HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-04-15, Page 4MAGE: 4 GODEI't1CH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, AYR!L 15, 1987
Mail, in the newspaper industry, is a
veritable cornucopia of interesting,intrigu-
ing and, at times, bizarre stuff.
Each day's stack brings with it promise of
such unexpected wonders as fortune cookies,
from the agriculture ministry containing
vague and sweeping generalities to samples
of freezie pops, a substance that resembled
coloured petroleum jelly but was billed as
the up nd coming synthetic freeze treat.
The mple waste basket behind my right
shoulder has sampled these wares and, to
the best of my knowledge, the rejection rate
is rather meagre. Recently, the mail yielded
a sample cake mix, and while it was a bit
wrinkled from its voyage through the
delicate postal inspection system, it was
still relatively intact.
Lacking the wherewithall to produce an
edible substance from the contents of the
package, and failing in my persuasive ef-
DAVE SYKES
forts to get a newsroom cohort to bake a
cake .as a meaningful • exercise in par-
ticipatory journalism, it was dutifully
dumped in the pail. The pail, completely
lacking in social graces, belched.
Regardless, the above examples are only
offered to illustrate that the content of the
editorial department's mail is always in-
teresting and fun. •
Last week, ttus aeretict of the deadline
received, via the country's postal system, a
wedding invitation: That I should receive an
invitation to a wedding wasn't shocking. In
fact, when my older sisters were married, I
was invited to both weddings.
The lavender coloured card appealed to
'the senses and regaled the bearer with the
semi -mental, er excuse me, the following
sentimental verse; This day,, I will marry
my friend. The one I laugh with, live for,
dream with, Love. Linda and Trevor.
I had to set the invitation aside lest the
rush of tears caused the lavender ink to run.
The man of the '80s is allowed to show his
sensitive side, I reasoned while sobbing un-
controllably at my desk.
After several sensitive moments, it oc-
cured to me that 1 didn't have the foggiest
idea who Linda and Trevor were. A quick
check of the envelope indeed revealed that
David Sykes was invited to share in the nup-
tial spendor of this y.oung couple.
Despite summoning my cerebral parts in-
to action, the couple, the name, their
parents, everything remained a mystery. .
But the fact remained, Mr. and Mrs.
Dugald MacKenzie requested the honor of
my presence, as did Mr. Trevor Bright. The
wedding is taking place Friday, May 8 at
10:30 a.m. at CKCO TV in Kitchener.
The reply card was addressed to a Betty
Thompson, a.. name which provokes vague
memories of Romper Room and little
children running around imitating busy
bees and making buzzing noises.
Could this be a prank or did these people
really believe the most important day of
their life would be incomplete without my
presence? 1 couldn't discount that
possibility.
Perhaps they were so moved by one of
these paltry pieces that they wished this
editor's presence at their wedding to duly
record the event with the sensitivity, flair
and panache that newsmen are revered for.
It was within the realm of reasonable op-
tions at this point.
Or could it be that they simply didn't know
a whole lot of folk and picked my name out
of the newspaper. I don't think one could at
tach any credence to that theory.
1'na still baffled. But, if there's a few com-
forting beverages and fancy sandwiches in
the offing...well, why not.
pinion
THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH / DISTRICT
SINCE 1 4
EBT ARS RPOUNO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER iN CMJ nota
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•
General Manager Editor Advertising Manager ,
SHIRLEY J. KELLER DAVE SYKES DON HUBIGK
FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL ®FFICES.please pIno ee fS1S152 -2ei42.
Second class
mail registration
number 0716
Progransthat realiy wor
It has always been rather fashionable, and far too easy for that matter, to take a cynical'
view of the manner in which governments dole out money to private' enterprise through a
myriad of programs. . . •
Millions of dollars is distributed through a number of departments and agencies to ease
unemployment, to stimulate export of Canadian goods or t-o,ease regional disparity. . •
. This week, the federal government and Champion Road Machinery announced a joint
venture in which the' company will invest nearly'$10 million to design, develop and manufac-
ture graders for the military market. . -
The federal government, through the Department of Regional IndustiraI Expansion,
DRIE 1 has provided, the company with $4,.6 million in an interest-free repayable loan to
puruse its' ambitious plans. Champion's 'efforts to reduce manufacturing .eosts through
renewed engineering, computer aided design, and computer aided manufacturing techni-
ques, will impact on its commercial product as well.,
The program; which will unfold over the next three to five years, will provide an addi-
tional 125 to 150 jobs at Champion in Goderich at.a time when the company faced'a crucial
decision with respectto its efforts in engineering and product development. Executive vice-
president in charge of manufacturing, Mike Sully suggested the company had to either find
increased markets or pare back its engineering efforts.
Over the years, Champion has made judicious use of government grants and loans. And
those loans and grants have greatly impacted on the area and the people who live and work -
here. s
Champion is Huron's largest employer and the announcement of the latest initiative,
means that Champion can reaffirm and enhance its position in the world market while pro-
viding more"than 125 jobs over the next five years.
(7f cdurse. one doesn't look a 'gift hores in the mouth, but the joint ventures Champion
i undertakes through government-sponsored programs have been of mutual benefit.
,lust a Few years ago the federal department of Employment and Immigration coupled
with Champion in the country's largest job development program as the company created
-its training and technology centre. Many local people received training and subsequently,
jobs, through the multi -:million dollar program.
This week,' Premier David Peterson will also unveil Champion's foray into the field of
robotics, a venture that has stirred interest among medium sized Ontario companies.
The latest initiatives announced by the federal government and Champion are certainly
welcome news to this community and the county in general. And more than just offering a
repayable loan, the government is making a secure investment in Canada and Huron Coun-
ty. D.S.
Proud to be
Canadiarts
While the Maple Leaf Chapter of the IODE should be commended for its efforts in bring-
ing Citizenship Court to Goderich this week, the pride reflected in the faces of the new Cana-
dians who took the oath of citizenship Monday should have been ample repayment. '
More than 50 people from Goderich and area took the oath of Canadian citizenship on the
first day of Citizenship Week in Canada and the 40th anniversary of the proclamation of the
Citizenship Act.
Also, during the ceremony, six people reaffirmed their citizenship before Judge Barbara
McKenna of London.
It marked the first time in 10 years that citizenship court has been held in Goderich and it
offered a fitting time for everyone to reflect on the freedom and rights that citizenship in
Canada guarantees: D.S.
ECT/ON
TRA/L.
///
it/E-RE CC E
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Talh
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xrial Windsor first arriving ship;
Em Misener first outbound vessel
25 VEARSAGO
April 12, 1962:
Quietly, without fanfare, the tanker •Im-
perial Windsor slid into Goderich harbour at
1:15 p:m. last Saturday as the first arriving
ship of the 1962 season. • Earlier at 7 a.m.,
the Ralph E. Misener had become the first
outbound vessel, headed for a Port Welland
drydock and a routine `tailshaft inspection.
Underthe command of Captain Janies'
Burns, the Imperial Windsor had made the
trip from Sarnia in slightly over seven
hours. Squatting low, under her full load of
800,000 gallons of Esso gasoline, the black
and red tanker, though travelling cautious-
ly, experienced little difficulty in manoeuvr-
ing through ice. Opening ports this season
has become something of a tradition with
the Imperial Windsor. ' She previously had
opened navigation through the Welland
Canal and at the ports of Hamilton and
Kingston. The first ship to reach Goderich
last year was the Imperial Cornwall on
March 22. The Imperial' Windsor carries a .
crew of 28 then. Civic officials of Goderich
were hosts Saturday afternoon for the an-
nual ceremony of presenting "The Hat" to
'the first skipper to enter Goderich harbour.
Belieying that no age is too young in which
to begin learning traffic safety, 18 tots at the
Goderich Co-operative Nursing School were
lectured on highway safety, Tuesday morn-
ing by Constable F.H. Creedon of the
Goderich Police Department. Ranging in
age fromtwo and one-half to five years, the
18 pupils had been pre -conditioned for the
talk in their morning "craftwork" by mak-
ing red, green and yellow traffic signals and
policemen's hats out of colored paper.
Seated on small chairs, arranged around
colored traffic posters supplied by the
Department of Transport, the children paid
strict attention to Constable Creedon's talk.
LOOKING BACK
The constable included some specially com-
prised traffic stories to hold their interest.
'Stressed in the talk were such safety rules
as crossing safety, don't cross the street
unless holding someone's hand, stay in the
yard while playing, don't chase a ball into
the street and a brief examination of inden-
tifying the three colors of a traffic signal.
The lecture was arranged by Mrs. William
Barlow, supervisor of the school; and her
assistant; Mrs. Don Steep.
50 YEARS AGO
April 16, • 1937 :
Prompt action on the part of Mrs. OI•ver,
matron at the Children's Shelter, prevented
what might have been a disastrous fire in
the building Saturday night. Mrs. Olver was
upstairs at the shelter when she .smelled •
smoke. which billowed up the back stairs
when she opened the door. The matron tore
a fire extinguisher from the wall as she ran
downstairs to the kitchen, where she found
kindling ablaze in the woodbox behind the
stove, and she soon had the fire under con-
trol. Mrs. Olver then picked up the smolder-
ing embers and hurled them out the back
door. So efficiently and quietly did she ex-
tinguish the fire that none of the children in
the shelter were aware of the danger which
threatened then) in the night.
Information given out by James Ballan-
tyne, MPP, who was in town on the
weekend, revealed a change in Government
plans for erection of a $160,000 bridge across
the river at Bayfield. Mr. Ballantyne stated
a much larger project will be undertaken at
While driving my car around the
streets the other day, 1 realized
something quite odd was going on. I was
literally'driving my car "around" the
street. I had stumbled, you see, onto that
most unique of Goderich motoring
phenomena — The Square.
Even the name is Intimidating. It's not
"the Square" with a friendly, unthreaten-
ing lower case t, but "The Square," with
a foreboding capital T.
Not being a Huron county native, I
never had occasion to drive in Goderich,
hence, on The Square, before moving
here about three years ago. i quickly
discovered my midwestern Ontario driv-
ing experience — which had included
negotiating such formidable roadways as
,.Tlae 401"( a stretch of super -highway
running through Toronto) and even "The
Blind 1,ine" ( a two-mile stretch of pot •
holes outside Harriston, Ont.) — had left
me IT -prepared for the rigors of travel in
and around ( and around and around)
central Goderich.
The rules for driving on the Square (aria
eight -block octagonal construction, un-
marred by lines or lane markings of any
kind) seem to differ slightly from the
regulations for travel on other roads.
People seem to pick a trajectory at ran-
dom and simply attempt to hold their
course. regardless of the relative postion
of other traffic. Signal lights, as well,
become an unreliable indication of a
motorist's intentions, the moment he
turns onto The Square.
To help alleviate the confusion, I have
devised an addition to the Ontario Driver
• Examination, which 1 think motorists in
this part of the country should be re-
quired to pass, before being granted road
privileges.
1. When attempting a complete circum-
navigation of The Square, a driver
should: a 1.,keep to the inside b) keep to
the outside c) keep to the middle d) beep
tie horn:, Tell i'anzaT f" ariildrive right"
through the centre of Court House Park.
2. The penalty for directing -a tourist to
"proceed to The Square and turn left"
a ► the same as the penalty for public
mischief b) the same as the penalty for
vehicular manslaughter c) 2,000 hours of
rock picking at St. Christopher's Beach.
3. When signaled to pull over by a
police cruiser while driving on The
Square, you should: a) pull' over to the
left b) pull over to the right) c) crank up
the stereo and pretend you didn't notice
the siren d 1 step on the gas and force him
to pursue you around The Square until
one of you runs out of ,fuel.
4. When spotting a pedestrian attemp-
ting to cross the road to, or from, Court
House Park, you should: a) stop, and
allow him to cross b) slow down and give
him a 50-50 opportunity to make it c
drive over his foot and yell "Fat chance
sucker'"
5. As a motorist occupying the outside
"lane" .( and 1 use the_ term loosely) you
sTioiild, upon s ®ism a iiotiinst attemp-
ting to back out of an angle parking spot:
a t move over and allow him to bake out
an expenditure of approximately a quarter
of a million dollars. .The new structure, it is -
understood, will span the entire river gully,
cutting out the dangerous winding hills on
either side. of the present old bridge,' which
is a menace to traffic owing to its nar-
rowness. ' Mr. Ballantyne stated em-
phatically that there will be no re-routing
around the village of Bayfield. The massive
work, which will result in the largest bridge
in this part of the province, probably will
commence this summer. It is believed the
undertaking will take two to three years to
complete. •
70 YEARS AGO
April 12, 1917:
The movement for co-operation between
the town and the country in the matter of in-
creased production on the farm does not ap-
pear to be making much progress in this
locality. At the meeting held in the town hall
last week, there seemed to be difficulty in
"getting together" and nothing was done ex-
cept to invite any persons willing to go out
on the farms as helpers to register with the
town clerk. So far only three persons have
registered: On the other hand, the farmers
have not made it very apparent that they
desire the kind of help that is offered this
way. Itseems a pity that better co-operation
cannot be secured in view of the great issues
at stake demanding a larger production of
foodstuffs.
"The Hero of Submarine D-2", to be
shown at the Model Theatre on Monday and
Tuesday next, is a navy thriller with
features that make the picture valuable not
only from a dramatic standpoint but from
an educational one. it deals with the US
navy, which is now engaged in war in
alliance with Britain. Special authority was
granted by the US Government to use the
fleet for the purposes of making the picture.
from
this
angle
Patrick Raftis
b ) slow down and allow him to back out
c) hold your course and test his nerves d )
clip off his back bumper and attempt to
file a claim under the "comprehensive"
section of your insurance policy.
6. When attempting entry onto The
Square you sltottld al') 'trait until a suitable
break in traffic arises la) proceed im-
mediately into the right hand lane on the
asumption that surely someone will slow
down to let you in c) drive on. backwards
and if someone hits you, tell the cop you
were there all the time and this clown
just rear-ended you.
7. When attempting to exit from the
Square you should: a) close your eyes
and crank the wheel hard to the right b 1
dose your eyes and take your hand off
the steering wheel altogether c) simply
maintain course until early evening,
when most drivers will break for supper..
This test would of course be followed
up by a road test, with a qualified in-
structer, which would cover the in-
tricacies of the bizzare form of reverse
parallel parking required on the irl+dide of
The Square, as well as how to reach The
'Square from The Five Points, without go-
ing completely mad.
Perhaps it would be simpler just to
post a disclaimer under the street signs
marking erttrance to The Square.
Something like "Abandon Fiope, All Ye
Who Enter Here!" might just cover it.
r