Loading...
Times Advocate, 1997-09-24, Page 32Times -Advocate, September 24, 1997 Page 31 Students tour the fair "The students were enthusiastic about locating their entries..." Dear Editor: The staff and students at Exeter Public School would like topublicly thank the Exeter Agricultural Society for providing tours of the exhibits and fair grounds on Friday morning, September 19. The students were enthusiastic about locating their entries and became very interested in the programs that would be offered on Saturday. The presentations about Christmas.trees and garlic were very informative. We feel that this is another example of school and community working closely together with rewards on both sides. Special thanks go to Mrs. Wagler and her group of volunteers for their time and effort. Sincerely, Students.and staff of Exeter Public School Thanks from Epilepsy Huron/Perth With the help of the United Way and the funds raised during this event we will be able to continue. Dear Editor; On behalf of Epilepsy Huron/Perth, I would like to thank all those who supported our organization during our 1997 Glad Day Campaign in Exeter. A special thanks to all the volunteers, who worked so diligently this year. Thanks to Exeter Sales Coordinator Esther Hillman, Exeter Legion Ladies Auxiliary and Mary Fims. Thanks to Frayne's General Store, Holztmann's. IGA and Shoppers Drug Mart for allowing us to sell our flowers outside their locations. Thanks also to Exeter's Town Council for allow- ing Epilepsy Huron/Perth to sell Glads in the Town of Exeter. With the help of the United Way and the funds raised during this event we will.be able to continue with Support Services and to heighten awareness of - Epilepsy in this area; as,well as, to send a child with Epilepsy and special needs to camp. Sincerely, Marj Vere Executive Director Loss of a friend "...she loved this part of the coun- try and had many good friends in the area." Dear Editor: Manyreaders will be saddened to learn of the sud- den death of Dorothy "Dolly" Gordon. She passed away in Ottawa September 16, 1997. Dolly was a teacher at the NATO language schools at London and Centralia. An ardent golfer, she loved this part of the country and had many good friends in the area. She was a great traveller, and a cheerful, informative guest at parties, large and small. She will be missed. It's sad to lose the "good ones." Yours truly, J.M. (Gibby) Gibson Flags at Legion - Princess Diana We at the Legion were undecided as what was the proper protocol to follow. Dear Editor; . In reply to.the letter for Mr. John Sanderson, in last week's paper, concerning the above subject. It seems once again that the pen is mightier than the sword add that the courtesy of a phone call by Mr. Sanderson and the Times -Advocate to address these issues were forgotten. At no time did the writer nor the editor call the Exeter Legion and express their concerns prior to press time. Princess Diana was indeed a well loved.person, as evident at her funeral and all the numerous maga- zines that published her life story following her un- timely death. We too at the Exeter Legion will miss her. We at the Legion were undecided as what was the proper protocol to follow. Mr. Sanderson wrote about respect for the British Royalty, however Prin- cess Diana was no longer "Her Royal Highness" af- ter her divorce from Prince Charles. We thought we would be given some guidance from our Provincial and Dominion Commands; however this was not re- ceived. The two flags at the Cenotaph -were lowered to show respect towards her as a person. The flags at the Exeter Legion are fixed in place and require the assistance of the PUC_to raise and lower and to re- place. This was resultant from 'persons unknown' stealing and vandalizing of same. We have been looking into the possibility of having the poles mod- ified in order that the flags can be lowered when a Veteran Member passes away, or the need arises to express our loss and to honor a local, national or in- ternational individual. Respectfully submitted Dave Frayne - Branch Public Relations Officer Editors note: As a rule the Times -Advocate does not get involved with opinions expressed in "Letters to the Editor". The comments regarding the flag were those of the writer. Newsletter explained If you listened carefully, the whole uproar was really about 'change'... Dear Editor; Recently a newsletter was distributed to every mailbox in the Lucan are concerning the Municipal Elections. The signature read "Concerned Luca- nites". Since its release I've spent many hours in discussion with callers and citizens along the street over the content and authorship of the newsletter. The reaction was mixed. Thoughts included "taking a bat" to the author, congratulations or support to him/her on a "Fine piece of scripture" to "wish that person was running for office". Positive or negative the public outcry was loud and clear. Here lies the story. The reaction brought about by an anonymous letter indicates the real pulse in the community to- day. Historically, Lucan was town known for its feud- ing. Sadly, the infamous Black Donnelly massacre still casts a dark veil upon the heads of many. Some locals feel Lucan has not progressed in over 100 years. Others believe that it stands as a potential model for small, more rural centres. The feud is be- tween old and new: Many times it is a game of pow- er and control. Reaction from the commonly re- ferred to "old guard" was furious. It was not so much the content that had them hopping but the fact that they didn't know who had wrote it. They were mad because they had no control over it. They had no ownership over it. Reaction from the newcom- ers (anyone living in Lucan less than 20 years) was the extreme opposite. They found it to be a witty, tongue -and -check, say -it -like it -is election commen- tary. No matter where you stood, one thing was for sure - the letter got people talking. It succeeded. If you listened carefully, the .whole uproar was really about 'change'. The fear of change, the hope for change, and the demand for change. How the new Lucan Council and the community -at -large will tackle the changes which tie ahead is the chal- lenge. In my mind the only way we can succeed to together! Forget the witch hunt for the author. Who really cares? Put your energies into making Lucan a Village we can take pride in. To me, the letter indicated a plea to lay down arms and begin to work in partnership..Basically, we all want the same. We want a safe and caring commu- nity. We want our downtown revitalized. We want our community to grow: We want our community leaders to guide us with integrity, honesty and com- mitment. We want them to respect our wishes, to ex- plain to us the changes we are about to face and we want them to allow us to work with them to bring about these changes in a most efficient and benefi- cial manner. We can accomplish this only if we can get beyond the division of old and new. We are all citizens of this community. Old and new compli- ment each other. We are equal. Same taxes, same stores to shop at, same rights. Forget the feud Lu - can. Start celebrating what'we have, rejoicing in what we can have and begin to live as a community. i concur with the newsletter. Its all of our respon- sibility. I wish all the candidates much luck in the upcoming election. I cannot say that I enjoy the po- sitions they will hold. For as the newsletter stated, its going to be a difficult and challenging term on Council. - Unlike the author of the newsletter, I have no problem signing my name to this letter. Let the com- ments fly but let the words remain in your thoughts! Sincerely, Rosemary Gahlinger-Beaune Councillor - Village of Lucan New hockey league The coaches were another story. They don't care about any of the kids on the team but their own... Dear Editor; I am writing this letter to inform all hockey players and their parents about a new league called the Huron Perth Lakers AAA. My son played for this team last year as a minor atom. This was the first year the Lakers had started up and we knew there would be some problems. I also know that a triple A team is for the more skilled players and they are out to win. My son had not a bad year and it was a good bunch of kids that he played with. The coaches were another story. They don't care about any of the kids on the team but their own and this is really the only reason that I can see that they coach. That was last year and we made it through all the screaming and unnecessary behavior of the coaches. This year my son wanted to try again for this team and knowing that those particular coaches would not be coaching we let him try. My son was very happy when he made the team this year and was handed his Laker binder with all the rules , diets that he should follow and sponsor sheets. He sat down and wrote letters to company's and businesses for his sweater sponsors. He also needed 10 year book sponsors, which he also had obtained. When he went to this next practice lie along with the rest of the team where informed that after a month of trying out for this team, and signing their player cards, and obtaining their sponsors that this meant nothing. That because two other kids decided that their home team wasn't good enough for them or they had all ready been cut from their home cen- tre that according to the triple A Lakers they didn't have to go to tryouts and could be signed on their first time on the ice. Let me ask a question now. Is this any way to teach kids any kind of morals? My son was of course very disappointed after all his hard work and,very hurt that an organization of this caliber would allow this to happen. We had a talk that day on the way home from that game and as I listened to what he had to say I real- ized that he was much more mature then any one of those coaches that day. He felt it was their loss not his and he did not feel he wanted to play for coaches that only thought of themselves and not the kids on the ice that were do- ing all the hard work. He felt his standards of hock- ey were higher then that and did not want to end up • with an attitude like theirs. He made me very proud that day, and I had to agree with everything he said. It also made me real- ize that I was glad they had cut him from that team and the organization. I would not want him to grow up thinking in the way that those coaches or organi- zation think. He has much higher standards then that. Yours truly Sharen Zinn 344 South St. Wingham Health promotion plan completed Through the planning process, it was recognized that there is a general need for education about health promotion' concepts... Dear Editor; The Huron Perth District Health Council (HPDHC) completed a Health Promotion Plan in March, 1997, following a process which involved _--_ input from service providers, municipal representa- tiyes and the general public. The Health Promotion Plan entitled Celebrating Our Community provides information about the many strengths that Huron Perth communities have as well as some concerns that residents identified through the process. Many of the past provincially funded health promotion projects that have been completed in Huron and Perth counties are outlined in the document. Some of these initiatives include: development of commu- nity kitchens; public forums to educate parents, teachers, coaches and others about issues around body image and self-esteem in children and youth; provision of CPR training and heart healthy educa- tion; recreational activities for teens; a breastfeeding education program; and developing parenting skills and support. Through the planning process, it was recognized that there is a general need for education about health promotion concepts. The HPDHC has shared the health promotion plan with health and social ser- vice providers in attempt to ensure that as many people as possible do recognize the benefits of a health promotion approach. In recognition of the po- tential impact that decision made by local munici- palities have on the health status -of -the -population, ---- the HPDHC has been speaking with municipal councils about the plan. It is anticipated that this document will also be helpful to community groups and organizations wishing to address concerns with- in their community from a health promotion per- spective. On behalf of the HPDHC I would like to thank the Exeter Town Council for their endorsemettrof the Health Promotion Plan and I would invite any resi- dent of the area who is interested in learning more about the plan to contact the HPDHC office at 348- 4498. Sincerely, Deb Campbell, Chair Huron Perth District Health Council Looking at options "...1 am seriously considering changing to a cheaper long dis- tance company" Dear Editor: I see that Bell Canada is upping our 'phone charges again to "improve" service for some rural customers. This is very nice, albeit at our expense and I see that one of the benefits is to increase the local calling area. A couple of years or so ago, the Exeter local calling area was expanded to include London (but not the places in between), but i don't remember a general rate increase to help this. We pay a premium for it. Businesses these days, are always trying to improve their "bottom line". Perhaps Bell doesn't realize it, but we also have "bottom lines" and to improve mine, I must reduce my telephone costs. The only way I can do this is to reduce my long dis- tance costs, so I am seriously considering changing to a cheaper long distance company. If many people do this, Bell will end up by upsetting their "bottom line." Incidentally, I notice that not being content with making huge, previously unheard of profits, my bank is now increasing charges for various transac- tions. Is there no end to the greed of some people? But that's another rip-off story. Yours sincerely, John Sanderson The M.A.I.-another federal sell-out Let's quit relinquishing national standards set by electors here.... Dear Editor; • Has anyone on this planet anywhere voted for globalization that restricts national power? Beware! Trade Minister Marchi is currently and secretly ne- gotiating with 29 O.E,C.D. nations to pass M.A.I. (Multilateral Agreement on investment). Only the NDP has raised this issue and even the press has downplayed it. Its effects are staggering for us. If M.A.1. passes, it will forbid national govern- ment use of investment rules to promote our own social economic and environmental goals. It is, plain and simple, a sell-out to huge corporations over the right of public interests. According to CBC radio "Commentary" May I, and reprinted in "Monetory Reform" (no.4), M.A.I. states, no government will be able to oblige any for- eign corporation investing in Canada to provide jobs here, do research here or invest in productive activity. Even local governments will be restricted accordingly. It means foreign finance will have equal rights with domestic firms but without the same responsibilities. If M.A.I. passes (imminent) our own elected gov- ernment will be prohibited from passing new regu- latory legislation. Present tax, labor, consumer and environmental laws would be up for review by une- lected, international panels, so much for democracy! Corporations will be able to sue Canada for protect- ing our own standards but nations that agree to MAI, may not sue corporations. The agreement is to be binding for 20 years. It is to be binding beyond our courts and legislatures. How could we in good faith use the elective process to pass power willingly to unelected foreign corpo- rations? It is treasonous!. M.A.I. data is abuzz on the OEDC website (http:/ www oecd. org/daf/cmis/mai-htm) yet draft copies are denied the public. Please act. Send a copy of this letter (without post- age) to MP Paul Steckle, Constituency Office, Goderich, ON. Foreign investment here has immediate benefits . but too much offshore money can initiate re-newed inflation, lead to air overvalued exchange rate and even leave us vulnerable to a sudden shock if cash flees. Let's quit relinquishing national standards set by electors here. M.A.i. will outlaw any measure that restricts the right of foreign investors to bid on our government contracts or buy up privatized crown corporations. ir..nically, M.A.I. will force the Liberals to even back off on any Canadian initiatives to create jobs for Canadians - our most pressing need now. Hello? Government! Are you still there? Who are you rep- resenting anyway? Patriotically, David Hern, Woodham