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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1988-08-03, Page 184A — THE HURON EXPOSITOR. AUGUST 10, 1988 OVIWORMUAI 5 YEAR COMP. All Deposits Insured Within Limits. Rates 8nbleol To Verification. Serving Ontario since 1976 Troll) 15 locations for your convenience i NESBIT ELECTRIC LTD. PKirklion 229-8222 SEE 'U'S 'FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS • Industrial *Farm • *Residential •Pole Line Construction •3ucket'truck Service •Hydro Polos *Electric Motor Repaks *Rewinding •Sales and Service ti For Service Coll 229,8222 or 1-800-265-2938 AFTER 6 P.M. CALL 'POM RAPSON 527-1643 St. Columban man back from tropics Atter spending most of his lifetime as a Cath011c missionary in the tropics, St. Col- umban's Father Francis Moylan has return- ed home and has had a chance to look back on his career in Santo. Domingo and the Phillipines. In 1915 Father Moylan was horn only three miles from St. Columban, and it was there he grew up. He was ordained in 1945, and was sent to Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. These were the days before the tourist trade hit the Dominican Republic, and the island's countryside was lacking in those things most North Americans consider essential. "They were pretty ' primitive," says Father Moylan. "They had frame houses made from strips of coconut trees that they lived in year-round. r Furthermore, there were few good roads and all travel was by either mule or horse. Roads were often thick with mud which could be over two feet deep in places, and rivers were rarely bridged and had to be crossed in shallow water. For father Moylan, having grown up on a farm, riding was not a problem -but not all the priests in his parish could say the same. In the 43 years since he first went to the Dominican Republic Father Moylan has ' witnessed a dramatic change in the way of life for the people, although it is still not comparable to western life. His parish was in a small town about the size of ublin and included a radius of about 25 miles around it. The population of the parish then was about 30,000 people who liv- ed through growing bananas, oranges, rice, corn and other crops. Now, 40 years later, this same area is the home of 60,000 people,' and there are schools and high schools, roadithat vehicles can get through, a lot, of vehicles -especially motor- cycles, and even air conditioned buses. But Father Moylan remembers when the first vehicles came to his parish in 1948. The "buses" were trucks with benches in the back, and there were some military surplus jeeps that the priests purchased. But there was still a lack of proper roads and bridges. On one occassion Father Moylan and another priest tried to cross a river, they got a good run at it but about halfway through the jeep got stuck. It was raining a tropical rain so hard that the priests could literally see the water level rising on their jeep and threatening.to sweep it down river. They jumped out onto the hood of the jeep and swam for shore. Using a bottle of rum as an incentive, they convinced 10 men to push their vehicle out of the water, and they got it out as the water level was getting as high as the windshield. It took three Father Moylan three days of repairs to get it runn- ing again. Asked about the issue of a priest using a bottle of rum to solicit help, Father Moylan responds "it gave them a little more en- thusiasm." Obviously church is not as for- mal in underdeveloped countries as it is here. Now there are some of the modern lux- uries available in the Dominican coun- tryside. On Father Moylan's parish there is a pipe which comes five miles from the nearest town and carries water to a tap at the Catholic church, so water is made available to the local people. Father Moylan lives in a small house with a tin roof that Ls hot and dusty but dry. He has running water which comes from the TOWN OF SEAFORTR SANITARY SEWAGE WORKS EXPANSION ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE The Council of the Town of Seaforth cordially invites interested persons to attend an information centre beginning at 7:30 p.m. on: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24 AT THE SEAFQRTH' COUNCIL CHAMBERS The Town has been proceeding with the development of a project that will result in major improvements to the Town's sewage treatment facilities. The improvements will involve an on-site expansion of the capacity of the facility and a change in the method of treating the sewage. The facility will operate in an improved manner and should meet the needs of the Town for at least 20 years. Representatives of the engineering firm conducting the study will be present to explain the details of the expansion and to answer any questions that might arise. Anyone wishing to ex- press an opinion concerning the project or having any other con- cerns should attend. For information concerning the above, contact the Town Clerk, Mr. Jim Crocker (527-0160) during normal business hours. Mr. Jim Crocker Administrator -Clerk Treasurer Town of Seaforth FATHER MOYLAN, a Catholic missionary, is back in his home of St. Columban for rest and medical attention and has had the chance to reflect on his life in the Dominican Republic and the Phillipines. Corbett photo. church, and although there is not enough pressure for a shower, the innovative Father Moylan has a barrel on the roof of his house which collects rain and can also be filled with the tap when there is enough pressure at night. The water is warmed dur- ing the day through the natural heat of the sun, and at night Father Moylan can get a shower. Father Moylan has a gas stove, and elec- tric lights and television when the electric company can keep up with power demands. Unfortunately this is only about 50 per cent of the time. Father Moylan says the electric company is somewhat like God: "God said `let there be light' and there was light, the electric company says 'let there be dark' and there is dark." Like most missonaries Father Moylan has done his share of travelling. He Left the Dominican Republic in 1949 to go teach in a seminary in Scarborough for five years, and was then transferred to the Phillipines for 11 years from 1955 to 1966. He found the Pinlpines to be almost unbearably hot and there was a lot of threat of communist takeover at that time. In 1967 he went back to the Dominican and has been there since. His duties there are similar to those of a priest in Canada. He officiates at weddings, funerals, and conducts regular services. "Most people are Catholic down there," he explains, "or they're supposed to be, but they don't work at it too hard." Most of his, duty is to help them practice their faith. But Father Moylan has had some duties as a missionary priest which his counter- parts in Canada likely wouldn't encounter, In 1960 in the Phillipines he wasresponsible for building a huge church 135 feet long and 60 feet wide. He designed it, and saw to its construction. The walls were made of rein- forced concrete to withstand the tropical tornados. It was constructed at a cost of $5,000 U.S. because of the inexpensive labour available, and this money was raised through contibutions from Father Moylan's relatives and other people. The Dominican is still catching up with the times, and there are still problems to be conquered with roads, water and hydro power. But the people are getting modern conveniences and finding the modern world. Baseball is a big sport there, and George Bell is a big celebrity.. "I hear George isn't doing so well. I hear he's going to give back half of his salary," is all Father Moylan has to say to get a little Dominican boy quite furious with him. Father 'Moylan had appendix troubles recently, and that is what brought him back' to Canada, and he is staying with his sister- in-law Elaine Moylan in St. Columban. As soon as a doctor does a "repair job" he will be back on his way to his parish. He hopes to be there for a few years more, and says it has become home for him and he has a lot of friends there. He doesn't find life there to be particularly hard -"it's whatever you become accustomed to." "We all like to, complain, but I've really got no regrets. Your only regret is that you can't do more, or that you're not capable of helping them more," he says. "I enjoy it very much. You have a certain sense of fulfillment. You kind of feel that you're doing some good. Helping others." Father Moylan will be returning to his parish in October. Saturday mail permanently discontinued Kitten 6 — a proud- name! Throughout its history, KITTEN has been more than just an easy - care line of fashions, more than just one of the most comfortable outfits you'll ever wear. KITTEN KNITS are designed and con- structed by experts in today's latest trends of style. Drop in and take a look at what's available. KITTEN KNITS — the results of skill, talent, and an eye for beauty. FIRE CALL - The Seaforth Fire Department was summoned to Lot 16, Concession 2, farmed by Joe and Mike Lane, on Friday. They had been combining when a spark was caught by the wind and started a grass fire. The fire was quickly under control, and loss was minimal. Corbett photo. As most Seaforth residents have probably already noticed there has been no mail com- ing into town on Saturdays since mid June. This is a permanent situation. Canada Post has cut off Saturday deliveries across the country. Over the past two years Canada Post has been engaged in trying to keep service "reliable and consistent" and part of that in- volves standardization. In this case, delivery is being standardized across the country. Tom Creech, a media relations official with Canada Post, says "the Seaforth and Stratford areas are not being singled out at all" and adds the five day week is being equally implemented in both rural and ur- ban Canada. In fact, according to Mr. Creech, Seaforth is one of the last places in the province to lose Saturday delivery. There hasn't been Saturday delivery along rural routes for about the past five years. Canada Post will be making further inter- nal changes in the name of efficiency, but there are no further changes which will af- fect customers in the foreseeable future. Masons give fuel to the anti-drug, alcohol fire The Masonic Foundation of Ontario has announced the establishment of a special fund to be Used in the fight against alcohol and drug abuse among the youth of the province. The minimum target is a $1,000,000 capital fund, and the proceeds will be donated to agencies active in drug abuse prevention work. Seaforth's Brittania Lodge has embrac- ed the program and members will be sup- porting the new effort with their personal financial donations. "They're all behind the platform -get drugs off the streets and get kids back in society," says Worshipful Master James Brown of the Seaforth area Lodge. At a meeting of the Masonic Foundation of Ontario held in Toronto in July the issue of drug abuse among the youth of today was explored, and guest speakers told of the countries that make their livelihood through the drug trade, and the children who are 12 and 13 years old who use drugs and will do anything to get them. "I have eight children, and I would hate to see any child on drugs," says Mr. Brown. Helping to deal with the drug problem fits well into the Masons goal to look after orphans, widows, and all children, and Mr. Brown says of the new program "I doubt if you'll find a Mason who's not for it." To raise the $1,000,000 needed to start the fund the Masons have been asked to make personal contributions. $10 for every member in the province is needed but some will obviously make greater dona- tions than others. Three agencies that will receive grants from the fund are the Council On Drub Abuse, Parents Against Drugs, and Alcohol and Drug Concerns. Each of these organizations specializes in particular aspects of coping with the drug problem. Together they provide a variety of pro- grams aimed at drug awareness and education, the prevention of drug abuse, and the management of drug related problems. The fight against drag abuse was selected as a special project to mark the Foundation's 25th anniversary. "The problem of alcohol and drug abuse can arise in any community and can affect any family. No one is immune from the suffering it can cause," said N. R. Richards, president of the Masonic Foun- dation of Ontarib. "And we cannot ignore the heavy economic costs in crime, legal and health expenses, and lost productivity." "We are fortunate that there are dedicated organizations already at work on the drug abuse problem. The Masonic Order is proud to provide its support to their efforts. This million dollar fund, to which the public as well as every Mason is being invited to contribute, is an indication of how serious we consider the problem to be." The Masons acknowledge that the drug problem is not going to be solved in one year or two years, and this is just the kick- off year for the anti -drug -and -alcohol fund. The program is going to continue into future years, and Mr. Brown says "we'll be behind it until we've got drugs stamped out." Indebted • from page 2 Several months ago I lost my bunch of keys, I'm unsure even where I lost them,most an- noying at the time but compelling me to in- troduce greater care of my belongings. Lo and Behold, after seven months in time during which I absolutely had no likelihood of ever seeing them again, my bunch of keys were faithfully returned to me by the aforementioned service which I very kindly responded to in many ways. It was just Great! ! 1 Mr. A. Sourbutts