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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-12-22, Page 88 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday, December 22, 1999 Opinion&Forum Remember when... On June 30 to July 2, 2000, South Huron District High School will celebrate Its 50th Anniversary. The Exeter Times Advocate would like to join in the celebrations by sharing articles or pictures Which have appeared over the years. HI HIGHUGHTS M 1979 - 1986 SH athletes told to believe in themselves "You have to believe in yourself if you expect oth- ers to believe in you. A positive attitude is essential as you move down the road of life". This is one of the things the effervescent and outspoken Wilfrid Laurier University football coach, Tuffy Knight had to say to an audience of nearly 200 South Huron athletes, their coaches and parents At the annual athletic banquet, Tuesday, at, the South Huron Recreation Centre. The West Virginia native has been with the uni- versity for sixteen years and during this time he has led the Hawks to the playoffs in all but two years. For this, he was voted CIAU coach of the year in 1972 and 1979. In the after-dinner presentations of special awards, Ronnalee Bogart captured three awards. A participant in basketball, volleyball and bad- minton, Bogart was named the senior girl athlete of the year. Other nominees included Maja Gans, Jacqui Hyde and Susan McClure. "For outstanding achievement and contribution to athletics at South Huron throughout high school by a graduating student", Bogart was presented with the Panther Award. The other candidate was Matt McClure. Dave Woodward, a grade thirteen student and starting guard for this year's senior team, was the recipient of the Mike Prendergast Memorial Award. The award was instituted in memory of former player Mike Prendergast and is presented to the graduating basketball player who has demonstrated determination and ability on the court and in the classroom. Matt McClure was named senior boy athlete of the year for his achievement in cross country and track and field. "For his literary contribution to the -South Huron athletic program", writing and photograph- ing high school sports for the Times -Advocate, McClure was given a special award. Derek Hippern and Leslie Hunter-Duvar were named as the junior boy and junior girl athletes of the year. Hippem led this year's junior basketball team to a 7-3 regular season record and was an OFSAA regional participant in the javelin and shot put. Hunter-Duvar paired with John McAllister to reach the OFSAA level in badminton. As well, she was a member of the senior basketball and volley- ball teams, despite being of junior age. Susan McClure and George Tomes will represent South Huron at the Ontario Athletic Leadership Camp this summer at Bork Lake, near Orillia. Dave Hayter was named most valuable player for the junior football team. Doug Cooper and Brent Dawson picked up awards for best linesman and backfielder respectively. On the senior football team, Richard Fletcher was named best offensive linesman; Greg Prout, defen- sive linesman; Jamie Chaffe, offensive back; Peter Tuckey, defensive back. The best rookie was Bill Glover and the most valuable player was Rick Lindenfleld. On the cross country -team, Matt McClure was named most valuable boy and best long distance runner. Irene Dietrich took top honours for the girl's cross country runners . and most valuable runners-up were Colleen Regier, for the girls, and John VanEsbroeck for the boys. Most improved awards went to Alice Dietrich and Mary Lou Rundle for the girls, and Mike Van Raay and Jim Regier for the boys. In the basketball awards, for the junior girls: Irene Brand was rookie of the year; best defensive player was Jackie Cottrell; and the most valuable player and high score awards went to Charlene Verbeek. In senior girls, most improved was Kerry Sweeney, Deb Taylor was best defensive player and Maja Gans was named as most valuable. WHILE YOU'RE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS PLEAS S: r :.•,• 1=t l•.111. •,!• i.: .: ., • AIM • Times Advocate • - - • • Exeter Town Hail • SHOHS or visit our web site at www .evonrnaitland.on.ca - dick onto South Huron SYO • .'D; ' OPINIONS AND LETTERS Continued from page 7 Treatment of animals them. They are not protected from getting shot at, poisoned, tortured or decapitated by people that do not want them around. They do not magically avoid being hit by vehicles. They do not avoid getting preg- nant or breeding other animals, and contributing to pet overpopulation or contacting and spreading canine or feline aids. They do not avoid crawling up in car engines, and then getting stuck in there, with results ranging from being dismembered, injured, dying or if tl a are lucky - just being carried to a whole other Me, and then being totally disoriented. They don't miss dying a lonely death on the streets. They can die from drinking antifreeze, which tastes good to them. As well as, certain garden plants can make them deathly ill or kill them. They do not avoid getting picked up by someone to then be sold for ani- mal testing. People can literally torture them, this year in Toronto more than six cats were decapitated. One man beat cats over their skulls, and then while they were still alive, suffocated them with plastic bags, and then put them in Tupperware containers. Every town around Lucknow had a minimum of 10 animals each go missing this summer - never to be found. Even if they are lucky enough to be found; I can put them in my weekly column, on my posters, website, and try to get onto the Swap Shop radio program, and hope they get adopted, but: there is no pound around for us to put the animals in or no funding to pay for their medical attention they may need or to board them until a foster home is found or to pay for their food, and there are usually no foster homes willing to keep them. So dogcatchers pick up most of them and then if not placed within three days they are euthanized. There is no fairy tale ending for the animals that are dropped off by people or for those animals that simply wander and get lost from your property. The dogcatcher's phone numbers are not easy to find and. many people do not even know where to begin to look for their lost pet. In one week, I had ten dogs and pups and three kit- tens found. This does not include the ten animals not claimed from before, that have been listed for weeks that are lucky enough to have been picked up -by kind-hearted people willing to keep them until a fos- ter home can be found, or those that are in one of our two foster homes that we have. Nor does it include the many animals that have been found since Friday. Pounds are for strays, not for your wandering ani- mal. The overcrowding of pounds by strays, makes it easy for vets to argue that they can not keep the pet more than three days, after all no one has come to claire it, they are not paying customers, and the vets will want to rent their kennels out to paying, board- ing customers. If you insist on letting your pet roam, please have them wear a safe collar with several identification tags. Although it is wonderful to place a pet that would otherwise by euthanized, unless you have chosen the pet carefully and intend to keep the animal for its lifetime, they are probably better off dead, than to be adopted on the spur of the moment and then to be dropped off to fend for themselves. I have placed over 400 animals since April 1998; my two friends that foster also place a large number of animals. These animals are from all areas, as far spread as Clinton, Owen Sound and Zurich. Two fos- ter homes certainly don't have the space to keep all these animals. An animal is not for gift giving. They are a lifelong commitment, which cannot be returned if it does not suit. If the pet is abandoned or surrendered to the pound - they certainly don't have a very good chance of survival. Choosing an animal for someone else is not your privilege. It is not thoughtful - it is thought- less! If you have considered all of the above carefully and would like to adopt an animal for yourself, free of charge, please call me. Unfortunately, we have lots. There is a constant stream of pets coming into the local pounds daily, and there always will be until all pet owners,act responsibly. As founder and sole organizer of Adopt -A -Pet Huron -Bruce I would be happy to provide any business with a poster of the constantly growing list of abandoned animals and would like to hear any helpful comments. Remember - dying as a result of trying to survive outside or living our your last days in a pound - is hardly a fairy tale ending. Please keep your animals Principal's message Y2K, Year 2000, is almost here. The publishing business has a similar phrase. TK is what the editor or designer writes in a blank space on a layout where a photo or a piece of copy will go; TK means to come, in other words, not ready yet, still in the making. What an appropriate phrase to describe our society's teenagers -- still in the making. Their fads, habits, quirks and attitudes are really their culture -- the culture of a teenager and that's what they want after all, a culture all their own. Just to remind us of that they dye their hair green or pierce various body parts. They sure don't want our adult culture -- like every self -rig teenage generation that's ever gone before didn't want it either. Sometimes lids don't see that just as we we're shaped by the generations before us, they too are being manipulated more than they know. The value of a culture that embraces all the generations might be better -- sometimes they even recognize that. Today's young people -- teenagers -- can be a very paradoxical group. They are more immersed in technology than we were but tell us that computers bore them or as one group of grade nines told me "we're sick of them!" They talk about how unimportant owning "stuff" really is; yet, they are often slavish materialists. They are alone a lot and some say they like it; but, they still want others to know and recognize them for who they really are. Their sense of humour is droll, sometimes cynical too soon; yet they still laugh at the slapstick humour of bodily noises made in class. They can be merciless on those who don't "fit in" yet they can be very generous to those in need as shown by the more than 700 gifts collected for Operation Christmas Child and the Huron County Christmas Bureau:" This generation of teenagers -- sophisticated too soon -- but afraid of change are if nothing else, paradoxical. Whether or not we understand them, we need to love them. They are young for such a short time -- our gener- ation TK. From the students and staff of South Huron D.H.S. may your Christmas be merry and may your Y2K be full of hope and peace. DEB HOMUTH PRINCIPALS MESSAGE safely confined to your own property, it will mean the difference between their life and their death. Let's demonstrate we are the humane and educated society we claim to be. Sincerely, KATHI NEWEL.-NICHolsox Founder of Adopt -A -Pet Huron -Bruce Counties Lucknow, Ontario Apology to police Dear Editor: The police in this area deserve our appreciation. Particularly the appreciation of Christians, who have the wonderful ability to choose to go (or not) to church and worship their Lord God. We are not harassed in any way by our local law enforcement. Yet recently, I believe our credibility as Christians has been severely questioned. I am referring to a church which has recently closed and someone called the police to keep the peace while the furni- ture was moved out. I can just hear, now, how some would say, "If that is Christianity then I don't want any part of it". Well, I agree with that statement, but, let me add, that is not Christianity! That is evidence of a lack of faith on the part of the disputing parties. Our faith does not consist of things! It is the people who should be important. God dwells within His peo- ple, not the pews. To our law enforcement, I'd like to say that, just like some police, who do wrong (I am not accusing any of our local police of wrong) even though they should be examples; that we Christians who should be examples of God's love do wrong also. This in no way excuses wrongdoing. As a Christian, I am ashamed that we would involve our law enforcement in such a petty little dis- pute, as to argue about things. We have a lot of growing up to do. May I apologize to our police officers, for our wrong behaviour. Please forgive us! It is God who is perfect! He is still working on us!