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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1985-09-18, Page 5exameletheiltatee await/tee 41RI 5perytir E isak.. anailpp. eaoicto P!f veer it �i6 idXglltex44The elaweaseee. le ,„ AR f+ ! ! agree NfgWR- paled, a d• Th,oaten tiQMrsEra, f$aciell 1t#gg63nret Inc rporating THE BLYTH STANDARD J. HOWARD AITKEN - Publisher SHELLEY McPHEE m gdit®r GARY HAIST = Advertising Manager MARY ANN HOLLENBECIt - Office Manager Display advertising rates available on request. Ask for Rate Card No. 15 effective October 1, 1984. Trend continues Clinton has lost yet another recreation director. Personal reasons were cited as part of the reason for his departure, but internal municipal con- flicts entered into the final decision. Kevin Duguay was hired in March of 1984 after Clinton residents had waited 10 years for a recreation director. He was selected from 46 ap- plicants in the hopes of getting the wheels of recreation rolling again, and he did just that. But he is leaving after only 18 months on the job. The fact that Mr. Duguay resigned surprised the recreation committee, but it is a trend that is not uncommon to Clinton. Mr. Duguay's 18 months was the longest Clinton has kept a recreation director. Prior to him, Bev Wilder was the longest, staying for 16 months. Before these two gentlemen, recreation directors would leave after only two to three months. Why did Mr. Duguay have clashes with other municipal employees'? He was enthusiastic, he had new ideas and he was aggressive. Clinton has only benefited from the hiring of Mr. Duguay. The number of programs he initiated in the short time he washere is remarkable. He started power skating, modern dance ballet, adult craft courses, co-ed adult baseball tournaments, sports days and boys' ball hockey. At the pool he initiated a water polo team, swimming programs and lifeguard competitions. Mr. Duguay will be the first to admit that he did not do it all single handedly, but had the assistance of some very capable people. However, the ideas and ground work came from him. Other than programs, Mr. Duguay has upgraded the recreational facilities in town. By spending a little more money to replace and MI - prove equipment, Mr. Duguay has left the town with efficient machinery, such as the new condensorat the arena and the solar blanket at the pool. He has also introduced the much needed user agreements, contracts and forms to recreation. Verbal agreements have been dealt with at length during meetings because each party interprets it differently, or parts of a conversation are forgotten. Kevin Duguay has given Clinton recreation a sense of direction. Im- provements and change have been made, making Clinton a more in- teresting place to live. Recreation fans will miss this man. If the Town •of Clinton decides to hire another recreation director, let's hope that we can hang on to that person a little longer. - by Anne Narejko The Clinton Town Hall is lovely, isn't it? Yes, lovely to look at, but inadequate when it comes to handling some popular activities. The controversy began early this year with complaints about the 'excessive noise levels from. a women's exercise class, held twice weekly in the town hall .auditorium. The program, which offered afternoon exercise glasses and babysitting service was allowed to continue to- the end of the session. This fall the program was initially .cancelled, however, council has reversed thei.• deicision and will allow the classes to proceed in the auditorium until a more suitable location is found: The problem here is not the exercise classes, but the town hall itself. A night at council tells the 'story. Council business is progressing at a normal pace, with the exception of extraordinarily loud noises coming from the second floor auditorium. It's those exercise classes again. It's 40, maybe 50 kids practicing their gymnastic routines. It's a herd of elephants? All speculations are wrong. Council is surprised to learn that the crashing and thrashing sounds are the result of six people practicing for a threatrical production. A major flaw has been uncovered with the town hall auditorium - lack of adequate. sound proofing. , What are normal range noises in the town hall auditorium are magnified significantly by the time they reach the main floor. Clerk Cam Proctor describes it as, "like being in a drum." What's the solution? Council initially chose to cancel further exerecise programs - an unfair solution to the mothers who made use of the popular classes. Some council members justified their action by reminding opposers •that the auditorium was designed to be a theatre, a meeting place, an entertainment centre - but not a gymnasium. And what of theatre groups? Digging for family roots Dear Editor: Genealogy is becoming moreand more popular of late and during the past few years the number of people searching for their origins has grown tremendously and it has been with pleasure that I have noted Letters to the Editor in your paper from people seeking help in locating "lost" families. Many of your readers are well aware •of the increasing "addiction" to searching for one's roots but there are so many places to search, so many things to look for. The Huron County Branch of the Ontario Genealogical Society is .holding their 6th Annual 'Genealogical Workshop on Saturday, September 21, at the Canadian Legion in Goderich from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Lectures by guest speakers will cover a variety of topics of interest, and benefit to all. There will also be sales and display tables and of course, anyone with problems is welcome to quiz our members, a number of whom have been doing genealogical research for forty odd years and have a lot of answers. So bring your problems along. Anyone wishing more information may contact myself at 524-2870 (evenings) or Ruth Ann Chapman at 524-9972. Thank you. By Shelley McPhee G U six actors make enough noise to shake the rafters, how does council propose to accommodate theatre groups on a regular basis? Councillor Cherlie Burgess is a firm believer in the town hall auditorium's role as a cultural centre. Re envisions something akin to the Blyth Festival, the Huron Country Playhouse. He has proposed to council the establishment of( an afternoon theatre, designed to attract visitors to town and bring profits to the business community. However, the town hall cannot agreeably accommodate 20, women, two hours weekly for an afternoon exercise class. How does council propose to "quietly" handle theatre cast, crew and patrons? Perhaps the town hall auditorium wasn't designed as a gymnasium, but, from hearing the actors at practice, it appears that it can neither accommodate other uses without encountering noise level problems. The real issue at hand is not the choosing and disallowing of quiet and boisterous activities at the town hall auditorium, but a question of inadequate sound proofing between the two floors. The old Memorial Hall in Blyth faced this problem when the now successful Blyth Festival first came to town. The problem was rectified by putting in additional sound proofing. This is the issue that must be addressed by Clinton Council. • It raises questions about the restoration work - why this wasn't considered when renovations were being carried out. It raises concerns about additional , costs to an already hefty renovation bill, and unpopular .thoughts about more work to be done. Makeshift solutions will suffice for the lime being, but as the town hall auditorium becomes a more popular meeting place and entertainment centre, the noise levels, the difficulties with working conditions in Municipal offices and the problems will magnify. Council must be prepared for this. In the meantime, "Quiet Please!" First woman mayor? For the first time in Clinton municipal history a woman took the position of mayor this week. Clinton Councillor Bee Cooke was appointed acting mayor in absence of Mayor Chester Archibald at council's Monday night meeting. She handled the meeting efficiently, thoroughly, orderly and (best of all). quickly. Perhaps this is some indication of Councillor Coolie's election prospects. A job well done Acting Mayor Cooke! Penny sale time It's that time of year again, when we get to try our chances at winning many different prizes at the most economical draw in town. The Clinton Public Hospital Auxiliary will be staging their annual penny sale at St. Paul's Anglican Church Parish Hall on September 28. From September 19, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. everyone's invited to try their luck at the dozens of prizes donated by local merchants in this giant raffle. Twenty-five cents buys you 25 tickets, the best bargain in town! And best of all, this annual event helps raise funds for our hospital. Square dancing time Weekly 'dances used to be a favorite form of entertainment around here and that tradition is being revived. A group of senior citizensheld a old-tyme dance on September 12 at the Clinton Orange Hall. More than 50 attended, with guests coming from Arthur, Lucknow, Atwood and Listowel. . The Huron Strings performed and lots • of square dancing was enjoyed. - Another dance will be held Thursday, October 10 at the Orange Hall, starting at 8:30 p.m. . • Final summer stroll By Anne Narejko - Behind The Scones Scigar a S-pice By Keith Roulston The journalist's job In a democracy there is no profession more valuable to freedom than journalism and so when journalists fail, their failure puts the whole system in jeopardy. Democracy demands that the general public, make decisions and the current trend • to poll citizens on how they feel on any issue of any national importance makes it essen- tial that the public be properly informed so it can form opinions based on facts, not rumors or prejudices. When a country has a prime minister who won't make his mind up on any issue until he sees how the polls read, an informed public is even more important. But how informed are we? How much are our journalists really telling us? The great issues of the day, free trade, Star Wars research, seem to be treated only with headlines. Seldom does anybody seem to do any in-depth research to dig out the true facts and help us understand what's going on. Our news seems to be dictated by the modern methods of television and People magazine where two paragraphs are sun - posed to tell us all we need to know. Canadians' everyday lives are being ef- fected by the growing protectionism of the United States. Local farmers have been hurt, for instance, by American duties on Canadian pork imports. Americans claim that we are stealing jobs from their lumber workers because our industry is unfairly subsidized. Canadians are a very fair-minded lot. If we are really involved,n unfair trade that is hurting Americans few of us would disagree with the duties. But would somebody please explain to us what we are doing wrong? For instance, while the Americans perpetuate the myth that they are the great free enter - risers being hurt by socialist nations that just can't hack it without unfair trade prac- tices, one survey showed that in farming, both the European and American farmer derives far more of his income from sub- sidies than Canadians. What are. these sub- sidies our farmers get that they object to and what are, the subsidies American farmers get? If we're wrong, let's admit it.. If we're right, let's fight. Star.Wars research has been much in the news of late. Should Canada get involved or should we stay clear? One recent poll show- ed a majority of Canadians in favor of par- ticipation in research, especially if it made more jobs in Canada. But how would they have voted if they all had listened to Gwynne Dyer the Canadian freelance jour- nalist„ specialist in defence matters who writes' for papers around the world. Recent- ly on television Dyer said something I'd never heard anyone else say in all the discussion of Star Wars. , Ask people really involved in the military, Dyer said, and they'll admit that the most they really hope to accomplish if Star Wars is successful, is to protect a few specific spots in the U.S. from successful nuclear at- tack. The aim is to make sure that in event of an attack, U.S. missile bases would sur- vive so that a counter attack could take place. There is the secret hope on the part of many supporters of Star Wars research, that its success will free those of us in cities from the constant fear of annihilation by nuclear war. If Dyer's statement is true and if the general public knew it, how much sup- port would there be for Star Wars? The journalists have a responsibility to research and explain these facts of life to us. If they fail, they are as responsible as the politicians for the horrible results. Let'.s stop grumbling IS your life a cultural wasteland? Do you do the same old things, talk to the same old people on the same old subject all the time? Are you scared to take a risk, smile at so- meone you've never seen, before, do something the neighbors will mutter about? Do you want a decent tombstone, not flashy, but dignified? Of course you do. You're a good Canadian. You believe in personal decorum, censor- ship, the family as a unit, and capital punishment. On the other hand. Do you go for a swim at midnight, sing a song at dawn, smoke mari- juana, mach in protest parades, live in sin, abhor censorship and capital punishment, and contrive to do something that will offend, friends and neighbors? Of course you do. You're a good Canadian. You believe in individual liberty, acid rain, dirty movies and sexual irresponsibility. It. doesn't matter which group you belong to, or whether you're somewhere in between, you all have much in common. You despise the government, but won't elect an alternative, since you despise it even more. You are caught by inflation and high interest rates, whether you are a 60 - year -old farmer trying to keep the place go- ing, or a 20 -year-old punk trying to maintain his habit. You are basically anti-American, though if you were asked why, you couldn't give an answer that was articulate. You feel frustrated, in this land of wood and water, not to mention nuclear power, because, if you are getting on in years, you see everything eroding around you, and if you are short in years, you see nothing but a stone wall between you and your aspira- tions. You wonder vaguely, if you're old enough, what became of the Canadian dream: "The By Bill Smiley twentieth century belongs to Canada." And if you read the papers and analyze the news, you realize that, •while Canada still has a high standard of living, we are very low on the totem pole when it comes to production, strikes, economic stability,peace, hap- piness and goodwill toward men. If you're very young, you don't give a did- dle. There's lots to eat, warm clothes, and the old man will kick in a decent allowance so you can feed. the video machines with their war games. But if you're a young adult, just about ready to launch into "real" life, you're so bewildered about unemployment, and escalating university fees, and the increas- ing shadow of the computer, and the wealth of choices of a future (all lacking in securi- ty) that you can become so"depressed you drop out, or dive into a stream, and fight against the Current. This isn't a doom and gloom column. It's merely a look at our nation today. It is so rife with suspicion, fear of nothing much, anger over nothing much, that we are becoming paranoid. From the Prime Minister, through the head of the Bank of Canada, right down to your local alderman, you have lost trust, and feel that the ship is heading for the reef with nobody at the helm. This is nonsense, of course. Canada has been going through this miasma ever since 1867, and before. Maybe the guy at the helm is blindfolded, and maybe we have scraped a few rocks, but the ship's bottom is still sound, and we haven't hit the big reef yet. If ws�a'nnepecome the s scramble into the ui,alnew Boat People of North America. We've had the French-Canadian separatism thing with us for generations. John A. MacDonald almost put the country on the rocks, financially and politically, but he dared to take a chance, and had vision. We survived a terrible depression, and came out smelling of roses (and the stench of our dead young men), in two world wars. Cheer up, you dour, gloomy Canucks. when you have to settle for one meal of ground wheat a day, and have to huddle around a charcoal brazier to keep warm, you can whine, though few will listen, just as few of us listen to the people of the world; who are doing just that, right now. Forget about the Yanks. If you don't like their culture invading us, turn off your TV set and get out your Eskimo carvings. The Yanks won't invade us physically. Unless they have to, and there's not much we could do about that. If you can't afford your mortgage in- crease, you were probably over-extended in the first place. Get rid of that monster, with its swimming pool and rec. room and pitch a 40 tent. Preferably in the local cemetery, to suit your mood, Pall in your belts. Dump that extra car, the boat and the cottage. If you look at it ob- jectively, they're just a big pain in the arm anyway. Walk to work. Take a bus to the city in- stead of your gas -gobbler plus parking fees. Learn to do your own elementary plumbing and electric work at night school. Ladies. Get the knitting needles out and make lots of shawls, sweaters, scarves and wool socks. You did it for the troops overseas. And godawful itchy and ill-fitting some of them were, but they kept us w rm. Stop spoiling your children ith allowances. Let them earn their own mo y through odd jobs, or do without. Let's stop grumbling, and get back to a spartan, rewarding life, where ideas are more itnpartunt than physical comfort After you, he said.