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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-08-06, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1986 The historic unity of the Commonwealth is,. being unduly strained as seven of its key leaders prepare to meet to discuss the issue ,of sanctions against South Africa. The politics of the commonwealth and its inability to present a united front in response to the entrenched racist apartheid policies of South Africa, spread quickly to the playing fields and the pools of the Com- monwealth Games last week. The 13th edition of the commonwealth's celebration of athletics ' turned out to be rather unlucky in Edinburgh as more than half of the invited guests from the com- monwealth declined the invitation to par- ticipate in response to Margaret Thatcher's firm stand against sanctions. It's unfortunate that political statements must be made at the expense of athletes who DAVE SYKES train for years with unrestrained dedication to represent their country at games such as these. The boycott by more than half the na- tions will no doubt cast aspersions on the medal collection by any athlete or nation. There was precious little the athletes could do about the situation but compete in their events, regardless of the number and quality of the participants. In some in- stances, there were only three athletes com- peting in an event. There's no doubt that the competitive fac- tor at the games was diluted by the boycott but out of deference to the Canadian con- tingent, their performance was remarkable nontheless. Only a technicality in the final race of the games kept Canada from winning the gold medal race, losing by one medal to Britain. England finished the Commonwealth Games with a total of 52 gold medals while Canada settled for second place in the stan- dings with 51. Australia was third with 40 golds. Overall, Canada finished with a total of 51 golds, 34 silver and 30 bronze for a 115 medal performance. It was a gritty effort by the Canadian con tingent and the performance is worthg;,,.of dust more than a cursory glance or mention. The Commonwealth Games are an impor- tant tradition, providing athletes with world-class competition two years before the Olympic Games. The Commonwealth Games started in Canada in 1930 and we have a major stake in the preservation of the integrity and competitive quality of the games. Perhaps a bit of the tradition of the games was lost on the soggy, wind-swept fields of Edinburgh over the last nine days, but political statements have, and will, con- tinue to be a part of major sporting events around the world for many years to come. There were many golden performances by Canadian athletes over the nine days of the games and they came at the shooting ranges, in the boxing ring, in the pool, -on the wrestling mats and from just about every event venue in Edinburgh. What our thletes accomplished in Edin- burgh cane be cheapened in any way by the boycott. he competition was still of an internationa level and Canadians respond- ed. As evide ced by our showing in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, our athletes are coming of age. Opinion THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848' Goderic E3IG...NTA \ R _ EST ALL FOUND COMMUNITY NEWOPAPEF IN CANADA iOra,WGon puss 3500 450010 4 aut.' Newspaper Coo pepuan 1554 P.O. BOX EEO HUCKINS ST. iNBUSTRIAL PARK GODERICH, ONT. N7A 4E16 PUBLISHED' BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded in 1848 and published every Wednesday at Ooderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA end OCNA. Subacriptlons peiynble in advance 922.00, (Senior Citizens 019.00 privilege card number required] in Canada, 980.00 to U.S.A., 680.00 to ell other countries, Single copies 80C. Display, National end Classified advertising rete. available on request. Picasso ask for Rete Cord No. 18 effective October 1, 1985. Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous Item, together with the reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for but that balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. in the event of e typogrephlcal error advertising goods or services at a. wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising la merely an offer to sail, end may ba withdrawn at any time. The Signal -Star le not responsible r the lose or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing urpoaes. General Manager Editor Advertising Manager SHIRLEY J. KELLER DAVE SYKES DON HUBICK Publisher: Jocelyn A.. Shrier FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone [519)524-2614 :Second class mail registration number 0716 Member: eNA CCNA AO" 1 Y+ 1P �iP,1\\} t11`\i`I�,ati 04 ', A�+11,�.a,ta,lnaii+C, One of 'the best parties There's no doubt about it, when Port Albert throws a party they do it in a big way. One of the best 150th birthday parties ever staged in the area, the Port Albert sesquicentennial committee put together a combination of events and activities that drew crowds beyond their wildest expectations. The parade featured approximately 170 entries. Closeto 4,000 people attended the Satur- day night dance to hear Whiskey Jack. Hundreds attended the beach activities unique to a lake front community. Close to 3,000 enjoyed the Gong Show Sunday night and many stayed' around to participate in the sports activites on Monday. The wind up dance on Monday night was a chance for those who had worked so hard all weekend to have some fun and a last hur- rah for the permanent residents of the community. The entire celebration was well organized and this contributed to its success. The steering committee deserves credit for the jobthey've done and the community is to be commended for the support they gave the coTmittee. Everyone worked hard and the success of the celebration shows a small community can do great things when everyone works together. • The- celebration drew- some .oft1e biggest crowds ever in Port Albert since the Victory Plofving Match in 1946. The size of the crowd was only outdone by the enthuSiasnrof the peo- ple as they renewed old acquaintances, made new friends and got together for some old fashioned fun: The weather co-operated with sunny days and cool breezes which was an added plus. Many who attended the celerbations will remember dancing outdoors in the ball park for years to come. Once a common thing, outdoor dances are a rarity these days and it was especially delightful that the weather co= operated. The committee was prepared for the crowds and the possibility of bad weather. A 200 foot hospitality tent provided space for everyone to enjoy themselves and no one was ,turned away. Many times people are disappointed at celebrations of this kind, when they cannot en- joy some of the events, bicausi the facilities cannot accommadate the crowds. As the organizers put it, when asked what a community with 150 permanent residents was going to do with a 200 foot tent: "Just put up the tent and we'll fill it!" As one rominittee member concluded, it wasn't their intention to make money,. "We only wanted to have a party." The Port Albert sesquicentennial was great fun for everyone. It will long be remembered as one of the best parties ever. S.D. Working towards security A significent concern when the provincial government announced plans to convert the' Bluewater Centre for the Developmentally Handicapped to a facility for young offenders was the implication for the community if some of the young offenders should happen to escape. That fear has become reality three timessince the centre opened and the neighbours in the area have cause for concern., The last escape by three young offenders resulted in several people being frightened late at night as the youths broke into homes and cars at- tempting to steal a vehicle to make a get away. -' While the residents who live in the area of the Bluewater Centre for Young Offenders have good cause for real concern about the security of the facility, the centre's superintendent is to be commended for the effort he has made to deal with these concerns. Carl DeGrandis hag made himself available to the neighbours of the centre to discuss their concerns. He has listened while some of them vented their anger and frustration. He has done his best to answer their questions and allay their feats. He is working diligently to implement security measures which should make residents in the area feel more secure. He has not made false promises. TheBluewater Centre is a therapeutic arrangement and the government will not make it into a penitentiary to prevent future escapes. DeGrandis has been open, honest and forthright and he is working to provide security for the communi- ty and a program which will benefit the young people it is to serve. This is not meant to trivialize the concerns of residents in the neighbourhood of the Bluewater Centre, their concerns are real. Their terror when they are awakened in the mid- dle of the night to find someone breaking into their home is real. Superintendent DeGrandis is working to make the centre more secure and while 'everybody says 'Not in my back yard" when such a facility is proposed, this type of pro- gram should be available for young offenders and it is producing positive results. The centre is here to stay and while its presence is disconcerting and at times, alarming, it is also reassuring that superintendent DeGrandis considers the concerns raised by the community to be valid and important. S.D. We welcome your letters to the editor 5 - (photo by Sharon Dietz) Beer. comrnercialsr provide guffaws Student and parent groups are forming in rapid succession 'across North America, responding to the carnage on the road. MADD'and SADD are just two such groups. I recall attending a speech some years ago by then Justice Minister Mark MacGuigan, who . relayed in imposing fashion the statistin that more Canadian citizens have been killed on the roads through alcohol abuse than had been slayed in both world wars. by Mike Ferguson A case can be made, perhaps, that beer ads on TV do not blatantly encourage a per- son to just go out and purchase a two-four. Our society's mores and values have chang- ed dramatically, and the advertisements reflect that. In fact, in some ads, the brand of beer seems to be mentioned only as an afterthought near the end of ,. the commercial. The commercials are not the root of the problem. Oancelling beer ads on network television is not the answer. The airwaves just wouldn't be as fun without Bob. Eucker saying "I 'must be in the front row," or Rodney Dingerfield's animated display of his golfing Prowess. And it doesn't make me really want to drink more. Besides, I've always wanted to arrive at a bar, plunk myself down a stool, and ask .the bartender for a "light." I somehow have come to expect all manner of torches, flashlights, searchlights and other - il- luminating objects to fill the darkened bar, as I reply in an embarrassed way: oh, sorry- -I meant a Bud Light. What are the best commercials on television? Most avid watchers will ..likely admit that . advertisements for beer are by far the most •entertaining. The federal government is contemplating a proposal that would disallow any form of alcohol advertising on television. If this idea succeeds, will it decrease the level of alcohol abuse in our society? No way. A recent Angus Reid poll shows 61 percent of Ontario residents irf favor of beer being advertised on television. Plus the fact many people say they enjoy watching them adds to their effectiveness. However, it must be noted at the same time that a tull 39 percent say they are con- cerned beer ads could encourage drinking .and over -emphasize the "good times" of ,drinking. But the ads provide a worthwhile respite between innings and punts. Observing Rodney, Bob Eucker, retired umps, hockey stars, -baseball and football players perfor- ming their comical . antics enables the viewer to experience at least one .good gut- tural guffaw per afternoon. Canadian ads, with their squeaky -clean vignettes and musically inspirational lingoes, set fire to your imagination. Good- looking yuppies with svelte bodies are shown windsurfing, playing volleyball; or being transported in that staple of Beer drinker's transit,the hot air" balloon. All those . armchair , quarterbacks with their ample anYounts of rotund stomach flesh hanging over Harley Davidson belt buckles can now sit and relax, confident in the knowledge their next frisbee -toss com- petition isn't for another couple of weeks. It would of course be remiss of me not to acknowledge the fact of society's dramatic metamorphosis in the last decade or so. The current trend is away from the massive gulping of a six-pack to one of moderation. With increased fines and jail sentences for drunk drivers, acid the simple cost of the beverages alone, they have both added to the overall drop in beer consumption in On- tario. The so-called lifestyle ads surely have not had a large role to .play in this statistic. The days of "happy hour" are now dead. Going for a beer or two after work is no longer in vogue. The world can come crashing down around you if caught over .08. Drunk drivers, perhaps in the '50s just a nuisance on the road, can now be charged with manslaughter in the event of a fatal accident. Bluewater Centre should ' be guarded to the maxirnu: Dear editor: Reference to the Bluewater Centre meeting July 27 and the latest breakout of July 16. For those who did hot attend this meeting; I'd like to give my view of what happened Carl DeGrandis, as superintendent of the centre, was spokesman and located himself in the middle of the fancy cafeteria. He had no P.A. system. As the room was over half full, some of us sat behind him and had trou- ble hearing him. We were late getting started but had discussions from about 2:30 until after fRur o'clock, when the upset public decided to disengage. These appear to be the actions which the centre shall probably take: 1. Four employees who made errors were disciplin- ed as a result of the escape. 2. A lighted panel is to be installed at the front desk to represent which exterior doors are locked.. 8. They are considering the possibility of sensitizing the fence with an alarm warning iiysteth 4. AlteitiVeirtOnAn. istote Noleed on to LETTERS patrol of the exterior grounds as a guard at night staff joins him at certain intervals. 5. They will help neighbours start a neighbourhood phone warning system to give them a description of the person(s) at large (if a breakout should happen again) . These are some, of the measures that we offered for consideration: 1. A watch tower for that extra guard. 2. A second fence 20 - 30 feet from the original fence to slowdown the escape. 3. A siren for cottagers to be warn- ed. 4. Neighbourhood phone warning im- mediately after breakout, but at the pro- vince's expense. 5. Signs along the highway between Bayfield and Goderich suggesting that no hitchhikers should be picked up as the centre is nearby. 6.. Persuade the pro- vince to roville this region with more O.P.P. off' ers-as they have explained that they have hot increased the staff since the centre has opened and they now have marine . duty too. 7. Put uniforms on the residents so that they can be recognized as soon as they are off the grounds. 8. Some neighbours are going to set vehicles aside with keys so they escape out of our region without being violent. 9. Close the Centre down now if they can't afford to make it safe for the residents in the region and convert it to the senior citizen home the county needs so desperately. 10. Barbed or razor wire at the top of the fence as well as cameras. 11. Since this centre's opening, property value has gone down and the neighbours would like the sign removed at the Centre's en- trance which states "Working together for a better Ontario!" I.was shocked to find out that a maximum security wing is under construction right Turn to page 5.