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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-05-20, Page 49Entertainment 6 Feature Religion 6 Farnily ®More SECTION GOI)E:R1('H SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 1987 ar !t ,lie!•. vio ce S PAGE lA un er t e ru Family violence information night held to provide 'information on treatment and help BY LOU -ANN HOPE: For many years, family violence has been swept under the rut;. Only recently has society started to realize the seriousness of this problem and du something about. A number of people attended a family violence•forurn held at Goderich District Collegiate Institute last 'Tuesday evening in an effort to learn •inure about family violence and what can be done to get help in such a situation.' "We're not seeing a real increase lin family violence i. What we are seeing is. more people coming put for help. It seems like an increase when in reality it is becorning less of a stigma. People' are realizing that violence doesn't have to con- tinue and that theme are ways to get help," Sgt. Rick Turnbull, of the Goderich OPP detachment, said. Also speaking at the forum were: Bob Morris, Huron County crown attorney; Nancy Brown -Brunton, Family and Children's Services social worker; and, Merle 'Phomas, Group Delta leader. 'Phe seminar, sponsored by the Ontario Women's Directorite and Survival Through Friendship House, was held in an attempt to make the pulsilic more aware of their moral responsibility regarding.fami- ly violence in the community., Violence in the community is not limited to just' physical aldose; as most people would expect. Instead, as Brown -Brunton told the audience, it includes emotional abuse, neglect and sexual abuse. • • P()LIC'EMAN.'S BOLE ."Domestic violence for a..police officer is the most dangerous call .to go on because each situation is different and has to be handled cautiously. "Police officers do 'hot enjoy domestic calls.. They are challenging.to handle and it is often a volatile situation where a deci-', sion has to be Made quickly," Sgt. Turn- bull said. When the police receive a domestic' dispute call, two or three officers respond. Sgt. Turnbull noted that 'one officer is never sent. alone, since "the greater ma- jority of our officers are seriously injured in dornestic.situatio•ns." , "The -main thing once the officers arrive at the scene is to initially separate the two parties involved" in 'an attempt to stabilize the situation, he said. • . The officers then interview each person to see what caused the incident to happen, as well as determine any visual evidence. Setting the female's mind at ease is of • prime concern with the police officers. •They will take. her and any children to the Survival Through Friendship House if she requests or will take the man to another • ce (Such as a friend's or relative's el to spend the night. The police will charges should the female so request. y � "Any time the lady wants:a charge of assault Laid, we will do so. If the lady wants charges laid, we will be that vehicle to lay the charge. "If there is physical evidence (Such as cuts and bruises 1 and we see it and she says the' man did it, we will give this,in cdurt ( as a witness). However, if there are no visible assault marks, we will 'still lay an assault charge on her wishes although she has to' give the evidence and will pro- bably be:the only witness," he said. Taking part' in Tuesday night's family violence seminar. in Goderich were, from left, Sgt. Rick Turnbull of the Goderich OPP, Nancy Broin -Brunton of PI'S, Merle Thomas of Group "There is " ai,;.,Ftor3e T ,r ere :: r' Delta, and Bob Morris, Huron County crown attorney. 1 photo by Lou -Ann Hope) ,• r as n is r ever for vl lent t. . ards his wife, ss es. 9 Merle Th s as rx The pollee officer, when 'responding to a. domestic di.spute,"also stakes the wonian aware of the availabilty of •the crown at- torney who will speak to her regarding the situation whether charges are laid or not. Sgt. Turnbull noted that files are kept on every response to a domestic dispute.. This is a benefit to the police in that it allows them to cheek for such previous occur- rences in'thc.same household and, for ex- ample, whether weapons. were involved. • "We are taking a much more serious view .on these -things today," he said. • 'CROWN ATTORNEY In speaking to the audience, Bob Morris .explained .his role as the Huron County crown attorney. , "Each county ,has one crown attorney who is an agent for• the .attorney -general. • It is my responsibility to prosecute all criminal matters. All I do is represent the .state when a charge is laid. I am nota civil lawyer. A crown attorney is a criminal lawyer exclusively. My role is to be fair, present all the evidence I am aware of and disclose all things which I know to the defence c'ounc'il. As crown attorneys, we do not lay charges. We become involved after the charge is laid. although sometimes before the charge is laid the police will come to ask if there is.enought evidence to' lay a charge. We prosecute virtually everything from impaired driv- ing to murder," Morris explained. • • In discussing doniestic violence, Morris noted "'it as obvious that assaultive' behaviour is criminal law and has to be treated that way." Morris noted that as a crown attorney, he interviews all victims of an violence oft fence.as soon after the incident occurs as possible. , In the interview he "tries to make the system understandable and not as frightening as it seems'to be from the eutside." He finds out the facts, indicates what should be done, asks about the family - situation, tells her that the court system is there to protect her, and discusses com- munity programs. In the vast number of such interviews which he has conducted, Morris noted there are ,generally a ,number of well- recognized traits among female victims of family violence. Among those traits which he feels characterize victims are the fact that they are emotionally and economical-, ly dependent on the.abuser, they have low self -,esteem, they accept responsibility for the entire affair, they feel isolated from family and friends and they feel that a • magi ,'al cure will 'resolve the situation. Regarding charges of assault laid in family~ violence situations', :Morris noted there are'no withdrawal of charges except in exceptional cases. • "As of February of this year, we have virtually been directed to say no, we are not going to drop the charge'. he said. In explaining this, Morris Said the fact that the man has been :.brought court. whether he receives a jail sentence or not. tends to deter the roan from c•oirvnitting the offence again. "It appears that with my experience. men understand the wisdom of this." he said. LEARNED BEHAVIOUR • Abuse, Brown -Brunton noted, is.' not limited to adults only. in addressing the audience, Brown -Brunton, a social worker with FCS, discussed child abuse and how it affects the child in adulthood: ''We feel that there are seriuu:s conse- quences to children. who are-exposedto violence • in the home, Brown -Brunton said. - She explained that children who see violence in the home,,whethcr,between the parents or •directed towards the children. accept violence as a "family rule", and "therefore is learned behaviour. "Parents see it i violence i' as a way of dealing -with anger and problem solving. •The child sees this as a way of solving his own anger and begins to use it at the playground and among his peers. It can begin with name-calling, goes to pushing and showing and finally to actual physical abuse." "Observing violence is as dangerous as beim; abused." she said. Turn to page : DECA mote t s marketing maJor Tim Chisholm wins full scholarship to Rhode Island university BY DAVE SYKES Tiro Chisholm is a young man of vision and ambition. A graduate of Fanshawe College's two- year marketing program, Chisholm has successfully aspired to a leadership role in the Distributive Education Clubs of America i DECA i, an American based federation of student organizations design-, ed to enhance marketing education pro- grams and practical experience in pTivate enterprise and competition. And while he was ardently campaigning for the vice-presidency of the North Atlan- tic Region ok,DECA in New Orleans recent= ly, he also learned of a. four-year scholar- ship offer from Johnson and Wales College in Providence, Rhode Island. The full scholarship at the senior level college will lead to his Bachelor of Science degree in marketing. For the Goderich native, both the scholarship and election to DECA's ex- ecutive council as president of the North Atlantic Region, was the culmination of years of work, intense preparation and development of a winning campaign strategy. But when the floodlights of the Hyatt Rekency ballroom•.in New Orleans found Chisholm after his announced victory, one of his biggest dreams had been realized. "I *as announced first and i had to walk a considerable distance to the platform," he explained in reconstructing the scene. "It was an emotional moment. It was the biggest thing that had happened in my life." DECA, which was founded in 1947 to enhance the distributive -marketing educa- tion program in high schools now ena'om- passes 6,000 chapters across Canada and the United States involving 250,000 members at the high school and college levels. Backed by major corporations, DECA is designed to create an entrepreneurial spirit and the ability to achieve in a competitive environment, develops supportive at- titudes of the free enterprise system, develops management, marketing, mer- chandising, distributive and decision- making skills and provides business with a source of motivated and highly -trained Tim Chisholm of Goderich was recently elected to the Distributive Education Clubs of America I DECA 1 national executive as president of the North Atlantic region. He has also earned a scholarship at ,Johnson and Wales College,in Providence, Rhode Island. The marketing major has completed a two-year course at Fan:shawe College. (photo by Daae Sykes► young business people. "Basically it's a grassroots Arrierican business club that is based ori the free enterprise system," Chisholm explained. "It's very professional and first class all the way. It is funded and supported by business' to develop young business people." Chisholm was first exposed to DECA through an affiliate. Delta Epsilon (.'hi, in London before he began his studies at Fan- shawe College. While still in its infancy in. Canada, DECA is designed for marketing, management and business students. While he was mainly involved in fund raising with the London affiliate. Chisholm was asked to fill in at a DECA sponsored competition in Atlanta in 1986 where he placed in the top 20 students in the general marketing category. This year he placed third in the regional competition in Pittsburg, thereby qualify- ing for the national competition in New Orleans but he declined to participate to concentrate on his hid for the national ex- ecutive. But his participation in DE('A is allowing Chisholm to achieve many lifelong goals and ambitions. "The Americans grow up with this in high school and the:. re very competitive, ready to go.The competition is intense," he said. "This has had a profound effect on my life. it is exactly what 1 was looking for for a long time. It has helped in goal set- ting and I want to accumulate as much knowledge as I can. Once you've set your mind to something, you can achieve it." The competitions alone are exh'aus°tive and extensive calling for students to write a two-hour examination on marketing principles and theories and then prepare and deliver a case study. all within one half hour, before a panel of expert judges, "It's a real pressure situation butbai thrive on it," Tim said: As president of the North Atlantic Region, Tim will be centrally located in Providence to attend the meetings with his state representatives. His region , one of four in the DECA organization, encom- passes Canada and the states of Connec- ticut, Delaware. District of Columbia. Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Turn to page :1 • f3Y W 11.1. I : \ 'N I THOMAS Lost in a sea of Ernies. Ernie wasn't a bad guy and. under dif- ferent circ'umstanc'es we might have got- ten along but on the high seas in a crew of six yiru can pick your friends and •sure c•an'spot } our enemies in a hum . Ernie and I were opposites like north and south, cat and dog. 'thv Mulroney:, and the rest of Canada. 1 vas un my annual pilgrimage of peril with my friend 1)r. Richard :Merrill who each April tries to introduce me to Davey Jones' locker off the east of North Carolina, Essentially • we sail his 34' Pearson around ('ape Hateras - known as "the grave'y'ard of ships" just to see if we can snake it back to the mainland. The reason that 1)r. Merrill does this is that he's sick, a sadist of the sea, a pathological pirate with a double death wish - his and mine. Why I tag along each year is a matter for me and my analyst. Last year 1)r, \lerrill's disappointment at seeing me survive 'vas somewhat abated • by :a. day. long exhibition I per- formed for, him of projectile vomiting off the bow in six foot swells and 38 -mile -an • - hour winds. ' . • This year- the: seas seemed right, the wind was at Our backs and the sun shone strong. Then it happened - "Hi - i'M Er- nie. I'm. your first mate." Whatever Er- nie was I. knew right off that he wouldn't become my mate. When 1 go sailing I dress for it: a "Dan- ny 'Lack's" baseball cap. sunglasses with a safety string, windbreaker, shorts, ten- nis shoes, an opener kind an ice pack With eight tall Budweiser tied to one ankle. Ernie had on a white Newfoundland fisherman's hood, a white rubber one- piece..stor:a'.suit with velcro seals at the wrists and ankles and .white knee-high rubber boots. I looked liikeI Was on vacation. Ernie ' looked like he was going on a mopping -up' expedition to Chernobyl. .The marine haircut. that allowed his. ears to flair out at the top added military might to his spaceman costume, _Whend offered him a beer I expected the Cana- dian Space Arm to emerge from within that white world of rubber. "No thanks. 1'11 need a clear head. I'rrr . charting our course." First of all somebody. probably the bad barber of Greenville had already cleared that head. ' Secondly, we never charted our course on other trips. I navigated by the sun and the stars. When it was sunny I insisted on •being in sight 'of land and when the stars came out I made sure we were tied up at a public dock. Thirdly. his refusal of a beer verified my first impression. Ernie Was going. to be as much fun as sharing a -compart- ment with an accountant on a very long train trip. • The first day was a straight away sail rem Bath to Okracoke on the inside of he Outer Banks. It should have been asy, if not pleasant: • But Ernie Was charting our course as part of a class•exercise that would enable him to ' obtain his Power Squadron . Navigational Certificate, Dr Merrill, who has said certificate vas grading •Ernie. • Ernie had Charts with matching grids, parallel rulers, protractors, triangles and a pen that was resistent to salt water And he had a detractor too. Me. I was 'awash in current checks, stifled by,sextants and set -squares, brow beaten by bearings and bored stiff by dead reckoning.. I wasri't sure where Ernie was steering us but I knew he was driving me nuts, A hundred yards from the dock the sail had become mLy, own personal Voyage of the . Damned anti Ernie was doing a great job of keening it on course. In Ernie's navy, I went AWOL. I sat with my hack to him playing.Jimmy Ruf- ' fet's tapes on a ghetto blaster and counted dolphins and pelicans and empty cans of Budweiser. My common sense had been chewed up and spit out by the exacting calculations . ,of Ernie's course charting; 1 was glitch to his computer mind. I gave up. Ernie had won. I could hear the roar of 46,000 nerds at the annual convention in • Chicago screaming "Ernie' Ernie'" as he rose to the podium to accept his Navigational Nerd of the Year Award - and thank IBM for making him what he was today. Rut then it got rather late, ton late for the routine sail with a good wind. Then I noticed off in the distance a marker pass us to port, one we should have taken to starboard. Ernie refused to acknowledge markers, they were for amateurs. We were lost. Ernie insisted we were on course. "Dead ahead for Okracoke" he announced like a conductor on a train. Still staring backwards off the stern of the boat i noticed a needle on the horizon. "Pass me the binoculars Ernie" I ask- ed, as he mathemetized furiously over the chart table. "Won't see anything." he said. passing me the glasses, "Won't be in sight of land for one more hour." "Then how do you explain that water tower?" 1 asked pointing in the opposite direction of our course. "What water tower" Ernie barked, like there was a conspiracy underway to remove him from duty, "The one with Okracnke painted on the Tarn to page 14 • 1