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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-08-18, Page 29Wedne qday, Aullust 18, 1999 LtICd1 Community Centro ,Bingo Wed. Aug. 18 Bingo sus 7:30 p.m. Rapier Game $3200 Eiackpot Game 57 calls or less New aogrem, bigger ams Total prizes $3000 Due to the licence moons, no one under 18 Mooed to play Licence *597495 Exeter Cleaning Center C.1I? 114511 Your • to Centre Car Clare Welk* • Gift Certificates Phone Cathy 235.4116 • Touch Free Automatic with Auto Cashier Hours: 5 a.m.• mkihight. • 4 11,Wash Bays and Vhcuums Open 24 hrs. OA GO GLOBAL - by hosting an international exchange stu- dent. Youth For Understanding is looking for volunteer Host Families for high school students from 13 countries. They will be airiving in August and staying until July 2000. Hosting families are actively involved in selecting the stu- dent who will be living with them. Becoming a host family provides both the student and the family with new cultural experiences and friendships that last a lifetime! Please call, the YFU office at 1 -800 -'TEENAGE. (32-34•) FLAN TO ATTEND THE HURON BRUCE -BRUCE GREY FAMILY COALITION PARTY - annual picnic on Sunday, September 5 at the Chepstow Lion's Park from 12 noon to 4 pm. Everyone is welcome. Good food, good friends, good times. For more information call Linda Freiburg+er, 881-0549. (33;34x) THE LAST -PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - All inclusive bus trip - September 1st.- $110.00 - Terrific Centre Section Balcony Seats - 2 Meals! - (519)881-1953 Joe/Diane Rys (33x) THANk \ 0L 4 1 HAN IK Y"0L On behalf of the Exeter Rodeo Committee '99 and the South Huron Recreation Centre staff, we would like to- gess our sincere thanks to the :following financial sponsors for contributing to a successful weekend of Dodge Truck Rodeo in Exeter. GOLD BUCKLE SPONSORS • Exeter Chrysler Jeep • Scotiabank & Trust • Uich Trailers • Huron Apothecary • Royal Bank . • DT Industries Andex Metal Products • Granton Trailers • Headin' West SILVER BUCKLE SPONSORS • Dave Moore Fuels • Murphy's Pub & Eatery • Dalton Finkbeiner • Canadian Tine • Northlander Industries Mobile Housing • Stedrnans V&S Department Store • Snow -Con Excavating • Doug Geoffrey Construction • Darlings Foodland • Bakelaar Jewellers • MacLean Home Hardware • JMR Electric Ltd • Cbarterways • Anstett Jewellers • Town of Exeter • Stratford Memorials • MTS Feeds • Clinton Community Credit Union • Headin' West Oust • Exeter Lioness Club • Kentpal • Hensall Co-op • Stephen Printing • McDonald's Restaurants • Haugh Tire • Mike's Signs • Gary Bean Investments • Smith -Peat Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd. • Almar Grain Systems & Vinyl Products • Huron Tractor • Albeck Construction BRONZE DI JCKLJ SPONSQRS • George Godbolt Insurance • Pineddge BBQ Company • Becker Farm Equipment • Shoppers Drug Mart • Becker Power & Leisure • Seip's valu-mart • Pinder, Taylor, McNeilly & Godkin CA • Headin' Vit • Dinneys Fine Furniture • McCann Redi-Mix • Keller Roofing • Admiral Inc. • Exi-Plast AideSpecial thanks to all the spectators who came to the Rodeo and for supporting our vendors. We couldn't have done it Without yowl 29 Announcements Thckermith Communications celebrates 90 years By Cog Brei TIMES -ADVOCATE S'TAF'F the company. "It's a co-op our cus- tomers are owners and KIPPEN -- For its members," Chuter said. employees and directors, TCC is one of seven co - TCC stands for TLC. op telephone companies The TCC actually stands in the region, including kninTuckersmith Hay Communications Co- unications Co-oper: operative Ltd. based in ative Ltd. which celebrat- Zurich, and one of 28 ed its 90th anniversary on independent phone com- Saturday with a celebra- paries in Ontario. tion for its telephone and Chuter said Bell Canada Internet customers at its for many years tried to Kippen headquarters on bpy up all small phone Saturday. companies it came across TCC general manager but `Ma Bell' is now Sharon Chuter, with the focussing on its city cus- company for 26 years, tomer base. said the first 90 years is "We don't see any other just a beginning for TCC. threats at this time," she "We plan to be around said. "I think the rural for another 90 years," she areas will stick to said with a smile. providers already there." TCC services 3,000 tele- TCC recently upgraded phone customers in a 150 its services to include call sq. mile area that display and visual call includes the former Big waiting and other t\ele- `0' location on Hwy. 21 phone optiQns. Chuter north of Bayfield to said TCC will expand its Vanastra at Hwy. _4 and . Internet services as the area surrounding demand warrants. Seaforth. The area also Giving their customers takes in Stanley and their best everyday is the Tuckersmith townships main goal of the TCC and areas outside Hensall staff. and Clinton. "We try to offer top TCC also services quality customer service 12,000 Internet cus- to our members," Chuter tourers, half of which live said. outside-TCC's telephone . Chuter hasn't been the service area. only TCC gmployee.. to The company accom- stick with the compan. plishes all it does with Murray McKenzie retired only seven employees and in '97 after 45 years with six directors. TCC as an When asked how TCC installer/repairman. compares to large tele- TCC employees know phone service providers about safety, too. This like Bell Canada, Chuter year the company was said TCC sizes up just fine awarded the Electrical and offers similar high and Utilities Safety quality services. Association's top award "We feel we can give for nocompensable good and quick service," injuries for companies she said. with zero to 15,000 One important differ- employee hours. TCC has ence between TCC and received the award six huge companies like Bell times since 1990. is that TCC is a co-opera- tive, meaning its cus- tomers have a stake in Some TCC history TCC was established in 1909 as the Tuckersmith Municipal Telephone System and operated to the townships of Tuckersmith, Stanley, Osborne, Hallett, Hibbert, McKillop and Ilay. It pur- chased the Bayfield sys- tem in 1928. Its name comes from.Tuckersmith Township council agree- ing to assume the finan- cial responsibility of the venture. TCC started out with 30 tons of wire, 4,000 poles and 264 subscribers on 110 miles of lines. Yearly service cost in • 1909 was $11.87. It stayed the same till the Railway Board was requested to increase the rate to $15. in 1929. The first major crisis of the system happened in 1922 when a severe sleet storm damaged lines leaving parts of the sys- tem without service for months. This prompted council to ask the compa- ny at that year's tele- phone system annual meeting if it could invest in underground cable opposed to overhead wires. Tuckersmith became the first munici- pal system to install underground cable. In 1933, the telephone system was transferred from the township council to a three-member board. The number was later increased to five commis- sioners. A new digital switching system was installed in the Bayfield Central office on Aug. 8, 1987, modern- izing and expanding tele- phone service in the area. Three remote stations were installed after the Bayfield, Clinton, Seaforth and Hensall cutovers in '87-88 for $1.5 million. The upgrade enabled the system to offer a variety of new calling features. The company became a co-operative and received its current name on Nov. 2, 1994, after all Canadian independent telephonecompanies came under the regulato- ry jurisdiction of the Canadian Radio -television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) as part of the federal Telecommunications Act. Under the act, all inde- pendents had to become corporations. The transi- tion to a co-operative was deemed by Tuckersmith council, the commission and through public input to be the best - way to go from provincial to federal regulation. TCC then adopted its six director governing system. TCC introduced Internet services in April, 1996.:` TCC has had several home bases over the years. From 1941-64, it was at the home of J.K. Cornish, the secretary - treasurer at the time. In 1964, Mel Graham became secretary -trea- surer and the office was moved to his home at RR1 Brucefield. The office moved again in 1984 to the new Stanley Township complex near Varna., In 1993, the office settled at its current site in. Kippen. TCC's board is made up of: chairperson .Robert Fotheringham, vice -chair- person Doug McAsh and directors Ross McBeath, Tony Hutchings, Don Lindsay and' Gilbert Vansteelandt. Its employees are: Chuter, inside plant man- ager Ken Steckle, outside plant manager Rob V a n A a k e n, installer/repairman . Ben. Rathwell and customer service reps Linda Middegaal, Gail Turner and Paula W 'oar t Safety first. Electrical and Utilities Safety Association safety consultant Bill Hunt, left, hands Tuckersmith Communications Co-operative employee RobVanAaken a plaque recognizing TCC having the best employee safety record among its members with zero to 15,000 employee hours.TCC had no compensable injuries at all in '98. Beside Chuter are other TCC employees Ben Rathwell, Ken Steckle, Sharon Chuten, Gail Turner and Linda Middegaal.Absent is Paula Watson. Hunt handed over the plaque to TCC employees at tree company's 90th anniversary celebration for lt; phone and Internet customers atthe TCC headquarters in Kippen Saturday afternoon. ,.:4 .