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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-02-02, Page 12Page 12—The Wingham Advance -Times; Feb. 2, 1983 t� FA president address joint eet Ralph Barrie, president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, will be the featured speaker at a special dinner meeting being jointly hosted by the Howick and Turnberry federations of agriculture. The meeting set for Feb. 25 will begin with a meal at 12 noon in the Belmore Com- munity Centre, followed by Mr. Barrie's address. Upon learning that Mr. Barrie was to be in this area for several other engagements, leaders of the Howick and Turnberry federations arranged to bring him to the joint meeting. The president's schedule is too ful to permit him to get to meetings of individual township groups, Mel Greig of the Howick federation explained. The meetingis open to all members of the two town- ship federations, as well as other interested persons. SPOTLIGHT RITA RICE, director of the Wingham and Area Day Centre for the Homebound, said there never is a dull day at the centre and she loves working with the seniors. Miss Rice plans the social and recreational activities at the day centre and has lived in Wingham since 1980. Rita Rice makes life easier for area senior citizens By Margaret Arbuckle What does a young woman think of working with a group of senior citizens? If she's like Rita Rice, director of the Wingham and Area Day Centre for the Homebound, she loves it. Since she first started at the centre two years ago, Miss Rice has developed a rapport with the, par- ticipants and made many friendships. No day is the same at the day centre, she said, because she gets to meet totally different people. The seniors are very special to her. "I've learned from what they have to share. They've lived the years and I haven't." Rita was born near Conn, Ont., and raised on a farm there. She attended a one -room school for the first six years of her education and went to Grey Highlands Secondary School in Flesherton. After graduating from high school, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in physical education and sociology. Then she studied recreation leadership for one year at Conestoga College in Kitchener. She worked and traveled in British Columbia after graduating from Conestoga College. After her return to Ontario, she saw an ad for the director's job at the day centre. She answered the ad and got the job. Her first impression of Wingham when she arrived here in 1980 was amazement. She wondered how a small town could have a facility like a recreation centre for seniors, something which is almost unheard of outside the larger centres. She went to work immediately to try to increase the number of day centre participants and enrich its social and recreational programs. She said she tries to vary the three -day -a -week schedule as much as possible with films, guest speakers and variety programs. Improving the quality of life for area seniors is her main goal as director. A lack of activity and involvement are two of the biggest problems con- fronting senior citizens today. Offering a social and recreational program geared specifically to those in the over -65 age range, renews their interest in life and hopefully, she said, helps them remain in their homes longer. Many people have misconceptions about the word recreation. They think it applies only to youth and athletics but, according to Rita, that is not the case. Her role as director at the centre focusses on leadership and leisure counselling, or helping people find productive ways to spend their spare time. The role of recreation director will be ex- panded in the future, she predicted, because of the growing numbers of people with more time on their hands. The growing number of seniors in the community is what prompted the University of Guelph to conduct a survey on the elderly in Huron County and their needs. The survey, done under the Rural Development Outreach Program, indicated that because of the disproportionately high number of seniors living in the county, a social -recreational facility was needed for them. Thus the day centre for the homebound was born in 1979 in the Wingham Armouries. Rita started in 1980 and has been there ever since. As far as future plans for the centre are con- cerned, she said she would like to see more seniors taking advantage of the services Offered at the centre and even hopes to have participants at- tending, five days a week instead of the, present three. OFA announ fight fa The Ontario Federation of Agriculture has announced a new, three-point program to help stem the rising tide of farm foreclosures and bank- ruptcies. The program calls for working toward setting up a group of farm experts to help farmers with their finances, as well as right -to -farm legislation and affordable, long-term credit. OFA President Ralph Barrie said the organization must deal with this complex problem because more and more farmers are "packing it in. They're turning the key and walking away from farms that have been in their families for generations." Last year 176 Ontario farmers declared bank- ruptcy,`a 26 per cent in- crease over the 1981 level of 140. Many other farmers suffered foreclosure, or were otherwise forced out of farming. Mr. Barrie cited high interest rates, poor com- modity prices, lower property values and the general economic situation as factors contributing to the demise of many farms. He said the OFA will work toward setting up a group of farm experts to help farmers facing bankruptcy or fore- closure. Such a team would consist of knowledgable farmers and experienced financial resource people who would respond to calls for help from the farming community. These resource people would assess the overall position of the farm, reestablish credit with the bank, if it had been broken, and offer to.draft a proposal spelling out the options available to the farmer and his creditors. "Foreclosures should only take place after due process, after every option has been explored," Mr. Barrie said. "Even if the situation is not salvagable, the farmer should be left with his dignity intact. At present many farmers feel that the cards are stacked against them from the beginning." The OFA also plans to lobby the Ontario govern- ment for right -to -farm new plan rrkrupides legislation to guarantee farm rights. It also will push the government to provide more long-term credit at affordable rates and guarantee commodity prices through stabilization programs or market risk insurance. "While the OFA has been involved in some of these areas for some time, clearly this plan will broaden its activities substantially," Mr. Barrie said. 'Aire want to bring farmers and bankers together to try and work out their differences. We hope they'll come up with solutions both sides can live with, while ensuring justice for the farmer. "In financial terms, many farmers are in desperate straits. We need the lending institutions to understand the severe cost -price squeeze Ontario farmers are facing. We believe that we can come up with fair and just solutions." Trustees question development. days The need for professional development days was questioned when trustees of the Huron -Perth Separate School Board learned of the changes to the school year calendar at its Jan. 24 meet- ing. A memorandum from the Ministry of Education stated the board has the authority to designate up to nine pro- fessional activity days each school year. "Does the administration feel nine professional ac- tivity days are needed?" asked trustee Ernie Vander- schot of RR 7, St. Marys. Acting director of educa- tion, John McCauley, said most of the days are used for curriculum. "A board committee pre- pares board curriculum .. . in order to implement the curriculum, it requires time," said Mr. McCauley. Professional activity days, he said, allow administration to gather all teachers to- gether at one time. The acting director of edu- cation said the school system has gone past the days of handing curriculum materi- al to the teacher without any in-service training. Mr. McCauley said profes- sional activity days are also used for parent interviews and activities of the identi- fication, placement and re- view committee relating to special education. "It's a question on every- body's mind who isn't in- volved in PA days," said board chairman, Ronald Murray of RR 1, Dublin, not- ing the Ministry has now re- quested evaluations of the days. Changes in the school year calendar effective Sept. 1, 1983, include: two complete weeks for Christmas vaca- tion, mid -winter break moved up one week, and the removal of Remembrance Day as a holiday. Churches hold a skating party The Wingham United Church Sunday School hosted a skating party for the families of that church and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church at the Wingham arena last Saturday evening. A good number of adults, young people and children from both congregations attended. Some, too young to skate, were taken around the ice in baby sleighs and strollers. Afterward, there was a social time at the United Church. Ian Deslauriers led in a lively singsong with guitar accompaniment and Gwen Laidlaw, Sunday school coordinator and convener of the event, in- vited everyone to partake of refreshments — hot chocolate and cookies. In all, it proved to be a very en- joyable evening. AMY MACDONALD, Julie McGrath and Christy Eskerod were among the skaters out Friday evening to test the excellent outdoor skating rink developed by the Wingham Optimist Club in cooperation with the recreation committee at the Josephine Street ball park. Optimists at work Outdoor skating rink proves an instant hit Though soggy weekend weather may have softened its appeal, the outdoor skating rink prepared by the Wingham Optimist Club at the Josephine Street ball park -has been a tremendous hit with local skaters. Ever since the rink was first put in a couple of weeks ago, almost any evening or weekend found it crowded with youngsters practising their double axels and triple toe loops, having an impromptu game of shinny or just chasing each other around the ice. In fact. the rink proved so popular the Optimists recently added a second ice surface for hockey, to keep the flying pucks away from the other skaters. The club decided local youngsters -needed a place to go and skate just tor fun, free of charge, Optimist Bill Henderson Jr. ex- plained, and a bunch of the members donated their time. to prepare and flood the rink, in cooperation with the recreation committee. Another club member, Harold Metcalfe, used his front-end loader to pack the snow, which was then flooded three or four times a night to create a glassy surface. "A lot of work has gone into it," Mr. Henderson noted. "A lot of work and a lot of hours." But it has been worth it to see the young- sters — and some not so young — out skating, developing their skills and having fun. Blyth writer wins Chalrners ward Anne Chislett has won the Chalmers Canadian Play Award for the best Canadian play presented in Toronto in 1982: Quiet in the Land. The play, a story of two Amish families during the tension -filled period of World War I, was commissioned by Janet Amos, the artistic director for the 1981 Blyth Summer Festival. It was revived for the 1982 summer festival before being taken on tour to the University of Waterloo Arts Centre where it played to packed houses. Sets, costumes and some members of the cast then went on to the Toronto Free Theatre for a successful production in October and November which qualified the play for the Chalmers Award. Only plays presented in Toronto qualify. The award includes a $5,000 prize. A native of Newfoundland, Ms. Chislett has lived in Victoria, B. C., for the past three years. With her husband James Roy, the first artistic director of the Blyth Summer Festival, she played an integral part in founding and building the festival to its present popularity. She served as administrator in the first two seasons and assisted with fundraising and a thousand other little things to make the fledgling festival a success. Besides "Quiet in the Land", she also has written the highly successful "Tomorrow Box" (which will be revived this season) and "A Summer Burning" for the festival. "Quiet in the Land" will receive another production at the Centaur Theatre in Montreal in March with James Roy directing. Two runner-up plays also were awarded to West coast writers. John Lazarus' "Dreaming and Duelling" and Tom Wamsley's "White Boys" each won $1,500. MRS. WILLIAM SOTHERN - Ford with Mary Siefert of Cambridge spent the weekend with Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Kennedy. . Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Lynn of Orillia spent a couple of days last week with Mr. and Mrs. Bill Haverfield. The sympathy of the community goes to Mr. and Mrs. Bill Haverfield in the sudden death of his sister, Mrs. Fred Holstock, last week in Uxbridge Cottage Hospital. Friends here will be sorry to hear that Jack Gibson of Kleinburg and formerly of this area, was taken to York Hospital, Toronto, last week. Mr. and Mrs. John Wagler, Doug and Raymond returned home last week after visiting with their daughter and son- in-law at Estevan, Saskat- chewan. Norman Ettinger of Listowel visited friends in the village one day last week. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kym on the birth of their daughter in the Listowel hospital. Friends are sorry to hear Mrs. Harold Doig is a patient in Listowel Memorial Hospital. THE C'SE FOR 000:' BUSINESS SENSE The representative for the Wingham territory will be in the area every Tuesday. It simply makes food sense to. meet with the representative of the Federal Business Development Bank who will soon be in your area. There is no obligation and no cost to you. And there is so much you could gain for your business. Come talk with us if you need financial aid, in the form of loans, loan guarantees or equity participation. Presently, you may even qualify for a Small Business Invest- ment Grant and thus be entitled to up to a 4% rebate on specified loan interest. We have experienced counsellors who can help you plot a course of growth and ensureihe success of your business. We can provide you with direction to government assistance, both federal and provincial, as well as other vital information. For an appointment call F.B.D.B. (Stratford) and ask tor Rob Swim at 271-5650 (collect). 41 Federal Business Banque federale Development Bank de developpement Your success is our only business Canada 1HODGINS BUILDALL CARPET � 99 AS LOW AS � yd. Choose from over 75 rolls in stock now or pick from our Targe selection of samples. Either way it means BIG SAVINGS for you. This is our fourth annual Carpet Sale and we think it's the best yet! Our regular low carpet prices have been reduced and the savings are fantastic. Come in today and browse through our carpet showroom. 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