HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1983-11-16, Page 4PAGE 4 —CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1983
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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.