HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-06-29, Page 5Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Exeter Times—Advocate
5
Opinion Forum News
ROSS
HAUGH
BACK IN TIME
I OYEARS AGO
June 29, 1995 - The SHDHS
junior girls soccer team claimed
the Huron -Perth championship
recently beating Stratford Central
3-0 on goals from Sunny Dinney,
Preslee Maver and Sara Szabo.
The coach is Dave Cox.
Gar Johnston, postmaster at
Grand Bend for the past 25 years
retired last week. Before his
Grand Bend appointment,
Johnston spent 11 years at the Exeter post office.
Denver England of Lucan reached a pinnacle in
his hockey career when he was drafted by the Sault
Ste. Marie Greyhounds on June 10 giving the 17 -
year -old goalie a stab at playing in the OHL this sea-
son.
20YEARS AGO
June 29, 1985 - Sandra Strang has been named
acting clerk -treasurer and tax collector of the town-
ship of Usborne.
25 YEARS AGO
June 25, 1980 - The weekend homecoming at
SHDHS was a tremendous success. The reunion
marked the 75th anniversary of the high school and
the 30th for the new facility. Some of the earliest
students coming back were Jessie (Jaques) Manson
1908, Wilfred Mack 1911, William Sillery 1906,
Reta (Rowe) Smith 1917 along with Ed Alexander
and Charlie Fisher. Elmer Ince now residing in
Australia came the farthest distance to attend the
proceedings.
35 YEARS AGO
June 27, 1970 - The hope that 250 bones found
on the Michielson potato farm south of Grand Bend
were that of mastodons was quashed when the
curator from the Royal Museum in Toronto said
they were from old horses which could be any-
where from 200 to 9,000 years old.
Bill Batten, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Batten, has
been awarded two scholarships by the Ryerson
Institute of Technology where he is a student in
graphic arts.
Exeter residents were faced with "on strike" signs
when they went to pick up their mail at the local
post office, Thursday.
40YEARS AGO
June 28, 1965 - Henderson's Produce which has
been in operation in Hensall for the past 27 years
will close effective Saturday, July 3 owing to
changes to the egg grading business.
45YEARS AGO
June 29, 1960 - Mr. and Mrs. James Masse of the
Zurich area, who have the largest living family in
Canada, 11 daughters and 10 sons will celebrate
their golden anniversary next Sunday.
50YEARS AGO
June 27, 1955 - Five storage wells with a capacity
of 11,000 gallons each are being constructed in the
police village of Centralia for fire protection.
Three reasons why the Exeter Mohawks are lead-
ing the Huron -Perth baseball league are three slug-
gers. Bob Meharg has an impressive .500 batting
average and Red Loader and Harry Holtzmann are
hitting at a .412 clip.
55 YEARS AGO
June 25, 1950 - Exeter Lions Club awards for the
top students in each grade at Exeter District High
School went to Kathryn Hunter, Joan Ellerington,
John Haberer and Joan Hopper.
60YEARS AGO
June 30, 1945 - The newly established labour
camp for German prisoners of war, opposite the
Eden schoolhouse, is now in operation. Most of the
prisoners at the camp are from the German
Merchant Marine.
The cement foundation is in for the new grand-
stand at Exeter fairgrounds and a new oval has
been graded for a racetrack.
85 YEARS AGO
June 26, 1920 - Mr. R.N. Rowe has received a
motor hearse from the McLaughlin Auto Company.
He will retain the old hearse for the winter and
unfavourable roads.
1 I OYEARS AGO
June 28, 1895 - At R. Pickard and Sons, mer-
chants in Exeter, ladies vests are selling from five to
twenty-five cents, two pairs of ladies black hose for
25 cents and summer corsets are now 50 cents.
The new cornerstone of the Evangelical Church
in Dashwood was laid Sunday afternoon. The guest
speaker was Bishop Esher of Cleveland, Ohio.
Seniors' Perspective
By lim ears
By Jim Perspective
ADULT ACTIVITIES CO-ORDINATOR
Lucan Area Heritage & Donnelly Museum
Bus Tours and Events for 2005:
June 30 and July 1 dance and parade, open museum,
and much more, to participate, or get involved call
227-0444.
Sat., and Sun., Aug. 6 and 7 Antique Steam
Threshing Bee.
Thurs. Aug. 25: Bus tour to the Walters theatre barn,
for the songs and music of Patsy Cline, Hank
Williams, June Carter and Johnny Cash, Bus
and Dinner Theatre.
Sept. 27, 28, 29, Tues., Wed., Thurs., bus
tour three days and two nights, Gananoque
and the 1000 Island boat cruise, deluxe coach,
new Holiday Express Hotel to open June 2005,
two breakfasts, one lunch, two dinners, casino
stop.
Dec. 2 Friday, Christmas lights and holiday
meal. Contact Harry Hardy 227-4887 or 227-
0444. E-mail: harry@cruiseselloffs.com
Adult public swim
In the past, the Exeter Swimming Pool has operated
each summer and has been a favourite for residents of
all ages. Adult public swimming is held Monday to
Thursday 6 to 6:30 p.m. For more information contact
the Exeter Pool at 235-3169.
Spring cleaning
Take a break and let us help! Town and Country
Support Services can give you a hand with yard work,
washing windows, even replacing light bulbs! Our
affordable home help and homemaking services
include: vacuuming, dusting, mopping floors, cleaning
ovens, laundry and ironing, shopping and errands,
meal preparation. For information call Faye or Marg
at the Exeter office 235-0258 or 1-800-563-8246.
Seniors Guidebook to Safety and Security
(Please read)
Con Artists and Their Games
Not Me!
Generally, people believe it cannot happen to them.
But one has to remember that con artists are clever
actors appearing friendly and trustworthy. We all have
a particular image of a what a con artist is or looks
like, however, when faced with the real thing we can
be fooled.
The con artist is usually a stranger to you and can be
male or female. Usually they will approach you when
you are alone, so that no one else can overhear the
conversation, however, in some instances, two or more
people will work as a team. A con artist may approach
you on the street, by telephone or at your home.
Remember con artists want only one thing from you,
your money.
By arming yourself with knowledge of how the con
artist operates, you will reduce your chances of
becoming a victim of a con game.
Con games
Pigeon drop: An individual claims to have found a
large sum of money and offers to share it with you.
You are asked to withdraw "good faith" money from
your bank. The con artist may either request that you
simply show the money by placing it in a particular
wallet, later switching the wallet with one that does
not have any money in it or the con artist takes your
"good faith" money and gives you a phoney address
where you are to collect your share of the found
money. Either way the end result is you lose your
"good faith" money.
Refuse to participate in any deal requiring you to
demonstrate your financial ability to a stranger.
Bank examiner: An individual claiming to be a bank
examiner contacts you and requests your assistance
and co-operation in helping them uncover a suspected
dishonest bank employee. You are asked to withdraw
a specified amount of cash from your account. The
bank examiner takes your money, supposedly to check
the serial numbers. You never see the phoney bank
examiner or your money again.
Contact the police immediately if you are asked to
participate in such a scheme. Contact your bank, par-
ticularly someone you deal with regularly.
Diversion: Two or more individuals knock on your
door. One person claims to need your help, which
requires you to leave the entrance way. While you are
away helping this person, the other enters your home
and takes what he/she can before you return. It may
be days before you realize you have been robbed.
Never leave strangers unattended in your home.
Note: Many of the diversion tactics are referred to as
"Gypsy Scams."
Home improvement: A travelling repair person
knocks on your door and states while driving by he or
she noticed that the brickwork on your home is deteri-
orating, your house needs some painting or the porch
needs repairs. This person just happens to have left-
over material from another job and can do your repair
work at a considerable saving.
Be extremely cautious of the "just passing by" home
repairman. The leftover material offered may be stolen
or defective.
Resist the impulse to grab this "bargain."
When in doubt, check the offer with your local
Better Business Bureau or with a reputable com-
pany that supplies a similar service and materi-
als.
Utility Inspector: An individual claiming to be
an inspector from your local utility company
knocks on your door. He or she claims to be con-
ducting a routine inspection and requests to take
a look at your meter, furnace or fuse box. This
inspector informs you that you are breaking a
number of regulations and if you do not have this
fixed within 24 hours, your water, gas or electric-
ity will be cut off. The inspector then informs you that
he/she happens to have a friend that can do the job on
short notice at a reasonable price. In actual fact, there
is nothing wrong with your utilities.
Check the credentials of any public official or sales-
person. Call the utility company directly to verify the
credentials of the "inspector" and the inspection
notice.
Use your telephone directory when calling the utility
company, rather than the number given to you by the
"inspector."
Medical fraud: An ad, usually found in magazines,
offers a miracle cure for cancer, arthritis or some
other disease. The advertisement states that for
$29.99 they will send you a bracelet or some other
device that will cure your ailment. You are asked to
send a certified cheque or money order to some mail
order clinic. Four to six weeks later you receive the so-
called miracle cure, or cure-all. Unfortunately there is
no such thing as a cure-all or miracle cure.
If you suffer from a particular ailment, seek the
advice and services of qualified medical practitioners.
Phoney medical treatment purchased through the
mail should be reported to your physician, local med-
ical authorities or police.
Work -at -Horne: A newspaper/magazine ad states
that you can earn extra money at home by sewing or
by doing some other task. It states that a sample of
your work plus a small "registration fee" is required.
Unfortunately your work may not be returned and you
may never hear from the alleged promoter(s).
Do not enter into any business transaction you have
not thoroughly examined It would be to your financial
and personal benefit to consult with the Better
Business Bureau.
Contracts: In an attempt to have you to sign a con-
tract, a salesperson may tell you: "It is just a formali-
ty," "There is nothing to be concerned about," or "It is
for your protection." However, there may be clauses in
the contract that go beyond what you have been ver-
bally led to believe. Once you have signed, the contract
is binding and you are obligated to meet the terms of
the agreement. Even if the contract is questionable, for
you to break the contract may require expensive legal
services.
Never sign a contract that you have not read and
fully understand. If you have any doubts, seek advice
from your lawyer, banker or someone who has some
expertise with contracts.
Caution: Common Expressions Used By Con Artists
Cash only
Last chance!
Today only!
Limited offer!
Too good to pass up!
Something for nothing
Free with...
Just between you and me
Easy buck
Double your money
You have won!
CONSUMER BEWARE
Who? How? Where? When? Why?
As a consumer, you must recognize both the risk and
responsibility involved with each transaction you
make. Whether you are dealing with a door-to-door
salesperson, telephone solicitor or through the mail,
See PERSPECTIVE page 6
Jim Be
arss