and Dalton Finkbeiner and stained by Al Flynn. In addition, several others also had a hand in the construction. Articles of clothing such as boots, hats, coats and full uniforms from both World War 1 and II adorn the cabinet together with photographs and various mementos such as utility belts, masks, shells and part of an airplane propeller. Mementos that also include pic- tures and linters frau veterans of the recant Persian Gulf War, a re- sult of the stroll project the Legion sponsored tl>tougbout arca schools. Although soaring completion, Mstrylea said there are a few spe- cific articles still being sought. "We would really like to create more of a ladies' display," said Marrylees. "We're bopisq it mutt be possible to find something like a nurses uniform." Merrylees agrees many of the ar- ticles for the display are hard to come by, but said there is still a lot of memorabilia out there tucked away in people's attics and garages. Nearly all of the items in the show- case have been donated by mem- bers of the immediate community. which helps the Legion fulfill a sec- ond purpose; to tie both Legion and community together. Alongside the cabinet has also been added a second unit, designed to hold various insignias and badg- es of comrades, more f which arc also being sought. And while the di y is certain to hold many different memories and meanings for different people, perhaps it's Snell who best summed up what it means to him. "This doesn't represent any of us here. It represents the boys who are still over there." the Exeter unveiled a new display case recently, e veterans and their families in the Exeter area. Shown here we: back row, Merrylees and Ray Snell; front row, Lome and Mar: aret Kay of London. 4, *lion members Jim