Clinton News-Record, 1979-07-26, Page 3•
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CI lNTON NEWS RECORD, THURSDAY, JULY 26, 191a,--ppGE3
People in Profile: Rose Van Darnme 's gone from castes to
by Shelley McPhee
When Rose Matilda Van Darnme
says that she has lived a life of ex-
tremes.,she's not joking.
Mrs, Van Damme is known to most
Clinton people as the busy proprietor
of the Holdiay Home, a residence for
retired people Op Ontario Street, a
block from the main intersections.
But many may not realize that this
English born lady lived an entirely
different life before moving to Canada
32 years ago. • ,
Now at the age of 70, this vivacious
woman has done more and seen more
in her lifetime than many. She has
worked and .associated with a broad
speetrum of people, from -babies to
the old, from ' nobility to "common"
folk.
Although' very proud and happy of
all her accomplishments through her
.lifetime, Mrs. Van Damme prefers to
remember her associations with
European royalty . privately and
firmly believes that neither they nor
she should be sensationalized.
"Pm not a person who wants to be
known for my' connections with
nobility. I know and like them not
because they are royalty, but because
they are my friends," she modestly
stated. •
Despite her firm desire for privacy,
Mrs. Van Damme spoke generally
about her intriguing_ past.
As a London born girl, Rose Matilda
Brown fell into the world of nobility as
a teenaged girl when she was sent to
work in the nursery of Princess Paul
of Yugoslavia. From there a 20 year
story of 'dreams and fantasy, more
exciting than that shown in The Sound
of Music came to life for Mrs. Van
Damme as she travelled throughout
many European countries, serving in
the nurseries of ' Dukes and -
Duchesses, Prince and Princesses,
Barons and' Baronesses and Marquis
and Marchioness.
Mrs. Van' Damme's flamboyant life
took her to. England, Yugoslavia,
Austria, Bavaria,, Holland, Rome and
l
stuck in
the middle
France. To keep up with the in-
ternational lifestyle, she spoke four
languages.
Ah, life was grand, living in .a
separate tower of a castle, but as life
goes, unfortunate times also came.
During the war, Mrs. Van' Damme
was one of staff members in a royal
household who were arrested and sent
tp a concentration camp in the nor-
thern part of Italy.
That unhappy time of Mrs. Van
Damme's life remains sealed in her
mind, not to be, publicized or dwelt
upon, only to be di•scused in the close
comfort of her friends.
She will tell, however, that it was at
the all -women's camp where she met
a Canadian girl who told her about the
land across the ocean.
In 1947, Mrs. Van Damme cut her
European roots and came to Canada
and within 'the year she married her
beloved husband, DUtch born Cyril
Van Darnme.
In a new -world, much different than
she had experienced before, Mrs. Van
Damme and her ambitious husband
embarked on major business venture
when they purchased the old Com-
mercial Hotel, once Clinton's first
hospital. .
"We both loved to be free to work in
and for Canada. Being free was the
most important part," she stated with
a loyal expression placed on 'her
pleasant face.
Mrs. ,,Van Damme giggled when she
recalled the days, cooking for
customers. Accustomed to European
cuisine, she would painstakingly
prepare rich casseroles and
goulashes during the night to present
as the next day's special. When
placed on the . table, her Canadian
customers would give an uncertain
look and ask'for-pork chops.
"I had to cook for hurith'eds of
people in the hotel -and I had never
cooked before in my life. I had to
learn to be practical," she excitedly.
remembered,.
But business flourished, and in 1956'
So, you think we watch too much
television, well you haven't seen
anything yet. •
Television has been easily and
readily accepted by the masses
since its beginning, so it is likely _
that the newest gimmickfor
television Will catch the boob
tuber's glassy eyed look.
Trial attempts` are being made in
the United States to initiate par-
ticipation television. In essence,
the computerized technology
allows television watchers to ac-
tively take part in the show they
are viewing with just a flick of a
button on their specially designed
equipment box.
Now, you can't actually get on
the screen and have your debut' in
front of the cameras, but par-
ticipation television allows people
to voice their opinions, give
judgements and suggestions.
For instance, one show, filmed in
ahospital's maternity ward, allows
television watchers to choose the
name of a new born baby. Four
possible names are flashed on the
screen, the watcher simply chooses
A, B, C or D on his box, and voila
thechild -is" no longer -nameless.
A Gong Show styled program
allows the watcher to • judge acts,
simply by pressing a yes or no
button.
"Do you support nuclear power?
Answer, yes or no."
"How to you rate President
jimmy Carter, good;'fair or poor?"
These are only an_.example of the
earth shattering issues that the
public canmake judgement on.
For more opinionated sorts, some
"shows ---give the watcher an op-
portunity to telephone the program
and voice his thoughts over the air.
The participation television even
allows shoppers to buy products in
the luxury of their Lazy Boy chair.
Products and prices, ranging from
houses to Instamatic, cameras are
flashed on the screen, glamorous
girls . swirl across . the, screen
modelling dazzling dresses and
rich furs, and they could be all
yours in just one weak moment. .
.ud-•
Pay television, part _of the new
system, allows the public to tune
into any current movie and video
machines allow avid television
watchers to tape programs for
later viewing.
It seems that the television can
do nearly everything for us, and all
that is required from us now is an
occasional trip to the .fridge for
nutrition. The televisions provides
entertainment, and learning and it
now allows us to vote and buy our
necessities and luxuries.
It offers company, can be used as
a conversational topic ,and even
helps us to sleep. I just wonder
when the conglomeration of picture
tubes and power will be able to go
to the bathroom for us?
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ontiu Buick ....Cadillac
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524.8391
they purchased the old Clinton public
school on Ontario,, Street with in-
tentions of renovating the delapi.dated ..
building into another hotel. '
A sudden turn about came when fire
struck the Commerical Hotel and as
Mrs. Van Darnme remembered, "We
owned two places in shambles." -
A keen worker, Mr. Van Damme I`
began renovating__ the school house
and, after hours of hard labor and
$35,0.00 later they opened the Holiday
Home.
"I was so thankful that we had
something to work for. If we didn't
-..work, what would we do?" Mrs. Van
Damme explained.
And work they did. Mr. Van
Damme, by hand with only the aid of
a wheel barrow excavated dozens of
yards of soil and built a foot thick
cement retaining wall around -the
whole basement of the huge building.
The building itself was changed to
offer comfortable and private
lodgings for retired people. The home,
which Mrs. Van Damme likes to refer
to as a luxury hotel, contains bed
sitting rooms with common ding
au,d... television lounges, se to
apartments, a small library and a0
common diningroom.
Although Mr. Van Damme died
three years, ago, 'his wife and son
Paul, 20, have strived to maintain the
home and carry on Mr. Van Damme's
work.
. The job is not an easy one;Vlrs. Van
Damme and her son grow an abun-
dant garden each year and the
grounds are kept for the summer.
enjoyment of the guests. The fruit and
vegetables grown in the garden are
prepared by Mrs. Van Damme to
serve the guests, three times •a day.
Housekeeping such a large place is '
nearly impossible for one, so Mrs.
Van Damme has part time help to
keep the house in order.
Each guest pays $330 a month for
bed -sitting accommodation or $360 a
month for • • accommodation with a
private bath.- . .
She stresses that Holiday Horne - is
not a nursing home and is not just for
the very old. Mrs. Van Damme
considers her establishment as a
place were the residents are free to
carry ontheir own Lives and come and
go as they please,
Unlike a medical establishment,
Holday Home is decorated in a homey
style, filled with comfortable old arm
chairs .and couches, veneer dressers
and beds, plants, bedspreads hand-
made by the proprietor and every
wall shows Mrs. Van Damme's
:weakness for the art of the European
masters,.
Despite the relaxed style, Holiday
Home must meet medical and health
requirements. VON nurses come
regularly to care for some guests and
doctors make frequent calls. Special
rooms have been set aside, close to
Mrs. Van Damme's own ° living
quarters, for the sick. •
Only one problem hampers Holiday
Home. The establishment has a
capacity for 20 guests, at one time.
Presently, only nine reside there. This
makes ends a little difficult to meet,
but it has not dampened the
proprietor's optimistic and eager
outlook.
' "Money really doesn't mean
anything to me, but if we. had it, it
would be so much easier to keep this
place up, which I'll continue to do as
long as I am able," she contentedly
stated.
And that she does. Just this week,
the old bell tower was removed from
the roof of the building because it was
no longer- possible. to make it water-
proof.. Mrs. Van Damme plans. to
retain the ornate structure on the
home's lawn, fill it with flowers and
build a bench aroud'`the outside for
the guests' enjoyment.
Mrs. Van Damme has sincere
concern for the comfort of her guests
and although they may come from. a
far different age bracket than she has
worked with in the past, she is quite
happy with her work today.
She is now performing a far dif-
ferent job than that of 30 ,years ago,
but ' Mrs. Van' Damme is • not
disheartened. She does not sit and
sadly recall the days when she lived
with nobility nor does she seem to
mind that financial difficulties, which
she never had before, that now enter
her life.
Vaeationers get book service
For the sixth summer
the Huron ' County
Library, in co-operation
with the Ministry of
Culture and Recreation,
will offer a book Icnding
service to area
vacationers.
The' mobile library
system has been a
popular feature in local
camps, parks and
seasonal residential
areas offering
vacationers° a good
selection of paperbacks.
Three students are
employed . for the
program by the Ministry,
of Culture and
'Recreation. Joan Coulter,
a mathematics student at
the University of
Waterloo, is heading up
the program- for the
second year. Lorna
Eggert, Egmondville and
Sharon Engel, Brussels,
both in the Library
Technician course at
Fanshawc College, have
also been hired for the
program.
The basic aim of the
program is to provide
reading material for
people vacationing in the
area. But these three
young ladies also have
extensive plans , for
children's programs that
include ouppet shows,
crafts, games and
stories.
' The program began
Monday July 3 and will
continue throughout -July
and August. Books may
he borrowed for a period
of one week and simply
PURINA
CHOWS
dropped off at book drops
provided at the camps.
On Tuesday the library_
visits Pinelake Camp
from 5 to 7 p.m. with a
children's program to
follow. It will also be at
Kitchigam i Camp
Tuesday from 5 to 7.
program at 3 p.m. They
will be at Paul Bunyan
Camp at 1.30 p.m.. and at
the OId Homestead and
Sugar- Bush from 5 to 7
p.m.
Over 700 books are
available .for the library
service and new books
are purchased each year.
The program 'has been
successful in this are and
Coulter claims there is a
definite need for -this type
of service' to recreation
areas.
■
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WATER SPRINKLERS
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All remainingstock
For iomoor_,•... _.
Farm insect control
"MAGIC MIST" or '.'TIME MIST"
. INSECTICIDE SPRAYER
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BAKER'S FARM SPECIALS
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For1nseftt,icide'
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GADEN CENTRE
Instead she affectionately and
faithfully maintains correspondence
with her former royal charges and
they in turn do the same, often fondly
referring to Mrs. Van Damm as ,
"Brownie"her dubbed name used by
close friends. Three years ago she
was able to return to' Europe to visit
her.old acquaintances.
But visit is all Mrs. Van Damme
will likely do, at least for the next few
years, She is too busy as hotel owner
to change her lifestyle.agajn.
She agrees thather life may have
been one of extrern'es but in her ad-
venturesome yet complacent manner
reasoned, "Well, at least it has kept
me thinking."
Rose"Matilda-Van Damme is known to most Clinton people as -the proprietor of
,Holiday Home for retired people, but this English born woman has seen a life of
extremes, spanning a number of countries and has come in contact with a
great variety of people.(News-Record photo)
Bank of Montreal...
• from page 1
the fastest growing industry in
Canada, according to the bank
manager.
"It's important that we try and fill
the need," he stressed.
The Bank of Montreal in Clinton has
strived to meet the demands of a
people and the greater economic
needs. In December of • 1975, the
branch made one of the greatest
advancements in the bank's history,
when it was chosen as a pilot branch
to test On Line Banking.
Along with four other Canadian
branches, the Clinton Bank of Mon-
treal offered computerised service to
customers, the same system they now
operate,under.
Mr. Hilderley remembers the move
as being a major change. Two -and -a -
half years before the computers ac-
tually were moved into the Clinton
bank, employees had to -be trained
and all the bank records had to be
altered for the new system.
"It was the biggest step we ever
took," he remembered.
The bank's 20 employees now
completely, operate under the com-
puterized system and the two sub-
siduaries, in Brucefield and Lon-
desboro, also operate through the
computers through telephone relays
with all terminals connected to a
central one in Toronto.
Today, 1,000 of the 1,206 branches of
the Bank of Montreal throughout
Canada follow the same system.
The Clinton branch is still
progressing. This year they added
Multi -Branch Banking to their ser-
vices. With this anyone- with an ac-
count at the Clinton branch could, for
instance, go • to a similar bank in
Vancouver and ask to see their
current balance.
Mr. Hilderley is positive that the
Clinton branch of the Bank of Mon-
treal will continue to grow and' is sure
that the branch will be able to
celebrate its 200th birthday, as long as
there's no "national disaster."
But for the present time, a 1OOth
birthday must be recognized' and
honored. For the birthday, on August
1 the Clinton bank will be offering free
coffee and special cake to its
customers.
er4-7
nil COME'
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RAZOR BLADES
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Y'ALL COME AND SAVE NOW, YA HEAR!
GODERICH 58 The Square
CLINTON main Corner -
SEAEORTH Main Corner . .
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