HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1973-03-08, Page 15tOk
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The mom Forest Confied rat,.by Wesver Bros, Limited
The k htant success of the
, .'rlcan Lion 'Safari and Game
Farm proved Out the Bound
planning of the original partners
in the venture—Col. Gordon
-' pailley, formerly of Winnipeg,
and Jimmy and Richard Chip-
,perfield, an English father and
son team who have set up.sinhilar
game farms on 'the Longleat
estate of the Marquess of Bath,
and in' Florida, Europe and
°Austrailia.
The lions were only a beginning
for- the Rockton reserve which
has cost between $500,000 and $1
million so far A monkey jungle
has been added where about 100
fierce-101ring baboons, inside a
specially -designed non -wadable
fence, scamper at large over .12
acres through which visitors can.
drive in safety in their own,cars.
Sea lions and penguins, llamas
NATIVES NOT FORGOTTEN—A pair of bison share living
* space with lions, monkeys and zebra at the African Lion
Safari and Game Farm, Rockton.
and wallabies, along with pea-
cocks and barnyard animals are
installed in a carefully
'segregated Pets Corner.
Giraffes, zebra and other
animals of the veld are either
already residents of the reserve
'or will be shortly.
The lions, however, were the
.chief problem in winning local
acceptance of the project. Neigh-
boring farmers had to be assured
cethat the big cats up to 450 pounds
for males and 300 for females,
could never leap the double rows
of six -and -12 -foot steel mesh
fencing.
Richard Chipperfield, a lion
expert with a healthy respect for
the king of beasts, likes to boast
that "we've never lost a visitor".
To make sure there is no first
time in Ontario, a group of
trained wardens armed with 12=
gauge shotguns, patrol the
grounds in four radio -equipped
trucks and man two watch
towers.
In case of trouble the wardens
have three choices of ammuni-
tion to emplloy—a saluting blank
that merely makes a loud bang as
a deterrent; a rice -loaded car=
tridge that acts as a stinger and
finally, if required, a lethal slug,
a single ball shot.
Visitors are restricted to
driving along special roads, with
car doors and windows closed at
all times. The wardens, dressed
in khaki safari outfits topped by
floppy white hunter hats, trim-
med with leopard, bands, keep a
vigilant lookout.
All. untamed and untrained,
there are several prides of lions
in grasslands napping in the sun
or frolicking as the tars go by.
Truly ',the headliner, a majestic
male disdains such frivolity and
THE KIDS LOVE IT—
* youngsters. Last year
disturbed at the you
he African Lion Safari and Game Farm at Rockton is a delight to
no less than 1,500 busloads made the tour. A pride of lions shares un -
ng invaders.
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SIMIAN CAPERS -The members of the monkey clan at the African Safari have adapted
readily to civilization. They're not fussy about where they ride when hitch-hlking.
comes to the edge of the road'w'ay.
to get a closer look, his 0h
rippling with Muscle*,
Cattle heads bought from `moo
packing houses supply the uptot,
10 pounds of meat each hen eats
daily, their diet supplemeut$
egularly with bone meal and cod
liver oil.
The lawny cats are co;
able enough in their ueW
Canadian habitant .which, 4471*
Chipperfield is "the most
realistic lion country this side of
Africa".
Surprisingly, Ontario winters
are not a° problem—the lions ac-
quire insulating fat and heavier
coats—and in severe weather
can find shelter in unheated con-
crete dens. There's no disputing
Head Game Warden "Butch"
Dring when he comments,
"They're a grand sight in the
Take a famsly safari
Have you ever dreamed of tak- ', which is the Canadian home of
ing part in an African Safari. , about 40 lions. ff your car should
one of those exotic wilderness e i fail you the directions are to
cursions where nature shows you sound your horn. Don't try to
creation untamed? „ walk for help—the lions are for
Well, you don't need a lifer real.
savings to experience the thrillI tO; Lions are not the only residents
which you have looked forward; of the game farm: Cheetah, those
Just pile the family into the oil -powered grand cats, are a
and head for the African, Lion fascinating sight. In the monkey
Safari and Game ,Farm . jungle the children find excite-
• ment as the animals roam freely
All you will wan in the way of over the hood and roof of the car.
weapons is the trusty camera d' A further attraction is the
a few extra rolls of film. Then yo1, "Pets' Corner" where food is
can "shoot" to your heart's COIF " available so the youngsters can
tent—from the safety of your cant feed the animals.
Follow Highway 8 south froth,:
Galt (now Cambridge) to There is a primitive camp site
ay 52. Turn left and follow for those who come equipped to
signs. camp out. Nearby is the Water
Safari and the Nature Bay Rail -
If you arrive in a convertible road, plus a cafeteria and hun-
you will need to change cars. dreds of picnic tables.
(Lions have long, sharp claws)... ,r
but rental cars are available; or ,,, Is the Safari popular? Well, last
you can Join one of ' the double -,year no less than 105,000 cars and
decker bus tours. ;1,500 buses brought some 600,000
You can drive freely in an area ? people to this unique attraction.
A gold inedal for, bravery and
self-sacrifice, presented
posthumously to Robert Bradley
Hall, formerly of Alma, was the
first gold award presented by the
Royal Humane Association for
decades. In fact, it was only the
fourth such - medal ever pre-
sented.
Robert Hall died in a fire in his
home on April 2, 1972, while try-
ing to awaken his parents. Before
he died he saved the lives of his
brother. and two sisters.
The fire started early in the
morning. All six members of the
family were asleep in their bed-
rooms. The three youngest
members, Steven 13, Cheryl 10
and Laura 8 were upstairs while
Mr. and Mrs. Hall and Robert, 16,
slept on the main floor.
Fire erupted at approximately
4 a.m. Robert was awakened by
the blast as the oil fired space
snow''.
Now there are g•e_ verayl Ontario
native lions --cubs bora' right in
the snow at the farm,
No pets are allowed in the lion
reserve but kennels with
Padlocks are provided for them
''at the entrance. (After all, what
normal family wants their
favorite pup ending as dessert for
• a hungry lion).
Those who are familiar with
the famous Lanks-dialect story of
Onion farrn.rs
gives X250,000
Farmers who lost their 1972
onion crops in the Grand Bend-
Thedford Marsh areas have re-
ceived $250,000 compensation
from a• chemical company.
The area was sprayed with a
potato herbicide in 1971 and the
soil retained the herbicide for
longer than anticipated.
About50 acres of onions were
destroyed.
The chemical,. designed to kill
weeds before they bloom, is
manufactured by Chemargo
Chemical Ltd.
TERRIBLE GRIZZLY?
The fearsome grizzly bear
actually is not the killer of leg-
end. It eats berries, bark, bulbs,
ana grass, and prefers to feed on
dead animals rather than make'
its own kills. Occasional.y, it
stalks a young moose or.
straggling caribou.
jidecade�
heater was relatively near his
bedroom. He immediately left his
room and 'summoned his younger
brother and sisters upstairs to
vacate the premises. On seeing
that they were safe he re-entered
the house. to awaken his parents.
Investigations after the fire
showed that he had been success-
ful but the parents died before
they were able to escape and
Robert had apparently tried to
get to a window. When he re-
entered the house was already
engulfed in flames.
Sister Honored
Robert's sister Debbie received
the special award at a ceremony
in the Alma Public School on
February 13. President of the as-
sociation, S. M. Fletcher pre-
sented the medal to Debbie. He
Was assisted by Inspector N.
Hogarth, representing the On-
tario Provincial Police, No. 6 Dis-
Perth 4-H'ers completed
340 projects last year
by Nick Doelma
Ontario Ministry of
Agriculture and Food,
Stratford
4-H in Perth County is very
active with some 300 members in
the agricultural 4-H clubs alone.
These 300 members completed
340 projects throughout the past
year. Why is the project con-
sidered so iinportant in 4-H?
First of all, a project is an area
of study in which each member is
expected to participate and, by so
doing, learn about his or her
project, develop the pride of
ownership, the joy of accomplish-
ment, exploration of future
career possibilities, and the fun
of working with a group.
Why has the project become an
important teaching tool? The
basic objective of 4-H is to aid in
developing creative, productive
Citizens. The adaptability of the
project to a wide range of ages
and abilities has given it enough
freedom and flexibility to make it
an important and useful teaching
tool.
Learn by Doing
Carrying out a project, will
help the individual "learn to do
by doing" in a real life situation.
He gains valuable information
and develops skill in working. In
addition, the 4-H<member can get
experience in decision-making
when he decides on his projects
and the quality of work to be per-
formed.
The member also learns to
accept responsibility by complet-
ing his project work. Finally, he
c : n learn the value and tech-
ques of keeping accurate
ecords.
Each member is encouraged to
set his own project goals. It is im-
portant that he select a project he
is capable of carrying out effec-
tively.
Now, how does this all fit in
with the 22 4-11 clubs in Perth
County. Ten of the clubs are dairy
clubs where the project taken is a
dairy calf born between the dates
of July 1, 1972 and April 30, 1973.
The 4-H member keeps records
on this calf and trains it, then
shows it at a fair. He or she is also
encouraged to develop his own
project, for example, maintain-
ing a health record on his or her
calf.
Other clubs have projects, such
as beef, corn and bean, tractor
and machinery, horse and pony
and veterinary club, all operating
on "a similar basis.
From 12 to 21
. Who can be a 4-1.1 member?
Basically the 441 project in
Ontario is designed for young
people living on farms or in rural
communities who are between
the ages of 12 as of Jan. 1, 1973
and will not reach their 21st
birthday by Dec. 31, 1973.
If that is YOU, why not consider
joining a 4-11 club. For more in-
formation on 4-11 write to the
.agricultural office in '-our
`t'otrnty.
dT
trict Headquarters. Rev. Myron
Maxted, minister of the United
Church, Alma, and Keith. Merk-
ley, the man who organized the
financial drive for the Hall family
after the fire, also assisted in the
ceremony.
Also invited to the event honor-'
ing Robert were George Wissler
of the volunteer firemen of
Elora; MPP for Wellington South
Harry Worton; Debbie's new
foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sid-
ney Pink of Scarborough; Mr.
and Mrs. James Barnett, the
foster parents of the other chil-
dren rescued and the children
themselves. Robert's grand-
mother, Mrs. V. Hall of Toronto
and members of Robert's class at
the Fergus high school also at-
tended.
In addition a great number of
the residents of the Alma and
Fergus area were present to see
Debbie receive the award.
The award given to Debbie
Pink ands the other Hall children
will mean a lot to them as they
grow up in their new homes. The
association realizes the honor
paid to their deceased brother
will help them in the development
of their own personalities and be
a 'lasting remeihbrance of a
brave sacrifice on their behalf.
"Little Albert" and his demise at
handy the iteektfin game'
the zoo, cannot help thinking how , would have be
p �s
F I RST CLASS PASSE NG E R—The: continent "down pi* der'.
is suitably represented by Junior 'Residents' of the African
Lion Safari and Game Farm at Roekton. `these
tion natives of Australia thrive in• theCaflad an`'clir``
DEBBIE PINK, sister 5bf Robert kali, 1, receives a Royal
Canadian Humane Association Gold Medal for bravery on
behalf of her deceased brother Robert. Association presi-
dent Steve Fletcher makes the presentation. (OPP Photo)
KEITH MERKLEY organize the financial fund to help the Hall family after a disaSt4r•
ous fire in their home on April 2, 1972. He spoke to area residents gathered to honor Robe 't
Hall who saved three children in the fire. Also at the head table were Inspector $,M'
Hogarth, Rev. Myron Maxted, Mr. Merkley, Steve Fletcher and Robert's sister anc'l
recipient of the award, Debbie Pink. (OPP Photo} .: