HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-04-02, Page 21dave
sykes
Inside
Rec. department's summer
line up ...................... Page 2A
Father Moynahan passes away . Page 3A
Knox minister studies Judas.....Page 6A
Huron milk producers hold
annual meeting...... ....... Page 7A
Captain Comet .. . ........... Page 10A
I've got .to do something.
My problem is of no great con-
sequence but from my own point of
view there is a great urgency in finding
a solution.
The problem is my body.
Not that I digake it or anything but at
the moment it's the wrong size.
I am definitely not a fashion -
conscious type of guy but rather have a
penchant for wearing whatever feels
good regardless of looks. So I am not
exactly a trend setter.
And buying clothes is more of a chore
than a pleasure so I often avoid
shopping for years, limiting my
wardrobe to whatever comes rny',Stay
at Christmas and birthdays in the form
of gifts. It's cheaper right? •
But in following that fashion
philosophy, inevitably you reacha
point where the wardrobe is limited to
old socks and underwear. And
management took a dim view of the
underwear -socks apparel in the office
Ernie Little, 80, of Goderich has had these second hand skates for 45 years and
he's not about to hang themlup yet. After skating for 76 consecutive years, it's
pretty hard to quit. Ernie could be seen just last Thursday making his rounds at
the rink during the public skating hour. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
40.4 00 nay insistence that it would look
get .ith a tie and the right pair -,of
Shaw.>.
So oil the weekend I was forced into a
shopp;%ng excursion, which I detest, but
nontheless I took' an optimistic ap-
proach and entertained visions of
buying some really swell clothes.
In fact, it wouldn't have been sur-
prisi.r g if fashion magazines or even
Simpsons and Eatons offered a hefty
sum demanding that I appear on the
pages of their catalogues. Not so.
To clothing store sales people I am
probably a most difficult customer. Not
that my manner is brash or unpleasant
but rather, they don't make clothes to
fit mybod.
As difficult as that may be to .believe
the problem does exist.
Shirts that fit around the collar and
shoulders have enough chest room for
me to invite a friend in to button up. To
get a good fit I have to gather up the
eXcess, material and staple it under my
armpits.
Pants have now become a source of
the
dench
132 YEAR -19
concern for this scribe as well. My
regular size was too tight andthe
helpful sales girl sugge5l d I try a
larger size. They were, naturally, too
large and I enlisted the aid of four
employees to hold them up while I
scanned the product, front and back, in
the mirror.
The whole process was discon-
certing, especially when I emerged
from the dressing room and found the
entire store's staff gathered for -a first
hand look.
They were snickering and laughing
and my sales girl said: "I told you it
was worth a look."
Naturally, since one size was too
small and the other too large, I asked
the sales girl for the inbetween size
which, I thought, would be a perfect fit.
"Sorry," she said. "Nobody makes a
size like that. Nobody ever asks for it."
"What the hell do you mean nobody
makes it or asks for it," I yelled.
"surely. there are other people with
my build who buy pants. 0 shoUl,
just buy dressy longun Ierwearr
"I'm sure we Gould alter a pair for
you sir," she offered kindly. "We Itave
staff here that could do wonders and in
your case I'm sure they could come
close."
Close. That's the story of my life and
after a day .of shopping I was close to
stuffing several sales persons into the
bargain bin head -first.
Yet, despite the difficulties, I made
several purchases leaving a trail of
salespeople, doubled over in fits of
laughter, in my wake.
Now, however, I am anxious to model
the newly purchased clothing articles
bit again, I am fearful of ridicule. -.
So if you see me in the new duds try to
overlook the staples, elastics, belts,
suspenders, gathers, darts, pleats,
fasteners and zippers and just say;
Great looking threads.
To get a fit I will either have to put on
weight '(impossible) or go on a diet.
impwwwisimummem,
SIGNAL -ST,
Still skating at 81
Ernie
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN
Learning to ice skate is
like learning to ride a
bicycle. Once you do
learn, you never forget.
Ernie Little of
Goderich... is .proef.of this..
He will be 81 years old in
June and he still hasn't
hung up his blades..•In
fact, you could see him
skating : around-; - at the
Goderich arena just last
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1980
SECOND SECTION
asn't hung them up
week. It was his first time
on skates this year but
last year he was quite a
regular at the rink.
Ernie has been skating
for 76 consecutive years
now, having learned at
age four on "spring
Skates". Those were the
kind of skates that you
strapped onto your shoes,
he explains:
At age 75 he skated on a
• pair •of 15 year-old•
wooden skates which he
still owns. The skates he
•uses today are, only 45
years old but' they are
second hand. He lost his
pair before, them in a
house fire and bought his
present pair at a "hawk
shop" in London:
•
Ernie says he used to.
do "lots of tricks on
skates" and has won
"lots of prizes" but what
60 always liked doing
International pen pals..
finally meet after 15 years
BY JOANNE
BUCHANAN
After 15 years of
corresponding, Gail
Currie of Goderich met
her pen pal, Kitty Zim-
merman of Germany, on
the weekend.
Gail and Kitty, who is
Japanese, began
corresponding as
teenagers through Pen
Pals International. Kitty
lived in Tokyo at the time
and she had another pen
pal as well. His name was
Werner Zimmermann
and he was a steward for
Lufthansa, a German
airline. On a stop over in
Tokyo, he went to:. visit
Kitty and later they were
married. They now live in,
Frankfurt with their two
children, a boy who is
seven and girl who is five.,
Werner is still a
steward with Lufthansa
and while on a stop over
in Toronto in January, he
drove to Goderich to visit
his wife's pen pal, Gail
and her husband Doug.
-The Zimmermann
family is now on a three
week vacation, most of
which they will spend in
Santa Monica, California.
But - they came to
Goderich for the weekend
so the two pen pals could
meet one another in
person. -
It was a happy meeting
too. Both women had
recent pictures of one
another. .
"We both just sort of
stared at each other for
awhile," says Gail when
recalling the meeting at
Toronto International
airport on Friday
evening.
During their 15 years
"acquaintance", there
has never'. been a lull in
letter writing between
Gail and Kitty. Both
years but parcels,
photographs and post
cards as well. Once Gail''
received a'post card from
Kitty in Florida. She said
it was kind of funny how
Kitty' had managed to get
to Florida all the way
from Germany and she
herself had never even
managed to get there
from Canada.
"Kitty is a good artist
and she sends me, pic-
tures she has drawn too,-
adds Gail.
Both women admit they'.
love writing and
receiving letters. Gail
has another pen pal in
New Zealand and Kitty
has two more in Norway.
The weekend went
much too fast for the pen
pals. The time was spent
talking and touring
women eorrt+nu�d�vriti-ng' -around Goderich. It was
to each other even after Kitty's first trip to
they had become busy Canada.
wives and mothers. One • The Curries hope to
of Gail's four children is visit the Zimmermans in
only nine days older than Germany in about three
one of Kitty's children. years ' time. Meanwhile
The two pen pals ha've Gail and Kitty will
sent not only letters to continue corresponding
one another over the across the miles.
best on a pair of skates .Seaforth Beavers in J932;
wasplaying hockey. for the Sarnia .Sailors' in
"I played hockey for 1943; and for . the
many years and I don't Goderich Industrial
feel right on skates now League in 1949-50. The
unless I have• a hockey official end to his hockey
stick in 'my. hand," he career came at the age of
says. 75 (move over Gordie
Ernie played hockey Howe) at the Bayfield
for the Clinton Inter- Arena when he played
mediates in .1916; for the hockey with his grand -
Clinton" Colts in 1928; for" son's team.
the Winthrop Orioles .in'
1930-31 when they won the Ernie has. skated in all
MacMillen Cup; for the four arenas in Clinton and
in both of Goderich's
arenas.
His wife is his most
faithful fan. Although she
doesn't' skate herself, she
watches her husband
make his rounds and
helps him tighten his
skates in preparation.
Ernie Little certainly is
proof that you're never
too old to enjoy ice
skating.
Gail Currie of Goderlch met her pen pal, Kitty Zimmermann of Germany, on the
weekend after 15 years of corresponding. The two women began writing to one
another as teenagers when Kitty lived In Tokyo. Kitty later married her German
pen pal and now lives with him and their two children in Frankfurt. (Photo by
Joanne Buchanan)
Cath Wooden
New Wave has rolled in and"caught
me in its undertow.
It didn't exactly roll in. My 14 -year-,
old, guitar -playing, T -shirt -wearing
brother carried it in under his arm in
the form of a record.
Before I recall this experience, I
must explain that my feet were still dry
at the time. I' knew that New Wave was
a form of music which served to
remind me that I am growing older and
becoming las tolerant. It conjurred up
words in my mind like punk, safety pin,
vicious, rotten, vaseline.
I also understood that this new kind
of entertainment didn't involve the
kind of singing and instrument playing
that I grew up with.
Well, I learned the truth.
We were lounging about the living
room sucking back Dr. Pepper and
eating oatmeal cookies when my
unquiet d.heu me jf I wanted to hear
his newest record.
"Will it hurt my•ears?"
"Nah. It's decent."
"Is it punk?".._ -
He looked 'a't me, pain etching his
face. "Punk is gross," he announced.
"It happens to be New Wave and it is
also Number3 in Britain."
The song he played was by a group
called the Flying Lizards. It went like
this:
The hest things in life are free
but you cdn give them to the birds and
bees
I want money
That's what I want
I want money
The female' singing spoke the
song. The background sounds were
created by someone throwing various
musical instruments at a toy piano.
Your love gives me such a thrill
but your love won't pay the bills
I want money
"Neat, huh?" shouted my brother
over the din. "It only cost about 200
bucks to record."
"Play it again!" I cried.
Money doesn't get everything it's true
but what it doesn't get I can't use
. I want money 1
That's what I want
I want lot's of money
Give Me your money
"Play it again!"
"Jeez, even I don't like it that
much."
Little did he know 1 was on the verge
of a Great Insight. I was realizing that I
was right in assuming that New Wave
doesn't involve singing and instument
playing. What it involves is the subject
of that song. Money.
1 thought, why can't I get involved
too?.
The fact that I can't sing or play an
instrument has finally become an
advantage to me. I am working on
some lyrics and soon I will record them
and become very very rich. Then I will
dye my hair green and stand on the
stage and tell the spectators they are
ugly after paying $34 to see me.
Here is a sample of my lyrics:
When I die I want a bright pink tom-
bstone
that will say, 'She's dead because
men in white coats took away
her Aunt Frieda and that is why
she grew up and smoked manure'
And on the other side I want
a great big dollar sign!
I think it is very good stuff. The
background will be the 'sounds made by
a chimpanzee playing electric harp and
my group's name will be Simplex
Evolution. '