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The Huron Expositor, 1987-05-27, Page 2A2 THE HURON EXPOSITOR, MAY 27, 1987 Huron ositor SINCE 1860. SERVING THE COMMUNITY FIRST ' Incorporating The Brussels Post EO BYRSKI, General /Manager Published in . HEATHER McILWRAITH, Editor . Seaforth, Ontario . Every Wednesday. Morning .Member Canadian Community Newspaper. Assoc. • , Ontario Community Newspaper Association , Ontario-greys-Cpura ' • • Commonwealth Press Union - �' International Press In'tIIute . Subscription.rates:: Thg Expositor Is brought to you Canada ayear, In advance ' • each week by the offorts of: ' Senior Citizens • '17.00 a year in. advance • Pat Armes, Nellie Blake, Outside Canada '60.00 a year, in advance.. Bessie Broome, Karon Gar- Single Copley • .50 cents each dner, Joan Guichelaar and Bob • . - . McMillan -• Second class moil•registration Number.0696 WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 1987 ; . . .' . Editorial and Business Offices.- Main Street, Seaforth Telephone' 15.19) 527-0240 Mailing Address - P.O. Box 69,• Seaforth, Ontario, NOK.1 WO Clear the air Although most members of Huron County councilquickly denounced a recent expose of internal problems, there are situations periodically arising whereby some of the sand in which they've buried their;heads is being kick- ed off. The most recent was, a brief received from employees of the health unit in which a number of concerns were oiJtlined regarding; a lack of communica- tion; the .need for a written policies and procedures manual; an ongoing concern pertaining to the resignation of former MOH Dr, Harry Cieslar, and staff resentment to active interference in personnel matters and in board decision-making responsibilities by Clerk -treasurer Bill Hanley. While board chairman 'Grant Stirling acknowledged the need to tackle the complaints and to produce -a system with everyone .in harmony, Warden Brian McBurney was obviously less concerned and refuted many of the .."complaints by, employees by .explaining 'they stemmed from employees continuing to dredge up old problem that should now be forgotten. He said the underlining cause 'reflected disappointment by the staff in not getting some of the pay increases they felt were warranted: There are always twosides to any issue, but the Warden appears intent on sticking with the ship, even though evidence continues to mount that it is subject to some peril. - Dismissing complaints. and concerns as being tied to wage negotiations would suggest McBurney hasn't even taken time to seriously review the brief and comprehend the diversity of the items - the majority of which ap- pear in no way .to stem 'from any financial considerations.. In.fact, the lack of a wrjtten policies and procedures manual is one of the major deficiences cited by the staff since it' allows controversies to go • unresolved. While acknowledging a policy guide specifically for the health unit has been discussed in the past; •McBurney , explains it has not progressed beyond that point because other items crop up which are given preferecrte as they areconsidered of more importance. • ' There s obviou . a difference of opinion on the items to be given priority, .but county council can not escape the fact their opinion in that regard con- tinues to fuel the flames of discontent among the staff and adds credence to reports of deep-rooted problems that they would prefer to dismiss out'of hand. It is evident internal matters should be given top priority and it appears county council should call in some independent experts to clear the air. -TA. Hansen ambassador of hope I ulten wonder if in' similar ,cit- . cumstances I Would be up to a challenge like the one taken by Rick .Hansen, ,or • Steve Fonyo and Terry Fox before him. It takes. a very special person, and • Hansen's selfless two year trek around the world, not only raised funds for spinal cord. • • research„ but it gave many people, even those .untouched by disability, a new outlook on life. Certainly what this "Marvin Motion" did to increase public awareness of.. spinal chord injury. was'admirable, but it. goes • much further than that. Hansen was doing a lot more t'hansilty lulu y campaigning research funds. • "For more,than two years Rick Hansen has.charted his own course,'a dark and un- dulating ribbon of asphalt one traffic lane wide and 40,000 kilometres long." And'the people. who crowded that route did so, not .merely because a man, strapped into a metal contraption,.. was making history. They did it because that man carried with ..him an aura of hope '= for brighter tomos- , rows and forchallenges met. ' It could have been just a monetary mis- sion but Hansen turned it into much more than. that: At every opportunity he urged', people, of every race and age, to confront life's problems heatlon. He bila young peo- SENSE AND NONSENSE by Ron Wassink Leearned to be safe A buddy just got nailed by town police driving 90 kmh in a 50 zone. After some shoulder shrugging and saying he couldn't believe it, he had talked the cop into reduc- ing the fine from a staggering $88.75 and four points to less than $20 and no points. Talk about a salesman's luck. Now if that had been me, and it has been on four occa- sions, I'd get everything but the radar gun thrown at me. Sorry sir, no break for you, is what I'm told. ' I'll let you in on a secret—I've got the cops fooled. I haven't been stopped in the last year, since getting my fourth ticket in two years. I•stopped listening to the fool who told me not to worry, "drive 100 and you'll be okay". Seems it's okay advice for the lucky, but not me. Sure I still drive over the speed hind, but only by 10 kmh. And if you still think miles per hour like I do, that's only about six miles over the 50 mile an hour speed limit (80 klieks for you metric nuts). 1 suppose the chat I had with the fellow at the licence office in town helped. You see, if you accumulate (there's no such thing as .losing) nine points, it's interview time, and it's not for a job either. 1'll have those blasted points till June, but let me say to the person who's still trying to get some, they're the most expensive points I've ever earned. No, they're not as hard to get as they used to be. For a while I thought someone had taken a contract out on me. It seemed I couldn't drive anywhere, fast, and not have a stop= free journey. The deps were either getting me from behind, Sr as they drove toward Me., They had mecoming or going with radar irracchities I still dofi'-t trust I soon learned, during the dreaded inter- view, that I'm not the only 011e getting Stop- ped for speeding en the highways, sideroads, county roads and driveways (1've even heard of trees being clocked at 50 Miles an hour). The interviewer, who I must admit was a decent guy, told stye the teasel"' for the in - Create in ticket 'sales is beeaiise the attorney general instructed polide depee:Meets to got tough with speeders • Somehow I find the Wilde process: unfair. a ..whey" Titideau switched u's It all started -when, ,,.. _._ _ over to metric. Driving 901imh in an 80 and not getting stopped is like the 61d days when we all drove 60 mph in a 50. You could even risk driving 55 and be safe. But the best part of the "old" system was the fine was $2 for every mph over the speed lint. But now, if you drive 100 kmh (about 60 mph) in an 80, 'the fine is still $2,, but there are more kilometres involved• than when we were dealing with miles. The speed may be the same, but the fine is. a lot higher. Plus, points are involved now. It may sound confusing, but after being stopped a few times. you'll understand. To save my licence rand job if 1 lost it) is to drive 90 instead ofhe usual 100 kmh. The guy at the licence office told me the the secret•to driving fast and not losing points is -to stay within a 15 krnh range over the speed limit. So don't drive 100. But because I don't trust speedometers anymore either (the cops always say I drive faster than the speedometer shows', I only drive 10 kmh over the speed limit. Even at that, I have a hard time getting my car up there—it's a diesel and sluggish, just what I need for my heavy foot. I few weeks after my interview, I learned I'm not alone when it comes to driving fast. In•a survey conducted recently by Caledon OPP, police were astounded that only six of 456 drivers -a mere 1.3 pet cent—were obey- ing beying the speed limit. Police are promising to crackdown on speeders, in light of the fact that fout of the 456 checked in the one hour period were driving 50 kmh over the 80 speed limit. And I thought I had problems, My, nine points accumulated from three charges by OPP. Anyone caught driving as fast as the four above mentioned•motorists are elTgibte forrsix demerit points and a minimum fine of $2,25 for each kilometre over the limit ($112.50). Also, a justice of the peace can suspend the driver's lieence for up to 90 days. Talk about tough medicine. It seems it's worse to get caught for speeding than drink- ing and driving. 1 wonder what happens if you do both? For now I've slowed dowti,a bit. If you see rise puttering along at a steady 80 and have the urge to pass, remember that I used to pass a lot of cars too. I've decided the humiliation of begging to keep Ill li'cence isn't worth it. Besides, it's hard Orr the knees. SWEATSOCKS by Heather .Meilwraith vow . home in triumph,fronri his round -the -world odyssey to raise' money in aid. of Spinal cord medical research. "Thousands of Vancouverites waving , yellow bangers, ribbons and balloons gave Hansen in his wheelchair an exuberant . . welcome as he rolled' through the city's. his know streets on:the final kilometres of trek, ale not,to shy away fromchallenges and.to reach for the. stars", and he. gave them reason,to believe anything was possible; Rick Hansen was a .true Ambassadorof Hope, • ' • I never had the opportunity to see Rick „ Hansen during his "Man in Motion".cam- tor. paign, but`h ecImra' nsany. (anadh .what he has done hat; made an impact ot1 my„'life, I have no diaabilities to speak of, yet have found his message over the years to be inspirational to say the least. I have an immeasurable amount of respect for this "Man of Motion" who has created such a tidal wave of emotion 'throughout • the world - but especially in Canada. And .it -is obvious by 'the ,rea.ction ' garnered by his. recent return to. Van-.. couver, that other people feel the same • way. • . • As the London Free Press. put. it: "The people of• Vancouver opened their hearts and pocketbooks wide to.Rick Hansen on Friday as the Man in Motion returned It was' a hero's welcome and I cannot think of a more deserving Canadian: I just hope that 'time does, not erase the at- mosphere of hope and.caring that has been 'created by the "Man of Motion . • As forme, each time I put on my Rick Hansen sweatshirt, given by my father at . Christmas; to each member of our family; I, will remember. Because.after all dad was right. What Rick Hansen set out to d'o was admirable, and the fact that he ac- • compli'shed,hisgoal, even moreso. • His gift, of hope to people everywhere ', was one dad chose to•.draw attention tout Christmas; but his example is. somethin'i we should remember every day.. • • iyYTAXEy HELPED' IBUILL -frif5 CAR THE COMP '( THAT FUELS IT AND. THE ROAD THAT TAKES .ME TO •UGOVERWIENT $YORE AP Youu; 9Y /NEED ,LICENCE . Circus 'entertaining I haven't been to a circus since I was 12 -years -old. So, when the Goderich Junior C Sailors brought the George Garden Cir- cus International to town last weekend, I• didn't mind drawing the assignment to cover it. It gave me a chance to attend under cover of working, without having to borrow soma children 'from a friend or. relative in order to make my attendance at the event appear legitimate. After all, as everyone knows. the circus is for kids. Right? Not neccessarily so. Such an ex- travaganza can also make for a very entertaining' afternoon for your average community, newspaper photographer. Actually, some of the people attending the afternopn session ,Sunday probably mistook me for part of the show' — one of clowns perhaps? In order to get some close-up glossys, i had obtained permis- sion from none other than George Garden himself, to stake out a spot right at ringside. At the time, I thought George was doing me a favor. Just shows how you can misjudge people. "Get as close as you like. When f'tn ' handling the elephants in the second half you can get right up to the edge of ,the ring if you want." offered George. Thanks a lot George. Nothing I like bet- ter than getting within two feet of a three- ton behemoth while it's circling a ring, bordered only by an inflatable tube, at full tilt. By the way George, were these excursion FROM THIS ANGLE by Patrick Raftis • • pachyderms passing wind as they passed me by, or do elephants always smell that bad? George's assistance at getting me up front with Jumbo and crew. was ap- preciated almost as much as the advice of the woman who was assisting Bruno the tiger trainer. This helpful lady directed me to a spot where I couldget a head-on view - of one of the big striped cats charging eprobably not voluntarily) through a ring of fire. I had assumed the tiger would stop somewhat short of the bars, behind which I was hurriedly focussing my Pentax. So; I was a little stunned when 1 realized this cat was about to crash right into both the bars and myself. As I picked myself up off the ground, 1 could tell by the coy smile on my guide's face, she had probably pulled this same stunt on reporters before. "Never get a better shot than that, eh?" Right. If I hadn't moved as quick as I did, I might never have got another shot of anything again. Not that I didn't have any fun at all tak- ing ak-ing.pictures. I. did enjoy watching the high wire guy sweat bullets as he pointed at my camera and shook his head "No! No!" - I got the impression he didn't relish the idea of my flash going off his his face as he attempted his through -the -hoop backflip on the silver strand. ' Guess I can't blame him for. that. Probably the highlight of the day was was the outdoor spectacle of Murton, the Human Missile, taking an artillery - powered flight into a suitably large net, For the camera buff, this is the kind of thing you have to get on the first try. Can't very well say, "Hey Murton, I didn't get that. Would you mind getting back in the cannon?" Despite the photographic tribulations. I got trig bang (though undoubtably not as big a bang as Mutzon) out of attending my first circus In many years.. From their reactions, I would also guess the 1,900 or so who attended the two performances did too. Still, Ile not about to run away and join one. I have a feeling — not being good at juggling or flying from cannons ,- that I'd have to start at the bottom. Much as 1 might complain about my job. it just has to be better than following elephants around with broom. Corner stone laid at Walton .Church - MAY 27,1887 Messrs. Gorforth and McKenzie, two students of Knox. College, will address the congregations of Egmondville and Duff's church, McKillop on the subject of foreign missions on Sabbath forenoon next. We notice by copies of the Grand Forks, Dakota, Herald, recently received, that Miss Marion Murchie, foutth daughter of Mr. Charles Murchie of Dakota and a former resident of the township of Grey, in this county was lately married to Dr. A, H. Webster of Grand Forks. Immediately after their marriage the young couple left for the Congo River district in Africa, where the Doctor has undertaken professional work under the American Board of Foreign Mis- s'ioes. Mrs. Webster is a niece of Mr. Alex- ander' Murchfe pustmnaster of Winthrop. MAY 31,1912 Walton -The corner stone of the new Presbyterian church in Watton was well and truly laid on'Friday last. Where was a large attendance of people ptesent. The ceremony of laying the stone was performed by Rev. Dr. Turnbull, Toronto. At a special meeting of the"town council held on Monday evening the mayor and treasurer were instructed to transfer to the account of the Public Library Board the sum of $800 for the purchase of the site for the new Carnegie -Library. It was also decided to extend the water pipes 011' IN THE YEARS AGONE front the Archives Goderich street from Laidlaw's` cornet to McMicheal's corner and to have the work clone -as soon as possible. MAY 28,1931 The sixieth anniversary of ' St. Paul's Church, Hensel], will be observed on Sun- day, June 6, when special service in honor of the occasion will be held. Pupils of the Seaforth Public School observed'Empire Day on Friday afternoon when a splendid program, in keeping with day WAS presented on the spacious school lawn. Principal P. B Moffat acted as chair- man. Mr. J. E. Keating, president of the Seaforth Branch of the Canadian Legion, spoke to the students en the stgnificance.of Empire Day, tracing its development throughout the four corners of the world and in all the countries that make up the British Empire. MAY 31, 1992 During the first Week they were in opera= tion, Seaforth parking dieters produced $108.71, :Fifty per cent Of the honey recovered from the meters is applied• to the purchase -the balance goes into the town's general revenue acteent. A half century of service to agriculture, was marked Tuesday evening, When William R. Dougall, Hensall, was presented with an agricultutal servile diploma by the South Huron Agricu Itural Society. M. Dougall who has been a member of the society M 50 years served for a number of years as secretary. The meeting completed plans for the 75th spring show being held in Hensall on Fitday June 8. The Mainstreet Week owned by the•estate of the late Mrs. T H: Peck, .was sold this week fo Walter Murray, of Seaforth. _ ., ., Lack of interest on the part of m'etebet0 and the public has forced a suspension of ac- tivities by the Seaforth Highlanders Band. Decision to suspend all bared activities was taken by the band eatecutive'Cues'day, when • repeated efforts to attract atte'ndanc'e at weekly practices failed. Norman Long, who for the past 27 years has e.rried"the mail on Itutal Route 2, Kip-' pen, acrd until trucks took over item the CNR station to the post office, will retire Thursd'ay. ,