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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-06-08, Page 5Wednesday, June 8, 2005 Exeter Times -Advocate 5 Opinion Forum News ROSS HAUGH BACK IN TIME I OYEARS AGO June 7, 1995 - The bunions are healed, the sore muscles restored and participants in the annual Steve and Audrey Skinner "Walk for Sick Kids" are back to normal. The recent walk in remembering Stephanie Skinner, the child who died from a rare liver disorder in 1990, brought in $26,660,77 for a five year grand total of $107,880.80. Jim MacGregor of Exeter, an avid motorbike rider won a new Harley Davidson cycle worth over $19,000 in a raffle to aid Muscular Dystrophy. 25 YEARS AGO June 7, 1980 -The annual meeting of the Huron South Women's Institute was held Thursday at the Brucefield United Church. Hilda Payne of Hensall is the president, vice-presidents are Dolores Shapton, Crediton and Ruth Papple of Seaforth. Secretary -treasurer is Joyce Pepper, Hensall. The top students of the year were announced Friday at the annual formal at SHDHS. The win- ners are Bonnie Baynham and Jeff Martens. The executives of the R.E Pooley branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and the Legion Auxiliary were inducted Saturday night. Murray Greene is the Legion president and Janice Frayne holds the same position for the Auxiliary. 40YEARS AGO June 9, 1965 - Miss Ann Fairbairn of Exeter showed pictures of her trip to Newfoundland at the Citizenship meeting of Hurondale WI in Caven Presbyterian church Friday. The Telephone System plans to install dial tele- phones in Dashwood. 45 YEARS AGO June 5, 1960 - W. Joseph Hogan, son of Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Hogan of the Mount Carmel area received his BA degree at the UWO convocation Saturday. Mr. John Goman, public school inspector for South Huron addressed the Exeter FWTAO unit at the annual banquet. 55 YEARS AGO June 6, 1950 - Mr. Allison Morgan who recently graduated from OAC in Guelph with a BSA degree has accepted a position with the Purina Company. The interior of the new Airmen's Lounge at RCAF Station Centralia was gutted by fire Tuesday afternoon. Damage was estimated at $4,000. Records were topped at the preliminary juvenile contest for the Kirkton Garden Party when 76 contestants in 56 numbers from 23 public schools took part. 60YEARS AGO June 5, 1945 - Mr. R.E. Hopper is planning a postwar funeral home in Exeter and has pur- chased the home of Sandy Elliott on William street. Jim White was in London Friday representing Exeter High School when 34 boys of Leaders Club were guests of the Free Press. 80YEARS AGO June 7, 1925 - The New Commercial Hotel in Hensall received its licence on Thursday to sell the new 4.4 per cent beer and quite a number took the opportunity to test the new drink. Thomas McMillan of Tuckersmith was nominat- ed to carry the Liberal standard at the next elec- tion for the Dominion Parliament. John and Percy Passmore, R.D. Bell and D. Brintnell took part in the Ingersoll trap shoot Monday. Mr. Colin Hudson of Hensall has a white Leghorn hen that laid an egg six inches around and eight inches long. 85 YEARS AGO June 3, 1920 - The Huron Anglican Synod has set the minimum stipend for clergy at $1,300 with free rectory. A meeting of ratepayers of S.S. 5 in Stephen township was held in the school Monday night and it was decided to install a steam heating sys- tem in the school. I I OYEARS AGO May 26, 1895 - In Exeter on Sunday, the ther- mometer registered 93 degrees in the shade and 115 degrees in the sun. In total disgust Dear Editor: I read with great dismay the letter in last week's Times Advocate written by W. Peter Fydenchuck in which he informs us that the Huron County Historical Society plans to parade a re -enactors in "authentic" Nazi uniforms at their annual dinner in the fall. What on earth are these people thinking?. This year, 2005 has been officially proclaimed the "Year of the Veteran". A year in which we take time to cele- brate the service and sacrifices our soldiers, sailors, airmen, made on our behalf fighting Germans in two world wars. Wars that were fought at horrendous cost to Canadians so that we may all enjoy the freedom we have today. That very same freedom incidentally that allows the Huron County Historical Society to do what it plans to do. Yet with that freedom they have chosen to show disrespect and contempt for each and every one of our veter- ans who fought in those two horrific wars. Their plans are beneath contempt. To the members of the Huron County Historical Society I would like to point out that during World War One, 628,736 Canadians fought in that war. A number which includes 4,518 women. 66,673 lost their lives, 138,166 were wounded and 2,818 were made prisoners of war. In World War Two 1,081,865 of our citizens including 49,963 women served in our forces fighting the Nazis. 44,927 of them lost their lives, 53,145 were wounded and 8,271 were taken prisoner. Do the Huron Historical Society think this is something to celebrate by parading men in Nazi uniforms in this our "Year of the Veteran". Well I think not and I urge them to rethink their contemptuous- ly silly game. Of all the wonderful things there are to celebrate in the history of Huron County one has to wonder what rational has been employed in picking a Nazi theme for their games. Do they not realize who the Nazis were and what they stood for. For the record, they were vile people who inflicted pain and suffering on populations at large. They killed, they maimed, they tortured, they gassed, they raped, they stole and they plundered on a mas- sive scale. They had no regard for human life at all yet here we are 60 years after the end of World War Two and we have a group of people wishing to parade in the very uniforms of the people who committed such crimes against humanity How totally contemptuous. During the month of May the Dutch people in our community celebrated the Victory in Europe and the driving of the Nazis from Holland by Canadian Forces. They paid homage to the Canadian veterans in a fine and most sin- cere style. I attended those celebrations and indeed was a member of the colour party for the dedication of the Dutch monument in Goderich and as such was proud to take my place in the ranks of our veterans. The Huron Historical Society should take a lesson from the Dutch community. They got it right in spades. The Huron County Historical Society should read the history of World War two and then perhaps they will abandon their folly. Smarten up people. What you are doing is thoughtless and offensive in the extreme and those of us who experi- enced war don't like what you are planning to do. In total disgust. RON HELM, Legionnaire Remember when Dear Editor: Remember when two empty milk bottles went out on the porch on a cold winter night with the change in the bottles, and by the next morning they were replaced with two full bottles of milk, the card- board lids one inch above the bottle necks, as frozen cream had exploded outside the bottle. Or the bread man knocking at your door presenting a tray of breads, cookies, doughnuts, and cakes, selling baked goods at your doorstep. Ah, yes, as kids we would ride our bikes all day in the summer, as long as we were home by supper. Young boys playing with marbles, cracking chestnuts or getting a baseball or street hockey game organized. Girls got their chalk and drew hopscotch games on the sidewalk, skipping ropes with singles or double Dutch were the order of the day. Now we have Pacman, Nintendo and the Internet as games are presented to us. Years ago we made up games and we had friends. Remember going to the store and getting a roll of caps for your cap gun. If you didn't have a cap gun you got a hammer or a stone trying to make a spark and a bang hitting the caps on the sidewalk. If you fell out of a tree, too bad, you didn't charge the owner of the tree. Or if you got picked up by the police, you didn't get bailed out by Dad, he would side with the law. How about square dancing at the school gym with Norm doing the call, or going to a school dance, girls on one side of the gym and boys on the other. If you would cross the floor and ask a girl for a dance, Heaven forbid a refusal cause it was a long walk back to your side all by yourself, everybody watching. Oh, and there was learning to drive in Dad's old car, stick shift on the steering column (3 on the tree). The hot days of summer, working in the garden, coming up to the house and getting a drink out of the garden hose. Yes, we've come a long way, ya think. 1/,;L Letters o t,I!► e -Editor FJ our own MARTEN DYKSTRA w Searching for memories Dear Editor: The Marathon of Hope is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. To commemorate this event, the organizers of the Exeter Terry Fox Run would like to hear from anyone who saw Terry on his momentous journey. We would like to have our own "Memories of Terry" photo taken. If you saw Terry Fox in 1980 please call Jane at 235-2072 or Ann at 235-0949. Sincerely JANE HUNDEY 235-2072 Wearing German uniform is unacceptable Dear Editor: Re: German uniform creates rift for history buffs Wearing a Nazi uniform for any kind of re-enactment is unacceptable. There are differences between WWII and NATO Germany, of which I took part when serving with the RCAF in Europe in the late 1950s. Prior to serving in Europe I was stationed at RCAF Centralia and we trained the German Air Force. Huron County Historical Society president Debbie Bauer should try wearing a Nazi uniform in today's Germany — even though it is a democratic nation, she would be arrested. Ms. Bauer being fourth generation is out of touch. There is a difference between a WWI, WWII postwar German uniform and Hitler's Nazi soldiers, not to mention the SS. Mr. Fydenchuk is right about insulting not only Canadian veterans but the memory of Canadians who made the supreme sacrifice. ALLAN A. RUBIN President, The Canadian Air Land Sea Museum Markham Airport, Markham, Ont.