The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-10-21, Page 42Page 18
1982 - Centre is open for business
Clinton News -Record
June 23, 1982
The Huron Day Care Centre for the
Homebound has recovered, and nearly
one year after the Centre was blasted in
a terrifying explosion, things are back
to normal.
Today, Wednesday, June 23, local
dignitaries, officials and members of
the general public were on hand for a
special re -opening dedication of the
restored wing.
Work to repair the blasted
auditorium. sitting room. foundation
and walls at the small south wing of
Huronview was just completed a few
weeks ago and Day Care Co-ordinator
Rosemary Armstrong said the workers
and clients were very glad to be back in
their old quarters.
With a new paint job; larger kitchen
and washroom facilities, rebuilt outer
brick wall, new furniture and landscap-
ing, the wing looks better than ever.
Clients are especially pleased with the
new look, and memories of the
devastated auditorium, the broken
glass, the ruined furniture, the blood,
ambulances, fire engines and injured
are now in the past.
It was on a warm afternoon, August
20, 1981, that an explosion blasted the
wing at the county home for the aged.
Eleven people were injured when the
electric water pump started, igniting
fumes from a broken gas line and ex-
ploding in the underground line.
Workers and volunteers at the Centre
still have a chilly feeling when the
pump starts upand they still remember
the smell of gasoline fumes, but
Rosemary says that everyone has a
.good attitude and they all have worked
together to keep the Centre functioning.
For the nearly 10 -months the Centre
operated out of temporary quarters at
the Huronview, and while the location
was small and cramped most of the
Centre's clients are back at the regular
wing again.
About 14 people a day use the facility
which offers physical, social and educa-
tional activities and programs to home-
bound people in the county. The Centre
offers services to mentally and
physically handicapped people and
strives to provide day care services
that enable the clients to live as in-
dependently as possible in their own
homes as opposed to admission to a
home for the aged or nursing home.
About 40 to 50 volunteers, plus full
time staff members help to transport
the clients from their homes throughout
the county, co-ordinate and instruct the
program that ranges from swimming
lessons at the nearby Vanastra Recrea-
tion Centre, to games and crafts, com-
munity outings, nutrition instruction
and exercise classes. The objective of
the Centre is to alter the environment of
persons during a significant part of
,,
The 1981 explosion at the Centre left the place in quite a mess. Shown here is an
interior view of the damage. Glass was shattered and furniture overturned. In
this picture, two tables and a wheelchair remained right side up. (Shelley
McPhee Haist photo)
their daily lives, by having them leave
their home and participate in the varie-
ty of programs offered.
Rosemary says that no one will forget
the tragic y at the Centre a year ago.
Many_worlf and clients still bear the
__sears of cuts, burns and bruises, but the
Huron Day Care Centre has recovered
and everyone is aiming for a program
and service that is better than ever.