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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-12-16, Page 2546. Communit` GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WED *Entertainment *Feature *Religion *Family *More, SECTION ESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1987 WILLIAM THOMAS Retiring teaches honored at tea and concert BY TED SPOONER The scene of William (Bill) Cameron sitting at an old piano leading public school children in a song will soon be on- ly a memory — a memory anyone who went through the Goderich elementary school system from 1963-1987 will have. A 40 -year teaching career officially comes to, an end Friday, Dec. 18 when Cameron, a music teacher, retires from Victoria Public School. Cameron was born in Winnipeg in 1926. His family moved to Ontario in 1937 when his father, a construction manager, went into business in Toronto. As a youngster, Cameron was in- terested in music and attended the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. He has played in professional bands, although none of them were famous, he said. Prior to teaching in schools, Cameron taught music privately in the Midland and St. Catherines areas. He taught piano and theory to the noted pianist n John Arpin while in Midland. He also met Grace Stewart who was working at the Midland Public Library. The two were married in 1957. Cameron began teaching in schools in the Widdifield Township (near North Bay) system in 1954. When they moved moved to Goderich in 1963, Cameron taught music at the three area public schools — Robertson Memorial, Victoria and Victor Lauriston. When the addition on Robertson was completed and Victor Lauriston closed, his schools were reduced to two. When asked if he had any fond memories or specific anecdotes from his years of teaching, Cameron said, "I could write a book." He ib proud that many of his students have gone on to study music in high school and university. "I would hate to single out any in- dividuals for fear of missing any," said Bill Cameron, pictured here with his wife Gra Tuesday on the occasion' of bis retirement from and tea was heldatthe school. (photo by Ted Cameron. Through the years, he has worked at many churches of various denominations as organist and choir master. This in- cludes 13 years at Knox Presbyterian Church in Goderich. He learned to play the organ during his years of study at the Royal Conservatory. He currently plays the organ and leads the choir at St. An- drew's Presbyterian Church in Wingham and can be heard the second Sunday of every month on CKNK radio. While he does not have any specific clans for retirement he would like to ce, was feted at Victoria Public School last a 40 -year teaching career. A special concert Spooner) stay in the area and continue his work at St. Andrews. The decision to retire was Cameron's and he is more than a little sad his teaching days will soon be over. However, he can look back on a career full of eager school children and many highlights. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS Throughout his career, Cameron has had many special moments he will be able to fondly remember. These highlights, ghlig ts, some of which follow are cer- tainly not in order of importance, he said. — Cameron remembers finding dusty, old musical instruments on the top floor of Victor Lauriston. A little cleaning and polishing restored the instuments to new and they were used by students at Robertson and GDCI. — He can recall a time when Victoria was undergoing renovations and it seem- ed like they were back in the days of the one -room schoolhouse; the gymnasium housed four classrooms and the office. — The Junior Choir sang in Courthouse Park as part of Goderich's Sesquicenten- nial (150th birthday) celebrations in 1977 and appeared on Bill Bramah's Ontario on Global. — It was always a treat for Cameron to take solos, duets and chiors to the Wlker- ton Music Festival in May. — His fondest memories may be of the operetta he helped produce at Robertson. Shows such as H.M.S. Pinafore, Oliver and Anne of Green Gables are the kind of things students remember — if they had a part in the shows — when they look back on their school life, said Cameron. — The annual school spring and Christmas concerts were always a highlight. A F1Tr1NG CONCLUSION Cameron served in the Canadian Army from 1944-46 as a member of Canadian Light Infantry. He would have liked to have went overseas but did clerical work in Canada. He is a member of the Royal Canadian College of Organists and a member of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers Association: A reception for Cameron held at Vic- toria Public School on Tuesday, Dec. 8 gave students, -former students and fellow teachers from Victoria and Robertson a chance to show their ap- preciation and say good-bye. They honored him they best way they could — by singing to him. substitute for Mayor program on There's one thing that really rankles me about newspapers today. It rankles me to the point of wrinkling me across that vast and barren space over the knit- ted brow. It is not their particular political bias nor their weeping ink syndrome - though both seep through on occasion. It's the pictures of local mayors. They're always in there - sometimes two and four times an issue. They're always the same, the "head and shoulders studio shot" or the "shown here cutting the ceremonial rib- bon" shot with gleaming teeth over shin- ing scissors. I can't take it anymore. It's driving me to drink and the classified ads. I really don't know any of the local mayors, except by the perception of their pictures in the paper..I stay out of local politics. I believe if you make a fuss over them it only encourages them to run again. Now Port Colborne's Mayor Bob Saracino takes a good picture - sincere, warm, just a little aloof. Mayor Bob looks like the football coach who brings the team to a respectable second place finish year after year - not cause enough to worry about his job but nobody's rushing up to him with a microphone while the townfolk pour champagne over his head either. That's what I get when I see a photo of Mayor Bob - a look of sincerity, a lock on second place. I see Hamilton's Mayor Bob Morrow's picture a lot. Mayor Morrow seems to dress a cut above the rest but 1 suppose when you look at the rest of the Hamilton politicians that's like bragging about in- door plumbing. Mayor Morrow gives off that "I'm in charge" body language but I can't help feeling that right after the photo was taken he sat down on a whoopee cushion put there by city coun- cihnen. In the ribbon cutting photo, Mayor Morrow looks lean,almost hand- some, casually successful. He looks like the guy they flew in from Brandon, Manitoba to receive the plaque for sell - rig the most Ford Escorts in Canada in 1987. Welland's Roland Hardy is the mirror of that city's heavy industrial image. Mayor Hardy's photo gives him that strong, beefy "mess with me and I'll kick you back to Crowland look. Mayor Roland Hardy looks like every foreman that ever fired me from summer jobs at the Atlas, the Tubes, the Page and the Carbide. When I look at his photo, 1 always smile. But for men like him, I'd still be doing four to 12 on the swing grinder with no chance for parole. Now Mayor Stan Pettit, the right honourable mayor of Wainfleet, I know. We bump into eachother at the bar in Walter's Restaurant once in a while. I don't mean we meet, glad hand each other and exchange "Hi -how's the little woman?" salutations. I mean the aisle between the bar and the centre of the booths is so narrow that sometimes when I get up to go to the john and Stan gets up to shake the hand of a child who someday might grow up to be a voter - Bang! - we bump into each other. Since Mayor Stan likes the occasional cold mug of draft and I, being Walter's biggest fan of Seven Star Metaxa - these collisions are unavoidable. I always say: "Mr. Mayor - you're do- ing a helluva job - everybody says so!" He always misunderstands my state- ment and thanks me. He's always very generous. "I read your column all the time" he says. "Keep up the good work ... Dave ..." So that's what 1 get when I see Mayor Stan Pettit's picture in the paper - an urge to take an accident -free trip to the john. • But what I get when I keep seeing the pictures of the local mayors in the local papers is the desire to self-administer a local anaesthetic. It's boring! Why don't we start a "Sub for Mayor" campaign in every newspaper in the country? Underneath the ubiquitous supermarket photographs you'd read the cutline: "Shown here cutting the ceremonial ribbon is Mayor ... Hey! ... That's not the Mayor ... why that's ... (imagine the smooth voice of Wheel of Fortune's Pat Sajak) ... from Clinton, Ontario ... he's a part time welder at a factory that makes lawnchairs ... he's married with six grandchildren ... he likes to walk his dog and play euchre at the Legion ... substituting for the Mayor today ... would you welcome please ... Herman Overstreet." And there he is ... a big, old friendly man in denim overalls cutting the ribbon at the grand opening ... Monday's Sub for Mayor. He can do it. It's not as if ribbon cutting requires mayors to complete a two-year program at Mohawk College. Right? We, the readers would get to meet in- teresting, unknown, ordinary people and the Mayors could put their time to better use sitting in trees with binoculars wat- ching the Works Department. Personally, I think it's a heluvanldea. Substituting for William Thomas' picture today ... she's active in arts and crafts ... she and her husband Harold have lived in Wainfleet most of their lives and they manage the Morgan's Point Park in the summers ... she's a lovely lady and a good sport ... would you welcome please ... Elsie Taylor.