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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1985-01-02, Page 1Qua ity Carpet at great prices Professional installation can be arranged • Whitings Phone 235-1964 Lookin January 4 ttbout 50 local citizens join- ed members of Exeter coun- cil in a new year's levee to welcome Ontario's bicenten- nial year. In his inaugural address, Mayor Bruce Shaw predicted 1984 would be a year of con- tinued growth and a time when conflicts between the town and its township neighbors would be satisfac- torily resolved. Ray Hands commenced du- ty as the new clerk-treasuer of Biddulph Township. Lloyd and Vera O'Brien, Zurich, marked their 60th wedding anniversary. Men in the Hensall area quickly signed up for the centennial beard growing contest. DONATE ROCKER — The parents of Shari Becker of Huron Park have donated a rocking chair to the nursery at South Huron Hospital as thanks for the excellent care received by their daughter while a patient. Shown with Shari is director of nursing Audrey Pooley. Awaits sentence on assault count A Fanshawe College teacher' was found guilty last week of common assault for smacking a London man on the side of the head during a picket -line scuffle at the col- lege October 29. John Remkes, 45. of Exeter will be sentenced January 4 by provincial Judge Al Guthrie. who found hint guil- ty of assaulting Terry Lewis, despite conflicting versions of the incident. Lewis. of 83 Harding ('res.. testified he was driving his wife to night classes October 29 during the teachers' strike and was waiting in a lineup of cars at the Cheapside Street entrance. Fearing his car would he scratched by the pickets, Lewis said he pulled out of the line and drove toward the en- trance Al the entrance. 1;emkes ran toward the car and Lewis stopped. court was tole Lewis test 'tied that Remkes leaned on the passenger side. then moved to the front of the car Lewis said he told him to get off the car and then heard someone from behind say: "Gel a good look at him. Get his licence number." Lewis told court when he One injured in collisions turned around to see who made the comment, he was smacked on the side of the head with a backhand from Remkes who by that time had moved to the driver's side of the car. Lewis was not in- jured. court was told. Remkes testified he was walking back and forth at the entrance when Lewis drove up and "humped up" against him with the front bumper of his car. Ile said Lewis was travelling at a "slow crawl" and kept moving after he was struck. Remkes said he heard Lewis say "don't touch my car or I'll sue you." Lewis denied making the statement. Remkes said he had no time to approach and hit Lewis alter the car bumped up against him. Three other college teachers - Stephen Dean. Peter Jedicke and John Vranch - testified that Lewis's car had bumped Remkes. But Guthrie challenged their credibility. Ile called Remkes' testimony "highly exaggerated" and said there were inconsistencies in in details of the incident from the three defence witnesses. Guthrie called Lewis "ex- tremely credible and frank." Lewis testified he called police for help in getting his car out of the college safely and was not concerned with an assault charge being laid. Police laid the charge after 1,ewis loll them what happen- ed. court was told. Four collisions were in- ''estigaled by the Exeter police department over the past 10 days Three of thenf involved only one driver On December 24. there were Iwo accidents. the first involving vehicles driven by Teresa Ec•kensw►Iler. Huron Park. and Walter John Westlake. RR 1 Ilemall. They collided nn the parking lot at Zehrs and damage was listed at $250 b. Constable Dan Kierstead The other .. as on Andrew St North. a hen a vehicle driven by ,lean Minds. Ex- eter. collided with a parked Vehicle owned by Robert Maters. RR 1 Dashwood Damage was $1.200 in that one The of her 1 ‘‘ . . crashes were on Saturday. the first at the Zip Car Wash on Main St A car driven by George Stephenson RR 1 Varna. struck a cement block wall Manage .yas only Sin() hilt 1hr drivers as taken lo Gout h Huron Hospital by Holtman s Amuhlance for treat milli of his injuries The other Salurda. colli- sion was on the parking lot at the South Huron rec centre A parked vehicle nwned by Ernest Szabo was struck by an unknown vehicle Damage was set at $5(m by Constable .1im Barnes The local police advise they have a mans watch at the station and it may be claim- ed by the owner after pro- viding a proper description. • b�ck itt the pest year's IiigIsIIghts Grandcouncil started the new year in their new municipal building and with a new member, Doreen Seguin, named to replace Murray DesJardins. January 11 Area residents Andy Dixon, Syd Fletcher and Marilyn Barke joined the ranks of book authors. Lottery fever hit'the area as the Lotto 6-49 prize went over the $10 million mark. Stanley Township started planning for its 150th birthday celebration which will be in 1986. Troy White of Huron Park was named as Timmy for the 1984 Sportsmen's Dinner sponsored by the Exeter Lions. Hensall shelved plans for proposed renovations at the town hall in view of ratepayer opposition. Grand Valley Harvesters repeated as winners of the an- nual Exeter Hawks Junior 'D' tournament. Grand Bend visitors Suzanne and Tom Read found a 50 -degree temperature dif- ference on arriving from the Dominican Republic. January 18 Exeter's assistant post master, Keith Ahrens, was named as the new post master for Clinton. The Exeter and area fire board hit some controversy among members due to a plan to purchase a new tank truck. Hurn county council agreed to publish an atlas as a bicentennial project. Building in Usborne took a big jump in 1983 with a total of $1,203,500 in comparison to the previous year's figure of $404,500. The Exeter Hawks clinched first place in the northern division of the Junior 'D' loop, while the north again won the league all-star game in Lucan. Hensall's main street suf- fered another blow with the closing of the Pro Hardware store. Ray McKinnon- filled the vacant seat on Zurich council. January 25 Howard Pym, a long-time director and past president of the Exeter Agricultural Socie- ty, received a service i:er- tificate at the annual meeting when members termed the 1983 event was one of the best ever. Committees were named to undertake reviews of elemen- tary schools at Hensall, Huron Park and Vanastra. Kongskilde Limited an- nounced production of a new mould board plow. Students at SHDHS beat the winter doldrums by staging Tropical Tuesday when students showed up in shorts and colorful summer shirts. Lucan Legion 'adopted' two veterans from Parkwood Hospital in London. Women Today opened an office in Clinton with staff in- cluding Sandra Schroeder of the Dashwood area. February 1 Federal grants were an- nounced to aid in the building of a new fire hall in Ailsa Craig. Dr. Norm Amos feared his pacer, Nor Lea Penn, would be claimed in a race at Western Fair Raceway. His fears turned out worse... the animal suffered a heart at- tack and died during the race. Ohio State hockey stars Paul and Perry Pooley, Ex- eter natives, were featured in Sports Illustrated. About 225 participated in the Pineridge Snowmobile Club poker rally. Exeter PS boys won the area floor hockey tourna- ment, while the teams from Ifensall and Exeter tied for honors in the girls' division. Donna Kyllonen was nam- ed to the pulpit at St. Peter's Lutheran Chruch in Zurich. Catherine Bayley opened an antique store in Hensall. RECEIVES LETTERS Exeter lawyer Peter Ray- mond was among a long list of those in Ontario appointed queen's counsel on Monday. The appointments were made by Ontario Attorney - General Roy McMurtry in the annual new year's announcement. February 8 A pair of lost dentures end- ed up in the lost items box at the Times -Advocate. The Exeter police force was described as healthy and competent in the annual review given to council by committee chairman Bill Rose. Mr. and Mrs. Herman Paynter, Kirkton, marked their 60th wedding anniversary. Some 90 students from PARTNERS Shannon Kyle (left) and Tina Dayman were among the pre-school to grade 4 children atten- ding a holiday dance of the Hensall Community Centre. SHDHS went skiing at Blue Mountain Ski Resort. Three students were injured. Grand Bead Optimists stag- ed a succespful winter carnival. The Stephen Township barn of Jim Morlock was destroyed by fire. February 15 A wildcat strike errupted at Fleck Manufacturing in Huron Park. The annual Sportsmen's Dinner sponsored by the Ex- eter Lions was another suc- cess and humor was again the mainstay of the athletic celebrities on hand. Rebecca Sheppard was named queen of the Kirkton- Woodham winter carnival. The Exeter Hawks ended the regular season's schedule with a record winning total of 29 games. They lost only two and were tied three times. Jessie Armstrong and Earle Rowe cut the ceremonial centennial cake at one of Hensall's celebration events. February 22 The 79 union members at WE'LL; LOOK DIFFERENT The Times -Advocate will take on a new ap- pearance next week. Due to changes being made in the size of the newsprint used, plus a move to a standard col- umn width size in newspapers, we'll be adapting a six -column width rather than the pre- sent nine. • Your newspaper will be a little narrower and more convenient to hold, especially for those who enjoy reading in the bath tub. The shape of adver- tisements will differ slight- ly as well. The T -A staff members have been preparing for the change for some time. but it will take us a few weeks to get accustomed to the changes and the pro- blems that may be associated with them. We trust our readers will bear with us through the initial change -over. Your comments, of course, will be welcome. Bell Aerospace at Grand Bend went on strike. Marion Darling was named chairperson of a review com- mittee for South Huron Hospital. Exeter inaugurated con- gratulatory cards to be sent to citizens marking special occasions. The annual figure skating club carnival at the rec cen- tre involved all 130 members under professionals Marg Carey and Brenda Pincombe A successful skating car- nival was also staged by the Stanley Township organizers. Danny Thiel, Zurich, beat 150 competitors in the Huron District Kub Kar rally. The Junior 'D' hockey ban- quet was hosted by Exeter. Hawks' netminders Pete Dearing and Dave Rook received the north division trophy, while Kris Bedard was chosen best defenseman. February 29 Exeter businessmen learn- ed that shoplifting costs them more than -most think when they attended a seminar on the topic. An unidentified Exeter man was bitten by a muskrat. SHDHS student Erma Weernink won a 1984 Camaro One Serving South Huron, North Middlesex Hundred and Twelfth Year f JO student sales promotion, reviewed sales of $1,66/.984 contest. the previous year. William The Kirkton-Woodham Arthur was elected president.. Farmers' Club annual please turn to page 2 THEY ARE FEW - The opportunities to build snowmen this holiday season were few and far between. Putting one together on a slushy afternoon were Ellen and Lisa Bean. T -A photo >�Y & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, January 2, 1985 • Price Per Copy 50 Cents 4 ..... • LOTS OF COLOURING At the final session of Story Hour sponsored by Exeter Christian Reformed Church, students Arlene, Steven and Charlene DeVries and Chad Rogers get assistance from Marg DeVries. T -A photo PUC still deliberating • on water price cost. tract was awarded to Rowe Fuels. That firm offered a five cent per liter discount off cur- rent pump prices. Before the tenders were opened, Davis advised the members that last year's con- tract was awarded to another firm on the basis of a discount on the tank price and this did not always result in the sav- ing that had been anticipated. especially when gasoline prices dropped. In other business at Mon- day's session. the Please turn to page 2 Exeter water users may escape a rate increase for 1985. but the final verdict on that won't he made until the January meeting of the Public Utilities Commission. Discussion on a water rate hike has been discussed at the last two meetings of the Com- mission, including the one held, Monday. "It wouldn't be fair to have an increase if we don't need it," commented Harry DeVries, after PUC manager Hugh D indicated the water wofks department was in good shape due to increas- ed consumption in 1984. Mayor Bruce Shaw had in- dicated previously he was in favor of holding the line this year. • Davis said the main con - Fire strikes second time A Fullarton Township fami- ly fled their burning home on Highway 83 just west of Russeldale early Thursday morning, the second time in two years fire has driven them out. No one was injured when the blaze destroyed the small frame home of Robert Wegg of RR 1 Staffa. The fire is believed to have started on the second floor. Mitchell Fire Chief Floyd Wessman said the family also lost their home in Woodham on Highway 23 about two years ago when it was destroyed in a fire "They've had hard luck'. he said. Wessman said he has received several calls from persons offering to help the family. The family of six is staying with relatives near Crediton. Loss was estimated at about $30,000. sideration in an increase at this time would be to avoid a sizeable hike in 1986. Commissioners agreed to hold the matter in abeyance until budget details are more readily available later in January. It was agreed to hire an ad- ditional employee for main- tenance work and to purchase the 27.6 KV hydro line from the main north -south circuit into the Wellington St. substa- tion at a cost of $2,613. Also approved from discus- sion at a previous meeting was the planning for the replacement of the four -inch water main with an eight -inch main on Main St. between George and Thames Road and Thames Road between Andrew and William streets. B. M. Ross & Associates are to prepare specifications for the corner of Main and. Thames Road with this work to be tendered. The balance of the work will be done by the PUC staff with a portion of this project to be included in the 1985 budget. Three tenders were opened for the supply of gasoline for the PUC vehicles and the con - Production stops at DM The old year finished on a disconcerting note for all hourly paid staff at Dashwood Industries. They were all laid off and no date has been announced yet for any recalls. Company president Michael Shurety said the massive layoff was due to a "disappointing year" for the area industry as expected gains over 1983 failed to materialize due to a reduction in housing starts in the country. Year starts with storm Area residents who didn't know enough to turn out the lights and go to bed during their welcoming festivities for the new year, had a helping hand from mother nature. Driving winds accom- panied freezing rain to cause power breaks throughout the area early Tuesday morning. Ontario Hydro crews tackl- ed the chore of restoring power and had most customers serviced after in- terruptions that lasted just over three hours. However. there were some rural areas where power was off for close to eight hours, delaying the cooking of New Year's dinners. Fortunately, the weather was comparatively mild and highways were cut through to slush in most areas during the storm. A number of tree branches had to be removed from roads by maintenance crews and Hydro crews will have several poles to straighten out as they were pulledout of line by the heavy ice Boating. POLICE STILL SEEKING GAS STATION ROBBER Investigation is continuing into the holdup of an Elgin - field gas station, Saturday evening. Shortly after 6:30 p.m. James Mcllhargey, the only employee on duty at the Petro Fina station at the intersec- tion of Highways 4 and 7 was confronted by a stranger. Mcllhargey was locked in a washroom by the holdup man who apparently left on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash. A Lucan OPP spokesman said the suspect is about six feet tall and believed to be between 20 and 25 years of THIEVES IN COTTAGES Exeter OPP are in- vestigating a rash of breakins in cottages in the Schadeview and Highlands II subdivisions along Lake Huron over the Chritmas holidays. Few items were taken and the thieves appeared to be mainly interested in stealing liquor from the summer residences. age. He is well built with dark hair and was wearing blue jeans and running shoes. Mcllhargey was freed by a cutomer who pulled up to the gas pumps a few minutes later. A number of leads provid- ed by motorists in the area at the time are being followed. Minimum penalty for failing to stop Only one case was heard by Justice of the Peace Douglas Wedlake when he presided at the final court of the year in Exeter. In that one, he imposed a fine of $103 against Katherine E. Haines. 103 Marlborough St., Exeter after finding her guilty of failing to stop when signalled to do so by a police officer. She was charged on Oc- tober 28 while driving an all - terrain vehicle on concession 4-5 of Hay Township. Another vehicle driven by her brother stopped. but the one driven by the accused continued on for some distance before coming back to where the officer was stopped. Defense lawyer K.I. McLean noted that it was dif- ficult to hear while wearing a helmet and added there was some reasonable doubt whether the officer was at- tempting to stop both vehicles or only the one driven by the brother. Ile also explained that had the pair chosen to avoid the policeman they could have pulled off the main road into a laneway where he would have been unable to follow in his cruiser. After finding the Exeter woman guilty. Mr. Wedlake imposed the minimum find. UNUSUAL TRANSPORTATION With the almost springlike weather of the weekend, Cherlyn Barber and Leanne Stewart ride in a horse drawn buggy in the Crediton area while Lindy Dillon accompanies them on horseback. T -A photo Only one injury Few holiday erashes Area motorists had g000 driving conditions throughout most of the Christmas holiday period, although three colli- sions were investigated by the Exeter OPP on the day before Christmas as roads became slippery in sections. The first of those December 24 crashes was on Highway 83 west of Dashwood when a vehicle driven by Michael Harris. Grand Bend, slid into the ditch and struck a tree. Damage was *550. A similar accident occurred on the Crediton road west of concession 4-5 of Stephen, when a vehicle operated by Dean Allen, RR 1 Exeter, skidded into the ditch and struck a hydro pole. Damage was $1.050 in that one. The third incident involved a vehicle driven by ..lean Gagner, Chatham. A snowmobile trailer with two snowmobiles being towed by her vehicle slid into the ditch and became unhooked. Damage to the trailer and snow vehicles was set st $2,400. The only injury reported in the six accidents over the past 10 days was on December 20, when vehicles driven by Gor- don Phillips, RR 1 Hensall, and Marion McNutt, RR 1 Zurich, collided on Highway 4 about four km. north of Ex- eter. Damage to the two vehicles was estimated al $9,000 and Phillips was taken to South Huron Hospital for treatment of injuries sustain- ed in the crash. On December 18, a vehicle owned by Julie Jackson, Huron Park, was struck by an unknown vehicle while park- ed on Columbia Drive. Damage was $1,000. The other collision occurred on December 27 on Highway 83. three km. west of Exeter. Vehicles involved were driven by Kenneth Inch, Exeter, and James Gruyaert, RR 2 Crediton. Damage was listed at $1,500. 1