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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-01-28, Page 1Iti( ORPORATING-THE BLl TH STANDARD THE BAl'FIELD BUGLE NO. 4 121 YEARS WEDNESDAY, JAN ARY 28, 1987 JANUARY 2631 IS VON WEEK 50 CENTS Positive outlook for club CLINTON - Response to a sports club survey published recently in the Clinton News -Record has been so positive there is a good chance Clinton will have the club. "We're really pleased, the response has been really positive," said Mary—Garon, who, along with her husband Ray would like to build the club. Because of the good response, the Garons said the club will be built once approval comes from the Ontario Municipal Board (0M13). Unfortunately, the wait for the O can take anywhere from two weeks to tw mon- ths; and the Garons' application was sent in, on December 17. While waiting th y have been discussing their plans w th con- sultants, and have had a few plans drawn up. "Were looking at everything," Mr. Garon explained. If the club is built it will contain sauash courts, a weight room and spa facilities. Both agreed that this type of club would be good for Clinton as those that showed in- terest ran the range from teenagers right up to senior citizens. Pit would be a very nice club if all the peo- ple that wrote in would support it," Mr. Garon noted. "We're working with the best in the market, they will be excellent courts," Mrs: Caron said. "They will have plexiglass fronts for viewing; this is good for coaching and learning." Another good thing about the club she mentioned was hours. "It will be a key club. The members will have access when they want." Mrs. Garon added that court book- ings will also be available. ' Stressing the word "hope" Mr. Garon con- cluded, "We hope to have an, open house by Senternhpr Flooding and crop concerns heard at meeting By David Emslie HULLETT TWP - Residents and coun- cillors here were given the opportunity to voice their concerns on a number of dif- ferent topics when they met with represen- tatives from the Ministry of Natural 'Resources, the Canadian Wildlife Services and Ducks Unlimited on January 20: The representatives were present at the Hullett Township Municipal Offices to answer questions predominantly on flooding problems and crop damage caused by ducks and geese. The first issue raised by Reeve Torn Cunn- ingham was flogiing. "We've had problems with flooding, rriaybe it's only our percep- tion, but we feel water is being forced down. We're concerned about it, and we wondered if while the river is being looked at, perhaps it could be cleaned up." Dave. West from Ducks Unlimited explain- ed that while the river was being dyked to make the wetlands in the Hullett Conserva- tion Area, special care was taken to ensure that water levels would not be affected. "We spent considerable✓ time and money to make sure before we embarked on the work that any flooding problems would not be worsened," he said. The other Ducks Unlimited represen- tative, Ted Gradowski, added that when the work was contracted out, they found they may have improved flooding conditions. Mr. West noted that the flooding that took place last fall occurred elsewhere, as record amounts of rain fell. °`I think we're looking at what's hopefully an extreme situation." A local resident, Tony Fidom, owns land that was some of the worst hit during the flooding. Because of this, he felt there could be some blockage in the river below his pro- perty that is backing it up. "Who has jurisdiction over the river bed?" Reeve Cunningham asked. "We would like someone to take a look at it down below Tony Fidom's property and see what can be done." Glen Sturgeon, a conservation officer for the Wingham office of the Ministry of Natural Resources assured Reeve Cunn- ingham that he would check into the situa- tion and see who had jurisdiction to clear any blockage. "The township council is willing to pursue this with the Ministry of Natural Resources if there is a restriction," Reeve Cunn- ingham noted. Another question raised about the flooding was whether or not water levels have risen in the last 20 years. It was pointed out that the characteristics of the watershed change constantly over time. The next topic discussed concerned crop damages caused by ducks and geese. Hullett resident Charlie Brandon explain- ed there is aproblem "when you're combin- ing and you're getting 80 bushels an acre, then you come to an area with ducks and get 50 bushels." He added, "They can clean it Co-ordinator at the Clinton office of the Huron -Perth Branch of the her regulars are Fanny and Bert Beacom of Clinton. Here, Ms. Victorian Order of Nurses (VON), Jan Moore (left), enjoys the per— Moore takes Mrs. Beacom's blood pressure while Mr. Beacom and sonal contact the job allows her to provide for her patients. Two of their dog, Buttons, look on. (Anne Narejko photo) By Anne Narejko CLINTON - Being a nurse is a very demanding job which requires a high degree of responsibility, but it is a job Jan Moore enjoys. And if the Beacoms are like the rest of her patients, they enjoy her visits as much as she enjoys her job. When the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON) and Homecare started in Huron County in 1971, Ms. Moore was hired. A few years later she left the organization to have a family but came back to work in 1980. In 1982, she was appointed co-ordinator for the branch. Ms. Moore gets a great deal of satisfaction and gratification from her job. "People are relaxed in their own home, it's very personal - a one to one type of nurs- ing which allows more involvement with the patient and their family (then in the hospital)," she said. "By coming into the home to work, there is a feeling of in- ependence, we use our own judgement and it's sort of a challenge." On the average, Ms. Moore says a nurse will visit eight to nine patients a day. Two of her patients are Bert and Fanny Beacom who she has been visiting for approximately a year and a half, every 10 days. At the Beacom's home, Ms. Moore checks blood pressure, assits with baths and generally keeps an eye on how they are managing and what their needs are. Mrs Beacom praises her nurse's work, saying, "She's very good. She does a good job." The advantage of VON, opposed to being hospitalized or in a nursing home, is the fact that it allows the patient to be at home. "For a couple like Bert and Fanny, they get to stay in their own home. They also have the Home Care Program who gives them homemaking assistance with meals, laundry and maintenance...It just lets them stay at home longer rather than go in a nurs- ing home," explained Ms. Moore. Those who do not have the VON, have to make a trip to the hospital if they require in- jections or dressing changes. This way, the patient does not have to leave the comfort of their home. One of the most gratifying parts of the job for Ms. Moore is visiting the palliative care patients. "With this program, .we also try to keep the patient in the home as long as possible plus there is a lot of involvement with the family, giving support," said Ms. Moore. "It's very challenging, but something I feel very good about when I'm done." Who Pays According to a press release from the VON, the way patients get in touch with the organization has changed somewhat. It said, "In the old days, and in fact, until comparatively recent years, a patient who needed VON services contacted the VON personally. The nurses made the call, per- formed the lervice, and collected the 'cost - per -visit" from the patient. If the patient could not afford the fee:, it was scaled down according to their ability to pay, and, if necessary, the nursing visit would be pro- vided free of charge. In those days, the chief function of the Baord of each VON Branch was to devise and carry out fund raising pro- jects such as tag days. This personal type of service still exists today and we consider it important, but it now represents a very small percentage of our work. "Today, in this province, more than 90 per cent of our cases are referred to us on the authority of the patients' physician, through one or another government agencies - pro- vincial or municipal. The cost -per -visit is then paid, not by the patient, but by the organization which referred the patient." The press release went on to say that the Home Care Division of the Ontario Ministry of Health refers most patients. Other refer- rals come from the Welfare Services, Workman's Compensation and private in- surance plans. Visiting Hours Most of the nursing visits are made bet- ween 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and the nurses make assessments as to weekend visits. Patients who require special care may be visited after 4:30 p.m. and those who are seriously ill are placed on 24 hour call. faster than you can combine it." Canadian Wildlife Serives representative, John Sullivan, explained that most com- plaints they get, are not with ducks eating crops, but with geese nesting in fields: One solution he suggested however was to plant crops, swath them and leave them for the birds, as they do in Luther. "Anyone with problems with geese and ducks, we'll give perfnits to use firearms to scare them off," was another suggestion Mr. ullivan gave. n i; was pointed out that scaring them off won ' iways work, he added that per- mits can also be given out to kill the birds. Noting that the government project of the wetlands brought all of the birds to the area, another local resident, Steve Flynn, said, "We've been planting crops, but that's not the answer. I spoke to you a few years ago, and you told me to talk to my MP; he told me there is nothing they can do. Why isn't it being looked after? You guys say to get bangers and scare the birds but it doesn't work. We're getting tired of excuses, it's easy for you, you get a pay cheque, but crops are our pay cheque." . 'Reeve Cunningham backed up Mr. Flynn's statements when he said, "As a farmer, it's not realistic to be out there shooting a firearm off periodically. We're looking for solutions, and I don't think the ratepayers see that as a solution." Mr. Sullivan pointed out that the high geese population could not be blamed on the government. "It's not the establishment of Hullett ( wetlands) that's bringing geese, they have been spreading out." Although the government may not be to bldme, the question of government compen- sation was raised more than once by the local residents. They were told that the route to take would be through the Federa- tion of Agriculture to the government. Mr. Brandon asked whether the complaint would go further than this meeting, and he was assured it would. "There has to be something done. We can't afford to feed the ducks for people from Toronto and Windsor to hunt," he said. "The next one we have is not a big con- cern, but unsightly. The ministry has an 'pcement with the bird dog society, but eople feel the cemetery is not being used properly with horses tied up there," said Reeve Cunningham. Mr. Sturgeon explained, "There is a str- ingent set of rules they must follow on our property. We have no control over what they do off the property." The final issue discussed was trespassing. Mr. Sturgeon explained that the ministry is willing to charge people for trespassing and the Ontario Provincial Police can also be called. "There are no requirements for you to post your land. we suggest you ask them ( trespassers i to leave, and if they don't. check their licence and call us or the OPP," he said VON celebrates 90th year CLINTON - Ninety years ago, six bran- ches of the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON 1 were established across Canada. Today, there are 33 VON branches in Ontario alone. This week marks the 90th anniversary of the organization which has helped Cana- dians through epidemics such as typhoid and influenza as well as the two World Wars. It all began back in 1897 at an annual meeting of the National Council of Women. During this meeting, two resolutions were read and later combined. One of these resolutions was from the Vancouver Local Council, asking that nurses be sent to the outlying districts in the far west, and the se- cond resolution was from the Halifax Coun- cil, requesting a nation-wide nursing service be inaugurated in commemoration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Thus, the VON was started. Sitting at the helm of the organization as the first national president was Lady Aber- deen. She is said to have been more than a figure head, but took a great deal of per- sonal interest in order to get the organiza- tion going. It didn't take long for the VON to acquire staff and get their wheels in motion for in November of 1-897, 12 nurses were officially made part of the organization, and five mon- ths later, four VON members were sent to the Klondyke to accompany a Canadian government expedition to the gold rush . area. One of the VON's goals was to become ;`.established throughout Canada, .therefore, the set up of branch offices was necessary. The'first six of these branches were set up in Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto, Halifax, Van- couver and Kingston. The VON later found it necessary to set up branches in the west as their services were in demand in that area and travelling by horseback or sleigh took a great deal of time and energy. Starting as early as 1901, only four years after the VON was organized, 44 hospitals were established between the Pacific Coast and Labrador. Later local groups took on the responsibility of the hospitals and the final VON hospital was turned over to local control in 1924. ranches Huron Co 'i '' s one of the 33 branch of- fices in Onta%t'i and is located at 52 Huron Road in Clinton, acting as a satellite of the Stratford Office. As in all of the branches, the Perth -Huron Branch has a board of management which consists of interested volunteers. This par- ticular branch has 18 members with four residing in Huron County - Bee Cooke, Nan- cy Larone, Donald Neal and Heather Ross. Although the national office, located in Ot- tawa, issues guidelines on professional mat- ters, the board of management usually makes its own decisions. Members of the board have the usual ex- ecutive and sit on sub -committees as well. The number of employees at the many branches varies from one to approximately 300. The Perth -Huron Branch employs a total of nine salaried nurses. At the Huron Branch, there are three full time nurses and six relief nurses who act as back up. Jan Moore is both a visiting nurse and the co- ordinator in Huron County. Services Provided Nurses employed with the VON have, at the minimum, the qualifications of a registered nurse or a university degree in nursing or a diploma in public health nursing. "The primary function of the VON is to provide professional nursing service on a visit basis to individuals and families in their own homes. A visit by a VON nurse is a very personal affair. Not only does she per- form the required professional service - giv- ing a bed bath to an elderly patient, helping a young teenager learn to give diabetic in- jection, helping a young mother in the care of her baby, changing a surgical dressing, etc., but she tries to size up the family situa- tion, gain the confidence of its members and give advice on health matters...anything that will help the family to take tietter care of themselves," noted a paper prepared by the VON. It went on to explain that our population is aging, therefore VON is concerned with geriatrics and helping the family cope with terminal illness. "With the present shortage of hospital beds and the astronomical cost of a stay in hospital, it is becoming essential that, wherever possible, patients be treated in the home. There is the added psychological ad- vantage that, being surrounded by familiar objects and loved ones, the patient's pro- spects for recovery are enhanced," they noted. In Huron County, foot care clinics are also offered at Queensway Nursing Home, paramedical insurance examinations are provided and assessments are conducted for the Department of Veterans Affairs for their Veterans Independence Program. A palliative care program has also been started and donations given to the Bereave- ment Fund are used to educate the nurses in this area. Distinguished photogra per, ctor Crich, dies in Toronto Victor Grich, a native of Clinton, and one of Canada's most distinguished field - naturalists and photographers, died at the age of 88 on January 23, in Toronto. He was the youngest son of Eliza Glazier Crich, and Onslow Crich, a Clinton policeman. Mr. Crich attended Clinton Public School, and graduated from Clinton Collegiate. He was a member of Ontario Street Methodist Church. During the First World War he enlisted in The Canadian Army, and was decorated with the Military Medal for his valour while serving in overseas action. Following his military service, he attend- ed Queen's university, and graduated with a specialist's degree in biology and chemistry. He also received a degree in art from the Ontario College of Art, and graduated from the Ontario College of Education. He taught in schools at Gore Bay, Tamworth, St. Catherines, and for 30 years was on the staff at Northern Secon- dary School in Toronto, retiring in 1964. Un- til recently, he instructed in photography evening classes at his school. From 1955 until his retirement in 1975, he headed the photography department of the Banff School of Fine Arts, Alberta. Students from all across Canada and United States attended his courses. In his honor, the Crich Photographic rand Visual Communications building was erected on the Banff Campus. Victor Crich was recognized interna- tionally for his excellence in nature photography, and was honored with many outstanding awards. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society. Exhibitions of his photography were shown' at the Art"Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum, and London Art Gallery. in 1975 he was the major con- tributor of photographs for Dr. Murray Speirs hook titled Birds of Ontario. More than 300 of his bird pictures were used in this VI(:TOR (:RIGH hook. For many years his nature photographs were a popular feature in Anne Merrill's weekly nature column in the Globe and Mail newspaper. In 1921 Victor Crich married Winnifred .Jackson, and they had two daughters, Willa and Ruth. Mrs. Winnifred .Jackson Grich died in 1971. In 1986 he married his dear friend of many years, Irene Rlogg, well- known Canadian sculptor and teacher. A memorial service will he held at the Jerett Funeral Chapel, Willowdale, Ontario at 2:30 p.m., Saturday, .January 31, 1987. 01