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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2006-05-24, Page 66 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday, May 24, 2006 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 men had done for all of us and I had been complaining silently about "me" and "my" issues I took for granted the everyday freedoms I enjoy and the conveniences of the Canadian way of life. I took for granted that others had paid the price for my ability to moan and complain about a few minutes delay to "me" while those Heroes were going home to their loved ones. I attempted to get my selfish outlook back in order and minutes before we landed, I suggested to the atten- dant that she announce over the speaker a request for everyone to remain in their seats until our heroes were allowed to gather their things and be first off the plane. The cheers and applause continued until the last soldier stepped off and then we all rose to go about our too often taken for granted everyday freedoms. I felt proud of them. I felt it an honour and a privilege to be among the first to welcome them home and say "Thank You for a job well done." I vowed that I would never forget neither the ffight nor the lesson learned. I can't say it enough, THANK YOU to those Veterans and active servicemen and women who may read this and a prayer for those who cannot because they are no longer with us. Subject:The day Grandpa quit smoking! You might remember this far back! The little house behind the big house, one of my fondest memories as I recall the days of yore were the little house, behind the house, with the crescent o'er the door. 'Twas a place to sit and ponder with your head all bowed down low; knowing that you wouldn't be there if you didn't have to go. Ours was a multi-holer, three, with a size for every one. You left there feeling better after your job was done. You had to make those frequent trips in snow, rain, sleet, or fog --To that little house where you usually found the Sears -Roebuck catalog. Oft times in dead of winter the seat were spread with snow. `Twas then with much reluctance to that little house you'd go with a swish you'd clear that wooden seat, bend low, with dreadful fear, you'd shut your eyes and grit your teeth As you settled on your rear. I recall the day Old' Granddad who stayed with us one summer, made a trip out to that little house which proved to be a bummer 'Twas the same day that my Dad had finished painting the kitchen green. He'd just cleaned up the mess he'd made with rags and gasoline. He tossed the rags down in the hole and went on his usual way not knowing that by doing so he'd eventually rue the day. Now granddad had an urgent call, I never will forget! This trip he made to the little house stays in my memory yet. He sat down on the wooden seat, with both feet on the floor. He filled his pipe and tapped it down and struck a match on the outhouse door. He lit the pipe and sure enough, it soon began to glow. He slowly raised his rear a bit and tossed the flaming match below. The blast that followed, I am told was heard for miles around; and there was poor of Granddad sprawled out there on the ground. The smol- dering pipe still in his mouth, His eyes was shut real tight; the celebrated three-holer was blown clear out of sight. We asked him what had happened, what he said I'd ne'er forget. He said he thought it must have been the pinto beans he et! Next day we had a new one dad put it up with ease. But this one had a door sign that read: No Smoking, Please! Now that's the story's end my friend, of memories long ago, when we went to the house behind the house, because we had to go. For those who never had to trot out in the Cold...Just Give Thanks!!! The first Sunday after a man bought his new car, he decided to park it in the last row of the church lot, not wanting to be ostentatious. But, while he was talking with friends, he accidentally hit the panic button on his electronic key. Immediately the car horn blared and its lights flashed. While watching him fumble with the button, in embarrassment, his friend teased, "Wouldn't it have been in better taste to put a few lines in the church Bulletin?" Finally Readers: We as a group of older folks and have in the past had very strong agriculture roots and ties in Ontario and Canada. We are urging all governments to support our farmers to ensure a sustainable and profitable future. If you ate today thank a farmer. Concerns not addressed This letter was written in response to the meeting held May 10 in Crediton and was originally intended to be sent in for the May 16 issue of the T -A. It was held back in the hope (or fear of looking like an idiot) that council and the administration would address my concerns at the May 15 regular council meeting prior to the pub- lishing of the next paper. Crediton and Centralia residents are faced with the prospect of having to spend at least $20,000 each within the next two years on a large sewer project. Residents have been questioning council and the adminis- tration of South Huron as to how these costs are going to be deter- mined. The answers to these relevant questions have been few and vague. The general view of council and the administration appears to be that these residents and the rest of the public should "trust them"; this coming from the same group that brought us the `Exeter Water Meter Fiasco' and more recently the `Devon Corners Boondoggle'. Both these projects were relatively small endeavours, presented as nec- essary measures designed to serve. Both wasted hundreds of thousands of taxpayers' dollars and both were forced on the public with inaccurate and manipu- lated information. Council needs to present these residents with the formulas for how this project is going to be funded so that residents may determine the effect of this project on themselves individually. A number based on past estimates has been presented but the details on how this number was arrived at are still vague. If this is such a pressing environmental issue as it is being billed, it would be negligent for the administration to not have worked out these very important details years ago. Exactly how much it will cost will obvi- ously have to wait for tenders to be let, but citizens, businesses and the development community should not be left in the dark about the details. Council needs to sell their solution to the community if they are convinced theirs is the best or only option. Asking for the community's trust is asking too much too soon. The communities of Centralia and Crediton are still a force in their own right even within the relatively new larger municipality of South Huron. Virtually all resi- dents of these communities have come together and signed a petition regarding the current sewer issue. They have organized effective- ly in a very short period of time. Meetings organized by the com- munity (no citizen was paid for their time) and held for the gen- eral community's benefit have been packed. The way this issue has been handled by the communities affected is an example for all as to how a democracy is suppose to work. Footnote: The residents' concerns at the May 15 council meet- ing were not addressed. The Times -Advocate's editor Scott Nixon has done an exceptional job reporting this issue in his previ- ous printing. I would also like to personally thank the media from out- side this municipality for taking the time to draw attention to this issue which is shared by many other communities in the province. There are a number of individuals fed up with the status quo in South Huron. If anyone else is interested in becoming involved and affecting change in this commu- nity (as well as having a little fun) please contact Dean at hurcon@cabletv.on.ca 235-4726 or Wally Fydenchuk at wpf13@hotmail.com 234-6487 for information on the next meeting. Individuals with good ideas can make a significant difference! DEAN DUCHARME, Exeter Letters to Ed the ltor Board holds consultation meetings By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE SEAFORTH — Top administrators and trustees have just wrapped up a series of meetings with school council representatives across the district in the Avon Maitland District School Board's version of public consultation into its draft capital plan. In what is a new requirement this year, Ontario's Education Ministry asked school boards to create a 10 - year plan for accommodating stu- dents, submit it for approval and seek public input. The Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board chose to put its plan on its website and seek online feed- back. But according to Avon Maitland business superintendent Janet Baird -Jackson, the board's top brass decided instead to use in- person discussions with school community leaders. "In a sense, it's really good to have the dialogue now because we've already said we're not going to be in an accommodation review for a couple of years," she said in an interview. There is some urgency, however. The board is asking to receive any input by the end of June, so staff can present trustees with a final 10 -year plan in September. It won't necessarily make recommendations for possible school closures or con- struction 10 years from now, but it may provide some insight into how each community would like to see issues of declining enrolment and aging buildings addressed. "As we've closed schools in the past, people have wanted to see from us that we have a long-range plan," said Baird -Jackson. "I think this process has allowed us to come up with that long-range plan." Background information distrib- uted at the meetings stated board leaders "are interested in getting the community's reaction to the assumptions used by staff to create the preliminary plan." With attendance sought from school council representatives from each school in the area, meetings were held through late April and early May in South Huron, Stratford, Mitchell, St. Marys, Listowel, Wingham and the Central Huron/Goderich area. Information provided at the meetings included enrolment projections, a database called RECAPP that predicts when structural work might be necessary on each of the board's facilities, and the draft capital plan. "We're leaving it up to the various communities as to how far they want to take the community input," Baird -Jackson said. School council leaders in some communities plan on having follow- up meetings with their area coun- terparts before the June deadline for feedback to the board. That includes the St. Marys area, where Pat Weir is chair of the Arthur Meighen elementary school council. According to Weir, the informa- tion provided at their meeting about enrolment, necessary repairs, and the 10 -year plan was- n't surprising, since parents gener- ally know about the trends in enrol- ment and the condition of their schools. But she said the ideas brought by the board (including the possibility of expanding a rural school to take some town kids, because its one - level nature makes it easily accessi- ble to all students) made for inter- esting discussion when combined with ideas brought by school coun- cil members (including one per- son's notion of disposing of the town's two aging elementary schools and putting all students on one site at the existing high school). She was supportive of the process, however. "What we're trying to do is work through what makes sense for stu- dents over a long period of time. It's about knowing that change is going to happen ... and being at the lead of it and being proactive instead of trying to pick up the pieces after- ward." Catholic board rep takes over post By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE TIMES -ADVOCATE DUBLIN — Bernard Murray, representative for Perth South and St. Marys on the Huron -Perth Catholic District School Board, has taken over the presidency of the Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA). Murray was acclaimed at the provincewide orga- nization's Annual General Meeting in Toronto April 21. The OCSTA serves as a collective lobbying voice for Ontario's Catholic school boards, taking in over 600,000 students between Kindergarten and Grade 12. "It's an opportunity to bring the good news of Catholic education to the (Ontario Education) Ministry," Murray said after a regular Huron -Perth board meeting April 24. "Because that's what (the OCSTA) does, essentially." Murray, a retired dairy farmer and one-time sec- ondary school teacher, has been with the Huron - Perth board since 1985 and became involved as a regional director with the OCSTA in the 1990s. The organization is governed by a board of 13 regional directors, with Huron and Perth falling in the same region as Grey, Bruce, Wellington and Waterloo counties. He said he has been encouraged to seek the presi- dency in recent years, particularly since being named OCSTA vice-president two years ago. "Bernard is committed to working with the govern- ment and partners in education to enhance learning opportunities and outcomes for students in Ontario," stated a news release distributed by the OCSTA.