The Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-09-04, Page 15u. In yoor ton**,
aaiIIIter, la h#h ra ce
Timms sem' Nat" Ferest Coe
�derateis read by 33,20. people In
the "hcorthind 'et 14101westernt
Ontirio",
(Hosed o. 3.5 renders In each
Opp:hen►,es.)
A
r
Published every week In The Listowel Banner, The Wingharn Adv Ice T rmes
•
ands7 Thie Mount forest Confederate by Wenger BrosLimited.
Four men,.f�ur towns
I grew up in a smalltown which
didn't have a recreation director.
In fact, until last week I'd never
known a recreation director
personally. I must admit, I had a
slight preconception of what a
recreation director would look
like: He would resemble my high
school phys. ed. teacher; a
whistle around his neck, a sweat
suit and a loud voice.
Needless to say, my preconcep-
tion was a misconception. I met
four recreation directors from
this area : Don Town from Listo-
wel, Jim Ward from Wingham,
Jim Moore from Palmerston and
Elmer Wick from. Mount Forest.
I met them at a time when their
summer programs were finishing
and their winter programs were
getting into gear.
All were extremely helpful and
1
patient in .explaining their posi
tions and programs, and they had
that instant friendliness about
them which makes one very
comfortable.
Not surprisingly, they all
looked athletic and all four had
handshakes that would make you
wince.
The word that they used most
often to describe themselves was
"organizer".
These are the • men who
organize the minor baseball,
hockey, , swimming, basketball,
lacrosse, roller skating and
almost any other sport you can
mention.
Recreation directors work in
conjunction with the LIP pro-
jects, OFY programs and Experi-
ence '75 projects. These activities
bring us such things as day
camps, playground instruction
and day care centres.
They help the community to
initiate any repreation project
such as a karate club or theatre
guild.
'These men are the resource
people for a multitude of projects
and activities that are simply too
numerous to mention. It was no
joke when Elmer Wick said that •
being a recreation director is not
your average 9 to 5 job; it's a way
of life.
"IF YOU'RE HAPPY and you know it .clap your• hands", sang these Mount Forest
children -after their Penny Carnival. The carnival was one of the last events°Staged by the
Mount Forest Summer Fun group. More than 100 kids turned up to enthusiastically part
with their pennies. (Cork Photo)
what �re they all about?
DON TOWN-LISTOi'Er,.
Don Town has been director ,of
recreation for Listowel for ix
years. As we. talked in his of f f ce :'
he was constantly on the move,
never sitting. He laughed easily k '.
and is just as likely to bei• joki
as serious. Everyone called him::.
"Towner" and he described
self and his . approach as some-
what traditional.
Listowel is one of the. oldest
towns in Ontario to -have a full'.
cipating in the summer program
as a trend of the times and the
geography. People have more
money and more leisure time
these days. A great number of
families have lefttown for the
summer to spend it at the lake.
He was happy with the fact that
20 per cent of the kids in the
program came from rural loca-
tions. He said, "The recreation
program cannot stop at the
boundaries of a community."
time staff for recreation, The : ° The summer program in
program has been in operatiof.: Listowel had 17 paid.. staff
for over 20 years. k, members. Most were secondary
Mr. Town said that with altuik and post secondary students.
programs this year, he tried tQ> "The instructors benefit as much
impress the children with the,:,as anyone else in the recreation
idea of participating as opposed program," said Mr. Town. "They
to winning.• have a paying job for the summer
He felt that the pool was they%.'• as well as the experience of
hub of most of the Summer working with kids. A number of
activities. This yearit had one'ot`- instructors have even decided to
its longest seasons. It was.• open: make -a career out of it."
from late May until Labor Day, There are six or more recrea-
"After Labour Day," said .Mr*1 tion directors across'Ontario who
Town, "participation is ahnostrhave come out' of the Listowel
nil..Unfortunatelyfor.the few what recreation program over its 20
would still like to make use of it, year history.
the cost of .keeping the pool open., "What's a generation gap?" he
is just too high." said when asked about it. "I don't
He broadly described the; see any gap.' I'm just as
summer program. as one which,, pomfortable at youth activities as
would open the door's of schools . tI am at adult functions.
and other existing facilities. Witte' - He was a bit disappointed by
very little structure, they en,J' •'the allocation of grant money for
couraged the kids to:make use ot,a, recreation . He said that he
them. He felt that the youngsters thought the small towns were
had just come through a..winter of taking a back seat as far as grant
structure with school and hockey • money was concerned.
and that they were ready for a 1 He thought the service clubs
break. "The kids want time off were doing a tremendous job for
too," he said. "We try to • make fecreation. "They„ are just
the fapMies-'avaltabtOJn- h'a's'', ; tasf#4', TOY[ o SO much- good.
way that they can do *hat§thek a other day, one of the Clubs
want, when they want." came in and offered us the money
The Town of Listowel hosted for the glass in the new arena.
the Lake Huron Zone Swim Meet This is great ! "
this summer which attracted
about 500 kids. They also held a
track meet and leadership
training courses.
Mr. Town sees the somewhat
decreasing number of kids parti=
TENNIS TIPS — These budding sportsmen participated in
Wingham's Sunsperience '75 program. They received
regular instruction in tennis throughout the summer. It was
just one of the successful activities carried out this summer
with the' support of the Wingham Recreation Department.
(Acivanre-Timpc Phntr
A
DAY CARE CENTRE — Listowel's day care centre
employed a number of students this summer. The centre
as sponsored by the ministry of Community and Social
Services through a new program called Experience '75. It
was run in connection with the Listowel Recreation Depart
ment. (Banner Photo)
JIM WARD-WINGHAM
This winter will be 'Jim Ward's
ninth as recreation director in
Wingham. He's seen many
changes in those kine years and
looks forward to making a few
more in the future.
In his, office he had a shiny
glass ashtray. As I butted my
lone cigarette into that spotless
ashtray, I noticed a sign beneath
it which asked me to refrain from
smoking while in his office. He
looked across his desk with a
robust smile that made me
wonder why I'd, ever begun. He
believed that it was bad for your
health. He also thought that a
rule for one was a rule for all.
The last dance of the summer
in the arena is September 12. If
all goes well they will begin
'making ice on September 13.
Depending on weather conditions
the figure skating school will
open about 10 days after ice
making has begun.
Wingham had a complete
summer schedule which included
lacrosse, roller skating, swim-
ming, baseball and gymnastics.
The swimming courses offered
instruction from pre -beginner
through to Red Cross Instructor.
In Wingham the young swimming
groups had names uch as
Guppies, Minnows an Sh s.
Mr. Ward felt that it e -
times necessary to cra k t e
whip with the kids to keep them
moving as .they acquired new
skills. He said that if you didn't,
they would simply level off and
never realize the satisfaction of
having achieved a goal.
He thought that it was essential
that his programs touched as
many areas of interest as
possible. The broader the child's
base of experience, the better his
chance of successfully choosing
one to seriously persue.
Mr. Ward mentioned that d,
more and more people begin
playing in organized sports, there
is a never ending search for
interested coaches. "More often
than not.': he said. "if you are
good with kids, you will make a
good coach." This ability to
relate to the young is what he
looks for in a coach, more than
that person's knowledge of a
particular spoilt. He said that he
was more than willing to teach
anyone the finer points of a sport
if that person possessed the other
coach potential.
He spoke about the participa-
tion in the summer programs and
said, "The odd time I'm
disappointed in the number of
kids who turn out, but I've never
had reason to be .disappointed
with their enthusiasm."
He believed that kids have to
get away from the organization
sometime but also that most of
the time kids want to have
something to do. This was where
he felt the summer program
fitted in.
• Mr. Ward felt that one of the
most important keys to having a
successful program was to have a
good staff. He was pleased to say
that he had very good instructors
this year.
This winter Mr. Ward plans to
co-ordinate a very interesting
project. He will attempt to
generate enough interest in the
people to begin a week-long
Wingham Winter Carnival.
He envisioned the carnival as
including the whole gamut of
local groups, clubs and erganiza-
•• tions. The project would hinge on
almost total participation by -the
community_ He hoped to involve
everyone from tot to senior
citizen.
Mr. Ward, in his spare time, is
active with senior citizens and for
him it would.be a feature of the
carnival if they participated.
He said that the role of any
recreationist is that of a catalyst
in the community. The recreation
director" is the man that • gets
things going.
JIM MOORE - PALMERSTON
Jim Moore is in his second year
as Mg eation director to .Palmer-
stow He grew: p)n Hami1t n and
was hitilvied With the recreation
program there. He developed 'an
interest in facility management
and; decided to persue it gat Mo-
hawk College. While there his in-
terests broadened and he became
involved in recreation.
He felt he had made an excel-
lent decision in getting into recre-
ation. "This position has been a
tremendously fulfilling experi-
ence," he said. "I derive a great
amount of self satisfaction from
my work."
The day camp had been es-
pecially pleasing to Mr. Moore
because he had initiated the pro-
gram in the Palmerston area and
because it had worked so well.
The day camp began in July
and drew children from Minto,
Palmerston and Wallace. Pre-
paration had begun last January
with a descriptive pamphlet be-
ing sent out.
Forty-eight children between
the age of 7 and 14 took part in the
camp and a bus was provided to
transport them back and forth
each day.
Mr. Moore said that he had ex-
pected a somewhat larger re-
sponse to the day camp but as it
turned out the number of kids at-
tending each day was ideal. It al-
lowed a greater contact between
the . instructor and the children
which would have otherwise been
impossible.
The day camp offered instruc-
tion in canoeing, bush craft,
camp lore, native lore and orien.-
teering.
He thought that the thenrrte
weeks were very il'lnportant be-
cause they provided a varied in-
terest. "Occupation" was one of
the themes presented at the day
camp. For this theme the child-
ren were taken toplaces such as
a fire hall, a .taxidermists a bot-
tling plant and a newspaper
office.
Mr. Moore was pleased with
the complete co-operation of the
businesses in assisting the theme
weeks. One of the few businesses
smoou ly ,Agreatt')
tivitiesnm
whatsalev°
Mr. Wick is ; presentlyinvolved
in the preparation of a communi '
ty services directory. This direo, M1
tory would be made .available to w
the pubic throng his monthly
newsletter* lbw serviOS� du' -s
toMryoutnwtillF4st catalogue recreation
and related ` activities in the '
'area.'He
list of the activities i f,-40 to 5f1
that they couldn't see first hand 8n',r- `He hopes, the dire
was a lumber mill. The presence Will also amt the grouI
of dangerous machinery made co -or diva ing. their ?pfoject
••
the visit impossible.
Mr. Moore said that if a camp ' ' He has amu° tollectinj
was to be initiated for 15 to 17
year olds, , it would have to be
overnights -semi -survival. He felt
that children of that age want to
forget structure, minimize re-
sponsibility and be on their own.
He particularly liked the "Ex- Mr.' Wick has another plan in
perience 75" program., It worked the works, •a youth council for
through the community instead teenagers. He stressed councitas'
of the individual in assessing -the opposed to facility. A youth fa _ r
needs of an area. Experience 75 is ty implies something such as'a
funded by the provincial ministry drop-in centre:
of Culture and Recreation: He was strongly air st aim=` .
"It's essential to offer as many ins an°artificial commtulity sub:
as a- drop in. He said the com-
munity itself is already ' the
natural facility in. which to Work
and play. t . .
The youth council' would be
people, it would�.be an 'avenue o3E
communication. between!, the
names of aitdivn
which may aisa ,li
the directory. He already hes ,h
hobbyistswwho'are willing ,to act
as resourse people for anyone in-
terested their pastime.
different programs as possible,"
said Mr. Moore. He said that he
didn't intend to forget the few
children who still haven't been
attracted to the recreation pro-
gram. He said that these children
didn't lack interest but lacked
programs that recognized it, teenagers and the rest of `:the.
Mr. Moore saw one of the re- community,
sponsibilities of a recreation "The yoadikeelmcil w
director . as being a liaisona,lle..,:;t a yo gii cediub,"
-weep the committeeSihar~ r, 4it,' wotdd iia + nd a i
posed programs and the children penditure projects.'
who will be participating in them. Mr. Wick summed up the role
of youth today. Ile said, "The ,
main responsibility of the young
person into be young. In this way,
they can begin to consider the .re-
sponsibility of *being an adult
when that time comes."
ELMER WICK - MT. FOREST
Elmer Wick, has been recrea-
tion director of Mount Forest for
four years. He is a young man,
energetic and articulate. He grew
up in Listowel and was involved
with recreation there. He is one of
the number of recreation direc-
tors across Ontario who have
come out of the Listowel pro-
gram.
He said that he had designed
his activities so that the young
people would have an environ-
ment in which to develop social
habits, have fun and gain experi-
ence.
Mount Forest had a complete
line of summer activities. Some
of them were pool, minor ball,
Summer Fun, Tot Lot and karate.
Mr. Wick said that this fall he
hopes to initiate some special in-
terest activities such as weaving
and photography. He thought that
the Mount Forest area could ex-
pect even more special interest
programs in the future.
He mentioned the relative new-
ness of the recreation depart-
ment in Mount Forest and hoped
that no one would forget the
amount of time and energy in-
volved in getting programs roll- Recreation director is certainly
ing. "Major programs simply 'hot just a job, it is surely a way of
can't be created overnight," he life. It is also a large commit -
said. "I, personally, am con- ment on the director's part to the
cerned with getting as many pro- community and to the well being
grams as possible running of youth.
COMMITTED TO YOUTH
All four recreation -directors
have complex programs running
year round. They, include almost
every possible activityavailable'..
Many specific programa were not
mentioned in connection with
specific towns; however, all four
towns offer a very broad range of
activities.
The recreation director has an
enormous responsibility. He
must bridge the gap which has
the impatient and anxious youth
on one side and the experienced
and cautious adult on the other.
The directors are involved with
the kids at a time when they are
going through many difficult
changes to their minds and bod-
ies. They must provide activities
that will help youngsters to ap-
proach adult life in a complicated
society. They are the spokesmen
of youth's needs to an adult
world.
TADPOLES IN THE WATER — Listowel had a successful season this year with the help
of a number of great swimming instructors. Their summer program included baseball,
tennis, playground, badminton, and many, many more. (Banner Photo)