HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-05-01, Page 1t. y
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- Huron -Perth co-operate
New Health Council
committee is named
The Huron County Board of
Health received permission at
,last Thursday's general
meeting of county council to'
make appointhients to a Huron
Perth Steering Committee, the
first step toward a Huron -Perth
District Health Council.
The possibility of a joint
health council has been under
discussion for sometime bet-
ween Huron and Perth. On the
,steering committee from
Huron County will be - the
chairman of the Health Unit
Board, one representative of
the medical society, one
representative of the Hospital
Pl4nning Council, one
representative of a consumer
or voluntary organization and
one other representative: Perth
County will have the same
number of representatives.
The Warden and the Medical
Officer of Health from both
counties will be ex officio
members of the steering
committee.
"This is an important aspect
of promotion of health in
Huron," said Reeve E.W.
Oddleifson, chairman of the
Huron County Board of Health,
Reeve .Oddleifson said Huron
has met twice with Perth
County to discuss the
__.possibility of a.Health Council.
He said._.that-- while the ap-
. pointment of a steering com-
mittee doesn't "commit this
county to anything", the
Minister of Health""for Ontario
is' "very favorably inclined"
toward some agreement bet-
ween Huron and Perth where
health matters are concerned.
MOH Dr. Frank Mills said
Nurses laid .off
atAM &G
Three members of the nur-
sing staff at Alexandra Marine
and General 'Hospital in
Goderich have been laid off this
week as a result of the Ontario
Ministry of Health general
cutbacks. .
One registered nurse, one
registered. 'nursing assistant
and one ward clerk were in-
volyed, according to hospital
administrator'Jim Banks.
Although hospital officials
are not happy about the
reduction in staff,' 'Mr. Banks.
feels the hospital will "very
adequately be able to realign
responsibilities" to ac-
commodate the loss of • per-
sonnel.
Mr. Banks said this is ' a
general ' cutback across the
entire province, and the local
.hospital has not been as greatly
affected by the budget as some
other hospitals in some" other
areas of Ontario.
"It is. a layoff in the real
sense of the word," added Mr.
Banks, saying that when staff is
required again those laid off
will have first priority for jobs
at AM&G. •
4. .
that • after the steering com-
mittee has met with both Huron
and Perth Health Units, names
would be submitted to the
Minister of Health for mem-
bership on a joint District''4
Health Council. The Minister of
Health reserves the right to
either accept or reject the
recommendation of • the
steering committee as to the
composition of the Health
Council,
"It is an important step to get
people to sit down and talk
about . health care services,"
said Dr. Mills. He mentioned it
would be the committee's duty
to make recommendations or
proposals for improving health
services in Huron and Perth,
and about such things as costly
duplication of services.
Warden Anson McKinley
warned this was an untried
venture.
"We do not know what
authority the Ministry will give
to these health councils," said
the ,Warden. "We're going into
what is an unknown. I only hope
it doesn't start the bureaucratic
'structure of the Mustard
Report."
Warden- McKinley told.
'council it is safe to assume that'
the health council would cover
a much wider. area of health.'
services than .• the present
county health units.
Reeve Stan ' Profit of
Goderich said his greatest fear
was that the Ministry of Health
would not,,accept the persons
recommended by the steering
committee to a health council
for Huron and Perth.
Reeve. Profit expressed
further apprehension by
'reviewing some of the points in
the controversial Mustard
Report, adding that health
councils could,be the first step
toward implementing the
Mustard Report.
Dr. Mills indicated that by
studying the possibility of a
Health Council for the district,
there was no reason to assume
'the rest of the Mustard Report
woiild' also be imple heated. In
fact, Dr. Mills said that the
concept of a Health Council for
Huron -Perth was envisioned by
Huron's county representatives
prior to the Mustard Report.
Dr. Milts said it was still not
clear how members of future
health councils would he
named, but he suggested their
representatives could' be
elected. He said Health
Councils could function
similarly_ to county school
boards, for instance. ' and be trained to take over
CI
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1 2.$. YEAR -1' 8
SINGLE COPY 25c
An elated Kim Jeffrey proudly 'sits on the throne after being
crowned queen at_theGI?CI At -Home formal last Friday.
Surrounding Miss.Jeffrey are the runners-up (from left)
Bernadine Van, Rooy, Wanda Plaetzer, Gale Johnston and
Sharon Whitely. The selection was' made by the vote of the
entire student body at the local high schook(staff photo)- •
ec Board recommends
•
new assistant manager
The Goderich Recreation
Board Will recommend to -
council next week that a new
assistant manager be• hired at
the arena with the intention of
making that man manager
withinthe next two. to four
years when present" manager
Biii Lumby retires.
The recommendation was
made after two years of
discussion between the two
groups, bitter feelings from
both sides and several staff
changes at the arena.
Two years ago the recreation
director and the rec board went
to council requesting an
assistant manager be hired at
the arena to,learn the operation
of the building and its
machinery under the manager
Dumbbell off to reunion
•
C:C
, A Benmiller Dumbbell will be
honored . nationally this
weekend at a reunion in
Toronto. Jack McLaren, a
management in the case of the
manager's illness " or
retirement.. •
The request came after
manager Bill Lumby suffered
from' illness that could have
forced his early retirement,
The rec board feared th�ry did
not have. a man capable of
taking over operation of the
arena.
Council instructed the rec
board- at that time to hire an -
,assistant and said they `wanted
it done right!' The rec board
established • an, interview
committee and placed an ad in
the newspaper for applicants.
The first ad drew- seven
applicants of which three were
interviewed for the job. The
interview committee recom-
mended Lloyd Moore, an
•
Exeter man, be hired for the
position,
Council questioned the
decision and instructed the
committee to readvertise, The
second time Mr. Moore did not
apply, although the committee
had been impressed with his
clrrafifications and desire. As a
result Dennis Lassaline was
recommended and accepted .by.
council:
Three ; months later Mr.
Lassaline quit the job leaving
the committee in their original
position with no one qualified to
manage the arena.
The interview committee
decided due 'to the little time
between the last ad and
Lassaline'-s departure that they
could not - readvertise the
position. They -recommended
ture famous skit
Benm•iller artist, is off to the
provincial . capital to join his
former comrades in arms at a
weekend reunion of the Third
Jack McLairen, author of many skits and song -0 that entertained the Canadian- troops in Europe
in World War I ponders a photograph of the colonel of his old outfit, The Princess Pats. Mr.
McLaren will be honored for his efforts at a reunion in Toronto this weekend. (staff -photo)
Canadian tiivision Dumbbells.
The honors bestowed upon
McLaren and. his mates are in
recognition of their efforts in
entertaining the Canadian
troops in Europe during World
War I, The Dumbbells, one of
the first organized troop en-
tertainment groups{i ' were a
result of the hard work and
imagination of • Mr. McLaren
and seven of his fellow soldiers.
',The idea of entertaining the
troop's in the field came to the
eight when they were in
Belgium in 1916. Members of
the Princess Patricia Canadian
' Light Infantry,, they were
bogged down in trench warfare
in the spring of the year. Bored
and suffering from low morale'
they decided to take a
lighthearted look at army life in.
the , form of sketches and
comedy routines.
"We held a mirror up to the
troops," explained Mr.
McLaren. "We pointed out the
humor of ration lines, sick
parade and general army, life."
The eight man group called
•themselves the • Princess'
Patricia Comedy Company, the
first organized entertainment
group in the Canadian army.
They were 15 months ahead of
the ndw famous Dumbbells and
were the basis for their for-
nrrti'on.
ur 'first shows Were in
Belgium and were so'popuyl,ar
/the army had to put .up pickets
ground the, building we were in
to prevent' fights amongst the
soldiers trying to get in," said
Mr. McLaren proudly.
Set in the ruins of a bombed
out Belgian. tpwn, the comedy
group improvised for all their•
props. They were fortunate one
day to discover an old chair
stuffed with horse hair rind they
commandeered the stuffing to
use as wigs. A discarded calf
skin was used to ,make beards,
tiitlehurns•, and mustaches,
Cardboard from the YMCA was
used for hats and gauze from
the army dressi ig station was
used in burlesque numbers,
The huge success the comedy
company enjoyed, and their
benefit to the morale of the
troops prompted theThird
Division brass to capitalize on
the project. They confronted
the eight soldiers asking them
to forma division -wide com-
pany (rather than battalion -
wide) and call themselves the
l:)un,bbells.
The plan was to take talented
members of all the units in the
division to -form one large,
fulltime entertainment. group.
The PrincessrPats refused. All
front line soldiers ,„they could
not ignore their loyalty to their
outfit and join another, Mr,
McLaren explained that the
Princess Pats formation was
something special to the men.
Hamilton Galt, the founderof
the infantry, went to Ottawa in
the early war years and 'laid out
$100,000 to clothe, arm and feed
a regiment mirrking the first
time a private individual had
paid fcir his own troops since
the Middle Ages. A large
r'ru bdr e;I` the nen were
university graduates,
Broadway actors and actors
‘vho had played in the west -end
theatres of London.
The colonel of the outfit,
Maver Moore, Was a grandson
of Professor Moore of Toronto,
then a key figure in the �ir•ts,
theatre and painting 'circles of
the country. Professor Moore
sent letter to his grandson
advising him of the talent•ohe
had in 'his regiment,
"When the cFdlonel firs,t ' aw
(continued on page 9)
A Valinda California family sat, seemingly relaxed while
was reunited in Goderich last Mr. Rivera recounted the in -
Friday ending 40 days of terror cidents of ,March 17 and the
for a 23 -year-old Spanish- subsequent motor trip covering
speaking mother and her four- more . than 3,0.00 miles. Mr.
year-old daughter held captive _ Rivera spoke on behalf of his
in a car since March 17, ;o wife who spoke little English,
For Maria Rivera and her only occasionally directing
four-year-old daughter Den- questions atther in Spanish to
neyse the agonizing days of verify the details.
captivity came to a welcome . Mr. Rivera. stated that his
halt when a Goderich Ontario sister-in-law had lived with
Provincial Police constable Valencia for a period a few -
stopped the car in which they years and became extremely
were travelling to check on a angry when he learned that
licence plate infraction. Rivera had assisted in moving
Mrs. Rivera and Denneyse earlier in the year. The two
were abducted from their men had argued at the Rivera
Valinda California home at home sometime in February
knifepoint ,on the afternoon of but Valencia was not seen
March 17 and taken on a road again.
trip that covered thousands of Mr. Rivera then explained
miles across the •Uni•ted •States-= tl atAw-0.-persons,..(a. man: anti:
and Canada. -'On Friday Maria womanT-came to his house the
saw her husband for the"first afternop n of March 17 and
'time since March 17. He im- asked ftg wife, for use of the
mediately flew to' Goderich telephone It was then that
after being cqntacted by police. Maria and Denneyse were
Constable` Bruce Crew taken at 'knifepoint to Valen-
'
. stopped thelate model car at cia's car parked outside the
the Sky Ranch Restaurant just house. ,
a few miles north of Goderich Mr. , Rivera returned, from
on Highway 21 at 1:30 a.ni. work later that evening and
Friday because it had no reported his wife and daughter
licenceplates.• When Constable missing at 10 p.m. -Local police
again that Lloyd ,Moore be
hired. - ' •
The administrative com-
mittee of council 'met with the
arena committee and decided
to concur with their recom-
mendation. Council however,
did not agree with the com-
mittee decision and in a tie vote
broken "by‘- Mayor Harry
Worsell, decided to readvertise
the position.
Council asked 'the arena
committee why, they had gone
to the first set of applications to
recommend Moore. They felt
that the first set should .have
been destroyed and the second{
set of applicants used, of which
Moore was not one. '
The committee . told, council
flatly' that no applicant from
the second ad was qualified for.
the job. They, added that:via the
grapevine Moore had heard
that Goderich wanted a local
man for the job and for that
reason had not applied a second
time.
"There was disregard of who
they were or where they came
from," said -committee
member Don Ruetz. "We were
looking for the best man for the
job." : .•
Councillor Leroy Harrison
said at that time it looked like
the arena committee was going
out and sayAng 'we want you' to
Moore adding that he had no
qualifications for refrigeration
operation. Harrison said ' if
someone had to be trained for
the job why not make ,him a
local man.
On all three occasions'
(continued on page 14)
Crew ran a check on Ruiz • investigated the - .following
Valencia, 47, alsq of Valinda morning and from testimony
and driver of the • car through given by a boy in' the neigh -
the police central information ,borhood, Rivera identrfred the
centre CPIC he was informed of man as beingValencia. -
an outstanding warrant for the "When she was missing I
man's arrest on a kidnapping knew who it was," Rivera said.
charge. "I knew he took her away to get
Kidnapping is included in the my sister-in-law back."
U $.-Canada • extradition • The police had a bulletin out
•
agreement as an extraditable in the evening and Mrs. Rivera
offence and Lt. David Hagthrop estimates that by the time the-
'. of theLos Angeles County bulletin was served they were
.sheriffy s' office' homicide in Las Vegas. The trip took the.
division began extradition Riveras through New Mexico,
proceedings Saturday: up to Chicago, Detroit, Win -
On Monday Valencia was nipeg and Vancouver. There
remanded in custody for, an were repeated trips between
extradition hearing on May 5. Winnipeg and Vancouver as
He was returned to the Bruce Valencia, would pick up money
County Jail in Walkerton since that his family would send to
the terms of the Extradition Vancouver.
Act deny bail On one of the trips to the
Two charges of obstructing Vancouver airport Valencia
police and a threatening charge was stopped by the RCMP, and
laid by Mrs. Rivera were ad- later released.. The , RCMP
. journed to Provincial Court confiscated a hand gun found in
May, 5. The delay in the ex- ' the car 'which'Valeri'cia said he
tradition case proceedings was knew nothing about but must
necessitated by need for wit- have been in the par which he
• nesses from California. The. Los just recently purchased. Mrs.
Angeles County sheriff's office Rivera was forced to lie to the
and the FBI are proceeding police. since she feared that
with' the man's trial if he is harm might come to one .of the
returned, confident that they members of her family.
have a legitimate case. - Valencia also madea stop in
Valencia' is ,also wanted,'for Winnipeg and purchased
'murder by the Mexican , clothing for the captives at a
authorities as he is alleged to Salvation Army depot. Mrs.
have hired someone to kill a Rivera and her daughter had
judge eight years ago. However not been allowed to take
,there is no extradition clothing with them. All through
agreement between Canada, the trip the Riveras slept and
the United States and Mexico ate. in. the car and were only
'Which would call for his return occasionally' let out to use-
. to that country. (continued on page 14)
Mrs. • Rivera and Denneyse
The Rivera family of Valinda
R i vera 23, and her four-yearto
Dennis Rivera saw his family
(staff photo)
4.k
California were, reunited in Goderich last Friday after Maria
Id daughter, bonneyse, were held captive in a car for 40 days.
for the first time since he reported them missing on Mare 17.
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