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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-08-20, Page 17m ung ® Entertainment • Features ® Religion Family ® More POSTSCRIPT By Susan Hundertmark The Port of Goderich Landing Re-enactment took place on Saturday as the town celebrated Tiger Dunlop Days. Above, John Galt reads the proclamation to Tiger Dunlop on the right. Playing Galt is John Parsons, the Town Crier of Campbellford, Ont., and as Dunlop is George Williams, Stayner's Town Crier. (photo by Mike Ferguson) Taking in Tamils' is our only option I was disappointed recently to hear some Canadians moan and groan about the federal government's decision to allow the 155 Tamils from Sri Lanka (via West Germany) to remain in Canada for at least a year after they were found bob- bing off the coast of Newfoundland cram- med into two open lifeboats. It's always embarrassing to listen to the fortunate grumble about helping the unfortunate but I was especially irritated to watch on my television the healthy faces of well-fed Canadians contort into ugly scowls as they recommended sen- ding the refugees back where they came from. That sort of ugliness does not represent Canada and its values. Canadian compassion was better il- lustrated by the federal government and its two opposition parties when all three agreed that Canada had no other option but allow the Tamils to stay. For once, I agreed with Prime Minister Brian IMulroney when he said Cadians should always err on the side of co"{npassion"and justice. It's difficult for me to imagine that anyone would pay over $3000 each for passage in the hold of a ship where the main course is soup, mouldy bread and sea water and the accommodations are awash in human waste if his motivation was anything other than a desperate will td survive. A cruise on a luxury ocean liner it was not. And, then to be crammed with 154 other people aboard two open lifeboats without food or water or any land in sight for two days while all around you vomit, cry out in hunger and misery or pray for survival seems an unlikely scheme for anyone who merely wishes to avoid the bureaucratic channels involved in becoming an immigrant in Canada. As one Tamil said, the voyage was' a nightmare with conditions not fit for an animal. I seriously, doubt that,fcttstra- tions with the immigration system le tt8 ` such an ordeal or that the Canadian shoreline will from now, on be jammed with lifeboats from all over the world full of people wishing to similarly avoid red tape. Certainly, Canada is a land of oppor- tunity and freedom compared to many countries. But, it is not a utopia people routinely risk their lives to enter unless their livetin already so miserable or so threatened that the . risk becomes worthwhile. In that case, our first world privilege and our human decency demands we res- pond to people in desperate need such as the Tamils whether they've lied about their place of departure or not. As such conclusions became evident during a television interview on Monday, the interviewer became visibly uncom- fortable while asking a Tamil to defend himself and his fellow refugees against the public backlash. Concerns that relatives could not gain such "easy" access into Canada became absurd while grumblings that Canadian tax dollars will support the Tamils before they get jobs were shown to be selfish and mean-spirited in the face of the Tamils' ordeal. ,I may not be giving Canadians much credit for tolerance but I have to wonder if the refugees were white and spoke English whether the public's reception of them would have been more welcoming. Sometimes, we're too quick to blame visible "foreigners" for our country's problems without remembering that we were all foreigners (excepting the native population, of course) at one time. It is somewhat understandable to hear such complaints from Canadians who are suffering from high unemployment rates ' and who feel they have been treated un- fairly by the government. It's always dif- ficult to sympathize with others when you're caught up in your own hardships. But, the Tamils are not responsible for Canadian problems and since they will be allowed to work while in Canada,' it's debatable whether they will add to the .country's. problems. ' Accepting the Tamils into the country . does not mean Canada should stop in- vestigating the unusual circumstances surrounding the incident. Though we' have taken responsibility for the 155 refugees, we should continue to ask ques- tions of West Germany's responsibility to refugees and demand that the captain of the "hell" ship be punished and prevented from again benefitting from the desperation of others. The whole world can benefit from an attitude of global, citizenship and respon- sibility. By taking in the Tamils, Canada has demonstrated that sort of understan- ding and set an example for other coun- tries to follow. I disagree with those who say Canada has been taken advantage of in this situa- tion. rbelieve Canada's compassion to be a strength rather than a weakness. Because, when all things are con- sidered, we have to be able to live with ourselves both as individuals and as a na- ion. Helping, out others in need will never lose us any sleep at night. , The lbwn of Goderich prepared a jam-packed weekend to celebrate the first annual Tiger Dunlop Days. Events for all ages lasted throughout the day ,on Saturday. In the photo at left, John Galt -- actually Campbellford's 'Ibwn.Crier--raises a toast to the founding of the Port of Goderich. Matthew Jewell and Chris Leggett created this craft fot the Glub-a-dub-dub competition. And, surrouned by balloons, Amanada Vanaaken, 111/2 months•old, was part of the baby contests. (photo by Mike Ferguson) r;4,„r.e' wt Kevin Bundy's acting career blooms at Blyth BY MIKE FERGUSON For Kevin Bundy, acting in high school plays was just a hobby. But now it's something mach more than that. Bundy, 24, a 1980 GDCI grad, is current- ly playing the role of Dim Denny in the Blyth Festival production of Lilly, Alta. until August 21. He is employed for the summer there through a provincial government student job program. Bundy offers some interesting ex- periences on his way to becoming a full- fledged actor. Entering the third year, in the reputable National Theatre School in Montreal, Bundy may eventually join a list of graduates that include Salt -Water Moon director Steven Schipper, Nancy Palk, an actress most recently seen in the "Melville Boys," and Anne Thomp- son, • Stage Manager for the "Melville Boys." Bundy 'was also accepted into the prestigious Mountview Theatre School in England. For acceptance, however, audi- tions were required in New York City over a four day period. Originally the auditions were to be done in a downtown theatre, but upon arriUing in -New York, Bundy learned of the theatre's bankruptcy. This strange twist meant a change in venue for the auditions. And what a change! Bundy was told to go to the ritzy Pierre Hotel --where Prime Ministers Alfulroney and Trudeau stayed while in New York—and audition. "It was incredible," remarks Bundy. "There I was auditioning before a shorts ,little fat man in a beautiful suite with one of the plushest couches you've ever seen." In the end, Bundy must have impressed this Mountview representative enough to be accepted. But the tuition was $6,000. "I seriously considered it," he says; however, in combination with other fac- tors, the cost was just too high to live and study in England. The aspiring actor labels as a turning point his six week stint at the Banff School of Fine Arts in the summer of 1983. "It was so great," offers Bundy. Fresh ' from graduating with a BA in English from the University of Western Ontario, "I really didn't know what I wanted to do with my life." Getting accepted into the Banff School "gave me a little push, so I enrolled out of curiousity. _ On the first day, the 15 in the cl 'iss sat in a semi=circle, with the University of Alberta's James Mctague leading a discussion. As head of the course, he asked each student why they were there, and why they wanted to get into theatre. While other students gave aesthetic answers on acting as "an outlet for their creative urges" and the like, Bundy replied: "I'm here out of curiousity." McTague retorted: "Oh great. I wish you lots of luck." "That shut me up for two weeks," says Bundy. That wasn't the proper thing to say, he suggests. The six, week program involved working on audition pieces, doing monologues, and scenes from plays like "The Seagull." Learning to w6rk with a script and how to read from a text were included in the studies. Turn to page 2 ° Kevin Bundy of Goderich attends the National Theatre School in 1Vl'ontreal, and is currently playing the role of Dim Denny in the Blyth Festival production of Lilly, Alta. Kevin's in- terest in acting developed in high school, and began in earnest after a six-week program in Banff, Alberta. he is a summer student hired by the Blyth E`estival through a provincial government job program. (photo by Mike Ferguson) .