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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1977-10-27, Page 12PAGE 12—CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDD\Y, UC ! ,)131^:lt .' , 19 Prevention not punishment family services told A philosophy of prevention should be adopted toward the problems that bring children and parents before juvenile and criminal courts, Judge Ross Fair told a large gathering Tuesday night. He was speaking at the annual banquet and awards night of the Family and Children's Services of Huron County (formerly the Children's Aid Society) at Pineridge Chalet, near Hensall. Judge Fair'is a senior provincial court judge in the family division at Kitchener. Many of the ,county's 140 foster parents were in the audience, as well as employees of the FCS. Preventive work would forestall the need for much institutional care and many placements in foster homes. "The difficulty is getting money for preven- tive work'', h Said. It was easier to obtain for support, „protection or in- stitutions. Government personhel were not hard-hearted but saw themselves as accountable for money spent. Proving in dollars and cents the need for preventive programs was difficult but necessary. It would save the country literally millions of dollars, while earlier aid would give children and their families a much better chance of straightening out their lives. - The judge, who has worked , for 11 years in family court, said he always had hope when the parade of children passed him there. Often, the best im- mediate hope for them was that a good foster home would be available. If competent, willing foster parents could be found for each of these children, it would greatly reduce the need fot in- stitutional help. The number always seemed insuffcient. "Foster parents aren't in it for the money", he commented, adding that' they take on the role knowing that it requires much giving. It was impossible to measure their contribution, no matter where. "Children's needs are as great in the country as in cities." He defined the competent foster home as one in which compassion and un- derstanding were extended to the child. For the first time, a child might learn that there could be discipline without harshness,, indifference or abuse. The judge mentioned also the importance of the inter -action between foster -child and children in the foster -home. From them -he could learn much about obligations, love, patience, tolerance, self-control and respect for others' opinions. He could learn to accept, challenge, seek success and learn also to accept failure gracefully. ' "We want the child to learn what life is about", said Judge Fair. "Many of the children the courts encounter have had none of this." There are problems associated with temporary care arrangments. The child goes through a crisis while settling down and trying to find his feet in a strange environment. His own parents are often hostile toward him as well as toward the judge and the court. The ultimate goal is always to reunite child and family. Foster parents in a sense win by losing. They form at- tachments for their charges, but know they must eventually return them to their own homes. The Family and ChildrerVs Services work with family, as well as child' helping parents gain insights and im- prove parenting skills. "Most parents have the normal human urge to look after their own children", he said. The children themselves,. no matter what the conditions in their" own homes, always yearned to return. It was unfortunately true that youth correctional centres were the only place for some young people. For them, too, the eventual problem centred round return to the community. Recruitment of foster parents for this group was necessary, too. Judge Fair disagreed with those who claimed society was going to the dogs. Most people carry their load, don't carp a lot and get their jobs done. It was good, he said, "to get out and be reassured that there is till in every oommu.nity a solid base of responsible people.' The value of ,foster parents could never be estimated in dollars and cents. "I don't think there is anything I can say by way of thanking you", he told those in the audience. Their reward came from the growth„ development and improved responses of the children in their care. He concluded with a quotation from Confucius: "It is better to do a kindness near home than to walk a thousand miles to burn incense." Certifficates for 20 years as foster parents wei"e presented to Dorothy and John Scott of Goderich and Margaret. Heaton of Hensall. Doreen and Stewart Dolmage of Seaforth will have theirs mailed. Muriel and Walter McClure of Seaforth received a certificate for 15 years as foster parents; while 10 -year certificates were given to Lila and Lorne Thompson. of Brucefield, Verona and Russell Snider of Zurich, and 'Betty and Garth Hamilton of Goderich. Hazel and Herbert Harrison were not present to receive theirs. Five-year certificates went to Evelyn and Kenneth Boyce of Goderich and Alma and Ted McLean of Goderich. These will also be sent to Yvonne and Dennis Brown of Parkhill and Diane and Barry Hackett of Gode,rich, who were not present. iW�Y�-oky YhN �w. 44, h ' • -:. 4 ,' _' 4. #, certificates for service as foster parents were presented at a banquet Tuesday, night at . Pineridge Chalet, near Hensall, sponsored by the Family and Children's Services of Huron County. Shown here, left to right, front are Dorothy Scott, Margaret Heaton and Muriel McClure. Behind them are John Scott (left) and Walter McClure. The McClures have been foster parents for 15 years, the others•for 20. Doreen and Stewart Dolmage were not at the banquet. They hay,e been foster parents for 20 years, too. (T -A photo) In recognition of their services as foster parents, these people, were . presented with certificates at the annual banquet of the Family and Children's Services Tuesday night. Left to right, front, are Alma McLean, Lila Thom- pson, Evelyn Boyce, Betty Hamilton and Verona Snider., Mtehind them, left to right are Ted McLean, Lorne Thom- pson, Kenneth Boyce, Garth Hamilton and Russell Snider. The Thompsons, Sniders and Hamiltons have been foster parents for 10 years, the others for five. Certificates were mailed to Hazel and Herbert Harrison, Yvonne and Dennis Brown and Diane and I3arry Hackett, who were not present. (T-.1 photo) Fall work clone at Maitland the 16th By Milena Lobb My apologies for not getting around to the Thanksgiving visitors but-- I am sure everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather. The community is gradually getting the fall work done Clinton man fined for billing UIC ,K. Frank Ladd, 35, of In another case, Holmstead Clinton was fined $1,600 or 160 fined Murray Dalton of days in jail Monday after Seaforth $28 after finding him pleading guilty to eight guilty of illegally regaining counts of making false . possession of property which statements to the Unem- was not abandoned or ployrnent Insurance Com- vacated under the Landlord mission (UIC) in Goderich and Tenant Act. court. The charge was laid Aug. 25 Ladd admitted in Huron after Larry Cowell, his wife County court he collected and their four children were $1,800 between February and evicted from their:apartment June in benefits from UIC inSeaforth on July 4. without tel'lingit that he was Cowell ., and his.. wife at - working ',for Dominion Road tracted a lot of publicity when Machinery in Goderich and theymoved into their car earning between $155 and $340 until the matter .was settled. a week. - Their children were placed in He said he has made foster. homes. The parents arrangements with UIC to ' have since found another repay the $1,800. Judge F.W. apartment and have two of Holmstead told Ladd he was the children. Two children still guilty of breach of public" remain in foster homes. trust and told him he had 90 A charge of taking days to pay the fine. Ladd, possession of some of the who is married with five Cowell family's possessions children, is still employed that were left in their apar- with Dominion Road. tment was withdrawn. Pro Life professor talls at district annual supper BY GRACE AUSTIN "If the right to be born is not protected all other rights are a mockery." These were some of the remarks made by guest speaker Prof. Ian Hunter, Faculty of Law of the University of Western Ontario as he spoke to 135 members of the Goderich and District Pro Life Group at St. Joseph for the annual meeting and pot luck supper on October 19., Criminal Law • predates Confederation in Canada and has always contained sec- tions prohibiting abortions, Prof. Hunter said. He went on to say that in 1969 Parliament chose to relax the law. The section prohibiting abortions was left :intact. An exception, misleadingly called therapeutic abortions, was introduced in case of threat to the woman's life or health. Federal safeguards were introduced to assure that the r,. exception would not become the rule. The safeguards were that therapeutic abortions could only be performed by qualified practitioners and only at an accredited hospital following written cer- tification by a therapeutic abortion committee com- posed -of not less than three doctors. In the opinion of the committee, the continuation of pregnancy would or likely would endanger the life or health of the mother. During debate of this bill said Prof. Hunter, M.P.s of all parties pointed out the vagueness of the word "health" and argued that statutory definition of health should be included in the criminal code. The then Minister of Justice, John Turner argued that any threat to the mother's health should be left to the medical practitioner to decide. In 1970 about 1,000 abor- tions were performed in Canada. In 1975 just under 50,000 abortions were per- formed . in Canada. Despite medical advances, abortions have quadrupled. "In ,reality abortion on demand is available today in any Canadian metropolitan hospital which has an a ortion committee, said Prof. Hunter and the ostensible restrictions to abortion contained in' the criminal code are nothing more- than legislative hypocrisy. Prof. Hunter said physicians quite actively engaged in this charade make little effort to pretend the Criminal Code is observed and the taxpayers pay for the whole performance in the name of Health Insurance. In any other area of law the unborn are protected, Prof. Hunter informed the group. In' the property law, court law, contract law, the unborn are recognized as legal persons. Since there is now no question that life begins at conception, said Hunter, pro- abortionigts have resorted to verbal deception to promote the removal of all legal restrictions to abortions. Abortion is called - "fer- tility control" pregnancy interruption"; "birth. plan- ning"; or a "positive ap- proach pproach to inconvenient pregnancy". Those calable of 1 debasement of language are also capable of debasement of life, Prof. Hunter said. Prof. Hunter was thanked by Connie Osborn and presented wither gift. Board of Directors for the coming year for the Goderich and District Pro Life Group are: Honorary Co -Chairman, Rev. Marvin Barz and Lt. Neil Watt of Goderich; directors, Gordon Crabb, Pat Martin, Charity McDonald, Harriet Klazinga and Helen McCarthy of Goderich; from Kingsbridge, Clarice Dalton, Teresa Courtney, Pat Howard, Betty Frayne, Mary Clare and Father Ed Den- tinger; from Clinton, Ken Reidy,` Cornelius Brand, Earl Hiepel; from St. Joseph, Joanne Vermont, Andre Durand and Peter Jeffrey; from Lucknow, Rita Gilmore; from Kincardine, Dave Zyluk• and Wilfred Mousseau of Hensall. v c Walk, jog, run, skate, ski, swim, paddle, pedal .... don't let life catch you with your head down. 111) Fitness is fun. Try some. CD 0 PaInonatrion since we have finally had a couple of weeks of very nice weather, One of those nice days I spent inside at the newspaper seminar held in Clinton and I am glad to say I now un- derstand how errors can be made when the weekly paper is printed. Lon and Marilyn Forbes recently spent the weekent with Jim, and Shirley Com- merford at Camp Borden. Saturday Murray and Marlene Forbes visited with Brenda at her new home in Hamilton and stopped at Tom and Katherine Archibald's in Kitchener on Sunday. • Susan Lobb recently spent four days at home'. Community club The October meeting of the S.S. No. 4, Community Club, held at the home of Marlene Forbes, was conducted,by president Milena Lobb, ho opened the meeting with two humorous poems entitled "The Perfect Housekeeper" and "A Farmer's Life," followed by the repeating of "The Lord's Prayer." Roll call was answered by 16 members and three visitors with "The place I like to spend summer." Dianne Lobb and Norene Tebbutt gave the secretary's and 'treasurer's reports, A baking or preserves sale will be held at the November meeting at Marilyn Forbes' home. Roll call will be - "Items for Huronview and any item suitable for a new Creed." The meeting closed with a poem "More Love", and lunch was served with Milena DON SCRUTON Lobb and Madeline Partlett assisting the hostess. Smile You are not old when your hair turns grey, You are not old when your teeth decay. But you know that you are ready for that long sleep, When your mind makes appointments that your body can't keep. Watch for THE PARADE • OF HOMES. ...coming soon! Count on your Shell Agent for warm, personal home comfort service. Your Shell Agent has the home comfort program and the home comfort people to keep your home warm right through the winter. . Count on your Shell Agent for round-the-clock • repair service. CaII your SheII Agent or his authorized service man if something goes wrong with your furnace, no matter what time it is -day or night. He'll have your unit repaired fast. And restore your home's level of comfort. SCRUTON FUELS 238 Albert Street, Clinton 482-7381 Warm personal service from your Shell Agent. 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