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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-04-20, Page 66 Exeter Times–Advocate Wednesday, April 20, 2005 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 where they were based in Hamilton. Pte. Harry Ernest Windsor was one of the first to volunteer to go overseas immediately and they left in March 1916. After arriving in England, he was attached to the Mountain Dragons. To proceed to France sooner he answered a call for volunteers and joined the infantry. In the Exeter paper dated April 28, 1917 Pte. Harry Ernest Windsor's name is printed under the Roll of Honour as having been killed in action. The date of Harry's death was September 4, 1917. At the time of his death, he was aged 20 years and six months. He was buried at the Vimy Ridge Memorial, which is located in France. In the 1901 census of Exeter it shows his father George was born September 2, 1850 and his mother Mary H. was born 1857, his sister Cora was born March 7, 1881, his sister Ida M. was born December 20, 1882, his sister Mary E. was born January 14, 1885, his brother James P. was born December 28, 1886, his sister B. Elva was born June 19, 1889, his brother J. Enos was born December 31, 1892 and himself, Harry E. was born October 21, 1896, and he was the youngest in the family. Next week: Alfred Coates. Health section Herbs and Spices—Basil: This delicate fragrant herb has been popular in cooking and perfumes for over 2000 years. Some authorities say that the name basil comes from the Greek word for king, others that it is linked with the fabled creature Basilisk. A charming Tudor custom was to present visitors with a pot of bush basil when they were leaving. Basil comes from a plant belonging to the mint family. Medicinal use: Its camphoraceous oil is principally an aromatic and digestive agent. Herbalists rate basil highly for calming the nerves and it aids the digestion as well as having definite cooling proper- ties. How to grow: Basil is an erect, branched, half- hardy annual and bears small white flowers in late summer. It needs a sheltered spot in full sun and well -drained fertile soil. Sow the seeds in late spring or earlier under glass, and save the seed of heads of the flowers for the following year. In cooking: The sweet -scented leaves can be used generously. Basil is a favourite with French cooks. It goes very well with sausage and minced meats and is the perfect herb for all tomato dishes. Use chopped leaves in salads, stuffings or herb butters. NEXT WEEK: CHIVES. Here's an accident report from the Workers' Compensation Board Dear Sir/Madam: I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block #3 of the accident reporting form. I put "poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explana- tion and I trust the following will be sufficient. I am a bricklayer by trade. On the day of the acci- dent, I was working alone on the roof of a six -story building. When I completed my work, I found I had some bricks left over which when weighed later were found to be 240 lbs. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley which was attached to the side of the building at the sixth floor. Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the 240 lbs. of bricks. You will note on the accident reporting form that my weight is 135 lbs. Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collar bone, as list- ed in Section 3 of the accident reporting form. Slowed only slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers of my right hand were two knuckles deep in the pulley in which I men- tioned in Paragraph 2 of this correspondence. Fortunately by this time, I had regained my pres- ence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of the excruciating pain I was now beginning to experience. At approximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground, and the bottom fell out of the barrel. Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, the barrel weighed approxi- mately 50 lbs... I refer you again to my weight. As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the fractured ankles, broken tooth and severe lacer- ations of my legs and lower body. Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move and watching the empty barrel six stories above me, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope. Paying tribute to volunteers Every year during National Volunteer Week, we have a golden opportunity to show our appreciation to volunteers for their service and commitment. Dedicated individu- als across Ontario offer their time and energy freely to community organizations. Thanks to the generosity of volunteers, our communities are better places to live. Whether it is realized or not, we all benefit from the important work they do in a wide range of organizations. Their involvement in their community helps to change lives. I would like to recognize the Ontario Trillium Foundation's Grant Review Team members in the Grey, Bruce, Huron and Perth areas for their unflagging commitment. These energetic, unpaid volunteers, under the able leadership of Grant Review Team Chair Kathleen Pletsch and past Chair Bob Pringle, help make your community healthy and vibrant. I also wish to praise the commitment of all volunteers. On average, in a year, as many as 158,825 volunteers across Ontario contribute 4.75 million hours of their time to organizations supported by our Foundation. During National Volunteer Week, April 17 to 23, let's give our heartfelt thanks to vol- unteers. Let's recognize their generosity and ask ourselves how we too can turn our vision for tomorrow into actions today. Sincerely, HELEN BURSTYN, Chair of the Board, The Ontario Trillium Foundation Evidence requested Dear Editor: London MP Pat O'Brien certainly was plunged into the national spotlight last week as he considered defecting from the Liberal party. He stated his reasons, not the least of which is the pending same-sex Liberal agenda, he was weighing his options and since then he has made a decision to remain in his party. The future will reveal as to whether or not he made the right decision, but one cannot help but appreciate the conviction that led Pat on his journey. Something that did somewhat surprise me in a London Free Press - report on last week's events was a statement by Huron -Bruce MP Paul Steckle. Paul suggested in so many words that he could not lower him- self to consider joining a party that claims former prime minister Brian Mulroney as a supporter. Knowing Paul, I am sure he would not make a belittling comment about Mulroney unless he had sufficient evidence that the former prime minister deserved to be looked upon and spoken of with such disdain and disgust. I trust that it is not an unreasonable request that Paul Steckle share with the read- ers of this paper the precise reasons he feels justified in questioning the integrity and character of Mulroney in his blatant statement. If it was just "off the cuff' or "in jest," some of us may understand. I might remind Paul that well over a decade ago he enjoyed in his first federal election the benefits of Chretien and Martin's promise to prove Brian Mulroney was a shyster and as a little added bonus, to get rid of that pesky GST. History records that they fulfilled neither promise. I understand Mulroney was even compensated for the allegations. Today, Mulroney's accusers are embroiled in one of the most morally degrading scandals in Canadian history. Chretien mocks the call for justice with golf balls. Although he was the nation's chief financial officer during the fiasco, and although it took place right in his own backyard of Quebec where he is touted as one of the province's most competent Liberals, Paul Martin seeks justification by simply pro- claiming: I did not know, I never knew, I was out of the loop. It would be comforting to most Canadians if Martin could have the moral fortitude to simply state: I should have known. All of a sudden, Mulroney may be a candidate for sainthood. I'm certain your readers will await Paul's explanation and the evidence he has to support his statement. New businesses should be welcomed Dear Editor: I am writing this letter in response to your article in last week's paper. I am the owner of Before & After, here in Exeter, and yes, I agree that the downtown of Exeter is going through some changes, which very well could be just a cycle, but I also believe that these changes are probably for very good reasons. To clear up any rumours out there about the reason why my store is closing, I thought I would write you a letter. I have chosen to close my business to be home with my children, and also because we are looking to move. However, I don't know even if I did not have these changes in my personal life, that I would be here any longer any - ways. When I was in the process of looking into my business, I had many people warn me about the "warm welcome" that I would get from local retailers. After opening my own store, I have had first-hand experience with the existing retailers not accepting new businesses with open arms. In fact the story you did about the opening of my business was very impressionable and not very welcoming. I found it very cold and not put together very well. Although I may not have been in the retail business for very long, I realized that many of the local people fail to support small businesses like mine, as most of my customers were visi- tors from out of town. Additionally, fellow business owners in the town of Exeter are not very supportive of local business either; however, not surprisingly, they encourage you to shop in their stores. From opening my own store, I became aware of how important it is to support local business. Out of support for the businesses that are trying so hard to continue their existing businesses or even start new ones, I make sure I shop in town before any- where else. I will admit though, there are one or two stores that I will not shop at in the town of Exeter, simply because of their poor customer service. They do not acknowledge you when you are in their place of business and if you have a question, you get the impression that you are incon- veniencing them at their place of employment. I would like to think that as a small business owner in the town of Exeter that I have been a welcoming addition. I have tried very hard to welcome anyone in my store and did every- thing I could possible to make them feel comfortable. I have also done what I could to be a positive support to Exeter by donating gift certificates to local events such as the Christmas open house, and to the first baby of the new year. I have been approached by many charities looking for donations, and never thought twice about helping them out. I have given my heart and soul to the store and the people of Exeter. My husband and I are taking a big loss, in closing, but retail was not the positive experience I was hoping for. I would also like to add that there have been many local residents that have support- ed my store and many others in town, and I do appreciate their continual support and have made many new friends from this business. All in all I would like to say thank you to everyone who I have met over the past eight months, and for the new ones that I will meet, before the closing of my store. Prior to speculating that Exeter is going through some cycle, perhaps some people need to start accepting new business, not as competition but as an extension to what Exeter has to offer. Bos HEYWOOD Exeter, ON CHRISTIE NETHERCOTT, Exeter, ON. Letters to the Editor The Times -Advocate welcomes letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, complaint, and kudos. By mail: P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S6 By fax: 519-235-0766 By e-mail: editor@southhuron.com Please include your name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published.