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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1984-12-05, Page 2Huron pos!tor SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST �yrsn,rt"y,,,nn:.. Brut RIBBON AWARU 1983 Incorporating i>russels post 10 Main Street 627-0240 Published In SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning JOCELYN A. SHRIER, Publlaher RON WASSINK, Editor Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc. Ontario Community Newspaper Aaaoclatlon Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Pretty Union Internettonal Frees Institute Subscription rates: Canada $18.75 a year (In advance) Outside Canada $55.00 a year (In advance) Single Copier -50 cents each SEAFONTAR9t', WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1964 Second class malt registration Number 0698 ooking back In he next few months, possibly weeks, Huron County council will be discussing the fate of thecounty pioneer museum located in Gtdderich. So far, county council has discussed three proposals concerning the museum. And in their decision making process, the county has asked local municipalities for their input and guidance. The museum, in recent years, hasn't had too much sbpport •from the 56,000 residents in Huron County. But then again, Huron County.either doesn't know, or Is ignorant of the fact that marketing is the key to success. Granted, the museum is operating at a deficit -- it has for the last 10 years. But 20,000 tourists visit the museum and in fact, Huron County. The museum does Indeed have an economic Impact on our communities. People may visit the museum, but they also shop in our stores and eat in our restaurants. One county resident said we have ail these marketable assets sitting under our noses, yet we're missing out on everything. Highway #8 which leads to Goderich, and to the museum, was called the Huron Road when it was first constructed. Can we not have a Huron Road? Our heritage is slowly crumbling. And If we soon don't stop it, we will have little else but memories. Huron County Is unique in that It does have its very own museum --and it has over 1500 artifacts, most of which relate to Huron County history. Suddenly we are faced with mounting costs to restore the museum and literally give the museum a good dusting, something it needed 10 years ago. And It's going to cost money. But in the long term, the money will be well -spent. The museum should continue to operate. It deserves the support of all county municipalities. After all, to know what we're doing today, we have to know what happened yesterday. - R.W. Al; 41( Mallsrat ;i Write to Santa The Huron Expositor, as In previous years, welcomes letters to Santa Claus. Santa is an avid reader of this newspaper, and again has renewed his subscription. In an accompanying letter, he writes, "I enjoy reading the Expositor each and every week. It's one way I can keep tabs on the children who have been good throughout the year. I especially keep an eye on the letters Ato Santa section." Santa says he reads every letter he receives from children requesting gifts for Christmas. And that Includes letters that appear in the Expositor. Children are again asked to write to the address listed below. A "Letters to Santa" box Is also located In the Expositor office. Send letters to: Santa Claus, c/o The Huron Expositor, Box 69, Seaforth, Ont, HOH OHO Times are changing COUNTRY CORNER by Larry Dillon it was an excellent banquet. 1 enjoyed myself and met many new people. 1 met a nice , lady who is a school teacher. There was a nurse present. There were two secretaries, and i have not yet mentioned the lady sales representative. No 1 did not sneak in on a meeting of professional ladies, i was at a banquet for a farm group. The tie between all these ladies was their husbands. Their husbands were all farmers. i mentioned the fact that all the wives present seemed to be employed off the farm. It may have been a coincidence. but at our table, every farmer's wife there was a working woman. The gentleman beside me commented that in the case of his family it was necessary. They needed his wife's income to keep the farm going. This statement was met with knowing • nods around the table. Some claimed that the extra income wasn't absolutely necessary. They just need it for little extras like clothing for the children, car payments, extra food, Christmas presents, eta. it was generally agreed, that even if the wife's income wasn't necessary to the survival of the farm, it was an important component of the farm finances.- As nances,As usual, i started to bore people by quoting statistics. in the data for the latest year released by Stats Canada, the average Ontario net farm income was $2,09S. This was not enough for the families to live on. it was supplemented by a net off -farm income of over $15,000. That average farm family was bringing home seven times as much money by working off the farm as the farming operation was generating in net income. It is a matter of survival for today's farmer. Husband, wife, or both must have a job in order to support the family. The average farm in this province is barely holding it's own. In many cases it is the husband who stays home and takes care of the farm while the wife works full time. This seems to be the start of a major change in the organization of rural families. The wife's income is becoming an important source of cash for the family. The farmer -husband is becoming dependent on this extra income. Our traditional head of the family , has suddenly found himself demoted, Sometimes to second place. it is he who needs the financial security supplied by his mate. it is he who is staying home while the bread winner is out working for grocery money. Now the ladies at our table were getting interested in the topic. Most of them had not considered the situation in these terms. The change has been taking place gradually over the past few years as farm incomes have declined. it's an interesting thought. Women are achieving goals of the feminist movement without consciously try• tog. The economic crisis in farming has caused a recognition of their ability and of the value of the contribution that they are making. Not all farm wives operate the farm or hold a full-time job, but it's becoming more common - it is now socially acceptable. At one time, it was a mark of shame if the wife had to go out and find a job. Now it's become a matter of necessity for most young farm families. Our economic recession has at least benefitted rural people in one way. The traditional husband -wife relationship is changing because of it. We see fewer marriages that have one totally dominant partner and one totally submissive. The new farm family has husband and wife working side by side in an effort to support their family and their -home. The financial difficulties of the past few years have helped both partners' to learn how much they need and depend upon each other. The group I was sitting with showed this change. The farmer -husbands there (myself included) admitted to the contribution that their wives were milking to the families. We were proud of the professional status of our partners. CLOWNING AROUND—Rick Klass and Mary Ann Cooper entertained baby J.J. with their antics Saturday. They were all assem- bled at a Christmas party hosted by the Foster Parents Association of Huron County. (Mcllwralth photo) Let's make garbage fun SENSE AND NONSENSE by Ron Wassink The interest shown by Seaforth, Tucker- smith and McKillop residents concerning a new landfill site, dump, junk yard, or whatever you want to call it, is growing in momentum. That interest was sparked when people started to realize how close a dump would be to their homes. And when they got to thinking about what could happen if their drinking water was contaminated by Icach• ate, (pollution as it's more commonly known), they became angry. And then there's the question of burning garbage if such a dump is to be put at the lagoon property at the west side of town. How will the smoke affect some 2,000 people, many of who are senior citizens, some who have respiratory problems? The more they think about having yet another dump almost within town limits, the angrier concerned residents are becoming. And let's face it, these same people have put up with one dump for 20 years. The last thing they want is another 20 years of the same. That's when we all started talking alternatives. One altbrnative that the people want, but that the Ministry of the Environment is hesitant to pursue, is incineration. Hell. we're burning garbage now --we may as well do a good job of it. So let's incinerate. And you know, that's the best idea we've heard yet. There won't be rats, rabid animals scavenging through the garbage for food, and there'll be less chance of water contamination. With, the proper pollution control equipment, we can even control, to an extent, air pollution --we're polluting the air 'now anyway. GARBAGE WILL BE FUN Besides, with an incinerator, garbage will be fun. And that's the way it should be, fun and moneymaking. We can call it, "Let's Make Garbage Fun", in our push for incineration. Seaforth is sitting on a gold -mine of salt. Wells have already been drilled down to the salt laden water. All we have to-do is pump it up. That means we won't have to dig deep mine shafts and use oversize equipment to work such mines as they now do in Goderich. CUCUMBER GREENHOUSE With all the tubing in place to operate the evaporator. we could extend a pipe to carry steam heat to a nearby greenhouse for our very own year-round cucumber patch. Besides having our own table salt, we could have our own pickles! And if we got tired of pickles, we could grow tomatoes --they're growing them at Douglas Point - so why shouldn't we? - By the time we got everything working to perfection. other municipalities would be running out of sites to dump their garbage. And what a better place to take their garbage than Seaforth, The revenue gener- ated from the "rent" of our incinerator would be enough to sink another salt mine, build another greenhouse and maybe we'd have steam left over to evaporate a few hundred gallons of maple sap. Hey, we could even have our own sugar! And maybe, just maybe, we'd have enough steam to assist with snow removal. When the time comes to dig up Main Street, whether it be for new paving or new sewer lines, we could lay a steam line or two under the street. Voila, the snow melts and therefore no need to plow sidewalks and street. That would indeed make business people and shoppers happy. l'he uses and possibilities of an incinerator are endless. And when youget thinking about it. the idea of an incinerator and its uses aren't really all that ridiculous. After all, if we're, and that means all of Huron County, going to burn garbage, then why waste all the heat. Let's make garbage work for us. T-SHIRTS, BUTTONS It's truly time to "make garbage fun", We could get t -shirts printed with the "Let's Make Garbage Fun" logo. We could have buttons printed, or maybe even garbage bags. And the revenue generated from the t•shirt, buttons and garbage bag sales could baa sizable down -payment on our very own incinerator. Maybe we could even pay off part of the 5125,000 we've already spent on the search for a new landfill site. And we haven't even talked tourist trade.... Statues will be built in time BEHIND THE SCENES by Keith Roulston Rejoice businessmen. You are the heros of the 80's. Give them time and Brian Mulroney and Ronald Reagan will be building statues to you. Someday they will build large buildings, almost like cathedrals that will be lined with the likenesses of the saviours of our day. They are the people who wrested the nation back out of the hands of those long-haired hippies who have been infiltrating the country since the 1960's and they will put it hack on the right road." The ears of government are open to you at long last. The impediments preventing the promised land will be swept away. And you, in turn. will make this a land of boundless riches. You may, of course. have a bit of a hard time letting the politicians know that you're really a businessman. Despite the fact that our new government has more small businessmen in its ranks than lawyers. whenever Mr. Mulroney or Mr. Wilson talk to a "businessman", we see pictures of them with the president of some huge corporation. When the government started trying to unload crown corporations, it started looking for some huge corporation that would buy the whole thing, tick stock and debt. Other governments have distributed shares in such corporations to all citizens but not our boys. The fact is, nearly all the leaders in the government, Mr. Mulroney. Mr. Wilson, Sinclair Stevens, think a small business is one that has a headquarters of no less than 30 stories high on Bay Street. Ah but they sound good. All the words are there. Small business. they say over and over again, is where the growth will come from. Small businesses are the place where new ideas come from, where the dynamism in our economy comes from, So far, however. there hasn't been much more than words showered on the small businessman from on high Just the election of the new government is reward enough, 1 guess. Meanwhile the real goodies continue to go to big business. With the reduction of programs to keep tabs on environmental damage from industrial contaminants, for instance, there comes the feeling that big business is being told the good old days are back. Go back to the 50's when no questions will be asked about what that guck you pipe into the water or air as long as you're providing jobs. Go back to the good old days when you were in a power struggle with your workers and you had the power on your side. There's no doubt we do need a new deal for small businessmen, whether farmers, main street merchants or small manufacturers, The trouble is. mention business and it's big business that gets the attention. And let's not forget that sonic of the mess we're in is because of big business, There wouldn't be as stringent laws about safety in the workplace, there wouldn't be minimum wage laws if businesses hadn't been negligent to the first place. There wouldn't be tough environmental controls if we hadn't had businessmen who didn't give a damn what happened to wastes once it was off their property. New rules to encourage businessmen are fair, but let's make sure that the businesses are fair in return. If they are, and they can rebuild the economy, then we can build their statues. Names, letters bring back memories SUGAR AND SPICE by Dill Smiley i have come up with some items that bring back memories and voices from the past. A few months ago, a young colleague of mine was heading off to Zimbabwe (formerly Rhodesia) with his wife and children to teach school there. They didn't know a 'soul in that part of Africa. i had a thought, which occurs every so often. "Mark," i told him, "i have an old war -time friend who lived in Rhodesia. 1'11 dig up his address, and maybe he can at least give you some tips on life there." So I went to my old prisoner -of -war log book, and there it was. Unfortunately, Don McGibbon lived in Bulawayo, not Salisbury. to which Mark was posted. However, I gave him the address and a note to my old friend. There was every likelihood that he was dead, or had moved, or had got out of the country, as so many white Rhodesians did when a black takeover seemed inevitable. And the other day, while 1 was having lunch, a member of our staff was reading a letter from Mark's wife. it turned out that they'd been sent to Bulawayo, not Salisbury. She described conditions,,pretty grim — curfews, house searches for Insurgents, and so on — and the letter said: "And we're going for a picnic on Sunday with Bill Smiley's old air force friend." You could have knocked me down with a Spitfire. 1 hadn't heard from Mac since 1945, when we were both incarcerated in prison camp. We'd been'bn the same Typhoon wing in Normandy, where 1 knew him slightly. He'd been shot down shortly after I was, and joined by a wounded Australian, Frank Land, we wound up as a trio doing a train journey all over Germany: first to a camp occupied by .British and New Zealand veteran's of Cyprus, then to an interrogation centre at Frankfurt, then off on a long haul across the war-torn country to a prison tamp, where we wound up in the same room in barracks. One forms pretty close associations under trying circumstances. We did. 1 had a lot of respect for the Rhodesians I'd met: their courage. their cheerfulness, their lack of swank. And, of course, they were only colonials, so we Canadians could needle them about that. Mac was one of the best of the. best. As if that weren't enough to start the juices of memory flowing, my wife, while cleaning out drawers and boxes, came across a cache 'of ancient letters and pictures that I'd forgotten existed. There I am, Leading Aircraftsman Smiley, at 21, black hair, white teeth (the opposite of the present), wedge cap tilted to one side, dashing moustache, cocky as only a young fellow can be when he knows he's going to be a fighter pilot. And there i am again, on a prison camp identification card, complete with numbers and fingerprint, soon after I'd been shot down, looking bewildered and anything but cocky, And another photo, at another camp, front and side view, looking 10 years older, stubble of beard, mean. And finally, a photo taken soon after release, sporting the magnificent handlebar moustache I'd grown in camp: a picture of Freddy Wakeham, Canadian, Eric Necklen, New Zealander, and self, in front of out tent in Normandy. I am the only survivor. And another one, both leaning against a Spitfire's fuselage, of two of our gang, a motley crowd, when we trained in Shropshire to take off and land Spits without killing ourselves. Jacques Van der Perren, Belgian, and Singh Thandi, Indian Air Force. Van escaped when the Germans invaded Belgium, made his way through occupied France, got over the mountains into Spain and was thrown in jail for six months. He was eventually released, got to England, joined the R.A.F., and was shot down and killed on a mission not far from his home town in Belgium. Singh Thandi went back to India. i heard he was killed flying Hurricanes in Burma, We were closer than most brothers. The only one of that crowd left is Jack Ryan of MMORIES/SEE PAGE THREE 1