HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1983-09-28, Page 1A
rn
s.e
c3
5-,
O
.-e
Fire siren, a C
THE BAY FIELD BUGIAF
incorporating
Wednesday, September 28, 1983
Thousa s atte clinics
to combat rabies virus
By Wendy Somerville
According to the Health of Animals
organization in Seaforth, attendance at the
Free Anti -Rabies Vaccination clinics is, so
far, up this year. The last time the free
clinics were available was in 1980.
This year Gorrie had an attendance
figure of 430. In 1980, 225 people showed up
for the free clinic.
In Wingham, 701 people arrived with
their animals for shots. In 1980 the atten-
dance figure was somewhat lower at 409.
Clifford had a figure of 267 this year,
substantially higher than the 74 figure in
1980.
Clinton's figure for the free clinic rose
slightly with a total of 574 people in atten-
dance. In 1980, 489 people attended the
clinics.
Seven hundred and thirty-three people
showed up at the Blyth clinic. In 1980, 581
people were in Byth for the clinic.
Goderich, had an attendance figure of
815 as opposed to 720 in 1980.
This year Brussels had 632 people visit
its clinic. In 1980, 505 people attended the
clinic.
This was the first year a Free Anti -
Rabies Vaccination clinic has been offered
in Zurich. For a first time, they did well
with a figure of 369.
The clinic will be travelling to Bayfield,
Hensall, Exeter, Grand Bend, Lucknow
and Seaforth within the next couple of
weeks.
About rabies
Rabies is a viral infection that attacks
the nervous system of all warm-blooded
anunais, including man.
A ' 'record 2,400 cases of rabies . i`t '
livestock were recorded between April,
1, nd March, 1983 — a'jump of close to
seven per cent from the year before.
"Rabies is still around because it's such
a long, difficult and costly disease to con-
trol," explained David Gregory of
Agriculture Canada's Food Production
and Inspection Branch.
"It is very important that people should
know what to do when someone has been
bitten by an animal that may be rabid."
He says the bitten area should be scrubb-
ed thoroughly with strong soap and water.
If possible, the suspected animal should be
isolated but not hand -led directly and a
veterinarian called.
`'The only way to find out if the disease is
present is through a laboratory examina-
tion of the animal's brain, which means it
has to be destroyed," Dr. Gregory says.
Dr. Gregory advises adults to teach their
children to watch wild animals from a safe
distance and never to pick up or play with
seemingly friendly wild animals.
"People should also protect their pets by
not letting them run free in areas where
rabies is a threat and, of course, there are
rabies vaccination programs," he added.
Since rabies is much more common in
rural areas, farmers should be able to
recognize the disease's symptoms.
The typical reactions of one form, called
furious rabies, include excitability,
viciousness, drooling, and biting.
Paralysis follows and death occurs one to
seven days after the first symptoms ap-
pear.
With the other fc m, dumb rabies, the
i;stage is short-lived, or entirely
n�nfected cattle usually have a wild,
sting expression due to excitement, •
fO pwed by violent actions in which they
shake their -heads and ':kite; viciously at
"There may be an abundant flow of
saliva and the cattle will not eat. They fre-
quently look as if they are choking and
there is a temptation for the owner to try to
relieve the choke by putting a hand into the
animal's mouth. After this stage, paralysis
sets in and death soon follows," Dr.
Gregory said.
The symptoms in sheep and horses are
similar to those in cattle.
"Pigs react by hiding in their bedding
and may, without apparent reason, rush
out in terror. They too stop eating but will
chew other objects," Dr. Gregory said.
"They appear extremely restless and at-
tack and bite savagely. Finally, they go in-
to convulsions and die."
Being able to recognize rabies in
livestock is one thing, what to do after
rabies is suspected is another.
"The nearest Agriculture Canada office
should be notified as quickly as possible.
Or, if you cannot get through to our offices
call the local veterinarian, police, or
agricultural representative," stressed Dr.
Gregory.
"Until they arrive, the animals. should
be confined and should definitely not be
handled. If for some reasonthe animal
must be removed, heavy gloves should be
worn and contact with the animal's saliva
avoided," added Dr. Gregory.
According to the Clinton Public Hospital
tbere have been no reports of rabies in the
Clinton area. However, the Seaforth area
has experienced a major outbreak. Two
beef f .sio nd one dairy herd are
prese a 40 day quarantine.
Seven > ;"t: e at one location and one at
each ,; ers have died from the
disea ;;Sev A eople, six from one family
haveen r ving post -rabies vaccina-
tions
Aecdtd'i YgT4't.o The Hur'otl 'Expositor,.
Huron County has seen an increase in
• positive rabies cases of almost 50 per eent.
From January to August, 1982, there were
45 animals diagnosed as having the
disease. The same period for 1983 was 65.
New inventions aid the blind
By Rod Hilts
Laser canes with "beeping" radar
systems, glasses that detect obstacles by
beaming a warning signal into an earpiece
and talking calculators that do everything
but walk. Sounds like an invasion from
outer space. Actually they were just some
of the items presented to the public when
the Bluewater Blind Club and CNIB held a
visual aid display on Sept. 20.
Gwen Watson, an executive member of
the Bluewater Blind Club,, said this 'is the
first time since 1978 that the dispray has
been held in Clinton. Blind Club members
came from Exeter, Hensall, Blyth,
Brussels, Goderich and Seaforth to view
the display.
"There's been a significant advance
made in aids for the blind over the last five
years," said Mrs. Watson.
One of the most amazing developments
to aid the blind is a laser cane valued at
fi6,000. Beams project out of the cane,
detecting objects up to 20 feet away.
Different sound pitches come out of the
cane, telling the blind person where the
obstacle is. According to Lori Siska
Iachowsky, an orientation and mobility
specialist for the CNIB, the cane was
developed in the mid -1970's. She said that
most people can't afford the aids and
service clubs sometimes sponsor them.
For those who don't care for canes, a
pair of glasses have been developed to
detect obstacles by use of a beam that
projects out thein. A buzzer is connected to
the earpiece in the glasses and goes off
when the blind person is within 12 feet of an
object or person. The cost of these glasses
is about $4,000.
A portable hand sensor is another device
available to aid the blind. It detects objects
and people up to 12 feet away by simply
vibrating in the user's hand. This item is
more moderately priced at $600.
Mrs. Sika Lachowsky stressed that the
term "blind" doesn't mean a person has
totally lost their vision. Blind also includes
people that have partially impaired vision.
To be legally blind a person's sight must be
20 over 200 in both eyes.
Since 50 per cent of Canada's 30,000 blind
are over the age of 65, the CNIB displays
especially benefit the elderly.
Claudia Day, an eye service nurse for
the prevention of blindness t CNIB ), said 87.
per cent of blind people have vision
ranging from 20 over 200 to light per-
ception.
Mrs. Day's display consisted of optic
aids including monoscopes for distant
vision and hand magnifiers. She stressed
the purpose of the lenses are not to correct
near and farsighted vision but to make
print large for reading.
"These type of displays are fairly
successful as far as exposure goes. It
mainly benefits older people. We tend to
keep these aids away from younger people
because it acts like a crutch to them," said
Mrs. Day.
Mrs. Day says the latest innovation to hit
the market is a close circuit television that
enlarges written material on a screen up to
60 times larger than normal. The cost of
this machine is about $2,000. According to
Mrs. Day, the popularity of this item has
really taken off over the past six months.
A key area of Mrs. Day's job withthe
CNIB is her work with school children. She
assesses their ability to function visually
in the classroom. The other part of her job
is to work with adults, assessing their
ability to work with strong magnifing
lenses.
The display also featured games like
Turn to page 3
Last week, the Plnewater Blind club. in conjunction v f!?t the CNiR.
held a'isual aid display at Wiclev Willis (lion h in Clinton. Pie -
hired is CNIB nurse Claudia Day showing Frank Washington of
Goderich some of the latest developments in visual aids.(Rod Hilts
photo )
y Shelley McPhee
If worse comes to worse, the old fire
siren, stationed on top of the Clinton Town
Hall could be decorated as a star for
Christmas.
Clinton Councillor Ross Carter
lightheartedly suggested putting the old
siren to a festive use after council came up
with few solutions to the future of the siren
at their Sept. 19 meeting.
The problem with the siren is its size and
its ownership. Some say that the late
Hector Kingswell and other men managed
to take the siren up the town hall tower, but
no one is quite sure how to get it down
again.
The monsterous siren has been replaced
with a smaller version, located at the fire
hall and to add to the problems, everyone
has seemingly abandoned the old siren.
Neither the town nor the fire department
ristmas st - r?
will claim it and no one wants the job of
bringing it to the ground.
Councillor Jim Hunter noted that the
motor in the old siren is valuable, but
someone will have to foot a costly bill to
bring the siren down. A crane may need to
be hired to do the job.
"Whoever gets it down can sell the
motor," Councillor Bee Cooke suggested.
Councillor Charlie Burgess asked if it
was necessary to remove the siren. He
stressed, "It's just another cost."
Other councillors felt that the siren
should be removed because it is an eyesore
and creates unnecessary weight on the
town hall.
Suggestions about the Christmas star, or
declaring the siren as a heritage fixture
were briefly considered. Council decided
to contact the Fire Area Board, asking
them to remove the siren.
In most cases the owners were more nervous than the pets at the rabies vaccination clinic held in Bayfield on Sept. 26. Like
many Ed Hughes of Bayfield looked somewhat apprehensive at the thought of a needle but his little dog had her shot in only,
a few seconds time. Dr. Lawless, working out of Seaforth was on duty for the day. Similar clinics have been held throughout
Huron County in an effort to protect pets from in• creased incidents of rabies this year. (Shelley McPhee photo)
Bizarre accident Dills OPP veteran
A 25 -year veteran of the Ontario
Provincial Police was killed in a bizarre
accident in Goderich Township early
Sunday morning when a Town of Goderich
cruiser smashed the car he had stopped on
County Road 18.
Dead is Constable Bruce Kennedy Crew,
47, of 121 Nelson Street Goderich. A
member of the OPP for over 25 years, he
came to the Goderich detachment in 1965
after a few years service in Kitchener.
The accident is still under investigation
by members of the OPP under the
direction of Inspector John Deslauriers of
Toronto. A statement issued by police
Monday said that Crew and Constable
John Straughan, 38, were assisting town of
Goderich police Constable Peter Mason in
the apprehension of a vehicle owned by
Wayne McDonald, 23, of R.R. 2 Lucknow at
approximately 3 a.m. Sunday. •
The black Pontiac Trans Am was pur-
sued by Const. Mason east on Highway 8
and Clinton Police responded to a call for
assistance by setting up a road block on
Highway 8 at Holmesville. The vehicle
then proceeded west on County Road 18
towards Highway 21. Crew and Straughan,
stopped the vehicle three kilometres east
of Highway 21 at Porter's Hill. Crew ap-
proached the. vehicle and was about to
remove the keys from the ignition while
Straughan returned to the cruiser to in-
form dispatch that the pursued vehicle had
been stopped when Mason came over a
rise arid slammed into the McDonald
vehicle, killing Crew, who was standing
beside it.
Deslauriers said Mason observed the
vehicle in town and continued to pursue it
outside the town limits while requesting
assistance. The Inspector said that
Straughan and Crew happened to be in the
area on another occurrence when they
responded to the request.
Deslauriers and his investigating team
are still trying to determine how Crew was
hit.
"Constable Crew was out of the cruiser
and Constable Straughan was beside or
getting into the cruiser," he said. "We
haven't put all the pieces together."
Constable Straughan was treated for
minor injuries while Constable Mason an
a passenger in the McDonald vehicle,
Allan Nicholson, 21, of R.R. 2, Lucknow,
were taken to Alexandra Marine and
General Hospital for treatment and later
released.
Both the town and OPP cruiser and the
McDonald vehicle were damaged in the
accident. The vehicles were being
examined by a forensic team in the OPP
garage.
Deslauriers said no charges were laid in
connection with the incident but both
McDonald and Nicholson were given
breath tests following the accident.
Goderich police chief Pat King said that
subsequent to a meeting with OPP in-
vestigators and the crown attorney
Monday evening, it was determined that
constable Mason was not travelling at an
excessive speed and that the accident
could not have been avoided.
"The Clinton Police cruiser followed the
vehicle on County Road 18 but Constable
Mason, as agreed between them, overtook
the Clinton cruiser and continued to pursue
the vehicle," Chief King said. "The OPP
had radioed that the vehicle had stalled
and had been stopped. The dispatcher
relayed that message immediately to
Mason but he came on Porter's Hill in a
matter -of three seconds. 'He tried to stop
the vehicle and almost put his own cruiser
in the ditch."
Crew is survived by his wife Emily; one
daughter, M s. Carson (Emily) Milley of
Goderich a d three sons, Stephen of
Kitchener and Peter and Stuart both of
Goderich. A full police funeral was held 'at
First Presbyterian Church, Collingwood,
Wednesday. Members of the Goderich
detachemtn of the OPP and police from
across Ontario formed an honour guard for
the funeral.
Varna teens injured
in single car crash
The Goderich OPP reported two ac-
cidents in the Clinton area last week, one
of which, sent three Varna youths to
Clinton Hospital with major injuries.
On Sept. 24, at 12:30 a.m., a car driven
by Peggy Van Wonderen, 16, of RR 1
Varna was eastbound on Concession 2 and
3 of Hullett Township, one km east of High-
way 4, when the accident occurred.
Miss Van Wonderen lost control of the
car, entered the ditch and struck a tree.
Passengers in the vehicle, Jay Brandon,
16, of RR 1 Varna and Lori Consitt, 14, of
RR 1 Varna received major injuries in the
accident.
Damage to the Van Wonderen vehicle is
estimated at $6,000. The Clinton Fire
Department was called to the scene of the
accident to help rescue the injured.
On Sept. 26, an accident near Vanastra
caused $900 damage.
On Highway 4 at the Vanastra entrance„
a collision occurred between a vehicle
driven by Meda O'Brien, 67, of RR 3 Zurich
and a -vehicle driven by Thomas Cooke, 46.
f Goderich.
There were no injuries. Damage to the
O'Brien vehicle was estimated at $100 and
damage to the Cooke vehicle wac
estimated at $800
The Goderich OPP reported an accident
on Sept. 27 that sent a Clinton Wean to
hospital with seri'lus injuries as the result
of hitting a deer.
Gerald Ball, 38, nt 217 Vtctorra,St.• ('hn-
ton„was travelling along Count> Road 13
in Goderich Township when two deer ran
onto the road. Ball struck one of the deer.
Damage to his 1978 Honda motorcycle is
estimated at $500.
Weather
1983 198°e
HI LO HI LO
SEPTEMBER
20 27 17
21 19 9
22 13 6
22 13 5
24 15 1
25 17 5
26 18 10
Rain 73mm
16 7
16 4
14 9
17 9
15 8
16 11
19 8
Ram 58mm
n