HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1970-02-26, Page 4PAGE FOUR
ZURICH CITIZENS NEWS
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1970
eciihwal Castment- —
Town Daddies
(From the New Hamburg Independent)
Town Daddies aren't really.
Ordinary daddies can spank you or give you heck and
they lose nothing. In fact, ordinary daddies gain your
respect. But if a town daddie tries that he loses your
vote.
They are called town daddies because they are fathers
to all the people in town. They are also called councillors,
councilmen, wheels, and many other names. Some of
ths. names you wouldn't print in a weekly newspaper.
Some town daddies go in the local beer parlors. Some
don't. Those that do are called drunkards. Those that
don't are called snobs.
Everyone envies a town daddy. They wish they could
be a town daddy because his job is so easy. All he has to
do is sit in a big easy chair in a new town hall twice
a month and look at an empty council chamber. A coun-
cil chamber is where the people of the town sit and
watch the town daddies run their meeting. Except
usually the seats in the council chamber are empty. Not
too many people are really that interested.
Town daddies don't really have to be. There are
lots of people qualified to do their jobs. All you have
to do is go to the local pub to see that. Would-be town
daddies are clever men who know how to do the job. As
a matter of fact, they don't all go to the local pub. Some
are merchants. Some are salesmen. Some are welders
and some are even retired. But they are always there
to criticize and recommend what they would have done
had they been a town daddy. They are always around.
Except at election time.
If , a town daddy gets your broken sidewalk fixed for
you he's a vote getter. If he doesn't he's not interested
in the town. If he drives an old battered car he's a
poor businessmen. If he drives a nice shiny new one,
he's a grafter.
You can usually tell a town daddy by his hair. Those
that have been one for a while don't usually have too
much.
If a town daddy makes a mistake he's a symbol of
stupidity. If you're having a party he's a status symbol.
If he speaks to you on the street he's campaigning.
If he doesn't he's stuck-up.
Town daddies all have telephones. And most of them
are constantly ringing. If a taxpayer has a complaint she
can always call her town daddy. It doesn't matter what
time of the day it is `cause her tax dollar covers her 24
hours a day.
Mast councillors don't mind being called town daddies
because their real-life roles as fathers are limited—they
are too busy.
Money is no object to a town daddy—he can always
get more from the taxpayer. Come to think of it, town
daddies are taxpayers too.
Town daddies have no responsibilities—except for
sidewalks, roads, sewers, buildings, snow removal,
parking, construction, demolition, recreation, taxes,
parks, welfare, arenas, lights and seemingly hundreds of
other things.
And through all his faults, faux pas, blunders, errors,
fractures, etc., a town daddy can still smile. He ran for
office when others wouldn't. And you voted him in.
Sometimes people make fun of town daddies. Take
last week for example. They had a trial here. It was
called a hearing. Many people came to the hearing. Some
of them laughed at the town daddies. Funny part was,
the town daddies could have kept the people away
from the hearing.
They chose not to!
ZURICH Citizens NEWS
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Docs who keep us kicking
It's an unpleasant but undis-
puted fact that most of us in
today's material society envy
those who are making more
money than we are.
I'm as guilty as anyone else,
simultaneously knowing that
it's silly. But there's one breed
— the doctors — that makes a
whole lot more money than I
do. And I have no envy; noth-
ing but admiration.
We've met some new ones in
the past couple of weeks, and
they have confirmed my long -
held opinion that their's is a
noble profession.
I know, I know. There are
some rotten apples in every
barrel. There are some doctors
who are interested only in the
buck. There are others who
wouldn't take a night call even
if you were dying. There are
the specialists who work office
hours only, and knock off
$45,000 a year. (Tried to get
an appointment with an eye
doctor lately? Takes months.)
But the vast majority of to-
day's doctors are just as dedi-
cated as their predecessors,
work just as hard and long,
and are just as interested in
healing body and mind. And
proportionately, in terms of to-
day's living costs, they're no
better off than the doctor of
50 years ago.
First doctor I ever met, I
guess, was the one who deliv-
ered me, and our acquaintance
was casual. Just a whack on
the hum from him, and a
squall of protest from me.
When I was a kid, our family
doctor was Dr. Hagyard. He
was a massive man with a mas-
sive calm. When he arrived, at
any hour, you felt as though
God had just taken over and
everything was O.K. In the
Nvinter, he charged about the
country with a device of his
own creation, a sort of snow-
mobile built from a Model T
Ford. In summer, his favorite
recreation was hitting fly balls
to the outfielders in our pro -
baseball tern. He could hit
them half a mile.
In prison camp, I met a cou-
ple of dandies. One was coal -
black, six -foot -six and reputed
to be the son of an African
chief. I went to him in some
perturbation, and he said, "If
you had that excrescence on
your nose, you'd call it a pim-
ple."
The other was a ginger -
haired British major, a sur-
geon. He was going around the
bend because there wasn't
enough surgery to keep his
hand in, When he had removed
all possible appendices and
tonsils, on the slightest provo-
cation, he spent most of his
time sidling up to people and
asking if they'd been circum-
cised. We used to hide when
we saw him corning.
When our kids came along,
both were delivered by a won-
derful doctor, Frank William-
son. Four o'clock in the morn-
ing meant nothing to him. He'd
he there, quiet and calm and
rational, in a flash. He grew
roses.
When we came here, we had
Bill Neill. He had a theory that
people needed only four hours
sleep a night. He grooved on
tropical fish and tape record-
ers, didn't give a hoot about
money, forgot to bill you, but
was always compassionate and
on the job when you needed
him.
Now our family doctor is a
quiet Englishman with a com-
plete lack of the affectation
that the odd Little -tin -god type
doctor assumes. He has a pro-
pensity for Christmas carolling
outside your house with his
wife and children, and has
learned to play a creditable
trumpet.
I've been curling with a doc-
tor in his '70s lately. I enjoy
his stories about the old days,
when he used a dog team to
cross the bay, hoping there
wouldn't be a gap of open wa-
ter when he got to the other
side. He's a courtly gentleman.
When we picked up our
daughter at the hospital re-
cently, we met another species
of the breed. Youngish, tough,
red -eyed from lack of sleep, he
took two hours, including his
lunch hour, to talk to us, with-
out recompense. He cared.
And one more. An eminent
city specialist, who is married
to an old friend of my wife,
took time from his busy sched-
ule to check on Kim and allevi-
ate our fears. He didn't even
- know us.
A pretty fine bunch, the
Docs, in my experience.
0
Harold Buckingham of Kitchener
has epilepsy, but he has a full-time
job operating a knitting machine,
thanks to training by The Ability
Fund (March of Dimes). A con-
tribution to The Ability Fund will
make it possible for other disabled
adults to find a measure of inde-
pendence and self -regard.
Bob Honsberger of Sault Ste.
Marie grew to manhood with the
stature of a midget, but training
provided by The Ability Fund
(March of. Dimes) taught him dis-
cipline and self-confidence and he
now has a full-time job. A contri-
bution to The Ability Fund makes
possible the rehabilitation of more
disabled adults.
Zurich 4-H Girls
Form Two Groups
The 4-H Clubs of Zurich
three and four held an organ-
ization meeting at the Zurich
Town Hall on Wednesday,
February 18. This. forthcoming
4-H Club is entitled "Featuring
Fruit" and the members will be
learning about the important
features of fruit in their diet
and new and delicious recipes
using fruit.
The leaders of Zurich Three
are Mrs. H. Finkbeiner and Mrs.
Neeb. For Zurich Four they are
Mrs. J. Hogg and Mrs. D. Oke.
The m eeting opened with the
4-I-1 pledge. Mrs. Ilogg out-
lined the course and discussed
what the m embers would be
doing for Achievement Day.
The two clubs elected
officers and decided on names
for their individual clubs.
Zurich Three are the Fruit
Flavours and Zurich Four are
the Fruit Cups.
The Clubs will meet at the
Township Hall every Wednesday.
FOCUS:
.0000111
One Moment of Time
Our camera records a child's
First Smile . . . makes an
official report on the bride's
radiance . . .
Commemorates a trio posed
for Dad's birthday surprise.
Moments like these can never be
recaptured unless they are per-
fectly preserved by HADDEN'S
STUDIO.
Your family's pictorial history
should be in qualified hands.
Contact
Hadden's Studio
GODERICH
118 St. David St. 524.8787
Business and Professional Directory
OPTOMETRISTS
J. E. Longstaff
OPTOMETRIST
SEAFORTH MEDICAL CENTRE
527-1240
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat-
urday a.m., Thursday evening
CLINTON OFFICE
10 Issac Street 482-7010
Monday and Wednesday
Call either office for
appointment.
Norman Martin
OPTOMETRIST
Office Hours:
9- 12 A,M, — 1:30 -6 P.M.
Closed all day Wednesday
Phone 235.2433 Exeter
ACCOUNTANTS
Roy N. Bentley
PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT
GODERICH
P.O. Box 478 Dial 524-9521
HURON and ERIE
DEBENTURES
CANADA TRUST
CERTIFICATES
J. W. HABERER
Authorized Representative
8%% for 3, 4 and 5 Years
334% for 1 and 2 Years
Minimum $100
DIAL 236-4346 — ZURICH
FUNERAL DIRECTORS
WESTLAKE
Funeral Home
AMBULANCE and PORTABLE
OXYGEN SERVICE
DIAL 236-4364 — ZURICH
AUCTIONEERS
ALVIN WALPER
PROVINCIAL
LICENSED AUCTIONEER
For your sale, large or small,
courteous and efficient service
at all times.
"Service That Satisfies"
DIAL 237-3300 DASHWOOD
INSURANCE
For Safety .
0 Y
EVERY FARMER NEEDS
Liability Insurance
For Information About All
Insurance — CaII
BERT KLOPP
DIAL 236-4988 — ZURICH
Representing
CO.OPERATORS INSURANCE
ASSOCIATION
Robert F. Westlake
Insurance
"Specializing in
General Insurance"
Phone 236-4391 — Zurich