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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-01-04, Page 411 1 PAGE 4--CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 4 , 4979 " Clarence isa hero • You can never judge a bopk by its cover, the old adage goes, and in the case of-MC1a'rence Reeves bf Seaforth, and formerly of Clinton, the saying was never truer. Most people will remember Clarence when he lived in Clinton for several years at his Rattenbury freet, apartment. Many .thought hi • trange, and in fact he was the butt of many jokes and the recipient of some cruel teasing by children and adults alike as he made his walks around town. They even had Clarence com- mitted, but now he has proven himself somewhat of a hero down in Seaforth where he now resides. He is credited with preventing a potential disaster in sounding the alarm in an early morning fire in Seaforth on December 20. Donald Howard, 36, another tenant in the Royal Apartment building died in the blaze, but firemen and tenants ay many more could have died and half of Main Street burned down if ' it hadn't been for Clarence. - Seaforth fire chf Harry Hak said if the fire hadn't . been discovered for another five to - seven minutes, "we could have had ,a disaster on Main Street." The chief said Clarence Reeves not only roused the other tenants in the building when he discovered smoke pouring into the halls, but he also didn't panic,. leaving the front fire door of the building closed, keeping air from feeding the flames. Lois Dalton, one of the five other tenants in the building, also praised Clarence for getting her and the other tenants up onto the roof of the three storey building where they were later rescued. Clarence also alerted another neighbor behind the apartment, who then phoned the fire depart- ment at 3:35 a.m. Harvey Dale, owner of the Royal, said he is alsa-°convinced Clarence saved the building, saying Mr. Reeves was: "smart enough and man enough" to alert the other tenants after he discovered smoke pouring into his apartment, ad- jacent to' the -one occupied by the late Mr. Howard. Mr. Dale said it still frightens him to think of what might have happened to the building and tenants if Clarence hadn't wakened up and sounded the alarm. And so, to a man who has taken a lot'of abuse throughout his life, a heartfelt vote of thanks for a job well-done. 1dt POLIcE BPeYE UP OUR BM104E ?MY- TMEY LO0hE,9 uNOEII TdE Oitio4E "Of course we are,f t gambling for money, officer — we're using Canadian dollars." The week between, I'm spending the week •between 'stuffed as the turkey, but that doesn't Christmas .and New Year's the sarne stop me from'eating more. way I spend it every year - rolling from It's easy to - forget ,last year's one meal to the next and from one box resolution ',about not eating so much of goodies to another. When •I use the this Christmas, and I try not to think word roll,;I'm serious; I feel almost as about the'pounds I'll have to lose in the New Year. Will "'power is not in my make-up at this time of year. I might take a little time out for travelling, visiting', entertaining, giving and receiving gifts and maybe even working, but the main emphasis is - on food. Gift.giving is another important part `of the holiday in our family, and it requires weeks of hinting and shop - and the more far-fetched the•story, the Ping• better it went over. I do believe I In early December, I suggested that received the most compassionate looks, the family could pool their resources from the,, I,da, q.,a?rhom I su ggested that` nd give: me an unforgettable I'd had to have the nose amputated 'Christmas present - a round-trip all - expense -paid visit to Hawaii to com- mence on January 1 1979 and to .con- tinue for the duration of the Canadian winter. None of the family seemed to think it ''was a good idea, but one -of them of- fered a compromise - a' one-way ticket to Timbuktu. I took my plea to a higher court, but I guess even Santa has to tighten his purse strings now and again. Oh, well, I'll try again next year. My six-year-old nephew gave me the next best thing to a trip - a Road - Runner air freshener to hang in my car. A few weeks ago, when I asked ' him what he wanted for .Christmas, I was surprised to learn how quickly he was growing up. He wanted a record, but not one from Sesame Street or one of Have a happy one Well, it's been quite a Week. I've been on TV, twice; I've slipped on the ice,. fallen and sprained my wrist; and I've had an operation on my nose. I was terrific on TV, or so they tell me. I missed it. The chap who did the interview told me 'when it would ap- pear, and I promptly- forgot. I called him to ask whether it would be shown again, and he told me when. I made a special trip home at 1 pm to see it. It. had been shown at., twelve noon: 'My wife was furious. I was just as glad. If I'd seen it, I might have quit my job and run. off to Hollywood, there to become just another ambitious.starlet, subject to the whims of casting directors and other such vermin. As for spraining my wrist, I wonder if it weren't a psychological ploy. I was halfway through marking the pre Christmas exams, and my mind was beginning to crack. I'd begun won- dering whether the student and I had been ' reading.the same plays and stories. One student, dealing with a' story set in South Africa, had a moose involved. A moose.. In South A'fritr`a'. Another informed me that ,Lady Macbeth, the great dark murderess of Shakespeare's play, was sweet and kind at first, and we sort of liked her, but she got mean later. Frankly, when I slipped on the ice and fell, I wouldn't be surpised if I deliberately let my wrist fold under me hoping it would break. At any rate, I whimpered around for several days, claiming I could mark no more papers with a broken wrist, until an un- sympathetic doctor informed me it was a mild sprain. I didn't whimper on the operating table. I just groaned and grunted with agony. First, the doctor covered my eyes with various towels and things, so rcouldn't see the needle and the scalpel approaching. I gritted my teeth.so hard a filling fell out. Ever had a needle in the nose? Don't ,if you can help it. Tell them to'knock you out with a total. I've had them in every portion of my anatomy, and the nose is Number. One except perhaps for the shot from the dentist in the front upper gum. There is though, something mildly intriguing when the doctor says, ",You-••- have very tough skin on your nose, for some reason." This, while he's sewing you up, and snip, snipping the loose ends of plastic=t-:'read, The, whole thing didn't hurt anymore than' a smash in the face with a knuckle duster. At any rate, I'll never again be able to say, scornfully, "It's no skin off my nose." However, I had lots of fun with the nose. I went straight' from the operating table ba.,ck to school, and the students, understandably ' were' fascinated. . "Hoo hitcha, sir?" Told them they should see the other guy. "Jer wife get violent at THIS hour in the morning?" No, I told them quietly, it happened the night before. "What happened, sir?" "I had my nose bobbed, Debbie. My wife has been complaining for years that she can't kiss me properly, because of that big nose, so I had a chunk removed. Told another group that my nose had been smashed into ground earthworm texture by the Gestapo in World War II, and the steel braces inserted by an eminent British surgeon to give it a semblance of shape had finally rusted, and been removed. To another d1"a ' -'1-' stated ,solemnly that my big, hooked nose had always bothered me, as being short or fat or riddled with acne bothers other people, that I'd finally decided to do something abouts it, and that if they could wait until next -Monday, when the stitches came out, they'd find I had a charming, turned -up nose with round nostrils through which they could peer and see my brain lurching around. To still another class I suggested that a hyena had escaped from the nearest zoo, pushed in our unlocked cellar window, crept up the stairs in the middle of the night, and bitten off my nose at the roots. A very large bandage on a very large nose any of 'these stories acceptable, The Clinton News -Record is published each Thursday at P.O. Box 39, Clinton, Ontario, Canada, NOM ILO. Member. Ontario Wkly Newspaper Association It is registered as second class mall by the post o Ecce under the permit number 9117. The News -Record •incorporated In 10211 the Huron News•Record, founded In i111, and The Clinton New Era, founded In 1191. Total press run 3,390. Member Conadien Contatunlfy N.wsieger Association Display eldiartising gates available oi, request. A far 11efe Card No. 0 effacfl(ii f, 1, 1 9. \ 0 boneral Manager - J. Howard Aitken Editor.- Jamie !. PNsgereld Advertising Director • Gary L. Heist News editor • Shelley McPhee Office Manager • Margaret Gibb Circulation . Freda McLeod Subscription Rates _ Canada•'14.00 par year Sr, cltlion .'12 per year U.S.A. i foreran •'39 per year because I'd bent so close to a pound of hamburger, looking for some meat in it, that a rat had leaped out of it; nailed me on the nose, and I'd had to -have it cut off because of possible cyrrhosis of. the liver from a rat bite. I told them no nose is a good nose and they agreed. Golly blue, this isn't much of a Christmas column is it? Oh well, Christmas is a big pain in the arm, anyway, Beginning as a pagan celebration, it has passed through a spiritual celebration, based on a doubtful birthday of our Lord Jesus, right back to a pagan rite based on advertising, materialism ;and turkeys of all things. Anyway, try to have a happy one, everybody and we'll try to do the same. It's the best we can all do in these perilous times. remembering our past Funny Favourites. He wanted Saturday Night Fever "It's decent!" he explained. - I tried to surprise people with my gifts this year, but my teen -aged 'nephew wouldn't believe his parcel was a stiffly starched shirt instead of a record. Even though I packed my niece's earrings in a large box and added extra weight, she still guessed correctly. Maybe it's because for the last three months she's been telling me to give• her nothing but silver earrings for Christmas. I shocked my brother-in-law iby not giving him socks. Buying for hitn took a -combined effort this time. He wanted a tall plant for his, office, and my sister and I decidedrMom was4he logical one to give it to ljim, because she was the only one '.could keep it alive until Christmae,`'''• I gave him a planter to hold his plant, Logical, right? Unfortunately he un- wrapped my gift first. My sister wouldn't let me see my present before Christmas Day. I have this habit of shaking and weighing the parcel and thinking about it, until I figure out what's inside. -My family, and friends .gave me lovely gifts again this year. (I forgive them for not corning up with the ticket to Hawaii, and I'll give them another chance next year.) Meanwhile, I'm spending this week between Christmas and New Year's amid discarded wrapping paper and too much food but also many wishes for a happy 1979. `5 YEARS AGO December 28,1973 The Clinton diVision of Glendale Cor- poration,. whose plant is located in the former airmen's ess at Vanastra, shut down for an indefini period last Friday, laying off 32 hourly ate employees and several more manageme t personnel. Glendale had just located at, Vanastra earlier this year and only three weeks5ago, they turned out the first motor home Tor their Clinton division. Norman Bramwell Livermore, a life-long resident and former Clinton councillor died suddenly. last Wednesday, December 19 at his East Street residence. He was 62 years old. Mr. Livermore was born in Clinton, the son of the late Edith Trouse and Fredrick Livermore. ' At 6 p.m. JaLJ, try 6,. Canada's third television network will go on the air. A five hour festival of specials will help the Global Network celebrate its first hours on the air. Thanks to the idea and the generosity of a Clinton businessman, who wished'to remain anonymous, nearly 70 Hall Lamp Company employees who were laid off two weeks ago had'a happier Christmas. A Christmas fund for the emplyees has been set up in the Exeter branch of the Bank` of Montreal and a Clinton businessman gave the first $100. The fund was set up last week by Dwight Strain of Clinton and will be administrated by six other former Hall employees. ' - 10 YEARS AGO December 23,1968 Carter's West End Supertest, 215 Huron Street, Clinton, held its new ownership grpnd opening recently and gave, prizes to many customers. Members of the Mary and„ -Maratha Unit went carolling at the Clintpn Public llb§pital early this month. A short business meeting followed at the home of Mrs. Beecher Mnzies.” �in 'Ed" Mailloux, ' air radio navigator and Major "Don" Noble, training manager, both reached significant milestones in their careers when they received awards for 22 years of service with the'. Canadian. Air Force. Both men are stationed at CFB Clinton. Subscribers of the McKillop Municipal Telephone System soon will receive cheques representing their interest in the system: While it is expected final details in con- nection with the windup of the system will be worked out this week, Officials.. couldn't guarantee that the cheques would be out in time for Christmas. McKillop Council cleared the way for the distribution when it released to the com- mission $84,821 representing the amount plus .interest, that was received a year ago from Bell Telephone when it purchased the system. The money has been held in a trust by the township until such a time as the commission was able to windup its affairs and make a distribution to the 461 sub- scribers effected. 25 YEARS AGO December 24, 1953 -. The National,. Council of Women of Canada, representing 605,000 women across the country, has raised strong protest ,over the proposed increased postal rates. Postal rates are to be increased to five cents for out of toW'n. and four cents for local delivery. This is to pay wages tO hire extra employees which will make it possible for postal employees to work a 40 hour week. 1954 car licenses and permits will be available on January 2, 1954 at Butler and Cox Garage, Huron Street, Clinton. Clinton Town Council at special meeting Monday night gave two readings to a by -law - authorizing the issue of d'e'bentures for $180,000 for the ,:addition to the Clinton District Collegiate. The debenture will bear an interest rate of five per cent witjm serial repayment over 20 years, with the bonds dated January 15, 1954. 50 YEARS AGO December 27,1923 Mild weather marked the Christmas holiday season this year. Indeed, we have had no real winter weather as yet, whatever is still in store for us: According to the custom, the county warden for 1929 will be chosen from among .._ the Liberal members of the County Council. While nobody really knows as yet, the choice will prnhrthiy be made„from the following:' !J Reeve Thomas Inglis of Howick, Reeve Robert Turner of Goderich, Reeve J.W. Beattie of Seaforth, Reeve A. Monon of Stanley and Reeve Kennedy of Tucker - smith, The employees of the Doherty Pianos Ltd., prior to her leaving the office where she had been employed for the four past years, presented Mrs. E.R. Bell with a handsome Wardrobe travelling bag.. Lum Sam who comes from Hamilton, is preparing to open a restaurant in the Fair block facing Ontario Street. The restaurant will be opened on Tuesday, New Year's Day and all the proceeds for that opening day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., will be given to the Clinton Hospital. While cranking a car the other day, Mr. W.J.' Plumsteel had the misfortune to have his right wrist fractured, an accident which will give him an unwanted holiday. Had it only happenedot his left wrist it would not have been so bad. On December 18, Mr. and Mrs. Wm. C. Johnson of Bayfield celebrated their golden wedding anniversary. They were married in Bayfield on December 18,- 1978 by Rev. M. Patterson. For a number of years they lived in Bayfield and then moved to Goderich where Mr. Johnston followed his trade as a blacksmith until he retired a few years ago since when they have lived in Bayfield. Nominations for municipal positions will be held in the town hall on Monday, evening next, December 31 from half past seven to half past eight. To all itsreaders, there and yonder, the News -Record extends the old wish: "A Happy New Year.” 5 YEARS AGO December 31, 1903 . Mr. Ladell left Brantford on Friday evening to attend the ball at Clinton, ,ex- pecting to reach here at 10:27. He depended too much on the Grand Trunk, however; as the train was four -and -half hours late and when he arrived at the town hall the last dance was on, Mr. Robert Boyce, one of Stanley's Most promising farmers, has taken unto himself a Wife''We join in wishing the couple a long, happy and prosperous life. together. n I� Church open • Dear Editor: The Vanastra Christian Church has been in existence for 'three years now, and during these three years we have offered the Clinton-Vanastra area Church services, Sunday School classes, Girl Guide, Brownie Scout, Cub, Teen Club and Choir Practice meetings. We -hope we have maintained a high level of service to the community and may we offer an invitation to anyone interested in these services to feel free to join in. During the past year, we have also included the-Vanastra Resource Center within our walls. The center has been -established for one• year now and are currently in the process of relocating. We wish to reassure the community that we will continue our long standing services without the assistance of the Vanastra Resource Center as we somehow managed for the past three years- since the establishment of the Vanastra Christian Church. Thank you. Yours truly Gonie-Tak, Treasurer. Summer jobs Dear editor: vn z To the media and citizens of Huron Constituency, to the Students, Teachers, Guidance Counsellors and Principals of Huron, re Young Canada Works Program 1979. Huron's allocation is $55,000. Young Canada Works is a summer employment 'program for students through which funds are available for projects ,between April 30 and Sep- tember 8. Projects must be designed to develop employee skills, provide community benefit and be of a non- profit nature. Applications , are available at your local Canada Employment Centre. Applicants are strongly advised to discuss project ideas with the Federal constituency project officer before submitting an application. To provide information on the program criteria and to assist in the completion ofapplications, PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETINGS are planned for Thursday, January 11: 10 a.m. Goderich Canada Employment Centre, 35 East St.; Goderich; 2 p.rn. Exeter Canada Employment Centre, Main St., Exeter. Application deadline is February 2nd Wilma Bolton Project Officer Newspaper services Dear Editor: The Ontario Arts Council supports and encourages the health and growth of all arts activities in Ontario. One of my particular responsibilities as Associate Theatre Officer is to keep in touch with all theatrical activity in the ' province. I therefore have a clipping - service' which includes articles from your newspaper and I depend upon local° 'coverage of community and professional theatre events to keep me up to date. I thought you might be interested to know that I read everything written about 'theatre in your newspaper and such coverage of the arts contributes to our assessment of the needs of the many hundreds of arts organizations in the province. - Yours sincerely, Jacqui Manning -Albert, Associate Theatre Officer Ontario Arts Counci' The trustees' of the Separate school sec- tion, No. 1 Stanley had placed a bell on their new school which adds considerable to its appearance. A large sleigh of young people drove to Bayfield on Christmas night to attend the Christmas tree in .the village. •They a71• report' a good time except a few who were somewhat troubletl-with dispepsia no doubt owing to -indulging in so many of the good things of the season. - 100 YEARS AGO December 26, 1978 We have received the fir"st number of The Blyth Record. In -typographical appearance. 'it is all that could be desired; in politics, • Conservative; in amou'tlt of advertising, patronage it starts with, exceedingly slim. If its editor wishes it to be a success with the reading public, he will require to use less •- latin, Ind fewer obsolete express,ioris, as the majority ol'readers do not understand them. On Monday evening the Clinton Council received a large number of applications in answer to the advertisement for an engineer from all parts of the country, the amount of salary asked ranging from $100 to $600. We have noticed a decided improvement in the- morals of some of our' young, men during the past few days, for'since Saturday night, very few loafers have been on the street corners. y A few days -ago a farmer and his wife were in a grocery in this town doing business, and the storekeeper had ores§ion to go in the cellar, which is entered by a trap door, and while it was thus open the good lady who brings down the beam at 225 lbs., had the misfortune to stumble and pitch head- foremost down the dark, but not bottomless pit, The husband, who saw the catastrophe, concluded at once that nothing short of a broken neck would be the result, uttered a wild exclamation; but, contrary to all an- ticipations, the only"breaking was the cellar steps, which fortunately broke her fail, and she only received some slight bruises. By the aid of three men, and a number of boxes, the fortunate lady was lifted to daylight. Last evening the opening festival for the new temperance hall came off in the town hall.