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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1984-12-05, Page 5• i� P . Page 4--V ► , 4.. 'S t sPN15AYt P4=0)=5,1984 5,1984 1ha Ciinfon4Newe-Record iq esigllshgd freZ11 Wednesday et"3j•Q. Sao 39, Clinton. OnIarIp, C01114da, NOM 1LO. Tel.: 402.0443. Scabscr9fetion.pens: Canodd • $19 7s "r' Sr• Citta®n - flO'cT$per Year 1J -5.A. foreign - 433.00 per velar 3t q,I,re;p!M,tspr¢ qp epcgnd close moil by the Waif office ander the peranit rammer 01317. The hiews•1lacard inccirparditgd in194. Ahe „Wenn fiews•0ecord, founded in 10.01, end The Cllntgn News Era, founded in 1$¢5.,Yv41. press rune 3,700. linton N Oncorporcittng THE BLLTH STANDARD) Jo HOWARD AITIIKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE - Editor GARY HAIST - Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECK - Office Monger CCNA 10 MEMBER A MEMBER Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective October 1, 1904. Vaccine ban pointless Right -to -life_ associations and other anti -abortion advocates Who opposed the use of a vaccine "acainst German measles in a Toronto scIi oI have done themselves a great disservice. The Toronto campaign launched against the WI -38 vaccine did not advance the right -to -life cause. Instead, it appeared as a misunderstood, radical, thoughtless move. This week the Roman Catholic Archdiocese tried to clear the air by noting that they belive there's nothing morally wrong with WI -38. WI -38 is a vaccine against German measles, developed 22 years ago in Sweden, from a legally aborted fetus. " Some groups say use of the vaccine is immoral and "goulish." And one Roman Catholic School in Toronto refused to let public health nurses administer the vac- cine to students last week. As a Toronto Star editorial said, "It's ironic to see several right -to -life organiza- tions oppose ;he use of a vaccine against German measles, a virus that can cause pregnant women either to miscarry or to bear severely defective babies." " Medical facts and studies clearly indicate the risks of exposure to German measles during the early months of pregnancy. The use of WI -38 has dramatically reduced the number of cases of German measles in Canada. Any ban prohibiting the use of the vaccine would be a tragedy. Surely anti - abortionists are not willing to risk exposing pregnant women to increased out- breaks of the virus for the sake of their cause° That would mean dangering the life of an unborn child at the expense of their principles - to save the life of un- born children. That doesn't make sense, it contradicts itself. Father Jack Gallagher, director of the Cardinal Carter Centre of Bioethnics at St. Michael's College put the issue in perspective. He said that using cells from a fetus to develop a vaccine was like using the body of a murder victim for an organ transplant. "If you take an organ from a man who's been murdered, it doesn't mean you approve of the murder or are implicated in it," he said in the Toronto Star. The anti -abortionists who opposed the vaccine's use did nothing to promote their cause. Instead, they raise question and concern about their credibility and forethought. This move will show more negative repercussion, than positive response. -by S. McPhee "I'm glad those scribes are snooping around" Dear Editor: I would like to reply to the editorial opi- nion printed in the Bayfield Section of the Nov. 26 News -Record - Fair and Accurate News Coverage. The writer seems to sup- port the government in its efforts to restrain the press in the interest of dissemination of accurate information; she also mentions sensationalism and dramatic reporting as problems which could be avoided by govern- ment issuing "releases on a professional basis". Yes, but who decides the issues to be discussed? Or whether they are fair, dramatic or sensational? - or even true or half-true? Civil servants checking with ministers who then check with the Prirne Minister? Or vice -versa? Unfortunately handling news this way can all too often become news management. And, since governments are comprised of human be - In the Christmas spirit yet? 1 ah, not me and I'm w*rried• I usually have all my shopping done, the decorations strung throughout the house, Christmas cards on the go and shortbread baked by this time. Not this year. The festive spirit just hasn't caught me yet. Time goes by just too fast, I'm still back August. Anyway we got our first taste of Christmas celebrations on Saturday night when the Town of Clinton held their annual party for employees, volunteers and guests. Of special note was a presentation and standing ovation for Clarence Neilans who retired this fall after 10 years as manager of the Clinton arena. Bill Craig capably honored Clarence and recalled some of the good old days when they played ball together. Former Clinton councillor Rosemary Armstrong was also remembered for the seven years she worked with the town. And last, but not least, Clinton's one and only Bob Campbell was honored for earning an Ontario Bicentennial Award. ings, it would be an exceptional one indeed that could resist the temptation to present to the public only that which makes it look good, or at least not bad; they call this put- ting a good "face" on things. Let us remember that freedom of the press has always been a cornerstone of democracy. For balanced views one can always read more than one newspaper and check the sources - e.g. ministers and M.P.'s. Let us also remember that this govern- ment has a huge majority, and therefore needs to be watched. I, Tor one, am glad those scribes are snooping around. Incidentally, some of those guidelines were so silly they caused equally silly results, as witness the events of last week. Yours truly, Alice Quick Behind. The Scenes By Keith Roulston New deals for business Rejoice businessmen. You are the heroes of the '80s. Give them time and Brian Mulroney and Ronald Reagan will be building statues to you. Someday they will build large buildings, almost like cathedrals that will be lined with the likenesses of the saviours of our day, the people who wrested the nation back out of the hands of those long-haired hippies who have been infiltrating the country since the 1960's and put it back on the "right road". The ears of government are open to you at long last. The impediments preventing the promised land will be swept away. And you, in turn, will make this a land of boundless riches. You may, of course, have a bit of a hard time letting the politicians know that you're really a businessman. Despite the fact that our new government has more small businessmen in its ranks -than lawyers, whenever Mr. Mulroney or Mr. Wilson talks to a "businessman", we see pictures of him with the president of some huge corpora- tion. When the government started trying to unload crown corporations, it started look- ing for some huge corporation that would buy the whole thing, lock, stock and debt. Other governments have contributed shares in such corporations to all citizens but not our boys. The fact is, nearly all the leaders in the government; Mr. Mulroney, Mr. Wilson, Sinclair Stevens think a small business is one that has a headquarters of less than 30 stories high on Bay Street. Ah but they sound good. All the words are there. Small business, they say ,,over and over. again, are where the growth will come from. Small businesses are the place where By Shelley McPhee Bob, in his usual energetic style, reminded us all' of our community spirit, emphasizing that Clinton's the "best damned town in the county." Huron -Bruce MP Murray Cardiff also congratulated Clinton on its community spirit. He noted the town hall restoration and one of Clinton's finest ladies, Cela Sloman, who won the Order of Canada this year. It was a night to honor many of Clinton's hard working volunteers, our municipal staff and council. Even the press earned a bouquet or two during the evening. There seemed to be a good contingency from Rattenbury Street at the party, but believe me, things were very quiet along Rattenbury on Sunday morning. + + + Many of us crawled out on Sunday afternoon tovisit downtown and the open house staged by several local merchants. The stores were cheery, attractively decorated and busy - a good boost for the Christmas spirit. There were rnapiy visitors wandering about as well, parents and their children in Clinton for Optimist Bantam Hockey Tournament. The Sunday open house was a perfect way to welcome new visitors to Clinton. It's an annual event that attracts many Christmas shoppers and visitors to Clinton. My personal thanks goes out'too. It helped spark my Christmas spirit. I went home, dragged out the Christmas tree and plunked it in the kitchen. Now if only I could get enthused enough to move it to the living room and decorate it! + + + Among Clinton's weekend visitors were Allan McDougall and son Shane, and Otto Wetzel of Sudbury. They were visiting with Mr. McDougall's father, Ken McDougall of RR 5 Clinton. + + Contrary to a report in the Nov. 28 Ne ws Record, Frank McFadden has not given up his work with the. Bayfield Agricultural Board. He is still an active director, but his name was inadvertantly missed last week. Hockey fever -- by Shelley McPhee Roberts parents defend accusations The Ministry of Education has proposed to close high school " classes at the Robarts School in London and move the hearing im- paired students to, -Milton. The Robarts School parents are opposed to this happen- ing. In a recent London Free Press article Dr. John, Boyd, Superintendent of the Robarts School, said he felt parents regarded him as the "enemy". Mr. Roy Wollaston, Superintendent of the E.C. Drury School in Milton and Dr. Boyd have been given equal opportunities by the Ministry -appointed Study Committee to present the credits of their respective secondary programs. It is the feeling of the Robarts School Parents Association that Mr. Wollaston has taken full advantage of his position on the Study Committee while Dr. Boyd has offered vir- tually no argument in favor of keeping his secondary program at Roberts. Twelve years ago Dr. Boyd campaigned and sought parent help to open the Robarts School. Many of the same people who rallied around him then are now asking him for his support. However, his actions and statements over the last several months in- dicate that he is encouraging the demise of the Robarts School - at least as it exists for the hearing handicapped. new ideas come from, where the dynamism in our economy comes from. So far, however, there hasn't been much more than words showered on the small businessman from ori high. Just the election of the new government is reward enough, I guess. Meanwhile the real goodies continue to go to big business. With the reduction of programs to keep tabs on environmental damage from industrial contaminants, for instance, there comes the feeling that big business is being told the good old days are back. Go back to the '50s when no questions will be asked about what that guck you pipe into the water or air is as long as you're pro- viding jobs. Go back to the good old days when you were in a power struggle with your workers and you had the power on your side. There's no doubt we do need a new deal for small businessmen, whether farmers or main street merchants or small manufac- turers. The trouble is, mention business and it's big business that gets the attention. And let's not forget that some of the mess we're in is because of big business. There wouldn't be as stringent laws about safety in the workplace, there wouldn't be minimum wage laws if businesses hadn't been negligent in the first place. There wouldn't be tough environmental controls if we hadn't had businessmen who didn't give a damn what happened to waste once it was off their property. New rules to encourage businessmen are fair, but let's make sure that the businesses are fair in return. If they are and they can rebuild the economy, then we can build their statues. Bryan Robertson, Director of Provincial Schools and Dr. Boyd have on numerous oc- casions discredited our parents groups because we did not represent an `official' voice. Without a charter they would not recognize our group. We are now a charter member of a provincial organization. Our children are experiencing the same disrespect. On November 23, our young peo- ple staged a short walkout to protest the possible closure of their high school. The students made their position known in an orderly manner in a minimal amount of time. Contrary to Dr. Boyd's accusations, this protest was not set up by the parents. We knew nothing about it until Friday morning when the students requested we contact the media - which we did gladly and proudly. We hope that after serious thought Dr. Boyd will be proud of his students' initiative and ability to stand up for their rights in such an orderly and mature fashion. Our young people deserve the respect from the Government to be asked, "How do you feel about this proposal?" The Ministry of Education says they can- not offer viable programs to 30 or 40 students, yet with Bill 82 they are asking School Boards to provide "quality programs Sugar and Spice to handfuls of students. Parents and teachers have submitted reports to the Study" Committee proving that quality education can be given at the Robarts School to small numbers. The Ministry of Education insists that cost is not a factor. We are beginning to understand why. We have heard that in 1979 the Ministry of Education studied closing the Robarts School but the transfer would have cost $600,000. We are sure that in 1985 this figure will have greatly increased. So why the urgency to move our children out of the Robarts School? What are the Ministry's future plans for: (a) the Robarts School facilities? (b) the other Provincial Schools? On Saturday, December 8 at 10 a.m. the Study Committee meets at the Ro6arts School, London. It is open to the public and media. It is the last chance for parents, special interest groups, educators, school boards, concerned citizens - anyone - to make their views known to the Study Com- mittee. We urge everyone to attend this very important meeting. For further information please contact Fran McCallum (519)652-5006 or Marlene Taylor (519)262-2021. Of days past I have come up with some items that bring back memories and voices from the past. A few months ago, a young colleague of mine was heading off to Zimbabwe (former- ly Rhodesia) with his wife and children to teach' school there. They didn't know a soul in that part of Africa. I had a thought, which occurs every so often. "Mark," I told him, "I have an old War -time friend who lived in Rhodesia. I'll dig up his address, and maybe he can at least give you som4 tips on life there." So I went to my old prisoner -of -war log book, and there it was. Unfortunately, Don McGibbon lived in Bulawayo, not Salisbury, to which Mark was posted. However, I gave him the address and a note to my old friend. There was every likelihood that he was dead, or had moved, or had got out of the country, as so many white Rhodesians did when a black takeover seemed inevitable. And the other day, while I was having lun- ch, a member of our staff was reading a let- ter from Mark's wife. It turned out that they'd been sent to Bulawayo, not Salisbury. She described conditions, pretty grim — curfews, house searches for insurgents, and so on — and the letter said: "And we're going for a picnic on Sunday with Bill Smiley's air force friend." 47, You could have knocked me down with a Spitfire. I hadn't heard from Mac since 1945, when we were both incarcerated in prison camp. We'd been on the same Typhoon wing in Normandy, where I knew him slightly. He'd been shot down shortly after I was, and, joined by a wounded Australian, Frank Land, we wound up as a trio doing a train journey all over Germany: first to a camp occupied by British and New Zealand veterans of Cyprus, then to an interrogation centre at Frankfurt, then off on a long haul across the war-torn country to a prison camp, where we wound up in the same room in barracks. By Bill Smiley One forms pretty close associations under trying circumstances. We did. I had a lot of respect for the 'Rhodesians I'd met: their courage, their cheerfulness, their lack of swank. And, of course, they were only col- onials, so we Canadians could needle them about that. Mac was one of the best of the best. As if that weren't enough to start the juices of memory flowing, my wife, while cleaning out drawers and boxes, came across a cache of ancient letters and pic- tures that I'd forgotten existed. There I am, Leading Aircraftsman Smiley, at 21, black hair, white teeth (the opposite of the present), wedge cap tilted to one side, dashing moustache, cocky as only a young fellow can be when he knows he's going to be a fighter pilot. And there I am again, on a prison camp identification card, complete with numbers and fingerprint, soon after I'd been shot down, looking bewildered and anything but cocky. And another photo, at another camp, front and side view, looking 10 years older, stubble of beard, mean. And finally, a photo taken soon after release, sporting the magnificent handlebar moustache I'd grown in camp. There's a picture of Freddy Wakeham, Canadian, Eric Necklen, New Zealander, and self, in front of our tent in Normandy. I am the only survivor. And another one, both leaning against a Spitfire's fuselage, of two of our gang, a motley crowd, when we train- ed in Shropshire to take off and land Spits without killing ourselves. Jacques Van der Perren, Belgian, and Singh Thandi, Indian Air Force. Van escaped when the Germans invaded Belgium, made his way through occupied France, got over the mountains into Spain and was thrown in jail for six months. He was eventually released, got to England, joined the R.A.F., and was shot down and killed on a mission not far from his home town in Belgium. Singh Thandi went back to India. I heard he was killed flying Hur- ricanes in Burma. We were closer than most brothers. The only one of that crowd left is Jack Ryan of Toronto. The others were from half the countries in Europe, and from all over the then British Empire. Here's a letter, written to my mother, from Casajus Pascal, postmarked M. Stam mlager XI, Deutschland. It's in French. Part of it: "Ici mon ami Bill, votre fils qui actuellement dans mon stalag ..." and so on. He told her I was en parfaite santee (in perfect health) and tried to reassure her. How good of him. I don't even remember him, although I knew a number of French POWs. He ends by saying, in French: "I hope that he himself will be able to write you soon." Why couldn't I write then? Who was Casajus? Must dig into the memory cells. And on they go. A letter from my squadron leader describing my last mission, and holding out hope. A letter from a chap in Florida to my parents, He listened every night, on his short wave radio, to lists of Allied prisoners announced by the Ger- mans, and had caught my name and home address. And a happy, happy telegram, marked Sans Origin, and Important, from 64 Squadron: "Happy to inform you that your son F/O Smiley WBT is safe and well as prisoner of war. Letter follows." A letter of commiseration from my col- lege president, when the first "missing" report went out. Finally, a letter from a chaplain in England: "So happy to be able to welcome and chat with your son, on his safe arrival in England." Dated May 25, 1945, People in those days really cared. And I've only skimmed the surface.