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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-8-3, Page 34 4 ► Campbells Summer Seat Sale 4 4 4 ° 4 ° 4 ° ° . ° ° ° ° NO PAYMENTS + NO INTEREST Until August 1995 On all sofas, loveseats, sofabeds, etc. Including products from Citation House and Sklar- Peppler PLUS STAINSAFE FABRIC PROTECTION made with Dupont Teflon 50% Off during August COUN'T'RYWIDE 4,, i Ain OVER 176 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! You're 4 At Campbell's 63 Main St. CfIIIPDIJL appliances and furniture EXETER 235.1501 ► ► • . . 4 J!V THE NEWS Times -Advocate, August 3, 1994 Page 3 Dashwood teen goes to Italy as movie star Michael Stevens is attending the premiere of the latest Tommy Tricker film at a children's film festival in Italy By Adrian Harte T -A Editor DASHWOOD Michael Stevens is off to Italy, as a movie star. The Dashwood teen is in Naples this week, attending the European premiere of the film in which he stars, The Return of Tommy Tricker. Naples is hosting a children's film festival, and will be bringing children from around the country to the city to view the world's newest and best motion pic- tures for younger viewers. The sequel to the original 1986 Tommy Tricker production was chosen for show, ing at the festival, and its star, 14 -year old Michael Ste- vens will be attending to sign autographs, attend press interviews, and otherwise represent the movie as its "star". No one in Canada has seen the Tommy Tricker se- quel yet, and as Michael admits "Neither have I". The European premiere will he his first chance to see the fi- nal result of what started as an audition less than a year ago. The film will premiere in Canada in October, which is Stamp Month, to tie in with the movie's travelling - by -mail theme. It was August last year when Michael saw a notice for auditions for a new Totnmy Tricker on television, and decided "that's me". Then 13 -years old, he was initially thought too tall for the part, but removed his shoes and got the call- back. From there he ended up in the Cook Islands filming the movie, and is now in Italy, all expenses paid, as a "star" - all in less than a year. Michael has also helped make a Tommy Tricker CD- ROM disk for computers, based on his movie char- acter, and a "Making of Tommy Tricker" documentary has also been filmed. With the money he earned for his role, Michael bought himself a snowmobile, a dirt hike, and a small backyard pool for his family's Dashwood home. 'His mother Debbie admits that her son's work as an actor has enabled hint to buy himself and his family some of the things beyond the budget of a single mother. "It's been overwhelming for a little boy to come that far," said Debbie. "It was a great experience," agreed Michael. "I got to go to places and meet people." Michael will be returning from Italy this Sunday, af- ter staying a week. He was pleased his flight was de- layed a couple of days so that he left after Friedsburg Days activities ended in Dashwood. Like any teen- ager, he was worried he would miss Friday night's dance. Although his mother could have gone along with her son to Italy, Debbie insists she "doesn't fly", and sent Michael off with family friend Steve Peacock as his chaperone. Also at the festival will he the film's di- rector Mike Rubho, of Lafete Productions. Before he left, Michael admitted that attending the lilin festival in Naples was something he was looking forward to. "It doesn't show, but I'm really excited. I think it's going to be awesome," said Michael. As for future projects, Michael is waiting to hear the outcome of auditions he had with YTV for a new show. Acting, he has decided, is something he needs to pursue further. Exeter Fire Dept. not part of cutbacks in big cities Chief says budget is frozen but they are getting by By Fred Groves T -A staff EXETER - "If it hasn't happened to your department, it will." That was the opening line of an editorial written by Lorne Camp- bell who is the Editor -in -Chief of the Canadian Firefighter Magazine. Last week, Jim Lee, president of the Ontario Professional Fire Fight- ers Association launched an appeal to the public warning them of their satety being threatened. According to the Ontario Fire Marshall's office, it is rec- ommended that 10 firefighters and two vehicles be at the scene of a typical house fire. The association represents 54 municipalities and 4,000 fire- fighters in Ontario. In a press re- lease, Lee states, "the vast majority of fire departments in the province are not staffed to provide that level of service and there are no prov- ince -wide standards to ensure ad- equate fire fighting services." Gary Middleton, chief of the Ex- eter and Area Fire Department con- curred that there arc no standards for fire fighting. "We don't ever need a fire de- partment, it's not mandatory like police departments," he said. While it may seem hard to be- lieve, fire prevention, at least in the eyes of the provincial government it seems, is not an essential service. The Exeter and Area Fire De- partment currently has 18 fire- fighters and seven officers in - Four youths sought in break-in HENSALL - The Exeter OPP are looking for four youths in connec- tion with yet another break in at the Hensel) Liquor Store. Friday morning, police were called to the scene of a break and enter at the store, situated in a trail- er off Highway 4. The OPP say en- try was gained by prying the front door open. Four males, in their late teens° were spotted at the scene of the crime, driving a dark-coloured full-size van. Several cases of liq- uor and beer were stolen. The same morning, there was an attempted break and enter at the Big V Store in Exeter, but no entry was gained. Police are also investigating a bre4 and enter at a residence in. Ha Township last Tuesday. Thieves broke a patio door lock, possibly with a hammer to steal a Samsung computer, a Technics ster- eo, an answering machine, and sev- eral video and audio tapes. Lstst Wednesday, police investi- gated another break-in ata resi- dence in Hensall. While a back door had been pried open, nothing was reported stolen. eluding a chief and deputy -chief. "Day -time fires we used to be short ]of manpower] hut not any more. We used to have 29, we're going to stay at 25 as long as we stay under $40,000 for (volunteer] wages." Middleton said his department has had its budget frozen for a few years now and it is locked in at about $210,000. From that, Middleton has to pay $35,000 for the rental of the fire hall and $27,000 goes toward the rental of hydrants from the PUC. And what about equipment? Most municipalities have a re- serve fund. In the case of Grand Bend, they set aside funds for a new pumper which they received this spring. "We're due for a new pumper, it's a 1974. Other than that things are alright," he said as far as equipment goes. Exeter boasts a new hall and a full-time chief. Middleton said there are some municipalities in the province, smaller than Exeter that have three full-time fire fighters. "There's towns with 2,000 pop- ulation that have three people. There's becoming more of that." Middleton reports that the Exeter department is a Class II according to the insurance advisory organiza- tion. It means, the local fire de- partment is one cot the better ones. "We're about the only one around our size that is Class II. It deponds on having a full-time chief, response time, manpower, hydrants...," he said. Fire departments do a lot more than suppress fires. Typical fire de- partment services include first aid, cardio -pulmonary resuscitation, high -angle rescue, water 'rescue, auto extrication and chemical spill clean-up. "Fire departments arc our own worse enemy. We never boast or brag, we just go about our busi- ness," said Middleton. Fatal facts: In 1993, the months of January to May saw 78 people die from fires in Ontario. This year, the same time period has 60. How- ever, both years saw 54 fatal fires. We're glad you asked... gi;fife• g4(27 Funeral Home Llmited 370 William Street, Exeter, Ontario BILL HASKEIT (5 ► 35-1220 BOB PLETCHER WHERE CAN THE WIDOW FIND HE ? There always is an adjustment to be made after the death of a spouse. The prospect of a retum to life alone may sometimes be dif- ficult to face. - _ _. _ . -_... - For the widow, this period of readjustment often presents special problems. For example, her husband may have handled payment of bills or maintenance of the couple's home; these things must be pro- vided for. Often, a husband's death means the widow must face dif- ficult choices about how she will support herself and where she will live. To deal with these problems, dozens of small therapy groups have sprung up across the country. These groups, which usually meet once a week, allow widows and others to talk out the problems they face in common, In order to help each member meet those prob- lems more easily. As funeral directors, we can help put ,au In touch with such groups in our area. Please call us or stop by if you would like more Int s a- tlon. , � 4.:1 Ilk id" ONIMO ruNIRAI sURVKI AssnrutroN • Sitting by the pool? isn't that what movie stars do? Michael Stevens of Dashwood admits he is a long way from understanding how well he will adapt to his role as a movie star once his film, The Return of Tommy Tricker, debuts in Canada later this year. r ► ► ► •