HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-12-18, Page 25ure
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REVEREND WILLIAM WEIR
BORN JUNE 12,, 1904.
By Mild Spring
Reverend Weir is best known as a
minister of the Presbyterian church. But
earlier in his life he had a number of other
interesting jobs. His life story displays
broad interests.
He was born in Leith ( part of Edin-
burgh) in Scotland. His father was a wood-
carver who worked at the Victoria Cabinet
Works in Kirkcaldy. The Reverend
remembers his father going to work at six
in'the morning and returning home to have
breakfast with his family at nine. Then he
left for work again.
"Those were depressed times and jobs
weren't easy."
When Bill was eight years old the family
came to Canada and settled in Goderich
where his father found employment in the
local organ factory.
Bill finished high school there when he
was sixteen and he went out to work. He
was hired by the Bank of Hamilton for a
salary of $350 a year. He stayed there for
about three years until the bank was taken
over by the Bank of Commerce, and he
was transferred to Ingersoll, northeast of
London.
A year and a half later, he returned to
Goderich and found a job with the Western
Canada Flour Mills I Purity Flour I. He
worked for them nearly two years, then
asked to be transferred to head office in
Toronto.
Later, he changed jobs again. This time
he was hired by Canadian General
Securities on Bav Street.
"My first assignment there was to
distribute 100,000 shares of Ford A
Canada. I stayed with the company about
four years."
After that he worked for the Canadian
General Investment Trust. The vice presi-
dent was Arthur Meighen, a former prime
minister of Canada. Bill remembers see-
ing him walk through the office looking for
his glasses which were usually up on his
forehead.
Then carne the stock market crash of
1929!
"I was out of work. I walked the streets
of Toronto for a number of weeks till my
father said I might as well come home to
Goderich and walk the streets there. So I
"One day I received a telegram from a
member of the Calvin Presbyterian
Church in Toronto. I had joined that
church several years earlier when i had
worked for the flour company."
"The telegram informed me that there
was a job opening with Acme Dairy, so I
returned to Toronto and worked in their
lab, testing milk brought in by the
fanners. I stayed on that job for over a
year."
'T'hen i entered a debating contest in the
church and I won a shield. The minister
carne to me and urged me to go back to
school to prepare for the ministry. I had
always wanted to be a minister but I knew
sly family could not afford it. Further-
more, I had no confidence in my academic
ability. Nevertheless, the minister urged
ole on and promised to back me. With that
encouragement, I enrolled the University
of Toronto."
"1 graduated in 1934 with a B.A.
School grants
increased
"Thechurch had said to me ea$ier, that.
in order' to be a minister, I must get out
and practice being one: Soo in the summer
of 1933, they had sent come to northern
Saskatchewan where I had to preach at
five different points. While I was there I
was told to do my best to get the church
built. I found a log frame building partly
assembled. It had to be chinked. I had to
mix straw with clay and stamp on it, then
heave it into place. It was hard physical
work all summer long and I was never so
tired in my life.
The next summer, in 1934, Bill was sent
to Killam, Alberta. Killam lies northeast of
Red Deer and has less than a thousand
people.
In the sununer of 1 L5, he served as a
student minister in Huntsville.
In 1936, he graduated from Knox College
in Toronto, returned to Huntsville and was
ordained there by a minister from Parry
Sound whose name was Ralston.
He also met his future wife here. Her
name was Jean Bailey.
Reverend Weir's first post was at Por-
tage la Prairie in Manitoba. It was a town
approximately the same size as Hunt-
sville.
s airs
GOPERIC I SIGNAL(.STAR, WED) ESD'AY,'PEZR1WER 18,1lo,, toAtilrr'I 5.t%
urch was a log house
After a winter there, he returned to
Huntsville, married Jean, Bailey, and took
her out west with him. They remained in
Manitoba for several years.
Then something happened which chang-
ed his life.
In 1939 Bill's parents sailed to Scotland
for a visit. They came back to Canada in
early September. Their ship, the SS
Athenia, was torpedoed by a Gernnan sub
and Bill's father was trapped in his cabin
where he perished. Mrs. Weir was taken
from the lounge, wrapped in a blanket and
carried to a lifeboat where she spent the
long hours of the night. She and others
were later rescued by a British destroyer.
She returned to Goderich and Reverend
Weir asked to be sent back to Ontario to be
near her.
He spent thirty more years with the
church.
He was posted briefly to Hens 11, a town
of about nine hundred people, s utheast of
Goderich.
He spent five years in Hespeler.
The Weirs had fourteen years with St.
Andrews Church in Brampton.
They had more than thirteen years with
Knox Presbyterian Church in Stratford. At
this point m his career the Reverend Weir
suffered two heart attacks.
When he recovered he was sent to a
smaller charge, northwest of Guelph. He
preached in Elora, a town of two thousand
people, and in Alma where there were less
than three hundred people. He bought a
house in nearby Fergus, and retired there
in 1973.
Early m 1975 he became ill with en-
cephalitis and spent a year in thehospital.
• Seven years ago the Weirs returned to
Huntsville. But the bad times continued.
Reverend Weir, who suffered from
diabetes, had to have a hip implant. And
three years ago, in January of 1983, one leg
was amputated.
"Six weeks after my surgery, Gus Whar-
ton came into the hospital for the same
operation. They put us in the same room
and we spent a year there. He was great
company. Later, we came to Fairvern
together."
There is more to Reverend Weir's story.
There were the good times.
The Weirs had two children, a son Fred
who is a dentist, and a daughter, Joan.
There are three grandchildren to round out
their lives.
Reverend Weir was always interested in
sports. His first love was baseball which he
began to play back in 1922.
"What position did you play?"
"Sometimes I played centre field.
Sometimes first baseman."
"And your favourite team?"
"Oh, that's easy. The Cleveland Indians.
I also liked soccer. I played outside left. I
played for the University of Toronto and
for Knox College. Once, we won the Inter -
faculty championship. I still enjoy sports
today."
"Was it hard being a minister?" I asked.
"Yes," he said, and he was silent for a
long time. "There are times in the
ministry when you think you cannot handle
it. When there are too many deaths ... com-
ing close together."
"And what's good about being a
minister?"
"Oh, I liked the people. I have always en-
joyed people. And I loved to preach."
"Anything else?"
"Yes," he said slowly. "One more thing.
You know, I have been married for forty-
eight years. I think it must be very hard to
be the wife of a minister. My wife,
Jean...she has been tops."
Provincial grants to Ontario's school
boards well increase by 5.4 per cent in 1986,
i:ducation Minister Sean ('onway announc-
ed,
( )poral Ing grants to the school boards \y 111
1(4;11 $3,322.9 million, an increase of $171.1
nu}Ilan o\er the 1985 allocation of $3,151.8
mullion The total Includes $3.5 -million for
the fist \ear of a three-year. $13-nulhon
fund for cu -operative education and transi-
tion to employment programs. 1''undlne for
special education programs will continue to
be nlent 'fled as a separate grant In 1980.
_i)etalled information on the 1980 grant
regulations \\III be made available to school
boards as early as possible In the new year
t" provide then) with sufficient lune to plan
I heir 1!180 budgets". Mr. ('orlway salol.
The 1!181; g1 -:ills include a four per cent in-
crease to cover Inflation. and ;11r
Saul 11 is his Intention to limit the increase in
the ',,Ilan\ ;,ad \\ age component of the pct.
pupil ::rant ceilings In four per rent
IG
reiterealyd the treasurer'• po'lli ti
I11;11 Inflation has stabllved at tour per cent
:Intl 111x1 school boards are ('X1)(c1 'd to act
acrnrd11ngl\ in establishing then 19130
budgets Ile added that the o 1 per cent in-
crease In grants for operating 4'y1)('ndil ire'
,11nuld enable the 1)roynicr Ili n1;nnl;nn the
rail' prnvII1('Ial'1Ippn1'l tnr ediiialtun
to pc dol nn to the :) 4 per cent Increase. an
a(lclilional $107 :3 million ((111 he n1a(1e
a\,lllal'le In 1980 to coyer the
,e1;11:lie school c•\tenslnn. \lt' ('nc1\ca\
`:1111
This $11); :3 111111,in for the 1981; calend;11
ear I, conslst(111 \,illi the ;1110C:110M, an -
!WWI( ell in .lug\ h\ \1r l'on'\a\ for the 1!18:r
R1. ,inti 1!(8)i-87 school \ ear's For the ••1
\ears l985-80 and 1980-87. the (•",t of
,eparale school c•\ten,ion \\111 he $8(1 minim
ind
$137 111011011 respect I\ e1Tile 11)7 .3
million represents the sant(' anmunt of fun
dnlg for 1114' 19841 calendar \ear that i, ad-
(I1.('ssel1 111 1114' hudc;et
tDie ::neernment will Increase Its ca,h
}low pa\ tnents 11) school hoards 1,1 ,4,\ ell per
cent (lninnni, the first three month, of the
'Ien(inr \ear. up from the current fir,l-
quarter level of 3 0 per cent This \\111 114,11)
,Isle\ late the reel.-noV. pressures 1)11 meal
chem IN,arlls h\ reducing some of the bor-
rn\\ In;' I 'nvls the have incurred In recent
ear, 11) sleet their first-yuarlc'r c a,h re-
quir('nl(nts
\s pa11 of 11, ('lean Slate. prn> rain. the
c,,‘ eminent Is IA riling down the grant coil
p, 15111 of school board debenture, held h
the Ontario Education ('apital :Aid (nrPcira
lion As a result. future debt charges paid I)\
school hoards will decline significants}, and
pro\ nodal grants will (4'e lux' h\ an Id('n-
1c0 :nnount In 1986. the reduction in school
board costs and provincial grants \\ill
amount to $1111 1 million
\lr i otti\a\ ga\r tits assurance that Hu,
( bangs' \\ ill have no e'ffec't on school boards.
financial positions
4410
N-:
Unfortunately, in -the -home
hazards increase during the
Festive season. In seconds, a tree
may become a torch, and in minutes a
home may be destroyed.
Take a few minutes to look over these Fire
Safety tips. This ad might help save a life.
DISCONNECT
THE LIGHTS
Before leaving
home or
before going
to bed.
FEEL DOORS
FOR HEAT
Fool the doors
as high as you
can roach. If Its
warm, use an alternate
escape rout*.
Min' 711
iliaegf0
MAKE SURE SMOKE
DETECTORS ARE IN
WORKING ORDER.
gli__HED411
LOW SAFETY ZONE
Smoke & Heat rise
Stay as low to the
ground as you can.
YOUR TREE
SHOULD BE
FRESH.
A dry tree
readily sheds
Its noodles.
IF. . .
Fire should
start
wok
FLASHLIGHTS
If you have flashlights
use them to help find
your way out at
night.
KEEP THE
TREE STANDING
IN WATER
AFTER
CUTTING
AT LEAST
ONE INCH
FROM THE
BUTT.
R.,_
YELL
FIRE
The first
person who
detects a fire should
yell fire to alert
others to get out.
CHECK
YOUR TREE
LIGHTS
FOR FRAYED
CORDS OR
SHORT
CIRCUITS.
KNOW
YOUR
ESCAPE
ROUTES
You should have at
least two known routes
to escape fire.
HAVE AN OUTDOOR MEETING PLACE
Choose a place outdoors for everyone
to meet for roll call and don't go beck
inside for anything until fire Is completely girt.
Don't let us dampen your ChriS'rlas,
On behalf of the Goderich Fire Department
Chief Jack Meriam wishes one and all a
SAFE CHRISTMAS SEASON
This message sponsored in the public interest by the
GODERICH FIRE DEPARTMENT
PHONE 524.7211