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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1983-11-16, Page 4PAGE 4 —CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1983 The Clinton News0ecord is published each Wednaoday at P.O. Iioe 39. Clinton. Ontario. Canada. NOM 11.6. Tal.: 002.31803. Sombaraiption Rate: Canada - 019.72 Sr. Citizen - S lo.79 par year D.S.A. *ensign - 053.66 par yoer 6t is registered as second clave mail by the post alms under give permit number 6017. The tleerc-Decord Incorporated On 16218 the Huron ilearo-lTecord, teatndoii in 16101. and The Clinton ti..yerz i'ra, founded in MINIS. Tonai press sone 3.700. Ine®rp rating THE !SIXTH STANDARD J. NOW t'.R'i!' AITKEN - Publisher SH LEEY McPIAIEE - Editor GARY SIAM - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECK - Office Manager MEMBER Display advertising rotes available on request. ask for Rete Cord. No. 10 effective October 1. 1403. A MEMBER The poppy is special It was the twelfth of November: the day after Remembrance Day. The autumn mor- ning was cold and dreary, and my mind was as cloudy as the drab sky above. Angry at the world and the people in it, I walked swiftly, lost in my own thoughts. Almost mechanically, 1 drew my coat around myself and sat down on the seasoned park bench beside the cenotaph commemorating the men killed in the World Wars and the Korean War. There I stayed, seeing no one who passed by and caring about nothing but my own problems. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I notic- ed a stooped figure, slowly making his way in the brisk wind. With his head down, and gnarled hands clutching his overcoat, the old gentleman walked as though every step were an effort. Unaware of my presence, the man stop- ped nervously. He drew himself up with dignity. His eyes held a look of pride. Following hips gaze, I saw that the old gentleman's eyes were upon the cenotaph, which was newly laden in wreaths. Pro- bably he was a veteran of one of the world wars. I smiled and looked back to him. His eyes were no longer on the monument. He was staring into the grass near the bench where I sat. Tears welled up in his eyes. Sadly he shook his head and started off down the street. I was puzzled. What object could make a man as I had just seen, so distressed? My eyes searched the ground for what was lying there, and there it was — a poppy. It was not even real. Just a simple plastic poppy was on the ground. I frowned. How could such a forlorn little flower make a man so heavy- hearted? What did it matter? Remem- brance Day was already over. Then I realized how much that poppy meant. That simple little flower was not just a scrap of plastic; it stood for important things. It was peace, and freedom — not only mine — but the peace and freedom of my family, and friends and neighbors. Yet, it was more than these. That poppy was the soldiers. Soldiers fighting at Vimy Ridge and at Dieppe. It was these men, fighting for their freedom, and freedom for the world. It was their families back home in Canada, ly- ing there on the soggy ground. I shrugged. Remembrance Day was over. That poppy wouldn't matter again until next year. I tried to think of my own concerns, but I couldn't concentrate. My mind wandered. Once again I saw the old man's face as the tears came into his eyes. I saw the poppy, lying in the grass, and I was ashamed. Remembering the soldiers who fought for Canada was not just a yearly obligation. Their gift of peace lasts all year round, and so should their memories. I had sat here, moments before, angry at the world, when those men loved the world so much that they gave their youth, many their lives for us. These were the people to be grateful to, not just on Remembrance Day, but every day, for they were the ones who earned our freedom. For the first time that day, the world seemed friendly to me. 1 knelt down, rescued the poppy from the wet grass and proudly pinned it on my coat. The rest of the world might have thought it was just a bat- tered and shabby poppy, but to me it was special — for now I knew what it meant. — By Bonnier Turner, R.R. 4, Clinton, Grade 10 CHSS. Behind The Scenes By Keith Roulston A neat little war If Prime Minister Trudeau is seeking to increase his popularity at home, as his cynical critics suggest, by going on his round -the -world peace mission then he real- ly must be as out of touch with reality as the 52 -per -cent of the population who despise him think. Surely even if Mr. Trudeau's backroom political advisers are feeling desperate to reverse the disastrous political polls they must be astute enough to know peace does not bring votes. Look at recent history. Politicians who seek peace get beaten. Politicians that go to war win new populari- ty. Currently, Ronald Reagan has won new popularity with his overnight invasion of Grenada. While the governments of friendly nations protest and politicians of other stripes in the U.S. scream about the illegali- ty of it all, the American people are strongly behind the president. Mr. Reagan is only the most recent beneficiary of the trend. The military government in Argentina was popular only once in its long terror -filled reign, when it invaded the Falkland Islands to rebuild na- tional pride. Unfortunately for the junta, they lost that war and the resulting displeasure caused the public to unite for the first time in numbers sufficient to drive the army out of office and return democracy. it was a strangely reversed role of the traditional "war to save democracy." That same war turned the political future of Margaret Thatcher around in Britain. With the economy in a shambles, with her promise of a return of the good old days of British pride seeming a failure, the political analysts were simply trying to figure out which of the opposition parties would form the next government until the Iron Lady drove Uie cu ge►►u11►a►Is out of L11e tiny islands most of the British public had never heard of before. Today she seems invinci- ble. There's something attractive about war. It has the welcomeness of a school yard scuffle where the tensions that have been suppressed for so long in the name of good manners finally boil over into one quick, cathartic battle. Action is so much more rewarding than compromise some times. The problem, however, is to find a nice clean little war, one that releases the public's pent-up frustrations without going on too long. Let a war drag on and begin to hurt too much on the home front and it can be counter productive, making the public look for a new government, not strengthen- ing the old one. The Argentine generals found that out. Lyndon Johnston found that out. Richard Nixon actually won popularity for getting the Americans out of a long war that had at first been popular. So one has to be choosy who ope gets into a battle with. The Israelis have been good at it. I mean while in history we study the 100 Years War and in fact we live through two protracted World Wars so that even the Korean War looks short by comparison, the Israelis commemorate the Six Days War. Mr. Reagan finally found the perfect war in Grenada. He'd love to take on Nicaragua but knows it could get messy. Cuba would be even more attractive but the Americans already looked foolish there once. Grenada served the purpose, although even then he must have been surprised that it took so long to capture the island and that so many Americans were killed. So, Mr. Trudeau, if you're really in- terested in keeping power, forget this counter-productive peace stuff. Find a nice little country you can attack and defeat. Bank of Canada can replace list or stolen bonds By Brian Costello We've all lost something at one time or another but you may be in for some good news if you have your money tied up in cer- tain investments. Take Canada Savings Bonds, for example. If you've purchased CSBs in past years and lost them — or had them stolen — you can still get your money back. If your bonds have been stolen, the first thing you should do is notify the local police department. Then contact the Bank of Canada, Public Debt Department, 245 Sparks Street, Ottawa, KIA 0G9 and where they've been Inst or misplaced, con- tact the Bank of Canada directly. You'll be asked to complete a sworn state- ment outlining the details of the loss. Then the Bank of Canada will have you complete a Bond of Indemnity and following that 1 either issue you replacement bonds or reim- burse you for the value of the outstanding bonds. In the meantime, you will have been earn- ing the same rate of interest that you would have, had your Canada Savings Bonds not been lost or stolen. While most consumers are careful with their bonds, there is always the possibility of mistakes. With that in mind, It's a good idea to keep a record of the registration numbers of your CSBs. This identification number is found on your bonds right at the top. It's also available through the financial institution where you purchased your bonds and can always be found by contacting them. Brian Costello is a nationally -known col- umnist and radio -TV commentator on money matters and author of "Your Money and How To Keep it". Remembrance thoughts Sugar and Spice By Shelley McPhee So foul and fair a fall "So foul and fair a fall I have not seen." That's just as good as anything Shakespeare wrote or Macbeth said. The only word that is changed is "fall" for "day". And you can blame the three witches: Pain, Boredom and Frustration for that. . Fall fairs. Fall festivals. Excitement. Col- or. A last fling before the dreary days of November and the icy, endless clutch of a Canadian winter. It's been the fairest of falls. After a sum- mer so fine that no Canadian can quite believe it, we had a September and October that have made us wonder why anybody would want to live anywhere else. Sun. Few bugs. Incredible August, Superb September. Glorious colors. Corn and real tomatoes stretching into October. Rotten kids back to school. Great golfing. Fine fishing. Utopia. Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it, you rotters. I can see you, sitting in the nursing home are,..ig about it, years from now. Yeah, the fall of '83 was the best we ever had. Sun shone near every day. Fuel bill was nearly nowt. Didn't put on my long johns till October first." "Yabbut", counters another old-timer, "that's the fall Trudeau decided to stay on." Heavy silence. Well, if you look back to the first paragraph, you'll find the word "foul". It's been a foul fall for yours truly. Oh, we intended to enjoy that fall. Go to the Fall Fair, go to a Festival. We went to a Festival, but we didn't make the Fall Fair. Me and the Old Lady, as we say at the Legion, took a late -summer shot at the Shaw Festival. No tickets. no room reservations. We just played it by ear. It worked. It was a fateful decision. Naturally. we By Bill Smiley didn't see any Shaw, but thoroughly enjoyed "Private Lives" and "Vortex" by Noel Coward, and the musical "Tom Jones". Everything went well. The shows were good, better than lots of Stratford stuff we'd seen. Francis Hyland, that excellent Cana- dian actress, never really appreciated because she hasn't gone to the States, was accosted, interviewed, and praised by my wife, was. sweet, gracious, and laughed heartily at a reference to her first husband, George, an old friend of ours, who succumb- ed to the Hollywood fleshpots. The "Prince of Wales Hotel" at Niagara - on -the -Lake offered everything any big -city hotel could, at the same rates, but with much more personality. Their bellboys are human beings, not insolent louts with nothing more than a tip on their minds. Waitresses, desk clerks, the same. Well, as usual, it was too good to be true. Getting cocky, God's favorite angel was hurled into Hell, according to Milton, there to pull himself out of the fire and swear eter- nal vengeance. I guess I got cocky too, things were going well. We came back from a show, hadn't eaten dinner, and I proposed to bring up to the room a tray of food from the cafeteria (dining -room closed. I No problem. Started up with my big tray of ham- burgers and other connoiseurs, like mustard and french fries, caught my toe on the stairs, and catapaulted, backwards, down two flights. Still had the tray in my hands when I landed, but nothing on it. ( Reminds me of the time when 1 came in with two bags of groceries, slipped on a fresh -waxed floor and broke my nose on the kitchen counter, because i didn't have enough sense to drop the groceries.) Kaleidoscope Anyway, I wasn't hurled into hell for my pride, but have had a hell of a time since. Separated shoulder. As far as pain goes, I'd just as soon lie for a while in the eternal flames that Satan endured, until he pulled himself together. Football players. Hockey players. They get "separated shouders", and are expected to be out of action for a while. That never bothered me, because it just doesn't happen td an aging teacher -columnist. Picked up, a bit startled, but not worry- ing, by two great bellhops, , taken to emergency, sling put, on, and doctor saying it would be a "week or more" before it was healed. Not to worry. That was just before school re -opened. Spent most of September in a sling with something worse than a chronic toothache and earache combined. Tried to resume teaching in late September. Kids wanted to know why I was wearing a sling. Between moans and grunts told them several versions, all of which they believed. Said I went to a disco and these two old ladies, about 65, each wanted to dance with me. One was stronger than the other, and pulled my arm right out of the socket. Told them I'd taken a swing at a little girl in Grade 9 on first day of school, not realiz- ing she knew karate. Said I'd been arm -wrestling with my grandson, aged nine. They are a little dubious, but, "That's too bad, sir", was the general reaction, Don't ever get a separated shoulder. If you do, tell the doctor to cut it off at the joint and sell it to a limbs -bank. It would be less painful. Too often we hear about the antics of mischievous and rebellious young people. The Clinton News -Record would like to change that by honoring the outstanding achievements and acts of courage and initiative of our young people. In co-operation with the Ontario Com- munity Newspapers Association and CP Air, the News -Record is taking part in the Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Awards Program. Held annually since 1981, the community program honors "good kids" who utilize ingenuity and resourcefulness in their daily lives, or are involved in some worthwhile community endeavour. Groups or individuals may be nominated by anyone in the community through the News -Record before the end of November. The award recipients are selected and announced in January. Anyone between the ages of 6 and 18 years is eligible to receive an Ontario Junior Citizen Of the Year Award. Nominees may also be involved in community service, have overcome disabling physical or psychological handicaps, or have performed acts of heroism perhaps endangering their own lives. The winners receive a plaque citing their accomplishments, a lapel pin, $200 and a family portrait with the Lieutenant By Shelley McPhQQ Governor of Ontario, the Hon. John B. Aird. All nominees will receive a certificate recognizing their nomination. Please give me a call acid suggest some young person who is worthy of this award. 1,et's show all of Ontario our finest young citizens. } 4- -*- The Clinton Public Hospital Nurses Local 182 and the Huron County Public Health Nurses 168 have made two needed donations to the local hospital. They recently gave a second floor nursery a new intercom system and Local 182 donated a large adult blood pressure cuff to the first floor. These purchases were made possible through the blood pressure clinic and hake sale held in May. + + + The Huron Comity Town and Country Homemakers are reminding everyone to send in their donations before the year's end. Donation forms and brochures were in your mail boxes earlier this fall. + + + Bess Fingland's 17 -year old grandson John has just concluded a trip of a lifetime. The son of Frank and Ilene Fingland of Whitehorse, Yukon took part in the pilgrimage to France and Belgium, spon- sored by the Minister of Veteran Affairs. The trip marked 65 years since the end of 4. WWI. John's itinerary included arrival in France on Nov. 5 and a tour of the Vimy Memorial and a concert in Arras by the Canadian Vimy Band. Nov. 6 the annual Vimy ceremony was held and an official luncheon hosted by the Minister of Veteran Affairs. Nov. 7 a battlefield tour around Arras was held and Nov. 8 the group saw the bat- tlefields north of Arras and in Belgium, the day ending in an evening reception in Belgium. A ceremony at Mons Cemetery, organized by the Belgium authorities took place on Nov. 9 and Nov. 11 a Remembrance Day ceremony was held. The group departed for Canada on Nov. 12. ivy Smiley, wife of Sugar and Spice columnist Bill Smiley, died in their Midland home on Nov. 4. She was 58 years old. During the 1950s and 1960s ivy and her husband lived in Wiarton where Bill wrote for The Wharton Echo. They moved to Midland in the late 1960s where Bill now teaches in the English department of a local high school. ivy is survived by two children, one brother, one sister and several nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her father who lives in Wharton. Have yor say Dear Editor oss of privacy? Dear Editor: Clinton be aware. If house parties =.,re such a threat to Clinton merchants, perhaps it is because they think that all Clinton people are mindless fools, who will be led astray from local business. The bylaw that council in workln with is Transient Traders, Hawkers and Pedlars. In the bylaw there are no references to house parties. The council seems to have passed licensing without regard to that fact. How much more loss of privacy are we ready to take? When you invite someone to your home, perhaps you will have to check for licence of permit, or pull all the shades to feel safe. I would like to hear some merchants speak up. Surely all of you are not afraid of a few, mostly women, who have house parties for entertainment and yes some profit. Will you merchants let two complaints make you all look foolish? Thank you, Ina Fisher, Clinton Tuned into 1950 Dear Editor: I read with horror at what your Mayor has suggested as a "cure" for this terrible pro- blem (transient trader issue) that I suppose only faces Clinton. This is so retrogressive, it doesn't seem possible that a supposedly intelligent public figure like the Mayor could still be tuned into 1950. Does he think it is simply a matter of enacting new laws that will rub the protec- tionist spots off the thick hide of the Clinton businessmen? I wonder in amazement how such a person could ever be elected to public office. Mr. Mayor, Clinton does not need your humorless antics that you disguise as public responsibilities. What it needs is acts that will encourage people into Clinton. Have you ever spent any time speaking to people who don't shop in Clinton and why? You would then be doing a service for the town. Come on Clinton, you neither need nor deserve people like this on your council. What your town needs is young, aggressive and new faces. In conclusion, it appears unlikely that Clinton will ever achieve the activity it deserves in its downtown, or from industry. Who could possibly be attracted by this thought process? I welcome your response Mr. Mayor, either in person or through this column. R.J. Kraft. Blyth. Flyers. wanted Dear Editor, A world reunion, to end all wartime air- crew reunions, will take place September 6 - 9, 1984, in Winnipeg, Canada, for all nationalities who have ever flown in an air force of the British Commonwealth. The purpose is to reunite comrades who have a special bond between them, by virtue of their unique experiences and recognized contributions to the peace and freedom we have enjoyed for almost four decades. Four days of activities are on the program, including Command reception rooms, a banquet, concert and ball, a visit to a flying training station, an air show, gala luncheon, static displays and a cenotaph parade and memorial service. Previous reunions were held in 1970, 1976 and 1980, each one being larger and more spectacular than the others. Registrations are well ahead of previous reunions, mostly from flyers who attended one or more of the previous ones. Special air fares and charter flights are being arranged to bring former airmen from other Canadian provinces and abroad. Registrants will be kept informed. Write now, or phone (204) 489-9256, either to register or get further information. Registration is $105 (Canadian), plus $95 for wives. A hotel deposit of $50 also is required for each person. The address is Reunion '84, P.O. Box 2639, Winnipeg, Canada, R3C 4133. Sincerely, Allister McDiarmid, Reunion Committee Publicity Freedom "What has this to do with me?" A darkened sky that's turned its clouded face away in shame, A deafening roar, the echo of a modern sort of game. A towering pile of flesh surrounded by a blood -red sea. I ask you men of wrath, "What has this to do with me?" An army corps of young and old all fighting for their home, A wounded soldier in a trench who's facing death alone, A group of hiding children, scared and long- ing to be free. i ask you men of war, "What has this to do with me?" A cannon shot that fells a hundred soldiers in a blast, The resting souls of men who've found eter- nal peace at last, An echoing tune of sadness and a young boy's whispered plea. I ask you men of death, "What has this to do with me?" 1 know not of those war days and don't really understand The reason for the killing and destruction in the land; But for the souls who lie in Flanders Fields I'll voice my plea : "Lord, help me to remember All the death that's kept me free." —by Lorelei Robinson, Clinton, Grade 10 CHSS, first prize winner Clinton Legion Remembrance DAy Literary Contest.