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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-08-26, Page 4PAGE 4—GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1987 This is the time of year when mothers tend to break into broad grins and hum to 'hemselves a lot for no apparent reason. It's the time of year when they casually display that sarcastic, taunting rile that means the resumption of the school y ear is within 139 calendar days. it's the time of year when mothers wear a smug look that loosely translates into, -Finally, our lives can return to some semblance of routine and order. At last I may re -inflict these childi`en upon the education system." Don't you hate it when women are right, and kno.w it. Don't you hate it when women just think they are right/ Mothers are supposed to be different though. They're not real women, well not in the minds of children, anyway. They are supposed tobe above that kind of behaviour. However, as any child knows, mothers, DAVE SYKES at times, were not above being a major annoyance factor. And when the those long, languid summer days began to fade, and as the month of September looms large on the calendar, mothers became somewhat insufferable. In - .Opinion tolerably pleasant is more to the point. Returning to school after two months of wanton and carefree frolic is a rather traumatic experience for any child. If you find your child brings up the subject of school, his new teacher, or new classroom, it's a telltale sign the child is experiencing some anxiety about return- ing to school. That's quite normal, experts suggest, and the anxiety level may be heightened if your child is going to a new school, starting school for the first time or, perhaps, entering high school. Can there be any more traumatic ex- perience in life than being a "Niner" in high school. It's almost like starting your school career all over again. Kids are big shots in Grade 8 and then they're plunged into the nerdy world of high school where they are treated tike insignificant little nits. It's a humiliating experience. However, by the time your children. if they are anything like rne, reach Grade 10, they know more than iaost adults. And that list includes parents and teachers. By the time they have graduated from high school, they are convinced of the fact. They also wonder why it took so long to come to that realization. The days before school begins are agonizing and inundated with fears about abilities, teachers and routine. Students tend to congregate in packs as the school year draws near and commiserate about having to reinstate a modicum of struc- ture in their lives. My six-year-old son is already fearing that he will not be able to find his classroom and he wonders where his desk will be. Life is complicated at six. He, at least„ has the sense to recognize that going to school full days is nothing short of criminal. -- With some expert coaching and psychological deceit from his parents, the child has relented and agreed to pursue his scholastic career beyond kindergarten. I have a feeling he has only agreed to enter Grade f out of deference to what his parents have done for him so- far. Grade 2 may be absolutely out of the question. If he can find an academy of forklift science that will take underage students, he's willing to leave home. And so the school year looms large and mothers everywhere are breathing a col- lective sigh of relief and smiling a lot, to themselves. THE NEWS PORT FOR GODERICH & DISTRICT SINCE 1848 the UHT ALL ROUND COMMUNITY NEWAPAPER IN CANADA OG de r i, I ICraleuan Clans 3500115001 CCNA Better Newspaper Compeuuon 19e4 SIGNAL -STAR P.O. BOX 220 HUCKINS ST. INDUSTRIAL. PARK GODERICH, ONT. N7A 466 - PUBLISHED BY SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED Founded in 1848 and published every Wed'•esday at Goderich, Ontario. !Member of the CCNA and OCNA. Subscrip- tions payable in advance $22.00, (Senior Cit.zens 819.00 privilege card number required) in Canada, $60.00 to U.S.A., S60.00 to all other countries, Single copies 60'. Display, National and Classified advertising rates available on re- quest. Please ask for Rate Card.No. 16 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 a typographical error advertising goods or services at a.wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrj ll'Ivn at any time. The Signal - Star is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproduc- ing ]purposes. General Manager SHIRLEY J. KELLER Editor Po Advertising Manager DAVE SYKES DON HUBICK FOR BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICE...please phone (519)524-2614 . Second class mail registration Member:. numher 0716 CCMA 1Js An informed decision With the Sept. 10 provincial election a mere two weeks•away, the campaign will be whip- ped into a frenzy with candidates extolling the virtues of their party's platform, policies and personal attributes. ']'here have been some negative and derogatory comments emanating from voters with respect to the inundation of election news and promises. From daily newscasts and paper reports chronicling the every move of the three major party leaders to a 90 -minute debate on the province's major networks, the average voter gets his fill of policy, debate and rhetoric. At the same time, however, voters should take more than a passive interest in the cam- paign so their vote will be an intelligent and reasonable one based on fact, policy and sound judgement. leadership plays a vital role in any election and policy and platform announcements are issued through the leaders whenithe party believes the timing is right. To make an informed, decision, voters .should listen to what the leaders are saying about the key issues of free trade, education, the.environment, agriculture and health. If you have any serious doubts or questions, contact the candidates or their supporters and workers at their respective campaign offices. Democracy guarantees the right to vote, and it is therefore imperative to exercise that right in a responsible manner. Since speculation on the provincial election has been in the news for the past eight months, voters may have grown weary of the election even before it'was finally called by Premier Peterson. If anyone attaches any modicum of credence to election polls, then the Liberal party holds a sizable advantage over the Conservative and NDP parties, both of whom made gains at the expense of the Liberals following the televised debate last week. When a party seems to hold that kind of\margin in popularity, it can work against them. Voters may stay away from the polls, convinced the Liberals have a majority in the bag or they may vote for another candidate in defiance of the polls. That's why an informed and intelligent vote is the only logical alternative. Before voters can make their selection, they must certainly be sure they are eleigible to vote Sept. 10. Shirley McCallister of the returning office in Clinton says that anyone is not on the voters' list, should contact the riding office at 482-1700. People who have been on holidays during the enumeration period, which was completed by Aug. 17, and who are not in possession of a form 301, stating they are eligible to vote, should contact the office in Clinton. The town of Goderich has an urban designation for the election and voters living within the municipality, who have not been enumerated, will have to phone the retuning office and leave their name, address and telephone number. An ap- pointment will be made for two enumerators to come to your home and complete the process. All enumerations are to be complete by Thursday, Aug. 27 at 8 p.m. If you have also missed that deadline due to holidays and other circumstances there will be revisions made to the list at MacKay. Centre on North Street, Sept. 3, 5 and 7 from 11 a.m. 111 8 n.m. The advance poll will be held there at the same time. In the 1985 provincial election, 38,881 voters were elegible to cast a ballot and this time, 39,304 voters will he able to vote at 137 polls in the riding. darassa Editors Note: Patrick Raftis is on holidays this week and the Iazy slug 'didn't even leave us a' column to run while he's away. Therefore, we were forced to scratch through the mess on his desk where we found this letter from his travel agent, which we now present in place of his usual nonsense. Dear Mr. Raftis: in response to your request, we have attempted to prepare a European vaca- tion package within the price range you have suggested. While it behooves us to inform you that the Paris Hilton has no room available under $5 a night, there are several youth hostels in the rural areas which could accommodate you in that price range. However, the full meal package which you requested would con- Oist of only one bowl of instant soup on the night of your arrival and breakfast arrangements would be up to you. While it was a feat requiring great l0o/<.6aT/FY, No >RAiNi4/6--u/NeEGS 5' OM ver 1,000 attend Carnival 25 YEARS AGO August 30, 1962 Judith Gooderharn Memorial Pool, a constant centre of activity through the summer months was sparkling with colour and movement Tuesday night for the an- nual Penny Carnival, staged by the staff and patrons, More than 1,000 children and grownups surged through the carnival lane, investing their pennies in the various games. Carol Chapman emerged as the ac- curate and winning skewerite. The province of LaPampa, Argentina, will add 23 sparkling new Champion road graders to its highway department by the middle of October. The 125 h.p. model D-562, graders were shipped Friday from the CNR siding at the Dominion Road Machinery Co. Ltd. plant and will travel by rail to Montreal where they will be load- ed into the "Cap Castillo" of the German Columbus Line. The ship is scheduled to reach Buenos Aires by mid-October, following stops at various U.S. ports along the Atlantic Coast. Goderich's new water filtration plant will be all set to go into action by -October 20th. On that date -exactly one year from the work Was started on the project - everything will be completed including the landscaping of the grounds of the plant. The old bell atop School Section No. 4, Goderich Township, tolled mournfully for the last time Saturday and Sunday as former pupils held a reunionto say farewell to the 57 -year-old schoolhouse. perseverance and orjginality i my staff took it on as a challenge I, we have managed to book your 'passage to and from the European main] nd within your suggested budget guidlin s. You will be departing o , Sunday morn- ing, as you requested, however air travel is unfortunately out of th question. You will be travelling via ,' ad Dog Cruises," asa special passenger of the Prince Edwai d Island eccentric for whom the company is named. Mad Dog is planning an attempt at cir- cumnavigation of the globe on a flutter - board and has agreed to allow you to "tag along". Swimwear, and an absolute minimum of luggage, are recommended for this portion of your trip. We remind you it is unlikely that Mad Dog will be able to ensure your passage in under a week. so it is hoped you can arrange for an open-ended vacation or leave -of - absence. A LOOKING BACK Next week, the pupils from the area will no longer attend this school but go instead to the new school at,Holmesville. The land on which the schoolhouse is located will either be sold to a community club as a hall or a private person to be converted into a home. More than 300 persons attended the happy reunion on the weekend. 50 YEARS AGO August .25, 1937 That the work which the Lions Club is do- ing for the crippled and underprivileged of Huron County makes a strong appeal to the general public was manifested by the immense crowd that turned out for the Lions frolic at the Pavillion Thursday night. Despite heavy downpours of rain that fell intermittently throughout the evening, there were over 1200 people mill- ing and jamming about the dance hall. The big moment of the evening arrived about 11:45 when Lion Chief Frank Donnelly, went to the orchestra stand and called for the services of eight girls below the ages of 15. Six young ladies rose to the occasion and each gave the barrel containing the tickets for the draw a few turns. The first ticket drawn, which entitled the owner to buy a 1937 Chevrolet coach from the Lions Club for a dollar was owned by R. E. Myers of Mount Forest. 70 YEARS AGO August 30, 1917 Another disastrous fire in the early hours of Wednesday morning put a Goderich industry out of business -- although only temporarily, it is hoped. About 1:15 am the fire alarm was sounded by a young man who, being unable to secure results by telephone, ran all the way from the northeast part of town to the court house. The blaze was at the big three Storey brick factory of the Goderich Manufacturing 'Co. and by the time the alarm was given it had gained such head- way as to be beyond control. The fire brigade made a prompt response, and soon had hose playing on the flames but the pressure at first was very poor, improving later on. Within an hour, the whole front part of the factory had been destroyed, the walls gradually falling in as fire progress- ed. The frame storehouse to the east of the main building caught fire, but was saVed by the exertions of the firemen. The ,back part of the factory, consisting of the boiler and engine room and the sawmill also escaped, there being a stout firewall bet- ween this and the front part of the factory. The cause of the fire is unknown. There were about 85 hands employed by the com- pany, the work chiefly being the making of egg cases for the Harris Abattoir Co. and the William Davies Co. of Toronto. ISM Again, because of your restricted budget, we have been unable to book you into all the countries you requested, but we have arranged for substitutions we believe you will find interesting. Along the way, you will be spending 30 days and 30 nights in an Iranian deten- tion faeility. While a guest of the Ayatollah, you will be provided with nightly entertainment by the Royal Moslem Guardsmen and their world' famous rubber hose act. Enjoy. Sparing no expense, we have booked you on a complete cruise of the Persian Gulf aboard the historic Lebanese military vessel "Ka -boom". This ship is the last of the great wooden minesweepers and we have assured you a great view of the excursion by placing you in the very foremost cabin, Other points of interest on your tour include: -- A walking tour of Northern Ireland, from this angle Patrick Raftis with a full compliment of Irish Republican Army guides _Ind an oppor- tunity to study the very latest in pyrotechnic devices close up. -- A visit to Saudia Arabia, where you will attend a "swinging singles," party, along with a number of airline attendants from your home country. B.Y.O.B. - A working vacation in the famous salt mines of the Soviet Union's Siberian district. Your return voyage will be aboard a small fishing vessel, which you will share with a group of East Indian travellers. The ship will take you within swimming distance (maximum 12 miles) of the Nova Scotia coastline, after whicn the ship's captain is obligated to disavow any knowledge of your presense. We hope you will enjoy the unique, excitement -filled holiday we have arrang- ed for you. Of course, there's still time to recon- sider and go to Grand Bend.