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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-03-12, Page 15$ • • Entertainment • Features • Religion • Family • More 421. SECTION Adventure was motivation for 35 sqffit'irith lC southern Canada and then north again to McPherson. At Kamloops, B.C., he saved a man's life and was decorated for quick ac- tion. And, on Christmas Eve of 1972 when he was posted in Yellowknife, he woke out of a dead sleep because of a loud noise. A few minutes later, he got a call from the office- " -his car had been blown up outside the sta- tion, a block away from his house. By 1977, he worked his way through RCMP ranks to Chief Superintendent and put in a formal request to return. north for his last years in the force. He arrived back. in Yellowknife from his posting in Nova Scotia in 1981. As Chief Superintendent, he travelled to three territorial subdivisions annually, planned policy and interacted with the ter- ritorial department of justice. His last few months on the force were spent on a project for the Commissioner of the RCMP which meant compiling ways and means to get more native people into the RCMP. He says the force could do more to make joining the force more at- tractive to native people. Last July, he was honored with the N.W.T. Commissioner's Award for Public Service, the highest award. given. in. the ,,aa1. aig .:q - Territories,, The award was one of many he's receiv- ed during his years with the RCMP. He holds the long=service medal with gold bar for the 35 years he's served the RCMP, the Queen's Jubilee medal and the St. John's Ambulance long -service medal. for over 12 .years active work in the brigade. Last October, he was promoted to Knight in the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John :of Jerusalem. The award received Royal Sanction by Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, the Sovereign Head of the Order. At his retirement party last June, Feagan was honored by the community of Fort McPherson where he'd developed an excellent rapport with the 900 people, mostly Loucheux Indians, during his time there. The Band Council, headed by Chief Johnny Charlie, hosted a feast and dance for the Feagans who received the tradi- tional $5 treaty payment, a couple of dilapitated fish nets, a tin pot to pick ber- „ ries,.w tbapd a kerchief. 'for his wife's head... Feagan;who has kept in 'close "coiitact with many old friends in Goderich, has visited town up to three times a year since he's been Chief Superintendent. In 1977, he and several other RCMPs who were originally from . Goderich, marched leading the town's Seuicentennial parade. 'Though he retired to Kelowna, B.C., when he's here, he's a great part of the community," says his sister, Betty Williams. One of the few Canadians to receive the honor of being promoted to Knight in the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem has his roots in Goderich: Hugh A. 'Feagan, retired Chief Superintendent of the RCMP, received this honor last October from Governor General Jeanne Sauve for his years of selfless devotion to the work of the Order of St. John and its two foundations, The St. John Ambulance Brigade and Association and the St. John Qphthaimic Hospital in Jerusalem. Born and raised on a farm in the 1930s in Colborne Township near Carlow by his parents, Chester and Lizzie Feagan, •of Goderich, Feagan has served the RCMP for 35 years from one end of Canada to the other. His sister, Betty Williams also lives in Goderich and his brother Brian, who is also in the RCMP, lives in Ottawa. The image of a mounted policeman dressed in boots and breeches made join- ing the RCMP a childhood dream for Feagan during a time when life on the farm wasn't so good. Attracted to „the job security, pension and adventure of going west, Feagan wrote to the force ate 18 wanting to sign up. Because the age limit was 21 at the time, the RCMP suggested he further his education and re -apply at 21. A year or so later, he was informed the age re- quirements had been lowered to 18. On Apr. 19, 1950, he joined the force and. headed to Depot Division in Regina for nine months of intensive training (com- pared to the six months today.) Similar to a military camp when he joined, Depot Division emphasized physical excellence over academia. His first posting sent him to Saskatoon, then Kindersley, Saskatchewan. Next, he applied to go north, still a voluntary ser- vice and though his initial.application was rejected because all postings were full, he went to Whitehorse, Yukon in 1952. Adventure was his main motivation and -his experience with mechanical and carpentry work from his days on the farm near Goderich helped him meet the qualifications.. After two years in Whitehorse and one in Mayo, Yukon, he applied to. be posted to Aklavik, a settlement in the.northwest cor- ner Of the Northwest Territories with a population of about 500. Living in barracks, Feagan's only means of transportation was, a string of dogs. The settlement had only a few vehicles including a caterpiller tractor for hauling water. In .1955, he married his wife Marj, whom he'd met in Whitehorse. And, because there wereno provisions for married • RCMP in the settlement, Feagan had td• build his first home, a 12 by 24 foot building, Feagan is knighted by Her Excellency, Governor General Jeane Sauve (photo by John Evans) Feagan established a community garden plod and.rap_the local savyjnilkand lieayy equipinedt.r1'olice'were involved in everything from -organizing local sports to providing the radio, the only link with other communities. Living in a harsh northern environment was sometimes risky. One spring, while travelling by dog team between Arctic Red River 'and McPherson, Feagan with his wife and tiny baby, could not find the trail when a storm came up. A five hour jaunt turned into a 10 hour ordeal. After Fort McPherson, he was posted to on a lot on thecorner of someone else's lantd. ht Aklavik, where'a dozen R'CMP were stationed, a great deal of policing centred around assistance for government such as welfare work and keeping the Eskimo identity numbers ( disc list). After a few years, Feagan was promoted to corporal and posted to a two-man detachment in Fort MacPherson. He and a native special constable patrolled bydog team a loop hundreds of miles long from McPherson to Old Crow, Yukon and up to Herschelxisland. • • MacKay centre is a vital part of community BY BRUCE TWAMLEY Situated on the north side of The Square and separated from the main business sec- tion by only a block, MacKay Centre oc- cupies an enviable location, spiritually, in Goderich. It is literally surrounded by churches. Lying just south is North Street United, diagonally across the road is St. George's Anglican, just a couple of blocks north is St. Peter's Catholic, and' to the east, also just a couple of blocks away, is Knox Presbyterian Church. And then, just over a block away, is Huron County Museum housed in a building which, like MacKay Centre, has been renovated and which, also like MacKay Centre, houses treasures not of the youthful kind. The building itself is a rectangular, one- story, brick structure whose main compo- nent is the auditorium on the main floor capable of seating many people. Accessory to it are a cloakroom, a kitchen, and a stage. Downstairs are smaller rooms including one for board meetings, some for games and of- ' fices, and two rest rooms. MacKay Hall was deeded to the town about 60 years ago. Under the town's auspices it served for many years as a place for banquets,' union meetings, parties and. concerts. In or about 1980, at a time when grants from the provincial government had become available; the management of the building and its activities was transferred from the town to a group of senior citizens who were interested in a building which, in a sense, they might call their own. The group, taking on the name "The MacKay Centre for Senior Citizens", form- ed an organization and elected a board of management to supervise the activities that were expected to follow. The first president was Everett Sparling and he was followed in 1982 by Janet Kalbfleisch, in 1984 by Russell Alton and by the present incumbent, Herb Bridle in 1986. In the Goderich community the number of senior citizens exceeds the 2,000 mark, Of these, about 350 hold membership cards as Mae�Kay Centre Seniors. It is this group of about 350 senior citizens that the board of management represents and it this group that duly elects them to office. ' The board consists of 17 members. The nrpciriont and nrosiding offirpr is Rob Art- dle, an air . force veteran. The past ,presi- dent, whose advice and counsel, backed by several years' experience on the board, makes him a most valuable Member is Ittissel Alton., The secretary, who keeps a reeord of the meetings, and the treasurer, who pays the bills, are Grace Cranston and Claude Kalbfleisch. Mary Henderson and Ed. Smythe, first and second vice-presidents,, respeetively, look foward perhaps with eagerness, perhaps with some measure of trepidation, to the day when they will oc- cupy the president's chair two and four years in the future. In addition,- as in any good corporate organizations, there are directors. Of these, seven are elected by the senior citizens, four are appointed. The elected directors are Wyn Bell, Evelyn Allin, Doris Hawthorne, some on a monthly, and some on a random basis. Of the activities that the board sponsors directly, those that occur monthly attract the largest crowds. One of these, the pot luck luncheon and movie is usually held on the first Friday afternoon of the month and it attracts 35 - 50 members. On Wednesday evenings the social Card Party and the entertaining variety concert with their Attendances of 60 - 80 and 100 -125 members fill the auditorium while on Fri - Everett Sparling, Don MacMillan. Frank Warnock, and Graham MacDonald. The ap- pointed members representing the town of Goderich, Colborne Township, Goderich Township and the Board of Recreation are Stan Profit, Reta Groh, Bert McCreath and Pat Hamilton. These are the people who have been selected and whom you have elected to guard the edifice known as MacKay Centre and to offer entertainment to its members. Though bricks may crumble. and wood decay, we depend en these people to main- ' tain the stability of MacKay Hall. Though laryngitis may cripple a vocalist, though a clarinet player may not show up, we are confident that entertainment will be provid- ed. The board of management manages "a lot". The centre has 350 members and a • home base. It takes a lot of organization to maintain and improve the building, keep in touch with other clubs and groups, and to br- ing entertainment on a weekly basis to 350 members. In the army that would require a colonel, two or- three captains, or majors, half a dozen lieutenants, and a host of, sergeants and corporals to say nothing 'of the cooks , and the quartermaster officials. The board does- it, and without pay. To cater to people of widely varying ages, tastes and physical abilities the activities at the •centre must be of several different kinds. Moreover some are 'on a 'weekly, POSTSCRIPT By Susan Hundertmark It's never too late to learn to read event and they are all looking forward to event and are all looking to another such card party in the future. Mrs. Kalbfleisch, who engineered the show, is to be congratulated on the success with which it was met. Disregarding for the moment those events such as. shuffleboard, aftcuavlfu dances, choral singing, billiards, cribbage, tables of bridge and Golden Gate 'activities in which the board of management exercises a rather remote control, the board sponsored the five quite enjoyable events which have become part of the centre's monthly program. We, who are noton the board, offer to the board our congratulations for a year's work so well began. Of the five activities, all pro- vided excellent entertainment but the varie- ty concert is the one this month that is singl- ed out for special mention. The variety concert was held on Wednes- day,. Feb. 26. It was singled out because it was unique, enlightening and entertaining. It was also somewhat special because it was the first show put on, as president, by our new president. The first speaker, Ivan Perusse of the Cartier Construction Company of Montreal,, talked about the deepening and the enlarge- ment of the Goderich harbor and the role that his, company plays in that operation. Perusse lett us with the impression that the work there was right on schedule and that the resounding booms from the dynamite blasts were merely proof of that fact. The second entertainer, Richard Miller, a disc jockey hailing from the Otthwa. Valley, played both the piano and the guitar and at times, accompanied each of them with his voice. His youthful exuberance was a joy to us senior citizens. Entertainer No. 3 was Glen Carey who practices law in Goderich and who sits on the town council. Carey discussed legal issues affecting seniors and their -wills and then dealt more particularly with the responsibilities of MacKay Centre regar- ding liability insurance. Carmen Klaus of Walton, a reflexologist, iridologist, and therapist, spoke on the sub- ject of nutrition, extolled the virtues of fibre in the diet,of alfalfa sprouts, and of lots of water, and at the end of her talk ,was delug- ed by a barrage of questions from eager listeners seeking helpful hints for health. Of the five events sponsored directly by V the board of management this particular variety concert was singled otit because it was unique, educational, and entertaining. It was unique because we had two spea1ers originally from Quebec, educational because we went home wiser when we came, and entertaining because no-one got up one instant before the entertainment was over. day night the boisterous+bingo.games cater to the gambling instincts of 15 - 20 seniors and the dance music of Gordon Harriston and his orchestra cheers the mind of those who delight to swirl, swing, and sway. , For these five monthly activities either.a board member or someone appointed by the board exercises control. For example, for the pot luck luncheon and movie, Janet and Claude Kalbfleisch 'select the movie, Everett Sparling handles the projector and the president acts as 'host and director of ceremonies. In February 1986, the first month in which the new management team became opera- tional, the board adhered to the type of pro- gram that was found popular in past years. The earliest item in the month's list of recreational' activities was the pot luck lun- cheon and movie. Those who missed .this event missed out on an enjoyable meal together and an egtially enjoyable movie. This was followed by a card party featuring euchre and 500 oh the 12th, and by a dance, the excellent music being provided by Gor- don Harriston and his orchestra, on Valen- tine's pay. On Feb. 21, a crowd of 15 - 20 tried their luck at bingo and onthe following Wednes- day theAhall was filled to capacity for the Variety concert. Finally, in response to popular demand a dessert and euchre party was held on Feb. 28 at which Violet Bell and Jim Blake had the highest score in' euchre, Grace Fuller and Claude l(a1b1`eisch the highest in 500. Seventy-two pafief pants enjoyed this It's certainly ironic and almost con- tradictory to be addressing this column, to those who cannot read. But, while ex- ploring the topic of illiteracy, such ironies exist. The newspaper industry, of all forms of media, has of course, the most to gain by the largest percentage of the population classified as "readers." Because, without readers, our ideas, opinions and information, no matter how brilliant, probing or entertaining, are lost. The fact remains, however, that accor- ding to the 1981 census, there are five million illiterate people in Canada. About four million are functionally illiterate but have a Grade 8 reading level and one million can't write well enough to fill out a job application and have less than a Grade 5 reading level. They are adults, who one way or another, made it through the education system without learning one of the most basic educational tools—how to read or write. And, they live in Goderich and the surrounding area just as often as they live anywhere else in the country. They most likely have children who are learning to read and write in school. But, they're unable to help with homework and have trouble with notes from the teacher. Even a simple bedtime story is impossible. Other everyday tasks are an added burden on those who cannot read. Writing a cheque at the bank, shopping at a grocery store especialy when• generic products omit pictures of the enclosed product on their packaging and trying out a new recipe are all difficult. Figur- ing out how much grass seed to spread on the front lawn in the spring, finding your way around an unfamiliar town, fixing the family car and making a selection from a restaurant's menu all require the ability to read. Those who can't read do not lack in- telligence. But, they find themselves unable to read because they haven't been able to cope with the pace at school, the teacher hasn't been able. to spend enough time with them reading, they've been passed on to the next level at school because of their size or age, they had to leave school because of family reasons or they never took the time at school to learn. And, in some ways, I think it would re- quire a greater intelligence to get 'by in this world without knowing how to read and not letting anyone else know that you lack that basic skill. As a person whose nose is rarely out of a book, I found it difficult• at first to understand how someone who cannot read could exist. Reading was a big part of my. growing up years. It was (and still is) a gateway to other lives, adventures and- planets, a key to greater understanding about all of life's mysteries and a perfect form of enter- tainment on a rainy afternoon. It was also a shared love with my mother who began reading to me and continued to read beside me, both of us in comfortable but engrossed silence. That is, until my youngest sister would drive us crazy by insisting on reading aloud every sign, label and word she could find as we tried to concentrate on our books. Possibly, it was the' emphasis on reading, in my childhood, that prevented me from being numbered among the il- literate. But, for those who were not so encouraged, the reality is different. One man, who is how learning to read through .the adult education class in Goderich, told me he could get by without learning to read. Because he moved from school to school as a child, had great talent at working with his hands and chose to work at the family farm as an adult, he made it through childhood ' without learning to read. And, like most people who, are il- literate, he was embarrassed by it. Adolescence was the worst time since he felt prevented from socializing, with groups where he might be asked to read and from taking girlfriends to restaurants where he didn't know the menu. Admitting he couldn't read to .his girlfriend, who became his wife; took a lot of courage. But, after six years of classes at Knox Presbyterian Church on Monday nights for two hours each, he's gone from know- ing how to write his name to a Grade 8 reading level: " And, he found out he wasn't the only one in the world with his problem. Not knowing how to read is more than embarrassing, though. It's also un- profitable; Illiterate people are often the last hired and first fired from a job, are more likely to be taken advantage of dur- ing business transactions and are unable to do any professional development. And, finding a job in the first place when you • have difficulties filling out the applica- tion form, is almost impossible. If you know someone who can't read or write or would be willing to teach reading • skills to someone, please contact Pat Spence at 524-6611.