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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1984-05-16, Page 2— THE HURON EXPOSITOR, MAY 16, 1984 OPINION Huron . 4 xpositor�� SINCE 1860, SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST CIa BLUE RIBBON Awnan 1983 Incorporating 10 Malr Street Published In SEAFORTH, ONTARIO Every Wednesday morning Brussels Post 527-0240 JOCELYN A. SHRIER, Publisher RON WASSINK, Editor KATIE O'LEARY, Advertising Representative Member Canadian Community Newspaper Assoc Ontario Community Newspaper Association Ontario Press Council Commonwealth Press Union International Press Institute Subscription rates: Canada $18.75 a year (In advance) Outside Canada $55.00 a year (in advance) Single Copies - 50 cents each SEAFORTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 16, 1984 Second class mall registration Number 0696 c cn What is news? • Because the Huron Expositor Is a community newspaper, we greatly depend on submissions from various individuals and organizations in Seaforth and the surrounding area for the paper's content. Although some newspapers .have phased out their community correspondence, we continue to value the important contribution area correspondents and other members of the public make to the paper. It is only with some hesitation, therefore, that the following suggestions are made about how news submitted for publication in the paper might be improved. We hope that the suggestions made here will be taken in the spirit in which they are intended; we don't want to discredit or discourage those who make the effort to inform the public about what is happening within their group, but we do want to pass on some tips to help make submissions more newsworthy and therefore, more interesting and better read. To be specific, it is really not news to report that 0 Canada was sung or the 4-H pledge was recited at the start of the meeting when that is the usual way a particular meeting always starts. If, however, it was decided to stop opening meetings that way, that fact might be newsworthy. Similarly, it is not news to say that the minutes of the last meeting were read, that the business was attended to, that several matters were discussed, that coffee was served and that the' meeting was adjourned. That happens at most regular meetings of most organizations. What may be newsworthy is what the business part of the meeting was' about, what plans were discussed and what decisions were made; and whether the treasurer's report showed the organization to be In a healthy or a dismal financial situation. Too often the real items of interest in a submission to the paper are buried at the middle or near the end of a report. Only after we are told that a regular meeting was held, that so and so read the treasurer's report and that a guest speaker spoke, do we hear that the organization has decided, say, to make a $500 donation to some worthy cause. Perhaps mention of the donation or of the main point raised by the speaker might be used to lead into the story. It is unfortunate that very often we are told only that a speaker was introduced, that -he or she gave an irrierestIng pregentattotrorr'S pa?ticular tdpirand—thertlseT(t akar leas thanked afterwards. Readers are left to wonder what the speaker said and what made the presentation interesting and important to the audience. Finally, Items submitted to the paper are often written so they are illegible to editor, proofreader and typesetters alike. We don't expect everyone to send in type -written double-spaced copy (though it would be nice) but many errors which do creep into the paper might be cleared up If writers paid greater attention to the quality of writing and left a bit more space between the lines. (-Adapted from an editorial in the St. Marys Journal Argus) Keep heritage alive Pitch -In GARBAGE In Seaforth was collected by students of Seaforth Public and St. James schools on Friday. Top left shows Stacey Hoffman, Judy Middegaal,. Lori Lynn Williams, Cathy Lynn Hak, Tanya Arm- strong, Lisa Calver. Bottom le Robin Scarrow, Right photo shows Heather Mc - Gavin and Chris Reeves pruning a shrub. (Wasalnk photos) Gov't brain waves waste tax money It's budget time again and despite all the secrecy about what s in the new Ontario budget, we all know there won't be many surprises. Unlike last year when portions of the budget were announced beforehand when proofs of the budget were found in the garbage, treasurer Larry Grossman has made every effort to make sure the same doesn't happen again. But it's time we faced reality, including the government and the first thing that must be done is stop giving handouts. The second is government must cutback needless expendi- tures. Just this morning (Tuesday), 1 received in my morning mail a package from the Ontario Secretariat for Social Development. it's a package to "help you prepare your special bicentennial edition. Many sheets in the , package -.are lull color letterheads showing the bicentennial logo. Printing costs alone would be thousands of dollars. The introductory letter states that some newspaper editors have requested informa- tion about the bicentennial to use in special editions, it ends with "Good luck with your special edition and. of course, if there is more information we can provide on bicentennial. please call," More information, holy mackeral. The info i received was pitched in the garbage. but 1 retrieved for one purpose, to blast govern• At least three Seaforth businesses are in the midst of preserving and conserving their Main Street buildings. Seaforth council Is even cora idering re -installing the front porch on the town hall. Though the slugging is slow, owners of Main Street buildings are at least making an effort to conserve the late 19th century heritage structure of their town. And if the idea catches on, conservation of the Main Street heritage district would Oe a giant leap in retaining the small town atmosphere In Seaforth. And let's hope the idea improves business as well as buildings. Preserving and repairing buildings to their original design is what heritage is all about. But at least one business is finding that new laws may prohibit such reconstruction. Now that the heritage district has been approved, council will obviously try their best in allowing bylaws to be flexible Business people in town are concerned of loss of business so they're attempting to attract business by having an attractive and appealing Main Street. By supporting local business, we are supporting our town and are keeping our heritage alive. Everyone should make a will -- BY HARRY L. MARDON One of the mysteries of human nature is the strange reluctance of the average Canadian to make nut a will Often this is due to pure procrastination. However. psychologists say that in some cases people fear to have a will prepared because they subconsciously feel it amounts to a form of "death wish". The fact is that every adult should make a will. which is a document stating how you want any wealth or worldly goods you have accumulated to be distributed after your death. If you neglected to make a will before your death. the term used to describe your situation is that you died "intestate". it can lead to all sorts of hassles and problems for the family survivors. Some people avoid makirlg out a will because they think that's something only so-called rich men and women do. But it's surprising how much possessions and finan- cial assets even the average Canadian acquires. These become your "estate" when you die. For example, if you have paid into the Canada Pension Plan (or Quebec Pension Plan), there is a lump -sum CPP death benefit. If you're an employee you probably belong to a group life insurance plan and a company pension plan., A fairly considerable sum of money could be involved. What a properly drawn up will does is SENSE AND NONSENSE by Ron Wassink ment about excessive spending. The info package 1 receive included 84 pages, yep, that was 84 pages on topics such as "Bicentennial a wonderful success: Birch" and "Ontario's bicentennial; an historical perspective." Hows this for a heading, "Community picnics, parades and homecomings focus of Ontario's bicentennial.—but big events are happening tool" Quite breathtaking isn't it. if we new what it cost to send 84 pages 'via to overfl11.0 weekly newspapers plus th 4 y press`Fiidio atd'tefeisl8ii, `the ciixt'" would so take your breath away. Just think of what all the money spent on promoting the bicentennial used for. It could be used to keep the retail sales tax at seven per cent instead of nine per cent as is being predicted. The money could be given to third world countries to feed the hungry or could be If such was the case, then the Secretariat for Social Development wouldn't have had to would be some left for French Immersion; such was the case, then the Secretariat for Social Development wouldn't have had to send out a neat little package entitled, "May is Family Unity Month. Rediscover each other is the logo on the envelope. I received the Unity Month junk mail yesterday (Monday), pitched it in the garbage and on second thought dug it out, coffee stains and all. Family Unity Month -- what will our Ontario government think of next. Does the government have so much money that they haye to think of new ideas and ne)v "tgpnths" to spend our hard earned tax dollars on? What really gets me is that the people running the country have lost sight of the real world. The first line on the second page of the Unity Month brochure asks, "What is a Family?" The answer given is as follows: "Statistics Canada, for their 1981 nation- wide census defined a family as; A husband or wife, married or common law, with or without children, who have never married, regardless of age, living in the same dwelling. A single parent or any marital status, living with one or more children who have 'never married, regardless of age." Now isn't that something. Honestly, I thought "family" was something to eat, you know. "fam" instead of "ham" with an "ily" on the end of it. And the government set me straight --am I always wrong? Here's a bit. more on Unity Month and there are some super ideas --some I'm sure most families never do or have never thought of. The Secretariat suggests to "have a real Family Day celebration with a picnic." What', a picnic, I ask? Other ideas are to plant a garden, plant some flowers, (and how's this •for a government brain wave), PLANT A FAMILY TREE. Maybe the Ontario government had method'behind their madness. The garbage they sent£o all us media types was to be used as promotional material in newspapers. How do 1 explain to the UCW or our correspond- ents that we left out their news in order to insert government propoganda in our news columns. 1 can already hear the phone ringing from irate Seaforth area news contributors. The junk mail 1 referred to arrives on my desk five days a week without fail. Let's get rid of it. Save trees by saving paper. Then we won't have to plant a FAMILY TREE. Besides choosing a suitable tree planting location could lead to arguments. maybe even divorce. don't regret passing of firecracker Driving along the other day I saw a sign that brought hack old memories Fireworks it read. Back came the memories of when the 24th of May was firecracker day. The number of stores selling fireworks arc few these days There are still some families that buy fireworks and set them off but mostly. the Queen's Birthday celebration these days either goes off without a hang. or the fireworks displays are big,-ommun,ty sponsored events with 100 s or i,000's watching. But hack to those days. oh so long ago. in my youth. firecracker day meant fire crackers. those little red, explosive card board tubes that made a little or a big hang depending on whether you got the tiny ones or really splurged and got the "canons" We rnuld hardly wait for firecracker day to arrive and as soon as the stores started stocking firecrackers in the spring we rushed rut with every spare nickel we could afford to huv firecrackers For the life of me now. c2n't remember what it was about them that clearly state how you want your estate to be disposed of after your death. It also should name a person or persons. or a trust company. to make sure the terms of your will are carried out. That person is called an "executor" if a man, or "executrix" if a woman. Naturally, it's advisable to pick an executor whom you believe will survive you. (This writer has as his co-executors his wife and his family lawyer.) There is no legal requirement that your will has to be drawn up by a lawyer. However. it is the prudent thing to do. Lawyers generally charge $50 or less to draw up a will. You can cut down the size of the lawyer's fee by doing some time -saving work before you call on his, or her, services. First of all, you should make out a list of what you presently own and what you expect will form part of your estate when you die, such as pension plan benefits accumulating on your behalf. Your next step is to decide how you want your estate distributed. If you're a married man, you'll probably designate your wife to be your "beneficiary". If more than one person is named in your will to benefit from your estate, they are known as the "benefi- ciaries", Keep in mind that your wife can be both the SEE WILL/ ON PAGE THREE BEHIND THE SCENES by Keith Roulston Save them such a powerful atttactlon to us. Oh there were minor pleasures I remember sand piles for more likely just dirt piles) where we used to have miniature mad•bullding projects and use the fire- crackers as dynamite to blast nut small a ones Fascinated as we were in those post war days and in the middle of the Cold War with weapons, we'd sometimes build paper airplanes and fling them aloft with a burning firecracker as pasload. then aatch them disintegrate in midair when the p4nwln ame There were other, eYen stupider uses of 11-i- rackcrs luckily I was never present when it happened. but 1 know of friends and have heard of others) who used to put a firecracker down the throat of a frog Great fun huh? Mostly though. firecrackers were just lit and exploded: mostly one at a time hot. if the kid was particularly, affluent, a whole string at a time. There was the element nt surprise, trying to sneak up behind someone and watch them jump when the hang came This also led to throwing firecrackers at each other with resulting injuries at times There 'sere completels thoughtless people who stuck lighted firecrackers in the hack pockets of unsuspecting people More than once thc resulting explosion set off a package of firecrackers stuck in the pocket and resulted in had burns for the unlucky victim There are probably those who regret the passing of the firecracker. w ho think today's children are denied something in not hasing easy access to these "toys". It is fashionable these days to regret the many laws that have been passed to protect us from ourselves hut I don 1 regret this one I can't we that m kids have had a miserable life although they've never known the hang of a firecracker 1 know that they V.111 not he missing an eve or patches of skin from injuries inflicted through thoughtless use of the dangerous little weapons. And if ansthing. kids have gained. Real fireworks displays w ere fess and far between in the old Bass We wasted our money on the hangers Tl'das if mones Is spent it provides thc heauts of sane and safe fireworks displas s• Revisiting old home town is ghoulish There's something rather ghoulish about revisiting your old home town after 40 odd years and giving a speech about what it was like to grow up there 40 years ago. The younger people don't know what you're talking about. The people your own age are eithet deaf or dead. and don't know what you're talking about either. That was a recent experience. 1 was asked to speak at a Chamber of Commerce dinner in Perth, where 1 was reared, after a fashion, Special theme of the evening was the celebration of the 1 SOth birthday of the Perth Courier. the second oldest weekly newspaper in Canada. Perth, down in Eastern Ontario. was a centre of culture and class (rich and poor). when Ottawa was a brawling lumbertown and Toronto was Muddy York. My speech was the ideal moment for a lapse into rotundic hysteric hyperbole, and plain old bull -roar. 1 successfully avoided all three, as is my wont. 1 just told the truth, as always. And, as always, i received a standing ovation. The standing ovation, which used to be a rare and heartfelt response to a speech in which a politician promised new roads, new docks. or a new post office, has become as emotional as a good sneeze. It is now a chance for people to get off their bums, up from those hard chairs borrowed from the funeral directer, on which they have squatted for two hours or so, and stretch their arthritic joints. It also signals the end for those who have fallen asleep. You can hear SUGAR AND SPICE by Bill Smiley the groan of relief welling beneath the hearty handclapping. 1 didn't praise the Chamber of Commerce In fact I stuck a needle into them. As a former weekh editor. 1 know all about the Chamber of Commerce, in another town. We met monthly if we could get a quorum. There were always four of us. 1 guess that was a quorum the President. two members dragged out of the pub or off the curling rink. and me, as reporter Talk of new industries. new approaches to tourism, and a general au -grading from the parking meters floated through the air for two hours, then we'd all go happily home. for another month This one was a little different. The officials talked in hundreds of thousands of dollars. mostly government grants. where we used to talk about the impossibility of raising 5200 for a tourist information booth. At any rate. the Perth Chamber was gracious and exceedingly generous 1 think the whole trip didn't cost me more than 5100. 1 also needled the publisher of the Perth Courier, but rather gently. i've been over that route. and publishers get the needle from readers so regularly that they barely feel it. except when it goes to the bone or the heart. which it does every time. What shook me was now ma a lot of people were There 1 was feeling a ripe old 28 and these ancients carie shuffling up and saying. "Hey. Bill. remember the time we . ..?" My only resort was to say. "Hoot you" When I found out I was mortified. A great strapping chap stuck out his hand and said. "Bill" ' i responded. "Hoot you?" He just said. "Roy , and there I was confronted. and recognizing a first cousin I hadn't seen since 1945. he just out of the navy. I just out of the air force, having a couple of beers together. We hadn't seen each other, or exchanged so much as a card. since. A few other faces emerged from the bald heads and lined faces: Cam Chaplin, a rawboned dairy farmer who tackled in football like a brick wall hitting a heap of marshmallows; Jack Scott, another boy of the same ilk; Kay Lightford, sister of my old college room -mate, and her brother. Grover. a widower with six children who married a widow with four% and who grasped me earnestly by the lapels and told me i should consider marrying again. Aside from a few. it was a family reunion. My big sister, dammer. who instigated the whole affair. put me up for three days and tried to force-feed me. Her son, Pete. an Air Canada captain joist happened to drift up from Montreal and his little sister. Heather. took a jaunt down from Pembroke 1 used to habvsit them My little sister. a nurse, drove with her husband, some svhite•haired old guy called Jack Buell, with whom I'd played football 40 years ago, floated in from Brockville We had quite a time swapping lies and figuring out who was dead, who'd had a stroke, who was divorced and why We'll probably not ever he together again until the day my ashes arrive in an urn Something unusual. and very moving for me. occurred at the dinner I was told that an elderly gentleman, or as some put it. 'an old man", had been waiting outside the hall for about two hours. wanting to see me A bit bewildered. I told them to have him come in. And !finally nailed the ofd devil who have been writing me for years. signing himself. at first. "Your TV Repairman". and later, over the years. just "YTVR". I knew he lived in Westport, Ont.. but couldn't answer his blunt and caustic comments. his kind and encouraging notes, his sensitive letter when my wife died. And there he was. He wouldn't come in to dinner. He had to drive home, in the dark. at over 80 years. He'd come all that way just to say hello, Smiley. He gave me a gift which I thought might be a chamber•pot with his sense of humor, neatly wrapped. 11 turned out to be a beautifully handwrought wooden bowl. which 1 shall treasure. More about him later.