HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-12-02, Page 70unot
*Entertainment • Feature
*Religion *Family •More
GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1987
SECTION
Town taverns timeless topic
Area 1i.:dmarks featured in authors' fourth book
In the mid -1800's, when the local inn was
often the focal point of public activity in
any town, the Rob Roy Inn, owned by
David Munro, which stood at thecorner of
Highway 8 and Mill Road, on the edge of
Goderich, served a purpose one night that
seems quite at odds with today's percep-
tion of the function of a tavern. The inn
served as the final resting stop for the body
of Goderich founder Tiger Dunlop before
he was buried the next day.
The building, which still stands at the
corner, is one of several buildings from
this area, including Bayfield's Little Inn
and Goderich's Livery, featured by ar-
chetectual historians Margaret McBurney
and Mary Byers in their fourth book on On-
tario's pre -confederation buildings
"Tavern in the Town".
McBurney and Byers' interest in early
Ontario „buildings began when they served
as volunteers in the Architectural Inven-
tory of Ontario's pre -confederation
buildings. The purpose of the survey was
to locate, record and photograph every
building dating from 1855 or earlier which
was still standing in the province; the in-
ventory was destined for the Ontario
archives.
However, when the survey was done,
"We found we had discovered a lot more
than we were asked to discover," said
McBurney, before a speaking engagement
the authors gave Friday night at the
Goderich Public Library. "We could see
that a lot of good stories would be lost,"
she added.
It was this wealth of material which pro-
mpted McBurney and Byers to consolidate
their findings into their first book, "Rural
Roots," which was followed by
"Homesteads," "The Governor's Road,"
and eventually "Tavern in the Town".
Like the first three books, "Tavern,"
tells the story of the buildings, with an em-
phasis on the people who populated them.
Although their was no one left to interview
from the period under, study, the authors
managed to capture the atmosphere and
color of the time by reading old journals
from that period.
Their method involves hours of
research, first finding suitable homes and
buildings, then delving into the lives of the
original inhabitants or builder. The search
takes them to county records offices and
archives; to historical soeietioq • to old
Authors Margaret McBurney (left) and Mary Byers recently spoke tures of 19th century inns and taverns, including several landmarks
at the Goderich Public Library, in a promotional appearance for from this area in a section on The Huron Road. (photo by Patrick
their fourth book on early Ontario buildings "Tavern in the Town". •Raftis)
The book, available at Kings, in Goderich, features stories and pie -
newspapers, wills, diaries and letters and
to the local residents themselves.
"What interests us is people. So many
people have told us history is boring, and
then you find people like Tiger Dunlop,"
said Byers, who considers theAoderich
founder a facinating man. "It's
astonishing that every school child in On-
tario is not taught about the man".
"If you take people out of history, all
you've got left is dates and battles," adds
McBurney.
Their latest book contains an entire
chapter on Taverns along "The Huron
Road," which should be of great interest
locally.
Byers was born, raised and educated in
Toronto. Married with four children she
earned her M.A. in English literature from
the University of Toronto after the birth of
her fourth child, while working on Rural
Roots.
McBurney was born, raised and
educated in Western Canada, graduating
with a Bachelor of Interior Design from
the School of Architecture, University of
Manitoba. She is married with two
children.
Locally, "Tavern in the Town," is
available at Kings.
The Depression
of 1982 hit me
hardest of all
Indeed it is a frightening phenomena to
witness. The only thing that has dropped
further and faster than the stock market
in this country is the first popularity poll
taken after the election of our Prime
Minister.
Analysts are calling it everything from
a deep dip to a necessary correction.
Correction? If that's a correction, I
cant't imagine what a real bad mistake
would look like. I suppose then we'd
really be in "deep dip."
But the word that is always lurking in
the cluttered corners of expert minds,
seldom able to surface past the lump in
the throat, is Depression.
Yet we have nothing to fear from a
Depression. I know. I've lived through
The Great Depression -1982-this a.m.
1982 was the one year in my life when I
had a little stash of money in the bank
and I took the advice of my brother-in-
law. I know. I know. This sounds a lot like
another story you've heard that goes
something like: "I was off through the
woods to Grandma's house with hot buns
in the basket and then I ran into the
wolf." But it's true.
My brother-in-law shall go nameless in
this story except to say he's about 5'10",
medium -build, reddish blond hair, could
be deemed good looking from a distance,
lives in Fonthill and answers to the call of
DAVE BURNS or `Burnie'.
In 1982 `Burnsie' was the Gretsky of
gold stocks, scoring at will, become a
legend in my mind, signing autographs
at family dinners. Hemlo was the N.H.L.
Hemlo was the land of gold, a dazzling
place of profits, located between Nor-
thern Ontario and the daily headlines of
the business section.
"So, 'Burnie', I have this little wad of
cash and I was wondering..."
"Interlake," he whispered.
It was the whisper that overwhelmed
me. It was like our secret. It was like in-
sider information of the most discreet
and wicked kind.
`Burnie' had had consecutive "buy
and sell' wins over other Hemlo stocks all
of which surrounded Interlake.
He had doubled, he had tripled and now
1 was going to homer. Interlake danced
in my mind like a gold-plated naked
nymph that winked back at me whenever
I whispered the word.
`Burnsie' told me two things - don't in-
vest everything and don't tell anybody. I
bet it all on the nose and passed the tip
along to six close friends and four old
men playing bocci in Merritt Park.
It was my first encounter with a stock
broker. Are these guys risky, cavalier
characters or what? When you buy and
win, the broker makes money. The way I
see it, the toughest part of a stock
broker's job is to sound sad when he calls
you up to tell you you've been wiped out.
Profit-taking on Bay Street is like the
house advantage in Las Vegas, we all
know whose profit they're taking.
Watching Interlake's performance
from the day after I bought it was like
looking at a graph charting the incidents
of leprosy since 1912. It didn't exactly
crash, it just slid 'off the end of the gold
stock table like a ball bearing on a hot pat
of butter.
"So `Burnsie', Interlake seems to be
going the wrong way. 1 was wondering.."
"The ground's to wet," he whispered.
"What?" I queried, with the same
amount of surprise hs a carpet cleaner
who'd just been awarded the Nobel Prize
for chemistry.
"Too much rain. They can't get the
heavy machinery in to do a test drilling,"
he whispered.
I thought about calling the boys in
Hemlo and telling them that modern
technology had blessed us with
bulldozers equipped with Caterpillar
tracks for better traction but I let it go
until fall.
"Sb `Burnsie', Interlake seems to be
dropping even more. I was wondering..."
"They've got to go deeper."
"What?" I questioned with the lost in-
nocence of an investor who'd seen his life
plunge deeper than any Schumacher
miner had ever dared dig.
"They're going to make a second drill-
ing, only deeper," he whispered.
I was steamed.
"Why don't they just strap a miner's
lamp to the *!$%*/'! stock certificate
and they'll be able to see everything bet-
ween the surface and the centre of the
earth?"
The gloves were off now. It was quite
apparent that although the boys in Hemlo
were having problems with the size of
their drill bits, I had clearly gotten the
shaft. It was an odd feeling to have paid
several thousand dollars to find out that
the gold was not in the ground, but my In-
terlake stock shares were.
One day Interlake just disappeared. I
looked it up on the listing of that day's
stock market quotations and there it was
- gone! Unfortunately my brother-in-law
is still with us.
We don't speak to each other anymore.
At family dinners, along with the mashed
potatoes and' gravy boat, we pass notes.
The notes go via my sister and in my
notes 'Burnsie' is now affectionately
referred t� as "your husband". Exam-
ple: "Surprised your husband didn't call
and tell me to bet everything on the Jays
getting to the World Series this year. Had
Turn to page 10A
The Livery, on South Street, Goderich, is one of the landmark buildings featured in
"Tavern in the Town".
The Little Inn, Bayfield, is among the early Ontario taverns mentioned in "Tavern in the
Town.
Huron school is breaking new ground
CLINTON - Central Huron Secondary
School ( CHSS) is breaking new ground in
educational programming in Huron County.
The Clinton based high school is in the
forefront in guidance and counselling ser-
vices and alternative educational oppor-
tunities offered on an in -school level.
At their November meeting the Huron
County Board of Education trustees heard
abouLthe success of the Youth Support Ser-
vice that is being offered at CHSS on a conti-
nuing basis.
Janie Gattinger, a Clinton social worker
was hired one year ago by the Ministry of
Community and Social Services as an in -
school social worker. As a youth support
worker counsellor, she has counselled more
than 100 students.
Ms. Gattinger explained to the board
members, "This service is a new way to
reach young people who often fall through
the cracks of services. These students pro-
bably wouldn't be involved with other
agencies."
She told the board members that her work
with the students is usually on a short term
basis, and most problems are often of a per-
sonal nature; not school related.
She works with students on a highly con-
fidential, individual basis. Her work is often
liaisoned with services offered at Family
and Childrens Services and the Huron Cen-
tre For Children and Youth, where family
issues can be dealt with.
.Joe Wooden, CHSS principal noted, "It's
been an astounding addition to the staff to
have this service available. We have every
hope that the Ministry of Community and
Social Services will continue to fund this
EDUCATION
Mr. Wooden explained that the CHSS pro-
gram is unique, the only situation of its kind
in the province. It is the only such school
program to have funding provided by the
Ministry of Community and Social Services.
Normally in -school social workers are hired
through the Ministry of Education.
Bill Weber, guidance counsellor at CHSS
reported to the Huron education trustees
that the Youth Support Service at CHSS has
been a highly successful pilot project.
Mr. Weber said that his work at CHSS
focussed on career guidance, course selec-
tion and the personal problems of the
students. He noted, "We are finding a
greater amount of social and personal pro-
blems and, more suicide attempts ( among
the students). We were getting bogged down
and it was difficult to handle.
"Janie's expertise has helped a great
deal," he noted.
In the past year special group programs
have been set up for students. One group
focussed on the effects of divorce in the
family, and single parent families.
"There is an increasing amount of
students from single parent families.
Studies have shown that this can effect the
students' academic performances for at
least two school years," Mr. Weber said,
CHSS staff members are working in
various ways to provide and ensure educa-
tional opportunities for high risk students.
Some investigation is currently underway
reardinthe establishment of an alter-
native school setting.
Rob Parr, vice principal at CHSS
reported, "There is a percentage of students
at risk because of their home life. Others are
at risk because of the law, because of
school."
These students are at risk of failing, of
dropping out of school.
CHSS is proposing the establishment of a
program that will encourage drop -outs to go
back to school.
"Some 12 to 20 kids could fit into that
category next year," Mr. Parr said.
There are some eight young people who
are eligible to continue their secondary
school studies through this alternative
schooling proposal.
The proposal calls for the setting up of an
individual classroom area within CHSS to
accommodate the alternative school. Ideal-
ly, such programs operate more successful-
ly at a location removed from the traditional
confines of the school building, however
since CHSS is burdened with empty
classrooms, attempts are being made to
utilize the space.
Mr. Wooden told the board members, "In
terms of the school building geography, the
location (for the alternative school) is ade-
quate. As CHSS has surplus space, it is
logical to use the rooms in spite of the fact
that it would be psychologically better to
move the classes to another location."
Students under the new proposed program
would be accepted on a continuing basis,
whereby avoiding the restrictions of the
traditional September enrolment. The alter-
native schooling program would allow
students to start at any time of year, on any
iven week or dE
Individual courses of study would be set
up for each student, with the aim of working
towards credits to obtain Grade 12
diplomas. Full time and part time accom-
modations would be included.
"The aim will be to take the transition
back to school as smooth and as painless as
possible," Mr. Weber said.
As a model for the alternative school pro-
posal, CHSS staff members are looking
towards the adult education program that
has been running at the school since 1986.
Fifteen adults went back to school in this
innovative education program. Now some 35
adults are being accommodated in this pro-
ject that is jointly co-ordinated between the
Huron County Board of Education, Con-
estoga College and the Canada Employment
Centre.
"We feel that we are building a lot of ex-
perience with the adult education pro-
gram," Mr. Wooden said. "It gives us a
model to base other continuing education
programs on."
He told the board members of the
remarkable success of the program and how
it has changed the lives of people who were
previously unemployed, unsatisfied., with
their jobs, or seeking new career options.
"I cannot speak highly enough of the suc-
cess of this program in human terms," Mr.
Wooden said.
The adult education program allows the
participants to balance scheol studies and
,.work. Likewise, the co-op program offered
to students at CHSS provides the opportuni-
ty for young people to study in the classroom
and to gain practical experience in the work
force.
• Turn to ,a:e 10A