Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-06-10, Page 4PAGE 4 GODEitiCli SIGNAL -STAR, WEQIN1':SDAY,JL)t\I': 10, 198, Goderich, perhaps by virtue of selt- nnposed authority, he'caids itself as the prettiest town in Canada. Whether or not the aphorism casually spilled from the fertile mind of an over- zealous member of the town's Chamber ,If Conunerce some years ago, is irrele- vant. That precise precept holds more than a grain of truth. Any' visitor to the town, or native for that matter, will boldly suggest that Goderich is, indeed, a rath( • beautiful coinrnunity. It is, however, less pretentious under the veil of darkness, less imposing. I had occasion to navigate the streets of Goderich during the early hours of Tuesday, June 9 as part of an editorial exercise entitled •'A I)ay in the Life." Designed to capture the spirit and flavor of everyday life in a small community un DAVE SYKE the middle of winter. This week's exercise was a bit of fun even if the hours were ridiculous and even though people are still g �gl ng about the strange phutogrpaheerr who showed up at' 3 a.m. • black arid white filen, the exercise covered the period. from midnight Mon- day, June 8 lu, nudr4ight, Tuesday, June 9. This year the town of Goderich celebrates the 160th anniversary of its founding and June 9, coincidentally, marked the 160th day of the year. 'frying to capture anything on film in Guderich during the wee hours of a 'Tues- day morning is nothing short of arduous. As a member of the town's capable cruse -fighting unit aptly said about 4 a.m., "There ain't much happening this time of the Owning." That pretty well surruned it up.. It's not that I expected to encounter all manner of frenzied actiyily between the hours of midnight and 6 a.rn. in Goderich, but just trying to photograph the little ac- tivity that did transpire was an arduous task in itself. It taxed inymental • capabilities to the limit. .1 had always envisioned that someone was always driving around The Square, every hour of every day as if it had been decreed by municipal law that vehicular traffic must circumvent The Square at all times. That assumption was levelled . quickly and I can attest to the fact that there are times when The Square is void of traffic. Once the hotels close to replenish stock, the range of activity available is -somewhat limited in town. One can buy gasoline or purcahse a tasty treat from the Hot -To -Go -Oven in the town's all-night convenience stores. Few people took advantage of those splendid opportunities. And there was a noticable lack of bodies at Lighthouse Park at 1:15 a.rn„ where the refreshing breezes switched to a northerly flow and brought promise of cooler temperatures. And as for the' beach, well, it too, was deserted. The same situation existed at the ball parks and the race track. When I did find people engaged in meaningful activity, I encountered great difficulty in selling my story. If you were confronted by a strange man in the mid- dle of the night, would you believe that he was out "on assignment" taking photographs of people in their mundane work environment for the local newspaper. Not likely eh Well, then you're fairly representative of the native population. But, to be honest, catching this agent taking photographs at weird hours is not out of the realrii of possibility. I've been caught photographing The Square at 6 a.m. in SPS; TFO GODERICH & DISTRICT SI CE 1846 IBEBT ALL POUND COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER IN CAnisao A' TA P.0 '20 HULK NS ST. INOUSTF80A0_ PARK GODERICH, ON'r. N7A 4E6 PUBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded In 184B and published every Wednesday et Ooderich,•Ontarlo. Member of the CCN and OCNA. Subscriptions payable In advance 522.00, ,(Senior Citizens 519,00 privilege cord number required] in Centile, 860.00 to U.S.A., 560.00 to ell other countries,' Single copies BOA:. Display, National and Cleeelfied adv,artlaing rates available on request. Please. pink for Rata Card No. 18 effective October 1, 1986. Advertising le accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, the advertising apace occupied by the erroneous Item, together with the reseonable allowence for signature, will not be cherged.f or but thet balance of the advertieemont will be paid for et the applicable rate, 1n the event of a typographical error advertising goods or eery' lees et a wrong price, goods or service- may not be eold. Advertising Is merely en offer to sell, end may be -withdrawn at any time. The Signal-Bter le not responsible for the lose .or damage of unaolicited manuecrlpte, photos or other materiel. used for reproducing purposes. General Manager I SHIRLEY J. KELLER' Editor DAVE SYKES. Advertising Mana9er DON HUBICK FOR IEBUBBNEBS OR E0OTOROAL 0FFVCES...pres6e phone (5191524-2614 Second class mail registration number 0716 Member Willbe missed Organizedsportsplays an important role in any small community, providing recreational and social opportunities for its citizens. ,, But i-egardle.sk of the organization,. it is only.- as good as the people involved at all levels. The Goderich Men's I�'astball League lost one of its most dominating players last week Official �JL ��5��with the death of Simon Langlois during- a league game. Simon was the consunnate hall% _ / player and gentleman. He was a great ambassaclor for fastball and the local league and epitomized the ideals of;friendly competition and fair play; ' • That a roan could pitch fastball at such a high level for so many years was a tribute to the man's talent and love for the sport.- Most recently, hebegan umpiring with the local associa- tion as well, , ' ! ��t7i� ■ Y r ORodialeta$ • The sporting community will miss Simon Langlois.' D,S, Cornmunication', hacking Although most rnembers of Hurori County council quickly denounced a recept expose of in- ternal problems, there are situations periodically arisinghereby some of the sand in which they've buried their heads is being kicked off. .The most recent was a brief received from employees of the health unit in whicha number of c-]nc•erns were outlined regarding: a lack of communication; the need for a written policies and procedures manual: an ongoing concern pertaining to the resignation of former MOH Dr. Harry (.'ieslar, and staff resentment to active interference in personnel matters and in board decision-making responsibilities by clerk -treasurer Bill Hanley. While board chairman Grant Stirling acknowledged the need to tackle the complaints and to produce a system with everyone in harmony, Warden Brian McBurney was•ohyiously less concerned and refuted many of the complaints by employees by explaining they stemmed from employees continuing to dredge up old problems that should now be forgotten. He.said the underlining cause reflected disappointment by the staff in not getting sorne of the pay in- creases they felt were warranted. • "There are always two sides to any i sire, but the War•den,appears intent on sticking with the ship, even though evidence continues to mount that it is subject to some peril. Dismissing cornplaints'and'concerns, as being tied to wage negotiations would suggest llc'Rurney hasn't even taken time to seriously review the brief and comprehend the diversi- ty of the items - the majority- of which appear in no way to stem from any financial considerations. In fact, the lack of a.written policies and procedures manual is tine of the major deficien- cies cited by the staff since it allows controversies- to go unresolved. While acknowledging a policy guide specifically for the health unit has been discussed in the past, McBurney explains it has not progressed beyond that point because other items crop up which are given preference as they are considered of more importance. There's obviously a difference of opinion on the item to he given priority, but county council cannot escape the fact their opinion in that regard continues•to fuel the flames of discontent among the staff and acids cr«'dence to reports of deep-rooted problems that they ‘would prefer to dismiss -out of hand. it is evident internal matters should he given top priority and it appears county council should call in some independent experts to clear the air. Exeter Times Advocate ceremony eld for iir.n County Vocational School 25 YEARS AGO June 7, 1917 • The June session was in progress at the 'court house, In the opening session Tuesday afternoon, Clinton Board of Trade were ask- ing 'council to take action at once for im- provement, of county highways under the Provincial G,god Roads Act. '('hey ,renewed the application from the township of Ashfield for the taking over by the county of a bridge near Dungannon. A resolution was passed' expressing gratitude and appreciation of loyalty and devotion displayed by the ladies ,of the patriotic and Red Cross Society of the Coun- ty of Hurbn • in providing comfortsu for our soldiers at the front which they can't and have not received from any other source: Next week is the week of the Greyhound excursion to Detroit. The big palatial steel steamer Will leave Goderich Tuesday morri- ing at 9 am and arrive in.,Detroit about 5 pm. A 'pretty and animated scene was presented on the grounds of Victoria School on Friday afternoon while the Empire Day program, postponed from May 23, was car- ried out. The sun shone warmly on the lawn and the temporary platform has been ar- ranged around which the pupils and a large number of adults were gathered to take part In proceedings to see and hear them. The program included songs, drills, recitations, a Maypole dance and a very pretty "Japanese chorus." 50 YEARS AG() June 9,1937 The .June meeting of Central Home and School Club was held Tuesday afternoon, ,June 1 with a large attendance. Mr. W.F. LOOKING BACK„ • Saunders read a letter from the Ontario Federation of Home and School Association asking that each association • advise the parents of children who are about to enter, . school to take the. children to their family • physician and dentist for examination and any treatment that may be .considered necessary to prevent the loss of time through illness during the school year. • • One of Goderich's oldest business 'buildings, The Ford Garage, o'n South Street, which was erected in 1878 has undergone extensive changes in its ap- pearance both interior and exterior. The building, formerly a, livery stable had a large entrance in from which has been used in recent years as a passage for cars going to the rear of the building for storage or repairs. The doorway was closed in and the room on the south side was enlarged to make a bright, roomy, showroom. The office gf the garage has been redecorated and made more modern. The mechanical changes in- clude a new heating plant, considerable new Ford • factory equipment, new lighting system, and a drive around the rear of the building where all repairs are made. The renovated garage will be officially opened on Saturday, ,June 12. Reserve Tuesday evening, June 29 for a strawberry social and play at Taylor's Corner. The June meeting- of the Women's In- stitute will be held at MacKay Hall on Thursday, June 10. 70 YEARS AGO June 7, 1962 The official sod -turning ceremony for the • $1,500,000 Huron County Vocational Sbhool addition to the- Clinton District Collegiate In- stitute took place Saturday afternoon. The building is to be completed and ready for oc- cupancy by September, 1963. When com- pleted, the institution will accomodate 1,250. students. The additions include eight classrooms, two business machine rooms, three typing rooms, two laboratories, one drafting room, one auto shop, one carpentry millwork shop, one electricity shop, one machine shop, one gym of 45 by 75 feet, one cafeteria covering 3,800 square feet and one administration office. The paving of Wellington Street from Elgin Avenue to West Street and of North ,Harbour Road from the end of the steel sheet harbour wall to the Sifto plant, are on the program for this year. Wellington Street is facing a third summer of unsurfaced discomfort from truck -propelled dust. 'With new lumber arriving for the bowling alley bed, stock and the unusual spring in- crease in building activity, employment at Goderich Manufacturing Company Ltd. has increased by 30. per cent over the normal winter low. Employee li?;t now stands at 130 compared with 100 during the winter mon- ths. Most of the additional help are engaged as millhands in the busily humming lumber mill. In a report to GDCI school. board Monday night, Principal O.L. Day stated spresent enrollment at the college is 601 and antipate 670 expected by September. The incr euae will near an additional two grades for the fall term and it was suggested the cafeteria area and the board room may he needed as teaching stations. Where have all the televised spurts ,gone'' • ft seems like only a couple of weeks ago, spurts fans from Sarnia to Sydney were feasting on broadcasts of, every form of professional recreation im- aginable. NHi, hockey, NBA basketball, major league baseball. tennis, gulf. near- ly everything hut Women's mud wrestling was on the tube. Now, here it is only mid-June, and peo- ple are telling me the Stanley ('up playoff:,i:'c over already. How can that he? They fell me I can't get any more t:levised hockey until at least late August, when the teams be.'gin preparing for the 1987 Canada Cup tournament. That's nearly two -and -half months • without hockey. What's the world corning to'? With. the NBA playoffs'in their `nal stages, one can't find even a semblance of a game on TV any more, not even CFi. football is semblance of a game 'if there ever was one). That leaves sports fans here in Ontario with only one team to follow. The American League baseball Toronto Blue Jays. Watching the Jays can be very hard on • the psyche of Ontarians: Accustomed as they are to the falling of the Leafs and the sinking of the Argonauts, local sports huffs have trouble getting adjusted to the Blue Birds' winning attitude. ., At this very moment, Toronto's finest sit alone in first place in their division, haven overtaken the mighty New York Yankees on the strength of an 11-0 poun- ding of the pin -stripers Monday night. • Oh sure, the J,eafs and Agros have been in first place from time to time over the past few years. However, their followers can always take comfort in knowing that, when the dust finally set- tles, the local team will he the ones assigned t sweep it up, while the victors celebrate. What's even worse about the Jays, is that not only are they winning now, but things are starting to look even better for them. After all, newly -religious starting pit- cher Daye Stieb has just attained his fifth victory in as many starts, George Bell and .Jesse Barfield are giving opposing hurlers their usual nightmares and, for the first time in years the team has found a second catcher worth platooning with veteran Ernie Whitt. The acquisition of versatile backstop Charlie Moore, could very well he the final cog in what should be a World Series• bound machine. No, the problem with the Jays public ' image is not on the field, it's off. As a professional sports franchise, they're kind of boring, "Yep, the .Jays got pitching, defence and hitting, Dick -- don't you agret?" -Yep," agrees Dick. And then it's on to another topic, like what unfortunate soul the Leafs will ruin. from this angle Patrick Raftis this year by choosing him in the high rounds of the amateur draft, or why do the Arognauts, who had Condrege Holloway and J. C. Watts last year, have a "Quarter -back needed. Apply within," sign on their club house door? The Jays management, owes it's fans a few mistakes (I don't count Bill Caudill, because he looked good to me too when they first signed him), so they have something to talk about. When the Jays have a probletn on the field, their managment goes out and gets the player they need to solve it. This is effective, but dull. When the Leafs have a visible gap in their' line-up (which they do three•games out of four), Harold Ballard generally complains about it, iii his usual colorful language, to the media. This is ineffec- tive, but usually interesting. When the Argonauts don't have a gap in their line-up, their management releases somebody to create one. This is just plain weird. After all, what's a sports team without disention, incompetence and controversy? The Toronto Blue Jays, I guess.