Clinton News-Record, 1980-12-24, Page 1•
Wednesday, December 24,, 1980
Yuletide spirit lives for fire victim
By Jim Fitzgerald
The Christmas spirit is still very
much alive in the Varna area, after
dozens of people came to the aid of a
hamlet family who lost all their
possessions in a Saturday night fire.
The ruins of the John Coultis home
in Varna were still`, smouldering
Monday morning as neighbors and
friends banded together to help the
family start over.
Thnaks• to the generosity of the
community, the Coultis family now
have another home tolive fn, rentlree
until the spring, clothes, groceries,
and even Christmas gifts.
A work -bee by neighbors cleaned up
the home, donated by Bruce Keys, on
Tuesday, and the family was 'ex-
pected to move in on Tuesday night.
By Monday afternoon, the fund had
reached $1,000, said Mary Chessell,
News -Record correspondent who is
one of those helping with the project.
Another helper, Bonnie Roy, said
the family is still in need of chest of
drawers and some kitchen appliances
and utensils.
Fire was spotted by passers-by at
about 7:pm in the 11/2 storey frame
house on Brucefield Road, but none oll
the family were home at the time.
John was Christmas shopping in
Goderich, while his wife Chris was
working at the Club Grill, and the two
children Sandra, 6, and Tony, 3, were
ata babysitter's home in Clinton.
Brucefield fire came immediately
to the blaze, but were hampered by a
lack of water and the fact the fire was
out of control. They called in .the
Bayfield pumper and tanker, and then
later the Clinton tanker.
No damage estimate was available,
and firemen, who were at the scene
until 3 am, are speculating that the
Farniiythankful this Xmas
By Jim Fitzgerald
The Mervyn Falconer family says
they will have plenty to be thankful
for this Christmas, as they received
one of the best gifts of all -- • their
house.
Thanks to quick action by the
Brucefield fire department on
Saturday afternoon, the Falconers, of
the 2nd of Tuckersmith, will have a
house to live in this Christmas.
The firemen confined a fire to the
upstai .s -bedrooms of the 11/ stgrey
frame home, while the downstairs
living room suffered heavy water
damge.
• Mr. Falconer said he and his wife
Evelyn and their two teenaged boys
were sitting in the kitchen, which is in
a wing running to the back of the
house, when they smelled smoke .at
1:15prr and quickly called the fire
department. Damage could run .as
high as $15,000, Mr. Falconer said.
The family and neighbors are
cleaning up the mess and repairing
the damage, while the Falconers live
in the back of the house., -The blaze
may have been triggered when a
lamp fell over.
No sooner had the Brucefield
brigade got back to the hall and there
frozen hoses hung,' -when they were
called out a major house fire in
Varna, as detailed in another story.
Holy, smokes, I think some of our
kids' enthusiasm for Christmas is
starting to rub off on this old,
cynical, hard-hearted newspaper
editor.
The countdown is underway in
our house, and the excitment is
nearing as peak, with only one -day
• left until the jolly, fat gent comes
down our chimney. Now how he
gets out of the heat exchanger in
the oil furnace, to :wh-i-oh----the
chimney is connected by a narrow
eight -inch pipe, is 'something I'll
leave to the story -tellers.
+ + +
Despite all the commercialism
rampant at this time of year, there
is truly a lot of Christmas spirit
around. Take over in Varna, for
instance, where people have come
out of the woodwork to very
generously help the Coultis family
who lost everything in Iast
u Saturday night's blaze.
+++.
Because this paper is one day.
early, we are hoping that most
people get it in time to read it over
Christmas.
As well as the traditional
greetings from the many business
people in the area, there is also a
generous amount of contributions
from our young friends at area
,ichoo is.
As well, we have a number of
local Christmas features, and for
the first time in a decade, pictures
of some of the beautiful Christmas
decorated homes in ,the area.
Unfortunately, it's nearly im-
possible to show you the beautiful
colors in a black and white
newspapers, so drive around some
evening and see for yourself.
As well, there were many more
pictures than we had room for, so
the staff has picked out some
representative ones and hope that
those who also spent a lot of time
decorating their homes won't be
offended because their picture isn't
in.
+ .+ +
The Main Street Wit says many
people are making this a Christ-
mas they'll never forget -- they're
charging everything!
+ + +
And now the confusion begins.
Because this is a middle of the.
Christmas week, just about
everything will shut down this
afternoon, December 24, and not
reopen „n t rnextMonday w i t
_■ u�.a orr _-
some exceptions.
All the banks will lock their safes
this afternoon and remain closed
until next Monday, December 29,
but most of Clinton's stores will
reopen on Saturday, the 27th, as,
will the post office, and the liquor
and beer stores.
However, the post office will be
open with limited counter servi
on the Saturday from 10 to noo
and there will be rural route ser-
vice to deliver what little mail
there is.
No sooner do things get started
again next week, when everything
will be shut down for New Year's
Day, Thursday, January 1, 1981
(it's going to be tough learning to
write '81'.) Some will reopen on the
Friday, while a few others have
packed it in until Monday, January
6.
But the really smart people, like
those involved with the school
system said to heck with it last
Friday, December 19, and won't
put the harness back on until the
6th. Quite a nice holiday, eh?
+ ++
Just a little reminder that next
week's paper will be published a
day earlier, meaning all deadlines
will be moved ahead 24 hours.
+ + +
And at our house, we're all ready
for New ?ear's as we already have
three noisemakers - Terror,
I4eilian, and Screamer, who wish
you all a Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year!
blaze may have been started by wood
burning appliance.
It was the second major fire in
Varna area in the week, as on Sunday,
December 14, a large chicken barn on
the farm of Stan Vanderwal burned to
the ground killing 25,000 broilers.
Mr. Vanderwal, who is having the
barn rebuilt, said that it will cost
nearly $200,000 to replace, and the loss
was only partially covered by in-
surance.
--Earlier this year, a Varna woman
died_ in another fire that destroyed a
hoe.
Varna residents are now discussing
the possibilities of putting some sort
of water storage an the hamlet for fire
protection. Now, when the tankers
run dry, they must go back to either
Burcefield, Bayfield or Clinton for
water, meaning . a minimum round.
trip of eight miles.
Brucefield.firemenstand and wait -for water during a blaze that destroyed the
home and all the belongings of the John Coultas family in Varna on Saturday
night. Thanks to neighbors and even cbmtplete strangers, the family of four will
have a home to celebrate Christmas in afterall. (James Fitzgerald photo)
Tuckersr.rifth gets tough with dogs
By Wilma Oke
Dogs caught running, .at large in..
Tuckersmith Township after the new
year may cost their owners a 'fine of
$50. In the past, an owner could have
been liable for ,a fine up to $50, but
never was fined or taken to court.
Next year it will become an actuality.
To mako it easier to control the
"dog problem" which is widespread
across Ontario, the government has
set regulations to be followed in each
municipality with the municipal
council establishing the amount of the
fine, which is subject to government
approval.
Councillors Jim Papple and John
Brownridge thought- the $50 fine was
steep but agreed to it when treasurer,
John McLachlan explained that dog
complaints are responsible for many ,
of the telephone calls to the township
office. (A person complaining about a
dog at large must contact the clerk,
who will in turn alert the animal
control officer for action
Members of council representing
the' township on local fire area boards
for 1980 will be paid at the rate of $15
for each board meeting attended. This
is up from the $12 paid in 1979. As well,
Cleave Coombs who represents the
township on the board of the Seaforth
Community Hospital, will be paid $15
up from $10 he was paid in 1979. He
attended 20 board of committee
meetings in 1980.
Ontario Hydro has notified the
township that the new yearly ratesfor
1981 will be increased by $33U for
Vanastra; $187.76 for Egmondville;
$37.44 for Brucefield; and $2.80 for the
two lights in Harpurhey.
It was reported that the Vanastra
curling club was closed for a day
during severe windy weather, but was
permitted to be opened following
inspection by an engineer. The
curling rink is allowed to be open for
use while under constant monitoring
Turn to page 3 •
Teachers not settled yet
The Huron County Board of
Education and its secondary school
teachers will not meet again in
negotiation sessions until the New
Year.
Board representatives,teachers
and a provincially appointed
mediator, Professor Jeffrey Gandz,
With adoration mirrored in her eyes, little Kara Hiltz gives Santa Claus a
bright snail* as she accepts her present ea the Clinton Nursery school Christ-
mas party last Friday. (James Fitzgerald photo)
held negotiations for three days- at
Benmiller Inn last week but further
talks will not resume until January.
Professor Gandz said it was early in
the process to make any definitive
statements adding that the 'January
date for resumption of the
negotiations has not been set.
"We held some useful discussion
and are reconsidering the satiation,"
he said. "We will meet again in the
New Year but will not set a date until
January."
"The mediator was appointed by the
Education Relations Commission
after talks broke down between the
board d teachers.
F tfinder Malcolm Stockton
-rele-ased-his-rep-or
and stated the main differences
between the sides was the salary did /
and staff allocation formula.
The board offered the teachers 5 per
cent from September 1 to December
31, 1980 and an additional 1 per cent to
the period ending August 31 for an
average of 5.1 per cent in the one-year
contract.
The teachers were seeking a 15 per
cent increase over one year.
Stockton recommended a split
salary grid with a second component
increase of 10.5 per cent or an 8.5 per
cent increase in an annual contract.
The teachers were also seeking
guarantees of a maximum workload
of six periods out of eight a day.
Stockton said it would mean the hiring
of five additional teachers at a cost of
$70,000. He said it was an
unreasonable demand and that in-
fringements on guidelines were
unavoidable.
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Weather
1980 1979
1H1 LO HI LO
DECTTi
-14 -3 8
20 7 13.5-3.5.11
21 6.5 -11 2 • 7
0
Snow 9 cm Rain 24.2 min