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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-09-22, Page 66 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, September 22, 2004 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 Veterans and wives of veterans, if you have problems with issues regarding health, pensions, veterans' ser- vices, etc. please contact: Legion Service Officer Norm Eveland at 519-234-6426. Exeter Legion Auxiliary Bingo: Thursdays at 7 p.m. Sept. 30. Mark your calendar for this date and help sup- port a local charity. "Membership" This is a reminder that your 2005 membership starts in September 2004. Fees are $38 until Nov. 30 and $43 starting Dec. 1. Male dart players required. More men are required to play darts at the Legion on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. For more information contact: Bob Reynolds 519-235- 2309. Lest We Forget: Sidney Joseph Smith Sidney Joseph Smith was born in Hay Township, Huron County in 1896. In the spring of 1916 Major William John Heaman was the Commanding Officer of "C" Company who started enlisting men in Exeter, Ont. to form part of the Huron Battalion. Sidney Joseph Smith was the first man to join the 161st Battalion in Exeter. His service number was 654092. At the time he enlisted, Sidney was employed by Mr. Wesley Dearing of Stephen Township who owned a farm on Lot 23, Con. 2 straight west of Exeter. After his initial training in Exeter, Private Sidney Joseph Smith was sent to Clinton, Ont., along with the other men who had enlisted in Exeter for further train- ing with the 161st Huron Battalion. They were then sent to Hillcrest Camp in London, Ont. for training and then on to Camp Borden, Ont. This is where they received their final training before shipping overseas. The 161st Huron Battalion sailed on the S.S. Lapland out of Halifax, N.S. Nov. 1 and arrived in Liverpool, England Nov. 12, 1916. Private Sidney Smith was transferred to the 58th Battalion, which was the Canadian Infantry (Central Ontario Regiment) before going in action on the front lines. Sidney was fighting on the front lines in France, when he was killed Sept. 29, 1918. He was 22 years of age. It was three weeks later when his father and two brothers and his three sisters received word of his death. He was buried in the Anneux British Cemetery. Anneux is a village in the department of the North in France. Private Joseph Smith was the son of John and Emily Smith of Hay Township. His mother passed away earli- er. Next week: Frederick Tucker. HAVEYOU SEEN THE NEW INFORMATION RACKSAT SOUTH HURON MUNICIPAL OFFICE? Shelving space is now allocated for the farm communi- ty to pick up brochures provided by OMAF and the Health Unit. There are fact sheets: such as Programs and Services to Farmers, Adding Value to Farm Products, Meeting Procedures, Planning Bed and Breakfasts etc. Nutrient Management, Nutrient Management Workbook, Keeping Your Well Water Safe To Drink, Buffer Strips, Safe Movement of Farm Equipment, Planning For and Responding to Disasters, Common Sense Nutrition, Jams, Jellies Canning, Tastes of Huron, etc. Seniors and Health issues include: The Care Guide, Guide to Programs and Services For Seniors, Town and Country Directory of Services Directory, Diabetes, Healthy eating etc. If you require OMAF or Senior's information, please contact Jim. Priests on Vacation: Two priests were going to Hawaii on vacation and decided that they would make this a real vacation by not wearing anything that would identify them as clergy. As soon as the plane landed, they headed for a store and bought some really outrageous shorts, shirts, san- dals, sunglasses, etc. The next morning, they went to the beach, dressed in their "tourist" garb and were sitting on beach chairs, enjoying a drink, the sunshine and the scenery when a "drop dead gorgeous" blonde in a tiny bikini came walking straight towards them. They could- n't help but stare and when she passed them, smiled and said," Good morning, Father," "Good morning, Father," nodding and addressing each of them individu- ally, then passed on by. They were both stunned. How in the world did she recognize them as priests? The next day they went back to the store, bought even more outrageous outfits — these were so loud, you could hear them before you even saw them — and again settled on the beach in their chairs to enjoy the sun- shine, etc. After a while, the same gorgeous blonde, wearing a string bikini this time, came walking toward them again. They were glad they had sunglasses, because their eyes were about to pop out of their heads. Again, she approached them and greeted them indi- vidually: "Good morning, Father," "Good morning, Father," and started to walk away. One of the priests couldn't stand it and said, "Just a minute young lady. Yes, we are priests, and proud of it, but I have to know, how in the world did you know?" "Oh Father, don't you recognize me? I'm sister Angela!" I'll get even. Reference: Gray, A., Stephens, S., & Van Diest, J. (2001). Lists to live by Sisters, OR: Multnomah Publishers. Answer to above question: A group of turkeys are called a "rafter," a male turkey is called a"jake," a female turkey is called a"jennie" and baby turkeys are called "poults." Principal's message EXETER — In last week's column I mentioned that all students had received a planner on the first day of school, and I encouraged parents to check it out. This year's planner has a red cover and is designed to fit in students' binders so they have no excuse for not taking it with them from class to class. The planner contains our general policies and procedures, including our school code of conduct. I encourage parents to read over the procedures and policies, especially if they have a son or daughter new to the school. Another significant aspect of the planner is that it lists important dates and events at SHDHS. However, in the event that some parents may not see the planner, I thought I would use this week's column to provide a list of the important upcom- ing activities and events in the first semester. Sept. 24 — PA Day — no school for students Oct. 4 — Early Dismissal Day — classes end at 2:20 p.m. Oct. 8 — Academic Awards Assembly in the morning — Commencement at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 14 — Interim Progress Report — an informal report on student progress (not an official report card) Oct. 18 — School Council Meeting — 7 p.m. in the SHDHS Library Oct. 21 — Parent-Teacher Interviews — after school and in the evening Oct. 27-28 — Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test Nov. 1 — Early Dismissal Day — classes end at 2:20 p.m. Nov. 11— Remembrance Day Assembly Nov. 15 — School Council Meeting — 7 p.m. in the SHDHS Library Nov. 22 — First Official Report Card issued Nov. 25 — Community Forum — "Suicide and Self - Harm Awareness" Dec. 3 — PA Day — no school for students Dec. 18 - Jan. 2 — Christmas Break Jan. 17 — School Council Meeting — 7 p.m. in the SHDHS Library Jan. 27 — Community Forum — "Bullying" Jan. 28 - Feb. 3 — Exams Feb. 4 — PA Day — no school for students Feb. 7 — Second Semester begins Feb. 14 — First Semester Final Report issued The above items are the major events for first semes- ter: additional information will be provided through my weekly columns and on our school Web site, www.amdsb.ca/SHDHS/current/. Parents might want to take this column and post it somewhere in their homes for future reference. As always, if you have questions or concerns, please contact me at the school at 235-0880. JEFF REABURN PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE Panther Profile EXETER — The third week of school is upon us, and so far it's been a fabulous time. There have been lots of changes this year. South Huron underwent major renovations this summer, and we have brand new science rooms and new lockers — some old lockers were taken out. Along with changes to the building, South Huron is now running on semes- ters. It's taken some time to get used to semesters, but for the most part classes have been running smoothly. The grade nines had a blast last week during Grade Nine Welcome Week, which included a free lunch for all grade nines as well as a Welcome Back dance featuring a few Grade 12 students getting auctioned off. The lucky grade nines who bought senior students received a dance with their Grade 12 as well as having their Grade 12 be their "honey -do" for all of Friday ("honey -do" as in "honey, do this"). Several sports are also underway now, including girls' basketball, boys' volleyball, tennis, golf and field hockey. 0 1 AMANDA ZEHR PANTHER PROFILE The School Show will be starting up soon as well, with auditions in October. This year's School Show is going to be interesting, and was written by our own Ms. Burrell. A reminder also to students to get in their Student Fees and Information sheets as soon as possible! And now, some upcoming dates! Wed., Sept. 22 • Tennis teams in Stratford all day • Jr. and Sr. girls basketball in Clinton, bus leaves at 10:10 a.m. Thurs., Sept. 23 • Gr. 9 library orientation • University Information Session for university appli- cants, 10:35 a.m. in Room 202 Fri., Sept. 24 • PD Day • Jr. girls basketball tournament, 3 p.m. - 9 p.m., large gn Sat., Sept. 25 • Jr. girls basketball tournament continued in the large gym, come watch!! • Sr. girls basketball tournament in Goderich Mon., Sept. 27 • Brescia University College presentation, 9 a.m. • Peer mentor training, 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Exeter Youth Centre Tues., Sept. 28 • Gr. 9 library orientation • Sr. boys volleyball in St. Mary's at 12:40 p.m. Wed., Sept. 29 • Jr. and Sr. girls basketball in Wingham • University of Western Ontario presentation, 1:30 p.m. Uapdate on BSE crisis DeEditor: On Sept. 10 the federal govern- ment announced a strategy to reposition Canada's livestock indus- try which refocuses our recovery efforts. The Federal Government strategy is based on a plan devel- oped by the Canadian Cattlemen's Association (CCA). While both the CCA and the Federal Government will continue lobbying to re -open the U.S. border to live cattle, this new direction focuses on recov- ery through adding value by slaughtering cattle in Canada rather than exporting live animals. This will not only help us through the current crisis, but will make our industry less vulnerable to trade disruptions in the future. In 2002, prior to BSE, Canada exported 1,686,452 head of live cattle at a value of $1.8 Billion. (3.46 million were slaughtered in Canada). Most of these exported cattle were destined for slaughter in the U.S. The prac- tice of exporting live cattle for slaughter developed in response to economic forces. Just over a year ago the U.S. and Mexico markets re- opened to Canadian beef from cattle under 30 months of age. That left the cattle that were previously slaughtered in the U.S. competing for spots in Canadian plants with the cattle normally slaughtered in Canada. The greater supply of cattle than capacity to process them is what has been driving down cattle prices in Canada. The processing sector is responding with plans to increase capacity. The federal government has commit- ted $66 million to help with these efforts. However it takes time for plants to be built or expand their facilities. Until this extra capacity comes online we have to better match the number of cattle coming to market with the processing capacity available. That's why the CCA advo- cated for, and the federal government included in its strategy, set-aside programs for market -ready cattle and for younger animals. These set-aside programs will benefit all cattle produc- ers, not just those who voluntarily sign up for the pro- grams All producers will benefit from the stability brought to the live cattle market when numbers of cattle coming to slaughter are matched to the slaughter capac- ity available. To meet that goal we will need to have adequate numbers of cattle entered into the programs. Program details are still being developed. I encourage cattle producers to watch for further information. Strategies are also being developed to ensure we have international and domestic markets for the extra beef the additional slaughter capacity will produce. BSE testing is done to determine the prevalence of the disease in the national herd. Canada must meet its sur- veillance target if we're to achieve the goal of being rec- ognized as a negligible risk country. Canada is on track to meet its surveillance target of testing 8,000 animals this year. As of Aug. 27 we had tested 5,376 animals with all results negative. Canada has committed to test- ing 30,000 animals next year. The co-operation of cattle producers will be required to meet this target. A reim- bursement program for bringing samples forward off the farm is being developed and details will be available soon. STAN EBY President, Canadian Cattlemen's Association