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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-06-22, Page 22Hopefully you've notice -d. that I./lave been given a new home. Page Five, or the op ed page as it is referred to in journalism vernacular, no longer exists. •And while this columnist was able to salvage these few grey bits with some fast talking, Provincial Points, Canada in Seven and World Week have gone by the wayside. These columns are now, shall I say, caput, canned, finished, washed up, down the drain or done like dinner. Understandably, yours truly has strong suspicions about job security, as evidenced by the sudden removal of the columns from Page 5 and the sub- sequent change of venue for this writer's weekly offering. Just a few months ago the editor suggested that the Here in Huron column be removed and be replaced with a column by newsroom cohort, Toff Cnrieinr, Nn ...-nL,ln... tl,.,ro thr' companionship on Page 5 was welcome relief and I could always cast a questioning finger his way if things got fouled up. But last week the editor pragmatically announced that the remaining three columns were to be filed in a prominent position in the wastebasket, and my column, the only remaining evidence of my toil on your favorite weekly, was to be moved to the front page of the second section. It was only with some well chosen words and a bit of darn good grovelling and begging that this humble columnist was able to touch a soft spot in the editor's heart, who would just as soon have slapped these few paragraphs somewhere in the classified section of the newspaper. The editor even suggested we try the for sale column. Confidentially, the whole affair has been most disheartening for this columnist after producing the five columns on page 5 :or the past 15 months, which computes into 60 weeks of labor. The editor's decision to reduce my meagre workload was a staggering blow and faithful readers of these - paragraphs ean judge by the tenure of the column that morale is low. I honestly' suspected that soon management would issue a directive my way claiming this column would cease to''xist due to lack of space or because harried subscribers cancelled subscriptions on my account. .Management takes a dim view of that sort of activity. Now that my contribution to the pages of this newspaper are slipping away I honestly expected to find, as I reported for work Monday morning, that my office window would be bricked in or that my telephone line was dead. It takes me a while to catch on but management likes to drop these hints in my direction occasionally. But everything seemed to be in or- der. And while my efforts to retain gainful employment on this weekly were successful, in that these in- coherent sentences will continue to appear on a regular basis, I can only speculate that this column may con- tinue to be moved until it finally ap- pears on page 24 when the paper only runs 22 pages. Being a reporter of an investigative nature, these days, when reporting for duty, I look for my desk in the parking lot or the washroom. So far my status in the newsroom seems relatively stable and my window hasn't been bricked in. Maybe my fears are unfounded and management wants to direct my talents in bigger avenues. A Hospitality Seminar sponsored by the Goderich Tourist Committee and held at the Candlelight Restaurant last Tuesday evening attracted over 100 people and featured three guest speakers. Left _toyigh.t.are, __Bill Morgan, manager of the Southwestern Ontario Travel Association, Frank Thompson, director of Corporate Motivation Systems and Bud Crocker, travel con- sultant with Ontario's Ministry of Industry and Tourism. (Photo by Joanne Walters) Mac Campbell (Left), chairman of the Goderich Tourist Committee chats with Bill Morgan, manager of the Southwestern Ontario Travel Association and guest speaker at a Hospitality Seminar held on Tuesday evening, June 13. The seminar attracted about 100 people who were told that tourism is big business and everybody's business. (Photo by Joanne Walters) 131 YEAR -26 THURSDAY, J1.,INE 22, 1978 SECOND SECTION Tourism is everybody's business BYJ.OANNE WALTERS "There's no sense in spending the town's money advertising to bring tourists here, if our own people aren't going to treat them right," says Bert Squire of the Goderich Tourism Committee. ' This view coupled with; the realization that tourism is big business and everybody's business, prompted the, town's tourist committee to sponsor a Hospitality Seminar at the Can- dlelight Restaurant in Goderich, on Tuesday evening, June 13. The seminar, which was open to all business people and others in- terested in tourism in Goderich attracted over 100 people. That number seemed to indicate that people here DO care about the effects of tourism in Goderich. July and August are the peak months for tourism in • this town. The Goderich 'Welcome Centre opens June 27 and remains open until the Labour Day Weekend. About 10,000 tourists went through the Welcome Centre last year. Each one of these tourists represents, on the average, about three others who wait in the car while he makes inquiries at the Centre' and based on figures that reveal each tourist spends about $20 to $60 a day on food, accommodation and entertainment, a lot of tourist dollars are coming into this com- munity and helping the economy, calculate the tourist - committee members. Goderich has many attractions for tourists. It's touted as The Pret- tiest Town in Canada for starters. It has many architectural attractions, among them The Huron Historic Gaol, which is the only one of its kind around. It has an in- ternationally known museum; a harbour for boating, bathing and fishing; well -kept parks; an airport and even winter sports in the off- season. Friendly people and a well -integrated tourist program will only add to this list of attractions and perhaps some day may even stan61 out as the number one attraction to the community. INTEGRATED PROGRAM This year, the Goderich Tourist Committee is well on its way to that in- tegrated tourist program. Firstly, they are asking merchants to co-operate with the Fair Exchange program. This means that money from other `countries is respected. However, much or little its worth in terms of Canadian dollars, it should always be given the best possible rate of exchange. 'Currently, the American "dollar enjoys' better than ten percent prernium in Canada and as well, Ontario's seven per cent tax has been removed from hotel and motel rooms and American Resort Plans and reduced to four percent on all' other purchases. Goderich merchants co-operating with the Fair Exchange, program are asked to display a sticker in their business windows stating that "this business will pay exchange on U.S. funds' offered as payment of purchases or services within two percent of the current official exchange rate." Goderich will again have the Tourist of the Week program this summer in which two tourists are selected each week, taken to dinner and treated to a tour of the town, courtesy of the Goderich Tourist Com- mittee. Weekly tours will also be conducted from the Welcome Centre for those tourists who wish to see and hear about the. community. A courtesy car will be stationed at the Marina this summer to be used to drive visitors staying at the Marina up to the town's core. The car was donated by Hayter Chev- Olds Limited and will be driven by Welcome Centre employee Brenda Stewart. The tourist committee is promoting the sale and flying ,;of the Goderich flag. A new brochure on the town has just come off the press to be given- out at the Welcome Centre this year. The story of Goderich is being presented through ads in the Bay City newspapers and the tourist committee is also endeavouring to get the names of all the presidents of the different service clubs in Bay City in order to create a liaison between them and the presidents of Goderich Service clubs. A full program ob- serving Canada Week, and Founders' Day has been planned for Goderich including band concerts, a variety show, fireworks -a' barbecue, -a' birthday party, street dances and a com- memorative service, to na=me just a few of the events. Tourist committee, members are not looking at this year as a let down after . the gigantic celebrations of last year for Jubilee 3. Instead, they are looking at this year as a continuation of that . celebration. And, with the merchants' and general public's co- operation, the committee is hoping to make this a successful tourist season in Goderich and the beginning of many more to come. The Hospitality Turn to page 4A • About 10,000 ' tourists passed through Goderich's Welcome Centre last summer and that meant that a lot of tourist dollars entered the community. It has been calculated roughly that each of the 10,000, tourists represent about three others who wait in the car while he makes inquiries and each tourist spends between $20 and $60 a day on food, commodation and entertainment. July and August are Goderich's peak tourist months and the Welcome Centre will open June 27. (Photo by Joanne Walters) ac-, ciave syk r The arrival of H.M.C.S. Saguenay Sunday, afternoon lacked much of the fanfare and commotion expected at an event aimed primarily at tourists. The warship arrived exactly on time but it was the manner of its arrival that was unusual. People began lining up on the piers alongside the harbor channel to witness the event about half an hour before it was scheduled to happen. The south pier, the one the vessel was to dock at, was the most popular spot for spec- tators. From 200 to 300 people quietly assembled on the pier waiting in the fog for the ship's arrival. I chose a spot on the south pier very close to the harbor basin. I used the waiting period to load film in cameras, check light readings and chat with a fellow journalist as he prepared his equipment. We speculated that with the fog rolling in and the distance the vessel had to cover it may he from half an.hour to three hours late. When the navy makes a date it at least has the courtesy to keep it. At one minute to two nothing could be seen or heard at the harbor entrance and at two o'clock the outline of the vessel was barely visible at the end of the channel. No sirens, no reaction from spec- tators, no engines, horns or shouting of commands that may: be expected. The vessel silently slipped into the harbor and prepared to dock. Peering through the 'camera viewfinder the scene was eerie. The vessel is painted a color that appears to have been created from grey, blue and green paint. Whatever the, color it blends perfectly with fog. As it sailed up the channel its features began to become distinctive. Antennas, rotating radar screens and insignia began to take shape along with what seemed to be hundreds of green markings. A closer inspection iden- tified the green markings as sailors. Lining the railing the sailors peered down at spectators with identical facial expressions as the people staring up at them, The scene may well have been taken from a port on the Atlantic during World War Two. A warship, evidence of a conflict involving millions of lives on another continent, returning to a home port. Sailors anxiously staring at the pier hoping' to spot a familiar face. People on the dock scanning the line of faces an the rail trying to find a son, brother or friend. The conflict is over and the visit is a peaceful one but the memory is not buried deep enough in hisotry to not have had some impact. For many Saguenay is the first warship they have seen. For others it was a grim reminder of a period in their lives when the vessel and others like it meant sorrow and death. The scene disappeared as quickly as it carne. Almost the instant Saguenay lines were thrown to the pier and the vessel inched up to the retaining wall the sun came out. The fog lifted very quickly as did people's spirits. Fathers began explaining things to fascinated children, sailors began scrambling to the pier to handle docking duties and the event became exactly what it was intended to be, a good will visit not an overdue homecoming. jeff Seddon 1 ry