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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-12-28, Page 5Wednesday, December 28, 2005 Exeter Times -Advocate 5 Opinion Forum News ROSS HAUGH BACK IN TIME I OYEARS AGO December 20, 1995 - In an attempt to cut costs, Exeter council will be merging the annual appre- ciation night and Christmas party into one with elimination of enter- tainment and a free bar. Just in time for Christmas, the new Centralia Faith Tabernacle Church was completed on December 2. Events celebrating the official opening of the church are slotted for the week of April 8. 15 YEARS AGO December 19, 1990 - One of Southwestern Ontario's best-known politicians died recently at Victoria Hospital in London. Bill Stewart was the Conservative MPP for 18 years for the riding of Middlesex North and was Minister of Agriculture from 1961 to 1975. Hensall reeve Jim Robinson officially became the warden of Huron county Tuesday afternoon as he was sworn in by Mr. Justice Frances Carter. At the recent annual meeting of South Huron Community Living, Pat Campbell of Exeter received a life -time membership from president Ila Mathers. Mrs. Campbell retired from the board in June after 12 years of service. 25 YEARS AGO December 17, 1980 - Despite cold weather and heavy flurries of snow the recent Santa Claus parade in Exeter was one of the best ever held. Prize winners were the town of Exeter, Dinney Furniture, Big 0 Tile, SHDHS and Usborne Central. Chairman Don Haines said about 50 floats took part in the parade. Saturday, Exeter fire chief Gary Middleton said goodbye to Exeter's oldest fire truck. The 1944 model is off to the Huron county museum. Receiving 100 hours of service pins at South Huron Hospital are Candy Stripers Linda Roberts, Lisa Rooth, Kathy Topp and Debra Brunzlow. President Paul Pavkeje presented awards to the top South Huron Junior Farmers for 1980 to Elaine Pym and Wayne Shapton. 35 YEARS AGO December 23, 1970 - Exeter council received one of the longest petitions ever presented locally, as students of Exeter Public School have started a campaign to keep "our friend" Hank Greene as crossing guard. Greene is to be retired at the end of the year, although he has let it be known he is not pleased with the situation. Clerk Eric Carscadden informed council that there was no policy to make it mandatory to retire at the age of 65. Jim Connolly who has held the position of acting road foreman in Grand Bend for the past four years resigned recently to take the road superintendent position in Southampton. 40YEARS AGO December 19 - Rev. Duke Vipperman is leaving his parishes at Trivitt Memorial and St. John's by the Lake to go to Toronto's Little Trinity Church. 45 YEARS AGO December 27, 1960 - Charles P. Corbett became the fourth family member to serve in municipal office when he was elected to Lucan council last week and headed the polls. Both his father and grandfather were wardens of Middlesex county. 60YEARS AGO December 24, 1945 - So anxious was he to be home for Christmas after four years overseas, Calbert Cutting, a stretcher case, who arrived at Halifax on the Lady Nelson, took leave from the hos- pital and arrived in Exeter the same afternoon. Flight Lieutenant W.L. Schroeder who recently returned from Ceylon where he was attached to the RCAF is one of 25 members who have been award- ed the Distinguished Flying Cross. 85 YEARS AGO December 24, 1920 - Elected by acclamation for Exeter council were reeve B.W.F. Beavers and councillors Charles Snell, W.H. Penhale, Jesse Elston and Joe Davis. I I OYEARS AGO December 23, 1895 - Hay township clerk Fred Hess Sr. reports that all births, deaths and mar- riages not registered by December 25 are liable to a fine of $25 for negligence. The pews in Main street Methodist Church were rented on Wednesday last and were all taken in a short time. Sittings, however, can be secured on application to the pew steward. Seniors' Perspective By Jim Bearss ADULT ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR "It is only when the well is dry is that we learn the price of water." Benjamin Franklin January 2006, Seniors Meeting: On Tues., Jan. 3 plan to attend our monthly meeting. Starts off by a delicious potluck supper, followed by a short business meeting. The entertainment will be Len & Janice Hawkins, St Mary's Ontario who will be in attendance to talk to us and show us what it has been like to work and live in China. The couple has spent the past six years over there and really enjoyed the chance to learn another culture. Plan to be at the Exeter Legion by 5:45 p.m. for supper. Leonard's mother was Marjorie Fletcher (Hawkins/Hodgert) Congratulations to all winners of Centralia -Huron Park Lions Christmas draw; $400 - Marg Beaver; $300 - Liz Bell; $100 -Sandra Strang; $50 — Trevor McGregor; $50 — Kathy McLean; $25 — Eunice Aikenhead; $25 — Sarah Payton; $25 — Mike Porter; $25 — Charles McKinnon. Congratulations to Marie Brunslow, December winner for free dinner for "Dining for Senior's." This event happens every Tuesday at the Lions Youth Centre, Exeter. Enjoy your meal, Marie. The History of Christmas Trees and Ornaments: The origins of the first Christmas trees can be traced back to the Alsace region of 16th -century Germany. At the time, these trees were made of fir, since this was the wood of choice among the local craftsmen in the region. During the holiday season, these trees were handsomely decorated with real apples, but were only erected in front of city hall. At that time, homes were typically decorated with all kinds of tree branches such as holly, mistletoe, hawthorn, spruce, pine, yew and laurel. Over time, however, Christmas trees started popping up inside people's homes. These trees were suspended from the ceiling and had traditional apples attached to their trunks. Legend has it that one year following a particularly bad apple crop the Christmas trees remained bare. The children were so disappoint- ed that a glassblower worked all through Christmas night to create beautiful glass Christmas balls to replace the apples. The glass Christmas balls were eventually replaced with other decorative items such as small cakes and toys. Christmas trees would be solidly planted in buck- ets of sand and then shaken vigorously to knock off and distribute the attached gifts, much to everyone's joy. Other popular tree ornaments that came about were edible treats such as candies, painted walnuts and fig- urines made of marzipan. It was only in the 19th centu- ry that decorations were constructed with materials such as paper-mache, wire, glass or wax. Apples and oranges remained popular decorations, and were deco- rated with elaborate designs made of paper and com- munion wafers. Today, Christmas ornaments are nos- talgic reminders of the first holiday decorations. Advent Calendars: The first calendar counting down to Christmas dates back to the 19th century. People counted down 24 or 25 days until Christmas (with the last day being Christmas Eve or Christmas Day), by using chalk lines to mark off the days. Later on the tradition of lighting a candle each night was born. Today, Advent calendars vary. Some have drawers or drawers that are opened every day to reveal a religious icon; piece of candy or you may even find ones with cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse. Candles: The first use of candles at Christmas was in the Roman festival of Saturnalia where tall tapers of wax were given as gifts to guests and as an offer- ing to Saturn as a symbol of his light. As Christianity spread, candles were placed in the front window of homes to guide the Christ Child as he went from house to house on Christmas Eve. Candy Canes: According to the National Confectioners Association, in the 17th century, the choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany gave his young singers sugar sticks to keep them quiet during ceremonies. In honor of the occasion, he had the candies bent in a shepherd's crooks. In 1847, a German -Swedish immigrant decorated a small blue spruce with paper ornaments and candy canes. By the 1900s, the candy cane got its red and white stripes and peppermint flavors. They were mass- produced by the late 1950s, and their popularity spread. Mistletoe: The Scandinavians thought of mistletoe as a peaceful and harmonious plant. And they linked Frigg, their goddess of love, with mistletoe. The combinations of these two schools of thought brought about the custom of kissing under the mistletoe. Those who kissed beneath the mistletoe were thought to have happiness and good luck the next year. Poinsettias: America's first ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, is the namesake for his native Mexican plant, which he brought to America in 1828. The plant was likely used by Mexican -Franciscans in their 17th century Christmas celebrations. Mexicans thought the plant symbolized the Star of Bethlehem, leading to its association with Christmas. Stockings: A man was so sad over the death of his wife that he spent all his money. Unfortunately this habit left his three daughters without money for wedding dowries. St. Nicholas wanted to help the poor girl's cause, so he anonymously threw three small pouches of gold coins down the chimney of their home. The coins landed in the stockings of the women who had hung them by the fireplace to dry. Santa, As We Know Him Fat, jolly and bearded and clad in a familiar red suit, Santa Claus is a familiar holiday symbol to nearly everyone. But who is this man really and how did he become such an ingrained holiday symbol? In the seventeenth century, Santa in the form of St. Nicholas, first came to America with Dutch immigrants. While he was a kind man who left treats for children he didn't much resemble the fat man in the red suit we know today. In early folklore, Santa also rode a white horse though the sky and Santa was thought to be a symbol of the Pagan Holly King Ontario's Struggle with having enough food; Food Banks are still the only mechanism for deliver- ing food to the province's poor, people who can on average only afford $4.50 a day in essentials. There are three times more Canadians lining up at food banks every month than there are farmers who grow the food. And the lines aren't getting any shorter, even though a growing number, members of the rising sub -class called the working poor now have jobs. In Ontario alone, there were 338,563 individuals lin- ing up at the province's network of 288 food banks in 2005, and 42% were children. The myth is that these are somehow just people on welfare. Food bank of Waterloo Region, which last year distributed 3 million pounds of food to 65 regional food banks, soup kitchens, and school breakfast programs. These are people who are really trying to make ends meet, and they just don't have the income to do it. Hungercount 2005, a new report from the Canadian Associations of Food Banks, documents the effort of Canada's combined 650 food banks and 2,874 affiliated agencies. Across the country, 823,856 individuals used food banks last year. In Ontario, however, food banks usage in 2005 is up 4.6 per cent, with 15,000 more adults and 15,000 more children joining the ranks of not having enough food to eat. But poverty isn't just a city problem. An estimated 30 per cent of Canada's poor live in rural regions, and 45 percent of municipalities with populations under 10,000 now have their own food bank's, and the num- ber rises each year. At heart, the issue is poverty, and the only way to close down food banks will be through government actions that target poverty. Today, food bank support- ers say, government action is falling woefully short. For instance, at Ontario's minimum wage of $7.45 per hour, a 35 -hour per week job generates $13,559 a year, well below the poverty line even in small communities. In cities, it's even worse. After paying rent and utilities, the average food bank recipient in Toronto has a mere $4.50 per person per day to cover all expens- es, from clothing and school supplies to food. Jim Bearss Like other food banks, however those in poverty seeing that there is no one else to pro- vide some of the social services need the Food Bank of Waterloo Region. That includes teaching coping skills such as learning what makes a good diet, how to budget and how to get every penny's worth of value out of their scant incomes. Society, now are often dealing with people who have never been exposed to these coping strategies and edu- cation. They don't know how or where to start. Trends: Food Banks; Despite the generosity of thou- sands of Ontarians, many food banks continue to strug- gle to provide hunger relief to those in need in their communities. In many cases that ability to provide emergency assistance is actually decreasing. Roughly one in three food banks in the province reported a decrease in their ability to meet the needs of their clients in 2005. The commitment of enough food for cit - See PERSPECTIVE page 6