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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-06-26, Page 1137 YEAR -26 GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1985 50 CENTS PER COPY Friendship House opens with ribbon -cutting A dream of two years was realized when the ribbon was cut to officially open the Sur- vival Through Friendship House at 134 McDonald Street Thursday afternoon. "We've come a long way from the time I saw a need in the community. It's been a long road but it's been worth it. And, there are still so many women who need help and we aren't reaching them all," said director June Taylor. When Taylor identified several battered women in the Goderich area two years ago, she began meetings twice weekly at St. George's Anglican Church Parish Hall for the women and their children. A network of 24 safe homes was set up in July of 1984 after Taylor learned of a similar program in Manitoba. Six months after the homes were set up, 63 women and 90 children used the temporary shelter of the safe homes whose locations are known only to one person. Because the safe homes system was set up before the transition house was acquired, guidelines from the Ministry of Community and Social Services had to be adapted to the situation in Goderich. - "We were the first group in Ontario with safe homes so the new guidelines muddied our first presentations about the house. It. seemed we were walking through a mine field at first when setting up the prograran," said Rev. Gord Simmons, a board member of the Survival Through Friendship Organization. • The house on McDonald Street was bought with financial assistance from the Anglican Church Diocese of Huron. Despite the strong representation of Anglican, Church members on the board of directors for the house, all groups in the area regardless of their denomination have greatly con- tributed. ' "It's particularly exciting that people on the board don't seem to know each other's backgrounds and no one cafes. We have a common purpose andcome from a background that teaches us to care," said' Rev. Robert Ball, representative of the Ministerial Association. "Support throughout the county par- ticularly from the churches has been tremendous. The house is here (in Goderich) but the network spreads outward and that is important," said Rev. Simmons. Warden Paul Steckle told the group that Turn to page 2. The ribbon -cutting ceremony officially opened the Survival Through Friendship House for battered women and -their children in Goderich last week. Mayor Eileen Palmer cut the ribbon assisted by the Rt. Rev. Morse Robinson and Rev. Robert Ball. ( photo by Susan Hundertmark ) Music Festival kicks -off Canada Day celebrations It's celebration time in Goderich Canada's Prettiest Town, June 27 to July T_ ---Canada Week-Celebrations"lc-ic-k-e-«with-the sixth Annual Music Festival of Friends at Optimist Park, June 27 to 29. Thursday and Friday the festival runs 5:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m., with an early start scheduled for Saturday, 12 noon - 1:00 a.m. Admission is three dollars per day. Branch 109 will be hosting a dance at the Royal Canadian Legion on Kingston Street, Saturday, June 29 from 9:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. in the Jubilee Room. There's no need to cook breakfast' Sunday, 1. June 30. Both the Goderich Lions and Legion are taking charge. The LionsPancake Breakfast runs from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at Harbour Park, with the Legion Friendship Breakfast slated for 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. in the 'Jubilee Room. Later in the day a "Friendship Levee" is scheduled for 2 p.111.in the Legion's Vimy Lounge. After the levee there's time to enjoy the Lion's Beef Barbecue, 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at Harbour Park. Costs for the barbecue are five dollars per person in advance or six dollars at the door. Wind up the evening with the Sunday Evening Concert - 7 p.m: at the l.lar'bnnr Park, followed by. the—God h- Mamnoth Fireworks Display; approx- imately 10:15 p.m. at Goderich Harbour'. On Canada Day golfers can drive into the action at the Maitland Golf Club - 2 Man Best Ball Tourney. Tee off time is 9:00 a.m. ('all 524-9641 for more details. Also July 1, the Civic Ceremony is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. at Courthouse Park. The parade gets underway at 2:00 p.m. sharp right after the ('ivic. Ceremony. Be sure to get a good view- ing spot along the parade route on The Square. - ---Also-on-Saturday; June 29, -everyone -is in- vited to join in the celebrations for Knox Homecoming Weekend. A beef barbecue and buffet will be held at Knox Presbyterian Church from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. The cost is $12.50 per person. A singalong following the barbecue will feature "The Goderich No Notes Jug Band." On Sunday, a "Service of Praise" will be held at the church at 10:00 conducted by former ministers of Knox. Close to 60 brave rain for first Peace Fair BY SUSAN HUNDERTMARK Despite the rainy weather and lower than anticipated turnout. the close to 60 people who attended the Peace Fair at ('arnp Menesetung north of-f„i.oder-ich on',Satu-relay= enjoyed the opportunity to discuss peace - related issues. said organizer Paul Puddy, of Dungannon. "We may • have another Peace -F,a;r_.next year depending on how we evaluate this year's. While we advanced lour own knowledge, we didn't disseminate the infnr- -mation-to-the-puhlic as we 1 L-he-sa-id. "Peace is one of the most pressing issues of our time; it's an issue that won't go away. We need a process of ongoing adult educa- tion. If we wake up one morning to find a nuclear war in our own backyards, we'd have to blame ourselves for not becoming educated when we had the chance." A board member of the Rural Learning Association which sponsored the fair. Puddy said he and eight other people in Huron County will form a study group which could make a presentation to the International Peace Foundation, a federal agency. ';We'll probably be called the Huron Coun- ty Peace Committee under the auspices of the Rural Learning Association which is based in Guelph ). We're not looking for general membership but anyone who's in- terested in joining us can," he said. While local participation in the fair was minimal, people attended from Kitchener, Toronto, Guelph, Orillia, the United States and El Salvador. The workshop by Erin Fletcher, of Mothers for Peace and Freedom from El Salvador explained the situation in the Cen- tral American country where 50,000 people have been assassinated and 100,000 people are missing. Carmen, who preferred not to use her last name since she is applying for refugee status in Canada, told the group how her husband has been killed and two other fami- ly members have gone missing for political crimes. "We ask the Canadian people to support our group which is working for peace in Cen- tral America. The prerequisite for belong - Songs of peace by Jeff White were enjoyed by the more than 60 participants of the Peace Fair at Camp Menesetung, north of Goderich on Saturday. Also included in the day were workshops, non-competitive games for children, a play about peace and a nature hike. ( photo by Susan Hundertmark ) ing to our group is difficult but common—you mist have lost a member of your family or have a member imprisoned," she said through an interpreter. Since 1980, President Jose Napoleon Duarte, leader of the right wing government has been threatening members of the Mothers Committee with death by decapita- tion. "Our objective is peace and negotiation. We've asked the government to stop fighting and we have the interests of the people at heart. But, each additional dollar the .Salvadorean government receives tssdeath._b_ecaus_e it,oes-toarms,- she said. Carmen asked for Canadians to send aid in the form of food, clothing and medicine to the people,._ not .the .government of El Salvador. She said they could also help by writing to the governments of Canada, the United States and El. Salvador to ask that —the-huma-n-rights of the people he respected_ "There is a lot of violence and hate in El Salvador. Those who work for love are assassinated such as the American nuns who were killed. It's difficult to find a solu- tion but with co-operation, an answer can be found," she said. Both short range and long range plans are needed to keep the pla,iet alive for the next couple of years, said Metta Spencer, an editor of Peace Magazine in another workshop. "We have to look at ourselves as being in- volved in a crisis if we are to survive. It will require fully educating ourselves, changing our mindsets and gaining a deeper understanding of peace," she said. She recommended talking to everyone about peace issues, talking to politicians, and campaigning for nuclear free zones. "If you ask people what they want as many will say they want a nuclear f r ee zone as a nuclear arms freeze. There's a sign on the door of my office that you can't come in with a nuclear weapon. "That kind of idea can spread through a whole country. You take Huron County and I'll take Toronto. Lots of little steps lead to something more significant." Longer range plans or visions which will need to worked on by coming generations could include global law, world government or a stronger United Nations to avoid war. Vivian Abbott, a child psychiatrist from Orillia, said it's important to talk to children about their fears concerning nuclear war in another workshop. In studies done in 1967 in England, up to 70 Turn to page a C011+ .g As the>!pri>!tu : tte eater it's NW weeks . est 00400 'Rousseau is pr .' a old be a one if the Epe>! ad Workers of Canada I,o l union' doh'!not back down on its d oxraved disabili- ty isab - ty and n ce .. "If the adamant on .LTD (long, term disability);iit could be: a very. long striker" $rousse u saki Tuesday..- Woeal16 l'resi. ent Guy Robinson stated at the beginniin of the 'strike, that the union was pre ed to stay out until they Ow . " get what; ant, leaving the strike situation as a sta emate at present. There have been no negotiations between the two] groups since before the strike started, o Tuesday June 11. There are no meetings on at present, says Brousseau. The main issues are the union's requests for improved long-term_ disability and life insurance bene4s, but Robinson has said that the entire pay -benefit package is back on the table. Man caught in Little Joe's Goderich Police have arrested a 26 -year- old Barrie man,lcaught breaking into Lit- tle Joe's Coffee; Shop and Auto Body on Bayfield Road, on June21. Around 2:15 a.m, while out on patrol, Const. Matt Afflick noticed a broken win- dow at Little Joe's and investigated. He found the man crawling out through a win- dow Of the building and arrested him. ' The man was; convicted of breaking and entering, with intent to committ an indic- table offence and is scheduled to appear in court for sentencing on July 5. Goderich Police also report that sometime Monday night, someone broke into the grandstand at Agfricultural Park, and stole an as yet undertermined quanity )f candy and cigarettes. Meeting for Junior C team A public meeting concerning . the organizations of a new Goderich Junior C hockey team, will be held on Tuesday, July 2, team officials have announced. It will commence at 8 p.m, at the Goderich Recreation Department community room. Don Larder, secretary -treasurer for the new team, said the executive would pre- sent a proposed, operating budget for the team at the. meeting. He said orgainizers are also looking for volunteers, as well as planning to introduce the organizers and coaches of the team, and will be looking for ideas and input from the community. "It's going to be a community -sponsored team, sowe want to get everyone involv- ed," said Larder. Team officials recently attended a meeting ofl Goderich arena ice -time users and the Junior C team was givenstwo time sls i"iiifeaftrtinii if ft ittegbes, Ptiti'= day evenings, beginning at 8 p.m. and will practice Tuesdays, from 9-10:30 p.m. INSIDE THE SIGNAL -STAR Streak is broken The Goderich Legion Pee Wee hardball team had their season -long unbeaten str- ing broken last Wednesday, when they dropped an 8-7 thriller to a hard-hitting Ex- eter team_ Story and photo on Page Bl. Super Circus The Goderich Arena doubled as the Big Top this past Friday, when Super Circus International pulled into town, with it's assortment of clowns, elephants and other traditional circus standbys. Pictures from the circus can be found inside this section. Focus on seniors June is National Senior Citizen's month and this week the Signal -Star takes an in- depth look at the lifestyle of today's seniors', Our Community section features a story on what's available for seniors in the Goderich area, plus an analysis of the ef- fect of the Federal government's budget proposals on the senior population.